SIRD Malaysia

SIRD Malaysia

Video-satsang: Sunday 17^th January 2010

Topic: The Four-Fold Qualifications of a student as expounded by Sri Adi Sankaracarya

Unni Kannan: Pranaams Swamiji. Pranaams also to Maa and Naya Swamiji. I am Unni Kannan. There are 30 of us assembled here today.

Poojya Swamiji: Okay. Asirvaad to everyone of you. The pictures are a little clearer. Is our picture clear?

Unni Kannan: It is okay Swamiji.

Nutan Swamiji: Can you switch on the lighting in front for the faces and put off the lighting at  the back. Draw the curtains at the back. Now we can see your faces brighter, earlier it was black.

Poojya Swamiji: Now it is much, much clearer. We understand there are human beings in front (Swamiji laughs). These points you should remember, at least one of you, so that you can be reminded everytime. Please go ahead, read the questions.

Unni Kannan: We have five questions today. The first question is how does one know he or she has attained these four-fold qualifications?

Poojya Swamiji: All these qualifications are relating to your mind and intelligence, particularly intelligence. And the qualifications or qualities will become manifest in your mind and sensory behavior. If a quality is there inside you, who else will know other than you?  Now for example, if you are truthful, who will know whether you are truthful or not? First of all you become truthful and then only the truthfulness becomes expressed in your words and actions. So the qualities first of all is had by you, either imbibed or cultivated, and then only it becomes expressed. So just like you know your thoughts, you know your emotions, will you not know the quality and function of your intelligence also? So what is the point of raising this question I don’t understand.

Say your complexion, others can see; your voice, others can hear, but your mind nobody can see. So these are qualities associated with your mind and intelligence. There  you alone will know them first. Suppose by a delusion you are misunderstanding, a delusional effect will be there, I agree. Otherwise, any quality, character or other things of your mind and intelligence, the possessor of these qualities is the first person to do it. Then only others will know. Is the point clear or not?

See, suppose you know mechanical engineering, that you are a mechanical engineer you know. And what is your efficiency in mechanical engineering? That also you know. Similarly, do you have the quality or the trait of distinguishing between the real and the unreal? First of all do you understand what is the real. The real is something that is constantly and ever present. The unreal is opposed to it. If you have the discrimination to know what is real and what is unreal, it is  a question of you having the quality. You are the first person to know. You cultivate the quality yourself. When you have cultivated the quality in sufficient measure, it becomes constantly present in you, then you must be the first person to know.

Similarly about dispassion also, another quality. The six traits sama, dama satka sampatih as we put it, these are behavioural, characteral interactional and qualities, which will take perhaps quite some time to stabilize and perfect.

Now mumukshutvam, whether you want liberation or not. I think every one of you can answer me, are you an aspirant of liberation or not?   This is something you readily know. There are some people I have come across who say that “Swamiji, I am not interested in moksha but I am interested in   something else” they will say. So whether you need moksha or not, it is something like this. A married couple do not have a child for four or five years. Will they not have a feeling that ‘I want a child’?  It is exactly like that. You want a house, you want an employment, you want your daughter to be married, son to be married. Like that, whether I want liberation or not is a very ready hand feeling. Who else will know than you? Is it clearer in any way?

Unni Kannan: Yes it is clear Swamiji. The second question: We understand we have to practice viveka. How do we practice discrimination in everyday life, especially when we are interacting with a person, place or event. In most instances we are only able to practice in retrospect and not during actual interaction.

Poojya Swamiji: See, this viveka is actually a determination or a conclusion that you have in you by the intelligence thinking about and evaluating matters. What does viveka say. Viveka says there must be a clear discrimination or differentiation between what is real and the opposite, namely the unreal. You tell me very clearly if you understand the definition of real: That which will not be destroyed, that which will not change, that which will remain forever the same.

Now can you apply this status to anything in this world, including the earth, including the sun? And can you apply this to any living creatures in this world? Every living creature is born at a time, lives for a few years. In the case of human beings, we are supposed to live for 120 years but there are instances when people generally live up to 90 or 100. Normally between 70, 80 and 90 people fall off.

Now including the human beings, you tell me whether the body is real or unreal? (Participants reply “Unreal”). What about the earth? (“Unreal”). What about your wife, husband and children? (“Unreal”). What about your house?  (“Unreal”). What about your car? (“Unreal”). What about sun? (“Unreal”). What about heaven? (“Unreal”). What about Brahmah the Creator? (“Unreal”). Brahmah was born at a time and he creates the world. After some time, one yuga, he will simply be over, so Brahmah also is unreal.

Now to carry this understanding, in what way is the world a hindrance? You are assessing the world, assessing the world, assessing the world (Swamiji repeats). You have X amount of money in the bank as a savings bank deposit. Everytime you draw the deposit , it gets exhausted. So unless you replenish it, will it not become zero at one day? (Yes, Swamiji). It is exactly in the same manner. Everyday you are living. As you are living, you are getting aged, getting nearer and nearer death, so virtually we are dying every day.

Now in order to carry this knowledge, what permission do you want from persons, places and events? All persons, all places and all events are transitory, transitory, transitory (Swamiji repeats), including your body, mind, intelligence, ego, everything is transitory. To carry this knowledge in the manner, just like don’t you carry the knowledge 2+3 = 5? (Yes, Swamiji). If you can carry the knowledge 2+3 = 5, you can equally carry the knowledge the world is transitory.

In what way are interactions are either a disturbance or an unfavourable factor? So what is your contradiction I don’t understand. When you interact with persons, places and events, that is the time that ephemerality or transitoriness gets revealed, in everything it gets revealed. You look at your pup, yesterday it was a certain age, today it has become older, thereafter tomorrow it has become still older. So everything reveals to you the transitory character. What is the problem here?

And you speak of everyday life, everyday life. Life is always everyday life. There is nothing like a month life, or a year life. Life is always a daily life. In everyday life, you understand that what interacts with the world, my body, is transitory. What is interacted with my body, that also is  transitory, including my family members,   my relations, my children, my property, my house, my everything. Is it not an evaluation or assessment about world objects in general? Answer me. (“Yes, Swamiji”.)

Now if it is an evaluation, you make an evaluation  once in your life and you get governed by it. Is it difficult or is it possible? (Possible.) So is the confusion cleared now? Now what is your problem I don’t understand.  Are you afraid of understanding your body as transitory? (“No”.) If you understand that a buffalo is a buffalo and our body is transitory, like a bird is a bird, what is your difficulty in recognizing this fact.  Please tell me.

Unni Kannan: It is forgotten at the time of interaction. It is there in the mind at interaction, only later we remember it.

Poojya Swamiji: Now why should you forget it? Because it is a fact, it has to guide your interaction, not interaction should obstruct it. All your interaction  should be guided by this information and knowledge. I can only tell you, I have mentioned also, this evaluation, once you make, you have to spend enough time on it, to make it a stable factor in you throughout; I say the mind hours will have to be spent. As many hours or minutes as you want, you spend on this realization or this finding and let the finding, the knowledge, be constantly be with you.

You see, an engineer learns engineering, at the end of 5 years or so, he comes out. Don’t you think the knowledge he gained is with him and that is what makes him an engineer and function as an engineer?  Similarly, this evaluation should be constantly with you, it should guide you. It is only a knowledge, and it remains in your memory.  And whenever necessary it will help you, it will come to your rescue, it will guide you. It is a very natural process. What difficulty is there, I don’t understand. Why are you keeping quiet? Let us know, what further. Let us spend some time on the subject.

You see, whenever you know something, will not that knowledge be with you and guide you? (“Yes”.) You see, you have a child born in your family. You consider that it is my child. From then on. you start looking after the child as “my child”. That “my child” knowledge, it does not leave you. Similarly, this knowledge also should not leave you. A boy marries a girl. After marrying, he considers  ‘she is my wife’.  That ‘she is my wife’, does it ever leave him? They may quarrel even but even then he remembers and understands that she is his wife.  In the same manner, all things is transitory, is a knowledge that we have. And that knowledge should always be with you when you transact with the world. With world means everything in this world including your body, family, relations, office, everything. What do you say? What is your difficulty in recognizing that such a knowledge will be present and it will guide you. Why is it not guiding you? Is it because of your insincerity, is it because of your lack of interest? Why are you acquiring a knowledge? So that the knowledge will guide you.

Malathi: Pranams Swamiji. This is Malathi here. It is easier for us to remember a fact  when it is an external object and when we see it, like the story of the wife and husband that you told us. But when we need to always realize it ourself,  then we tend to forget it more easily.

Poojya Swamiji: I agree that you are likely to forget it, because you say that. But once you know that you are likely to forget, you should reinforce your memory and understanding, spend more and more time, until at last it becomes co-existential with you. Why have we formed this SIRD there? So that people will assemble there, every week regularly, and this subject will be discussed. It is only to make you understand and keep this understanding more firmly in you. Are you not doing it? That means you have to spend more time. Why don’t you discuss everytime, this viveka subject itself, until you become vivekis yourselves?

Malathi: Yes Swamiji. That is our new year resolution, Swamiji.

Poojya Swamiji: Okay very good. Is the point on viveka understood well? Then only we will proceed to the next point.

Malathi: Swamiji, there is another question coming.

Simrath: Pranams Swamiji. This is Simrath.

Poojya Swamiji: Asirvaad.

Simrath: The question on viveka, you said that we have to consider everything as unreal, everything that changes is unreal.  But then on the reverse side, you said that everything is part of the self. If everything is part of the self,  the self is real, why do we consider everything as  unreal? When we consider it as unreal, there is no seriousness in the interaction in this world. So how do we reconcile/juxtapose this viveka with the concept that everything is part of the self  and to apply the same seriousness and care to every of our interaction?

Poojya Swamiji: We are very serious in interacting with the objects and we consider them to be real. As a result of which all the people who live and interact with the world, they are agitated, they are miserable, they are afflicted. So the knowledge that everything is real, does not create the kind of a poise  and peace that you want. This is the actual finding, do you agree or disagree?  Let everybody say yes or no. (Yes Swamiji).

We are interacting with the world very seriously, taking everything to be real, the normal man, as a result of which you become so affected, afflicted. We are not prepared to reconcile with the events that take place. Say, in a family there is a premature death. It is a character and a way of the world; though rare, it is natural in the course of the world. If you accept the fact that death is a reality, why should you not accept it and live at home with it? You are not able to.

So because the feeling that everything is real, creates heaviness, torment, affliction in the mind, we are trying to evolve a philosophy whereby your interactions with the world will be smoother, that is why we recognize them. Anything can happen to anything in this world. Anything can happen to anybody in this world. (Swamiji repeats). Things are  transitory, so the transitory things will perish at any time. This knowledge should be a sufficient safeguard for you, to interact with the world, is what Vedanta says; this is one point.

Regarding the other question Simrath asked, what I have to say is that everything is the self. What is the self? Self is not ephemeral, but the self is the substratum of all ephemeral things. That everything is the self, is in this sense. For example… it is very  difficult to give examples, still we can give examples.  You look at the sea, it is one huge, vast stretch of water. When you stand on the shore with a notebook. Wave after wave comes to you at the shore, counting the number of waves, spend about 6 or 10 hours. Your notebook will contain hundreds and thousands of waves, all of them have come and gone.  Now if you have entered in the notebook, you must be able to say they are present there. At the end of the day, when you look at the sea, the sea is with no wave, nothing like that. Is it not right to say that the entire sea is nothing but water.  At  the same time, the sea gives rise to a number of formations including waves and they continue to be infinite in number. So we say, the waves are not real but the sea is real and all the waves are also the sea. Other than the sea, there is no wave. Other than the sea, there is no bubble, there is no breaker, nothing. It is all the sea and water. Somewhat like this, we say everything is the self. Self is actually the substratum of all the ephemeral things, Substratum of all the ephemeral things (Swamiji repeats).

I will explain it  better if you understand and come along with me. Look into your mind, a number of thoughts arise, a number of emotions arise. Doubts arise, enquiry arises, knowledge arises. All these are taking place in the mind, but in reality, are they ever there or only the mind and mind-substance there? Answer me. Answer me. (Swamiji repeats with emphasis). Is there anything other than the mind substance? Are you speaking or not? (Not sure, Swamiji). See, so many thoughts are arising, so many emotions are arising, doubts are arising, memories are arising, all these are referral points. But every thought that comes instantly disappears; emotions also disappear and finally, we find only one mind substance there. Is it true or not? (Yes, Swamiji).

Exactly in the same manner, everything is the self. And these formations are transitory. It is actually the self appearancially transforming as all these things. Just as the mind substance transforms itself into a number of thoughts, a number of emotions, a number of images; etc., here also it is taking place. Now this truth you will not know now, tomorrow or day after. When you realize it, you will find everything is the self. But understand for the time being the self to be the substratum of all transitory things. Am I clear or not? (Yes, Swamiji). Very good. Then?

Unni Kannan: The next question, Swamiji: Does practicing vairagya mean not at all having any preferences regarding any matter? For example, is it wrong to have a favourite type of food or colour?

Poojya Swamiji: No, you must have your favourite food. But I would like to say on behalf of Vedanta, the favourite should be of a satvic quality. Am I clear? For example, you should start liking the satvic food. And satvic food should become your favourite. That is what Vedanta says. Our mind can be cultured, our habits can be cultured in such a manner that you will always prefer to have the satvic colour, the satvic taste, satvic friends  and satvic everything. Everything will become satvic. You know, your preference and prejudice will continue, but the quality of the preference and prejudice will progress.

You know there are instances when youngsters wear a number of dresses, gaudy, gaudy colours, etc. As the very same person grows old, he gets rid of all of them and starts wearing a uniform colour. Is it taking place or not? When I look at you, I find that some of you are wearing only white while some others are wearing very gaudy colours. The same girl, when she grows older, she will start using another colour. So our tastes and qualities can differ, can progress. So Vedanta tells you that ‘try to become satvic in everything’. Food and nourishment, the dress that you wear, the place that you live, the friends that you have, the types and thoughts of knowledge that you interact with; all these things should be qualitative, that is what we say. And preference and prejudice will always be there.

Say, “I am a person of preference”, what is that? I generally have spiritual interactions. I will have interactions with spiritually inclined people. And I talk to them, they also talk to me, so our ashram is one where seekers generally visit. Our quality has become such that those who are prepared to take that quality, they come here. This naturally takes place. You see, you have children. Children will have their friends of their own age. You parents will have your friends of your age taking place. In the same manner, the satvic orientation will guide you in everything that you do.

And regarding vairagya, vairagya means what? Please understand this. Please understand this. (Swamiji repeats). Vairagya means everything in this world is transitory.  And we have listed transitory things,  things of the world and things of heaven, etc. Now if all these things are transitory, should you be lover of the transitory or lover of the eternal? This is a question I would like you to answer now. If you are a lover of the eternal, what should be your attitude towards the transitory, one of passion or dispassion? That is all what we say.

With this dispassion, which should guide you in your action, do whatever is desirable. You still live in the same world. I have said it hundreds of time, we are ascetic people, and we are  living in the same world as all the others are living.  We are going to the same Thrissur market to buy our vegetables as others are going. We are going to the same shops in Thrissur where others are going to buy clothes and materials. The world is not different; but we live with our satvic choices, our satvic associations and we are quite happy and the world affords enough chance for it. We are guided by viveka and vairagya, others are not guided by it. So they meet their outcome and eventuality and we meet our outcome and eventuality. The world affords equal opportunity for all these plural approaches. I don’t know whether I am clear to you or not.

Unni Kannan: Yes, Swamiji. Can I go on to the next question, Swamiji?

Poojya Swamiji: Wait, wait. I will tell you something more. See, I am not referring to your families. I know of instances; you see, in a family, there are three or four children. Two people are bright, the third is substandard and the fourth is a retarded person. All these four children belong to that family and the parents cannot disclaim any one of them.  The parents know all the four children and know the four children to be equally theirs. But do not the parents know, out of the four children, there are differences between them? Yes or no? The knowledge that the four are different, will it affect the parents to interact with them or will it hinder them?

Let me also tell you, I know of a family where two children were there, a boy and a girl.   The girl was senior and the boy was junior. The girl was very bright, but the boy was not. You know what happened? The parents who were all educated and professionals, with friends and with visitors, etc. they always used to say ‘my daughter is very intelligent, my son is not so’, ‘my daughter is very intelligent, my son is not so’. (Swamiji repeats). The parents not accepting the fact and also realizing that both are equally their children and they should become object of fondness for them alike. Are you following me? What happened: this child developes such a psychology that he was getting spoiled, he was not able to grow. There was a grandfather, so he always used to lean upon the grandfather, lean upon the grandfather (Swamiji repeats) to the extent he was not happy with the parents. When the grandfather died, the child became practically lordless, absolutely lordless.  And you know this boy, I would say by irregular behavior and irregular reproach, was completely spoilt.  The mother of the child came and cried before me, “What sin have I done to deserve such a child?”  I don’t know the story now, I know the story about 10 years or 15 years back. Now quite possibly the girl was brighter or very bright and very intelligent, the son was not.  Should we not accept the fact that one is better, another is not so? And recognizing this fact, should we try to do all kind of help for the less intelligent person also  to come up or start differentiating between them, speaking to everybody to such an extent his psychology was completely subdued, he got spoilt and he got almost retarded.   A right understanding of the situation will help the father and mother to react, to handle the situation better, will it be or not?  Will it be or not? (Yes, Swamiji).

In the same manner, when you know that things are ephemeral in this world, the knowledge of ephemerality will help you to deal with everything in this world. So knowledge always helps, it never hinders. And realization, all the more helps, it never hinders.  The knowledge that potassium cyanide is poisonous, though sweet, does it help you to keep it away or does it hinder you by swallowing it? That it is very poisonous; knowledge is necessary or not? In the same manner, the world is ephemeral, our body is ephemeral, it is helpful knowledge. Be equipped with knowledge and deal with everything accordingly. Is it clear or not? Very good, very good, very good.

Unni Kannan: The fourth question: One of the four-fold qualification for studying the sastras is mumukshutvam. Is this not a desire when we are told to drop  all desires?

Poojya Swamiji: Mumukshutva. Yes, yes, a thousand times. But we don’t call it desire, we call it ‘aspiration’. We want to give a better word to it. It is desire to the power of infinity. We call it ‘burning aspiration for liberation you must have’. What happens is, when you start becoming a mumukshu, you have mumukshutva, aspiration for liberation, that liberation is such a good and  beautiful thing that no other object of desire will have any effect under this one particular,  one big desire.

You know, the desire for liberation… the desire for liberation is so great that  all the other desires become eclipsed under that. So you are told ‘have a burning aspiration for liberation’.   When that burning aspiration for liberation grows in you, all the other desires fall off, wither off, they get eclipsed. Then what are you supposed to do?  “Oh! You have an aspiration for liberation, is it not?” Mark my words. “Yes”. How will you have this aspiration fulfilled? When you realize yourself. So what should be my aspiration? Your aspiration should be to your own self. To your own self not body. And where is the self? Inside the body.

When you have an aspiration for getting your own self ….are you following me? Please borrow ears, borrow ears and listen to me! You are desiring your self, where is the self? Not the body, inside. Not the mind, inside. Not the intelligence, inside. Not the ego, inside. It is that which you call ‘I, I, I’. So if your desire is for yourself, are you not already yourself? Do you have to get yourself? Is your self away so that you have to get it? You don’t have to get it. You don’t have to attain it. You don’t have to have anything. So you are already the self. When you understand this, mumukshutva automatically falls and you become free. Is it clear? It is something like that.

I am asking, five people to stand erect for running… five people to stand erect for running. (Swamiji repeats). And they are ready to take their step. Then I am saying, “Be ready, be ready, be ready, be ready”. Everybody is ready. “Be ready-y-y…, the destination is where you stand”. You have not heard me! “The destination is where you stand!”  So do they have to run? Self realization is something like that. But they were thinking, “Run! Run! Everybody is ready to run.”  Finally I felt, ‘this is where you stand’. Your self is something like that.

So what is wrong in developing mumukshutva? To the desireful mind, we are giving a desireful proposition. What is that proposition? Hare, have liberation, liberation, liberation, liberation. Yes, he became an aspirant of liberation. Finally, we  are telling him you are aspiring to be your self. So the self is already there, so no aspiration is called for. Realize this and live beautifully.  This is what we say. Is it okay? (Yes, Swamiji). You will say okay, but you will not believe it, you will not be guided by what I say.

Now, in terms of preference and prejudice, if the self is something that gives you liberation, should you prefer the self or should you prefer the other things? So Vedanta tells you to have the best of preference….the best of preference! But without any prejudice.

Unni Kannan: The last question, Swamiji. In the last issue of Vicharasetu,  was discussed the development of ego and body-consciousness. This gives rise to the logical conclusion that annihilation of body leads to self realization. If there is no body, where is the body annihilation to come from? How do we reconcile this aspect?

Poojya Swamiji: I don’t know wherefrom you got annihilation of body. Is it annihilation of body or is it annihilation of body identity? Can you show me in which page of Vicharasetu it is there? Let us know the page number.  This question is wrong, there is some omission there.

Listen, I have something very serious to tell you. When you have framed this question, the question is from  SIRD, the whole group. If one person has framed a question, either a word is omitted or the idea itself is not perfect, do not the others check it and find out that this is not what is meant?  See, annihilation of the body means slaughtering a person. Is it not a criminal act? Are we not dealing with criminality? Spirituality only deals with the mind and intelligence.  It has nothing to do with the physical level of something like this. Spirituality tries to bring out sublimation in the mind.

So body is an idea. Soul is also equally, initially, an idea. And both ideas emerge in the mind. Now, when you say “I”, you generally refer to my body. But actually not. Your body is your body not my body. So the “I” remains separate from the body. Apply it to the mind. The mind is also my mind. So “I” is different from the mind.  Then what about intelligence? My intelligence is not so sharp, it is tired. So my intelligence is different from “I”. Even my ego,  ego also is different from me. So what is this “I”?  It is not the body as we thought. Not the mind. Not the intelligence. Not the ego. But something still different. Now when you reach at the real “I”, of which ego, intelligence, mind and body are, then the “I” feeling rises, rises from the body and lodges itself in the self. That is what is called ego or body idea sublimation. And then the bringing into the expression of the self idea and self realization.

Simrath: The question asked is with reference to Vicharasetu, January 2010, page 7, paragraph 5:

If you think thus, then you will have to agree that the ‘I’, or the ego-sense, or the identity one feels within himself, rests upon the body. In other words, the go implies and denotes the body-sense, the body-identity. The moment the body-identity arises, it brings in its wake a series of relationships and duties, and considerations arising therefrom.

Poojya Swamiji: Swamiji reads: Here “The moment the body-identity arises, it brings in its wake a series of relationships and duties, and considerations arising therefrom.”

‘I’ or the ego-sense or the identity one feels within oneself rests upon the body. We only say the identity rests upon the  body. In other words the ego implies and denotes the  body-sense, the body-identity. You have omitted the word ‘identity’ in this question. In your question, in the first line you have referred to ‘body-consciousness’. And secondly, either you should have used the same word ‘body-consciousness’ or ‘body-identity’.

Now I will tell you what body-identity’ and ‘body-consciousness’ are. Consciousness means awareness, apprehension or recognition on the basis of the body. What is that consciousness developed or resting on the body? “I was born, I was born” and “I will die”. “I am a son and daughter of X and Y”. “I have so much of weight, so much of height”. “This is my complexion”. This kind of a feeling that you have, consciousness on the basis of the body. The first feeling is as body was born you say “I was born”. As body will die you will say “I will die”. So this is called the body idea. But in reality you know that the body is only like a house for the resident to live. For the ‘I’ to be residing, there is a body, there is a house and that house is what is born and not the ‘I’.

So the ‘I’ is prebirth and postdeath existence.  When the feeling of ‘I’ extends to before birth and also after death, you understand that it is an eternal existence, You are said to have outlived body-consciousness or body-awareness and identity and that is clearly possible and that is what is sought by spirituality. So if at all changes take place, the changes come in the mind and the intelligence in the form of correction, expansion, elevation and enlightenment. This is what happens.

See, in my front, in the assembly that I am seeing in the computer here, you are men as well as women. When I say men and women it is a reference primarily to the body.  But what is it that hears when I speak? If you were men and you were women, and men are different from women, then can you listen to my words,  the same words and understand them in the same manner?

“That I was born, I will die , etc.” that consciousness undergoes a change and correction and then you start feeling that I am not the body but I am the unborn, undying, eternal self. Are you hearing? (Yes, Swamiji). So this is what has happened. It is not annihilation of the body. I would not like to use the word annihilation, I would like to say elevation, elevation of the consciousness from the bodily-level to the self-level. Elevation of it, that elevation includes what? …expansion also, a lot of refinement. All these are brought about by proper enlightenment, by viveka, vairagya and other qualities.

So mind and intelligence are the medium in which these changes take place. Is it in any way clear? We have completed the questions, do you have anything else to say?

Unni Kannan: Swamiji, there was one more question that was raised, which does not fall under the topic today. The term grace, Swamiji. Basically we would like to know what is grace as per the Hindu scriptures.

Poojya Swamiji: Grace is the blessing or benediction that the bounty called favour, grace, that you get from any suitable source. Generally we can be graced by a quality, we can be graced by our elderly people, we can also equally say grace from God. So it is something that showers on us. To some extent it is something like the sun shining and shedding the lustre on the whole of the earth, you are under the grace. You know there is a word called graceful. Whenever you do something, you do it in a graceful manner, that word also is there.  So we should gracefully do things and not in a clumsy manner or in an egoistic manner, in an uncultured manner. Do it in a refined manner, graceful manner.

Normally, who will deserve the grace of God? A good pious heart, a pious heart, an innocent heart, a heart that does not suffer from notorious constrictions that will always deserve grace. If you ask me, we all have the grace of God. The entire world thrives in its own manner, the earth in its own axis, its own trajectory, all due to the grace of something very super. So, so far as grace is concerned, no lack of grace for anybody. Even dacoits, thieves and terrorists thrive upon the earth. Then what about all of you who are much, much nobler and much, much purer, much, much more of a devotee?

So grace is never lacking. What is lacking, if at all, is a realization that we have grace and perseverance, the hard work that we should do.  That part may be lacking but in grace, nobody, none of you is lacking at all in the matter of grace. So let us not discuss this grace unnecessarily saying that ‘I will get grace only now, only then, etc. Grace everybody have. That is why oxygen, air to breathe, water to drink, etc., only because of the grace of God. What we do is we mishandle this grace.  For example, we have spoiled the earth and we have increased the global warming leading to the melting of polar ice, Himalayan ice and we are told in another 30 years our holy Ganga, instead of a perennial river, only a seasonal river. That means there will be no more ice in the Himalayan region to melt. Everything will have melted.  What does it mean? We did not exercise the right judgement, the right insight. Whenever we live, the atmosphere is equally affected by you. So due to land traffic, water traffic, sea traffic and air-traffic, a number of factories, their effluent; all these things have caused a lot of global warming.

So in spite of the grace of God we have spoiled the grace and we are making the earth unlivable for the succeeding generations. Whatever damage is done cannot be set right, only further damaging the rate and ratio of the damage can be reduced. So there is no lack of grace. Only in handling this grace we make grave mistakes. If we realize them and are able to set right our matters it will be much better.

I don’t know whether this is the information you wanted or you look for something else.

Unni Kannan: I think that is a good explanation you have given. Thank you Swamiji.

Poojya Swamiji: Why is there a lesser number of people there?

Unni Kannan: There are about 30 of us, Swamiji.

Poojya Swamiji: Can all of them be screen on the screen? Move the camera.

Is there anything else you have to say or seek?

Unni Kannan: No, Swamiji. Thank you Swamiji.

Poojya Swamiji: Then we shall conclude. Swamiji chants slokas in Sanskrit…. Samvedya Varjitam…..Madihirdaya akashe Hari Om…Hari Om   Hari Om. Ommmm…..Hari Om Tat sat Jaiguru. My blessings to all of you. Have a good new year and many, many years like this.  Tell every one of your friends and relatives my blessings and fondness. Hari Om Tat Sat Jaiguru.

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Satsang, 17th January, 2010. Duration 57 minutes.

Skype set-up and recording by Rames. Satsang coordination by  Unnikrishnan (SIRD) and Namrata Swaroopa, Ramaswamyji, Satishji (Ashram).  Bhojan Annakshetra team supervised by Shanti,  Uncle Ramaswamy. Hand-out sheet for group discussion prepared by Management Committee, Society for Inner Resources Development Malaysia. Transcription by Swaminathan  (23rd January, 2010). Transcript emailed to Ashram  23rd January, 2010.

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Handout sheet for group discussion prior to videosatsang

SIRD Malaysia

Video-satsang: Sunday 17^th January 2010

Topic: The Four-Fold Qualifications of a student as expounded by Sri Adi Sankaracarya

Sri Adi Sankaracarya lays down certain qualifications called Anubhanda Chatustayam (The Four-Fold Qualifications) for students who are fit for the study of Sastra. The four qualifications are: (a) discrimination of the Real and un-Real;  (b) detachment from the un-Real; (c) the six-fold wealth of goodness (six treasures of virtue) such as calmness, etc., and lastly (d) the compelling desire for Self re-discovery.

This four-fold qualifications appears in his texts like Vivekachudamani (The Crest-Jewel of Discrimination) and Tattvabodha (Ultimate Reality). In Atmabhoda (Knowledge of the Self) he refers to Mumuksu (Seeker of burning aspiration).

In Tattvabhoda, he writes:

What are the four-fold qualifications? The capacity to discriminate between the permanent and the impermanent, dispassion to the enjoyment of the fruits of one’s actions here and hereafter, the group of six accomplishments (inner wealth) beginning with sama (tranquility) and the yearning for liberation.

After enumerating the four-fold qualifications, each is elaborated upon.

Discrimination: (Viveka)

What is meant by discrimination between the permanent and the impermanent? The Reality alone is eternal; everything else is ephemeral. This alone is the conviction between the permanent and the impermanent

Dispassion (Vairagya):

What is dispassion?  The absence of desire for the enjoyment (of the fruits of one’s actions)  in this world and in heaven.

The Six-Fold Wealth of Goodness (Satkah  sampattih):

What is the inner starting with sama? They are sama, dama, uparama, titiksha, sraddha and samadhana.

What is sama? It is control or mastery over the mind.

What is dama? It is the control of the external sense organs such as the

eyes, etc.

What is uparama or uparati (as it is also known)? It is the strict

observance of one’s own dharma (duty).

What is titiksa? It is the endurance of heat and cold, pleasure and pain,

etc.

What is the nature of sraddha? Faith in the words, etc. of the Guru and Vedanta (scriptures) is sraddha.

What is samadhanam? It is the single-pointedness of the mind.

Intense desire for liberation (Mumuksutvam):

What is mumuksutvam?   ‘Let me attain liberation.’  This intense desire (burning, compelling aspiration) is mumuksutvam.

This is the four-fold qualification. Thereafter, they become fit for the enquiry into the Truth.

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Questions for the GROUP MEMBERS participating in the discussion.

1. One may seek to liberate oneself by means of right enquiry. What are some of the obstacles that prevent one from delving deep?

2. One can claim to have read volumes of books; yet he may still be useless in the practical application of knowledge. Suggest why this is so.

3. Does this four-fold qualification disqualify any one from reading and studying the text?

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AFTER the discussion, list  one or two questions your group wishes to put forward to Poojya Swamiji.

1.

2.

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End.