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Astavakra's Teachings, Part I

welcome thank you um foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] i [Music] me [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] nice thank you good morning to all of you namaskar welcome and greetings to all those people who are watching from home let us begin with a prayer from the upanishads um [Music] um [Music] i pray to the divine lord that my speech be fixed in my mind may my mind be fixed in my speech o self-manifested atman do thou manifest thyself unto me o my mind and speech may he be fit to reveal unto me the highest knowledge may i not forget what i have heard without forgetting what i have learned may i be able to study day and night the right will i speak the truth will i speak may brahman protect me may brahman protect the preceptor may brahman protect me may brahman protect the preceptor [Music] whom may there be peace and joy in our hearts may there be peace and harmony amongst all beings and may there be peace everywhere in nature today we begin a new topic the teachings of ashtavakram who this ashtavakra was and whom did he teach what did he teach part of it may be legendary there is some historical fact but it's hard to separate how much of its historical these personalities who they were and or when they lived but what them is not very clear is a conversation between the sage ashtavakra and the emperor the king janaka janaka and sakura both are brahmagyanis this is a conversation between two brahmanians so it is not a primer on vedanta it's a advanced text and to really understand and benefit from the study of this text one should have had quite a bit of preparation at least one must have studied the basic text such as um such as and be familiar with at least be familiar with the sadhana which you many of you studied in the ube kachor money but we shall try to understand as much as we can first a little bit of the story part there was a great scholar and he used to live during the time of janaka the king this janaka is the same as janaka and ramana sita's father or same as the janaka that appears in the brethren and he had conversations with him he's a different janaka it's not very clear just like vyasa janaka it can be one person can be numerous people living at different times this janaka was a ruler and those days the kings themselves were scholars and vedantes even until recently the kings were promoting all arts and sciences literature religious studies promoting and then encouraging scholars and people with other skills including wrestlers they used to be employed by the court by the king they were supported by the king because all art was considered essential for full human development those days and many of the kings themselves were great scholars and they wrote books on their thought so janaka was one of them during his time there was a scholar whose name was kahura this kahara was a scholar in his own right and used to chant the vedas every day and kahora's wife's name was sujata and they were expecting a child so one day morning as usual kahra started chanting the vedas and in his chanting he made some mistakes the sujata did not know but the baby in the mother's womb he was listening to all of this father's chanting and when the father made the mistake the baby from the womb calls out dad you are making so many mistakes in your chanting what do you make so many mistakes chanted properly their father was astounded how this baby not even born he's correcting me so he became a little bit upset and embarrassed father so he became angry and he cursed the uh baby still in the womb may be born with defects ashtav eight limbs uh crooked limbs and some feet and neck everything is out of whack so i cursed it and the sages curse have to become true in course of time the baby was born with um defects in a body birth defects the mean time a father kahara went to the king's court to ask for some money scholars and priests and they all used to go to the court seeking money for supporting their family baby was born so needed money he asked king for money janaka said i have a scholar in my court vedantic scholar his name is do you i want you to debate with him scholarly debate on vedanta those days they used to have debates so kahara agreed and he started debate with the scholar awandin and in the debate kahra was defeated so the king januka became upset with him and he sent him away banished him to the sea out of the kingdom so kahara was suffering there and in the meantime the boy grew up and from birthday boy was a great scholar brahmadyani from birth never perfect so when he was a young boy still he uh was sad by the plight of his father who was banished into the sea so he goes to dhanaka's kingdom and his neck recognizes the boy's scholarship and ability anjalika says do you like to debate with this scholar one day the boy said yes i will no problem so there was a debate this boy was a still young boy defeated the cold scholar so he asked his father he asked janaka sir my father is banished from the kingdom by you because he was defeated in the scholarly debate with wandin now will you please release him bring him back and janaka says okay he can come back so the boy goes his father brings him back to his kingdom and then the father was very pleased a father blesses the boy his son may your defect be all removed you become normal and then he said go to this particular river take bath in it and will be perfectly alright handsome so he took birth in the river and came out as a very handsome young man scholar of his face beaming with brahmadyanam people love knowledge of god or brahman there's a special glow on their face their force is never gloomy radiating peace and joy and tranquility and sauti power so ashtavakra became like after some time he went to the king's court janaka's cold so there was a conversation between janaka and ashtavakra and that conversation is what is contained in this book the conversation start conversation starts with janaka's question and they talk at a very high level so janaka asks a question they used to have discussions like this invader so janaka's question was the first verse in this book chapter one verse number one is janaka's question this book has 20 chapters and 198 verses no 108 or 298 298 verses almost 300 verses in the first chapter this first chapter begins with janaka's question conversation between janaka and ashtavakra two great giants so generous question was [Music] three questions are there in this first verse the answer to all the three questions are simple only one answer and that ashtavakra gives so the question janaka asked was nothing yana means knowledge knowledge here means not knowledge of the world that we are familiar with so we know the distinction between paraben for more earlier studies janaka was not asking about aparavidya he already was expert in all those sciences and arts ya means knowledge of the world all these things we study in the academic institutions universities all the subjects from astronomy biology chemistry all those things until geology everything that people study social sciences everything all that come on come under one the umbrella of apparatus worldly knowledge that is not what janaka was taking when he says the second branch of knowledge is para vidya para means supreme supreme knowledge is knowledge of the self knowledge of god that is real knowledge this worldly knowledge is subject to change the object of knowledge itself changes the world is changing constantly and our awareness our knowledge of that is also changing constantly even scientists are updating the knowledge new discoveries come they revised earlier understanding that is not that's one branch of this necessary but not complete that that does not complete a person's education no matter how highly qualified a person is in the worldly uh branches of worldly knowledge real knowledge is knowledge of the self it so first question was first point was how can a person gain that knowledge of self how can a person become brahmagyani how can a person know is his her true nature which is brahman second point in the question was [Music] freedom from what freedom from all limitations suffering not temporary relief but permanent freedom no more suffering of any kind at all as opposed to worldly existence only life where suffering is essentially is an inevitable part of human life always some problem will be that numerous kinds of problems afflict people people animals and plants also plants also become sick but as opposed to that mukti or moksha means permanent total freedom from all suffering of all kinds no more coming back to life of limitations and suffering once we have that one and freedom from the cycle of birth and death the cycle of birth and death which is called samsara chakra chakra mean cycle people that are born beings are born they go through life good and bad pain and suffering some pleasure in between old age comes sickness comes and they die they're born again this cycle has been going on endlessly that has to be put an end to that is liberations liberation from the cycle of birth and then we realize our true nature as immortal eternal brahman that's what vedanta said you are that the mercy we are thinking we are the body and the mind which is erroneous knowledge ignorance we are not done says again and again the basic basic message of vedanta is you are that reality or you are not the body mind which you think you are that is ignorance that truth will be experienced you know you only know it theoretically or write it in books in punishers but your our experience is not that our experience is only limit between the body and the mind at this moment but it's not our true state we have to regain our pristine self-knowledge and experience our immortal nature imperishable immortal nature as pure consciousness how does that really relief or mukti how that that liberation come liberation salvation mukti moksha they're all same the third point janaka asked was it's a kind of frightening term whereas people understand giving up everything and going to the forest no family no job no money no nothing and living in the forest giving up everything that is not true that is internal not external not physically being of things is not where you may physically give some things everything we cannot give up our body itself is a matter is uh an object but that's not physically possible nor is it desirable what is meant by is inward detachment you can have as much as many things as you want any very rich person a billionaire can have wiranjia internally if he or she is detached from the wealth a poor person having only hundred dollars can be attached to the money little money he has holding on to it then he doesn't have anything does not depend upon how much or how little we possess in terms of money property wealth fame all those things that the world has to offer means inward detachment from all and everything how does that how can that be gained whereas [Music] that is how these scholars used to respect each other when you see somebody we should just give that respect to you though uh was a young person compared to janaka but janaka being the king he addresses this young man as prabhu so we should there is a message in it when we see somebody talk to somebody we should see the divine presence in that person and treat that person with great respect and love that's what janaka showed by addressing him as prabhu that is janaka's question now the rest of the chapter and a couple of chapters are ashtavakra's answer to this question then other questions will come the conversation continues this was just the first first verse the janakas when jericho asked this question begins his reply his reply is in the second verse and subsequent verses in the first chapter first of all ashtavakra says this was first answer first statement startup time makes if you read the statement it is kind of daunting you have to do six things first instruction astra gives to janaka one of these things is to stop doing something which you are doing the remaining five things are to do things which you have to do negative instruction positive five instructions so let us examine the instruction sometimes it is very difficult how can you even do this one even the first one how can we do but it if you understand the intent the purple then it becomes uh understandably easier the first instruction that ashtavakra gives in the first if you want liberation that's what janaka was asking how to get liberation if you want liberation a respectable person tata is also under father addresses first thing we say on vishal means all sense objects everything that we can objectify everything that we can see hear touch taste and smell unthinkable even if you can think about something something other than the thinker any object of thought is also different from me separate from me because i'm thinking about it so it's an object that object means something other than myself in that sense even the body is an object which i refer to it as me sometimes i say my body sometimes i say oh i myself identify myself with the head and hand and feet that's all total ignorance all of that in one phrase ashtavakra physically give up that's what he meant but then there are modifications the real details we understand if you want liberation which i own is all sense objects such object can be an object like this book or a table or this building can be a person can be a situation can be a nature can be sun it can be star galaxy all our objects can be an atom everything is an object give a pile of them he says well that itself is arresting how can your person's have this physically impossible we need to have food to eat and a place to stay and and close to where there's all sorts of objects the body itself is a sensor object how can i do it then if you understand the details it slowly begins to make sense that is first instruction you will understand all the instructions one by one mukti mitchel if you like if you want to have liberation as if it is poison you don't want to go anywhere near the poison because it kills us as if it is poison gave up all sun all sense objects bishop one bishop one instruction this second line has five more things to do these are things that we have to do positive they are shama shama means forbearance forgiveness and endurance all of those things ability to bear all kinds of vicissitudes calmly without complaining that abilities shaman the word shanti is also used in some places in suraksham sharma one of the five things or the straightforwardness you'll understand all these things a little bit somebody there or you mean straightforwardness sincerity what i think in my mind must be same as what i say in speech must be same as what they do in action all these things are coming will refer to gita's locus third thing is compassion towards all beings not only living beings animals and plants even to innermate objects you have to treat them gently not harshly so means contentment you'll understand how to practice this so fifth one is truthfulness most important all of these five things you have to practice means practice how to use means nectar nectar means something that grants us immortality and very desirable thing these five disciplines have to be practiced diligently all our life as if it is nectar it grants immortality five things to do and one thing to give up now let us go to the first instruction these six instructions are common to all paths whether somebody is following the path of bhakti yoga path of devotion worshiping a personal god doing japan meditation ritualistic worship all those things other person is following the path of dhyana inquiry i'm brahmasmi i'm not the body man i'm not i'm the i am the atman or the person is following karma yoga or if a person is following raja yoga i start by patanjali eight steps regardless of what path a person a seek or is following these in six instructions are common to everybody they are basic things so first instruction is the hardest one we'll tackle that first what what ashlar press says we say on vishal give up all sense objects as if they were poisoned whichever looks like an impossible instruction to follow and why we should give up so we have to understand what is a visaya vishay is any object that can be thought about that can be seen that can be heard that can be felt and test and smell or subject object of all sense of senses senses five senses we have jane andreas if you can think about something if you can see something if you can test something etc then it's an object it's not me i am the seer i am the thinker i am the hearer i am the toucher object is separate from anything that is separate from me the self is an object now it can be moving object or removing object it can be animated or inanimate people's animals animate things or inanimate they're all objects all wishing us including our own body and the mind anything that can be objectified is a visaya some things cannot be physically given up some things can be physically given up should be physically given up something that are not desirable such as things that we have to give up can be given up such as intoxicants alcohol drugs and all kinds of bad things that people do need less contact with objects and people they can be given up physically we had their heart have given up otherwise it will not have peace of mind their obstructions to spiritual progress but everything cannot be given up some cannot be physically given up it's just food we have to have food got to close to where we have to place to stay house money we need to pay the bills and put put food on the table to bring up the family we need money can't give it up some people can give up money because they there are two categories of people swami vaikana talks about them in the conveyor lectures householders for them money is essential because they are the prop of the rest of the society householder is the support supporter of the remaining segments of society all householders depend young children were still growing up older people have retired sick people and monks who have given up everything they have to depend upon house voters for their sustenance so householders have to have money they have to generate money generate resources in the karma yoga lectures swamiji has said if a householder does not make enough money if it does not make enough money he is being immoral is failing in his duties so money is essential but important questions are too how money is made and how it is spent money has to be made to dharmic virtuous means not be telling lies and cheating but by hard work i mean it does not put the limit on how much money you can you can make as much money as you want you don't try to be poor and indigent make enough resources more money you have more good things you can do for other people needy people support other people swamiji says money is not bad in good hands it depends upon who is dealing with the money some people make money through immoral means illegal means and use it for illegal immoral purposes that is absolutely bad ruins a person's life but if a dharmic virtuous person makes money away hard work uses it for good purposes helping other people then he is doing the right thing but that is for householders because our responsibility is to feel they have to support the family children have to be brought up education healthcare everything and serving society they have to do so they need money but the second class of people are those monks sanjayas who are giving up everything they can't have any possession they have taken the web of poverty they depend upon god's will support of society but what do they give in return to society they provide the dharmic support they give instructions they served the society this was swamiji's vision muslim americana's vision was it's a symbiotic relationship between monks and society society sustains us provides us resources for our life in return we should not be selfish and not do anything we have to serve this society in what way that's why swamiji established the concept of service serving society monks have to serve the society in any way they can in every way they can so in order to implement that idea of serving the society in return for everything that we receive from society somebody established ramakrishna mission separate from ramakrishna mud people think there was one organization there are two organizations there krishnamurt monastic organization which trains people makes them monks and use spreads vedanta lecture classes all those things there's one part of it but besides that the other part other sister organization is ramakrishna mission mission is all the activities running hospitals and schools and dispensaries and university and rural development work going to flood relief ferment relief going to the villages and working in the villagers adult education all kinds of things are being done on a very large scale very large scale it is being done in india so that is what monks have to return their indebtedness to society so for for householders cannot give your position money is necessary how this is necessary other things are necessary to support the family because they have responsibility then how can they give up wishes of householders the answer is you can possess whatever is needed physically physically you can't condition everything and give up everything you can have them but inwardly become completely detached from that position inward detachment how to do that what is attachment how they become detached just a very big topic in the gate of actually the whole bhagavad-gita deals with only one topic in one word gita can be summarized that shiram krishna has done somebody asked him sriram krishna what is the teaching of gita sriram krishna said just repeat gita gita ten times you will find yourself repeating target means one who gives up everything detaches satyaga means giving up attack not giving a physically position we should not give up cannot give up everything some things you can give up we have to having them yet being inwardly detached from them how to practice inverted this whole topic of bhagavad-gita detachment so attachment to sons object is what is to be given up i need the book i can keep the book and say it is my book i can say but i am not attached to it if somebody takes it away if it goes away if i have to leave the book and leave one day of day with everything i have to leave then separation comes i'm ready because i know it was never mind i used use it as a necessity for a certain purpose and there the association ends one thing you have to remember in on this topic is all associations are temporary limited in time our association with our body is limited one day we have to give up the body and all things outward other than the body all people in our lives the suppression will come some people will stay longer other have to live earlier suppression will come inevitably the house will even we can't live in forever someday we have to leave the house will be there i have to leave the job i have to leave retirement comes everything i have will be separated from me at one time or other in my life i came alone i brought nothing and i have to go alone giving up everything i have all the things i have money property a person relatives friends and family all things us are associated with all these things relationship with all these things is limited in time one day sooner or later it will end and until then i take good care of them i do my duty by them to serve the family members and co-workers and society and children and needy people have to serve them with love as much as i can and when the time for separation comes i should be able to say to god oh lord thank you for giving me all these things thank you for giving me this family these children this spouse this job this money this house everything you gave me i use them i needed them i used them i took good care of them i did my duty by them now time has come for me to leave them i've done my part thank you for letting me have these things for so long i'm leaving i'm free out of my pot i'm relieved with that sense of relief and having done my duty properly by them i should be able to leave everything painlessly attachment assures painlessness when separation comes attachment increases painfulness you will study this heartbreak of attachment throughout this astral gradient i will come up again and again detachment is not non-possession we can have anything that we want everything we want but mentally separate detached when the separation comes i'm ready here they're my part then everybody's taking happiness in sense objects that's all the questions give up sense objects we see how where do we seek happiness ordinarily people seek happiness in sense objects happiness in the body pleasure of the body happiness from other people association with other people relationships friends and spouse and family children we seek happiness from them like music happiness from property person money house car job he said happiness in all these things that is one kind of happiness but vedanta says this kind of happiness that comes from all sense object from outside is not true happiness vushiya cannot give us happiness there is no inherent ability in any sense object to give me happiness but you seem to give me happiness nice to have its right nice to have a job i still have money property call i find happiness in them if we inquire deeply we will discover that this happiness that coming from outside sense objects be other person or whatever is not permanent it is mixed always comes with some negative um effect and is temporary sooner or later it ends so the the happiness that comes from visha since objects called vishayananda three kinds of another we have studied before the earlier studies first is the basic thing is sensory happiness coming from outside sense of dispersion contact must be done this that kind of happiness is the least kind of happiness least effective it'll go away and it's not pure you'll study that one later the second kind of happiness is superior to that better than that does not have the disadvantages of vishyananda is called bhajanananda the joy of worship different kinds of worship i'll study that one the highest kind of happiness which never ends which is infinite eternal unconditional is happiness coming from the self again from god within from atman so if you understand these three kinds of happiness and relative advantages and problem then it becomes very easy and painless to give up attachments and subjects so we'll study first division sense of pleasure coming from uh sense objects they are short-lived our association with all sense of justice is temporary one day they will live or they will be there i have to live or i'll be there they believe from me shortly only disadvantaged secondly think is their conditioner if i expect happiness from another person that person must reciprocate my good feelings my love if i say to somebody i love you alive with that person keeps quiet and there is no happiness that person must immediately say i love you too so it's conditional similarly objects living as happiness food and clothing and everything car giving us happiness is conditional if i want to enjoy food then i must be in good health when i am youthfully young and in good health i can enjoy any kind of work and eat pizza chocolate cake and ice cream whatever i want i can enjoy but when a person becomes old all the things are there delectable thing but i have my ability to enjoy the milk away this time it is time limited in time and then when the separation comes will be only it only causes unhappiness to illustrate the limitations of worldly pleasures why are stop class asking just to give up sense by sense objects is they cannot give us true happiness i given i tell you a story about how limited these suns pleasures are happening is coming from the world other people animals plants are objects opposition property how limited they are to illustrate this one there's a story in the mahabharata it comes in the bhagavata also but before we go to that story the main point of the story is though happiness seems to come from sense object from money property possession style position power etcetera that is only a reflection a dim highly distorted highly reduced reflection of the joy that is coming from the self this has no inherent capacity to give us happiness same something it seems to but where does it come from really comes from here's all this only source of happiness is within us if you go to the original source bypassing the undependable reflecting surfaces then that's the greatest point that's what great saudis do great journeys and mahatma they don't have any possession they don't have money but they are always absorbed in greatest joy that human freedom cannot even sustain sometimes people like bhagavan ramana maharshi how much property did he have how much property shiram krishna had almost property chaitanya mahaprabhu had nothing worldly possessions only the clothes they were repairing ramana marshy the only thing that they possessed at one time when he was living in the cave at the top of the hill was only one piece of line cloth only one piece not even two the whole wardrobe was only one piece of linen copying them every morning you would take a bath in this stream flowing near the cave i washed the lime cloth and put it back was he unhappy no he didn't have any money he didn't have any property possession never owned anything absolutely great joy all the time inward joy coming springing from within how about shiram krishna almost property did he have nothing he would never touch money physically it caused him pain are you unhappy whenever anybody talked about god or sang a devotional song you'd go into samadhi immediately samadhi means so much joy springing from the infinite well of joy within atman that the human frame could not sustain it would freeze people thought he's unconscious he couldn't sustain that much of joy it didn't come from money it came from the self within that's two sources of joy and whatever the sense of that gave us happiness they are at best highly at best deflecting surfaces producing at best highly distorted highly reduced temporary reflection of the joy that comes from the self the sign of wisdom is do not depend upon them because the contact is temporary to bypass these undependable reflecting surfaces and subjects go straight to the source of all joy infinite joy eternal joy unconditional joy and the self within atm how to go there there's a bridge in between from vishyananda to skip to atma there's a middle stage called that's what we do here worship of god worship means many different kinds of worship not only ritualistic worship it can be simple complicated five or five sixty-four apache that's that's one kind of worship worship can be of many different kinds chanting god's name is worship doing japanese worship meditation is worship chanting hymns is worship serving other people other beings needy people seeing god in them is worship that's what foreign recommended that kind of worship higher than worshiping the idol in the image some people who do great ado about worshiping the image and so many mantras and chanting and abhishekam and everything they go home and ill-treat their family member that's not worship seeing the divine presence in all beings including animals and plants and inanimate houses serving them that is true kind of worship that's the kind of worship swamiji recommended if you give a glass of water to a thirsty dog you are worshiping the lord in the dark god is present in it that's what jetta says every chapter i'm present in all seeing divine presence in all beings including inanimate objects animals and plants and people if you serve them even in the humblest way that is the better kind of worship so that gives great joy greater joy than any sense object in you and that does not depend on the uh upon the knowledge education wealth or money one does not have to have money to do all this kind of thing you need to have money resources to buy things then the highest kind of ananda is self knowledge coming from knowledge of that's what janaka is asking which is source of all infinite eternal joy then the um the story that i was going to tell i have to condense it because we don't have enough time comes in the mahabharata and bhagavatam maybe in other books too put on us too there was a king the story illustrates the limitations of sensory pleasures that happiness comes from the world all all people happiness coming from people animals plants things how limited it is to illustrate the stories uh is told he was a king his name was yayati some of you have heard this story before that king was a yet all the royal resources he was a young man and he had a kingdom treasury ministers queen and everything horses chariots money everything he went on enjoying but he made a mistake when he married his wife he had promised his wife and his and her father father-in-law that i will not take a second wife she will be the only my my only wife those as kings could marry more than one wife so he said i will not marry anybody else and your daughter is my only wife will be there so everybody was happy he went on enjoying but after some time he fell in love with another lady and married her he broke his promise wife became unhappy and father-in-law became very unhappy father-in-law you broke your promise and cheated me and and my daughter you become old right now lose your youth was a young man lose your youth you become old immediately yayati was a young man became an old man body became old if the body becomes old the mind is still there right the desires are still there yeah lot of desires that you want it to fulfill and you have the resources as a king but if the body becomes old then all the money is there food is there cars are there chariots are there everything they can't enjoy because i'm old and sick became old so he became very unhappy continuing desire is there unquenchable so it goes back to his father in love thanks for forgiveness sorry i made a mistake and you know i have become old you please uh tell me some you know give me some relief from this curse so father becomes compassionate all day you do one thing i can reverse it i can make you get your youth back but you have to find somebody in your kingdom a young man who is willing to swap trade his youth with your old age bring the worst person like that i will do the uh transfer i'll transfer your old days to that young man that young man's youth will come to you bring somebody father-in-laws happy or some relief is there i can find out so many people will come if i want their youth in my kingdom so i made an announcement the king the whole kingdom any youth in my country if he is willing to give his youth and take my old age i will give him half the kingdom nobody thought there will be a long line in front of his palace next morning nobody showed up you suspended he thought there will be so many people wanting to give the youth and take up the kingdom no one should so yaya became very unhappy and he had four cents so finally he goes to the first time son this curse has come and if you give me your my old age i'll give you half the kingdom and the whole kingdom when it passes one said no dad deflect you got into the problem you get out of the problem kingdom will get anyhow when you die everybody wants to enjoy for themselves so what's the game of their youth disappointed because the second son same thing third son same thing you are very disappointed only one loss and is remaining your trembling can you help me can you give me your youth take my hold it i'll give the king to half the kingdom dawson said sir you keep the kingdom for yourself you take my youth i don't want anything i'll be happy to give you my youth you give me your old age well happy to take it different person very different how many people will do that one so the the king was very pleased and the ceremony was arraigned jayati became youth again they lost him became an old man and walked away he didn't want any kingdom or power position youth i think the great sage mahatma for sir renewed zeal and gusto and began enjoying all the pleasures that only king can enjoy with all the royal resources that he had how long in course of time again old age came second youth also went away everybody becomes old with became old he was a thoughtful person though so after enjoying him all the pleasure that only a king can enjoy for a long time one and a half times that other people can enjoy all other people then he in a reflective mood thinks about his whole life he looks at the big picture of them what has happened in my life i've enjoyed so much but still today also in my second old days i have the same desires the same to the extent the same i had when at the beginning of my first youth the desires have not become less at all they are only increasing the more you enjoy fulfilling that the stronger they become and demand more that's how addiction comes if you enjoy the desire fulfill the desire does not go away it will become stronger come back next day stronger deserve no difference will come so understood that one then he shares his insight with his wife say he said a very famous verse see i have enjoyed so many pleasure for such a long time that no other human being can enjoy yet even after so much enjoyment my desires are still the same as before they have not gone down at all it's he says it is not possible to quench a desire by fulfilling it any more than it is possible to quench a fire before pouring ghee on it supposing you have a fire and then you want to put it off if you pour gear on the fire will it be put off now it will become stronger bigger desserts are like that you fulfill them they become stronger don't fulfill them it turns into anger and frustration unhappiness once you get into get the desire in your mind you are in the knowing situation so you have to carry the design before it becomes a desire that's the solution that will come later how to deal with desire manage desire how to stop them from coming in the first place once they come you are difficult you fulfill one problem don't fail to another problem so all these things yayati says to his wife and very beautiful cannot be quenched by fulfilling it just like a fire if there is a foil if you want to put it off if you pour ghee it will be become a bigger fire it will not be quenched it will not be put out so that inside is what jaya jayates shared that is what aksab appraised indicating you have all sense attachment to sense objects they cannot give us lasting peace and happiness desire will become stronger the best way to find happiness is to go to bypass these sense objects which cannot due to happiness for a long time bypass them they're undependable go back to the source from where all the happiness comes from merely the sense of just give the happiness they are highly the refusing surfaces providing a very dim highly distorted reflection of the infinite joy that comes from here that's all they can do for a short term buddha a wise person bypasses them don't does not care for them goes to strike to the source atman their infinite eternal unconditional joy is ours for all time does not depend upon age or health or educational need infinite eternal eternal joy artist undiminishing joy unconditional wisdom that's our this our true nature we are that you are that on the eve in this moment we are but we are not aware of it to cultivate that awareness of your true nature which is sachin down on the infinite joy these instructions are given next five instructions are satyam these five instructions are things that we can do that have table and we can do most people can do most of these things without much difficulty first one is the difficulty so we shall continue this study next time when the opportunity comes and now i saw the uh said the closing prayer and then some on important announcement circle the closing [Music] [Music] [Music] may i'll be free from diseases and other problems may all realize what is mobile and auspicious and may no one be subject to any kind of suffering or misery own peace may there be peace and joy in our hearts or judgment may there be peace and harmony amongst all beings everywhere in nature big celebration is coming next week you have this notice posted in the front this center is 25 years old how to believe how 24 years has gone in so to celebrate the uh silver jubilee originally the plan was to make a big celebration inviting all the swamis as we did when the inauguration took place but because of kovid now it has to be subdued a small scale celebration so what swami atmakian is doing is he will have one swami visit us which he thinks for me every month and continue this uh celebration for next uh 12 months with the concluding celebration next april next year april 2023 so to begin the celebration which is a plan for a three-day weekend april eight nine and ten april eight is friday swami sarva devanandaji maharaja president maharaja in hollywood he will be visiting he'll be here from april sixth until april 10th or 11th i think five six days will be here and every day one is here as usual there will be evening satsang and potluck so april for eight friday 6 30 the program begins orthy and meditation as usual as you do daily 7 30 pm uh sarvadyvanji maharaj will give a opening address talking about the center its formation functions next day is april 8 saturday is a whole day program 11am uh swami survanjal gave a talk on sangha buddha to vivekananda association group of people trying to do something of common interest so we are a sangha here ramakrishna is a sangha chimney mission is a sangha because one person can do only one thing but many people join together and pull the resources they can do much more effect of shin energy will be there so what is the significance of the order sangha how we can achieve much more than the some of the individual efforts as a sangha how much it can be done you will talk about that from buddha how it a concept of somebody evolved from buddha to the present day swamiji picked it up and started the mission i will continue continue same talk at um uh 4 p.m second part of sangha buddha to become the party that's swamiji two lectures on saturday uh beginning at uh 11 am and second one beginning at 4 p.m in between 12 p.m 12 30 there will be lunch for all and 3 to 4 p.m there will be buzan devotional singing or if you can participate five o'clock on saturday there will be after swamiji's second presentation there will be uh tea and snacks downstairs and the video presentation the video presentation i'm told will depict the history of this organization from the day it was started until today and very nice to see how people and things have changed if you see my picture 24 years ago it's a little bit different it's not same as same as swamiji also so that is a saturday 7 30 p.m there will be a music classical music performance by sri suranjan will be accompanied on the harmonium and tabla by other artists at 7 30 to 9 p.m saturday evening next saturday april 9th and after that music performance there will be snacks refreshments for everybody that is saturday program the sunday program april 10th also begins at 11 o'clock with a virtualistic worship ram [Music] flower offering and lunch at 1 pm for everybody and 3 30 to 3 to 3 30 p.m it is a devotee session all of your anyone who is interested can participate and share your ideas how your experiences with the center last 25 years and how you think of the center how it has helped you or what can be done more all this you are free to express your ideas devotee session the 3 30 to 5 sunday will be a panel discussion the three swami sarvadevanjiji atma gandhiji and myself will be participating in a panel discussion most of it will be question answers from the audience you can ask any question and the topic is essentials of spiritual practice that is sunday from 3 30 to 5 00 5 pm 10 tea and snacks will be there video presentation will be there 6 30 rt as usual 7 30 ramnam sankirtana you can all join ramnam sankirtan we had ramnams in kitten last night first saturday and 8 30 pm uh refreshment snacks conclusion it was all next weekend april 8 9 and 10 and mark the calendar your calendars and try to participate as much as possible in as many things as possible and you can also watch most of these things on on here on the computer on zoom in your oh it's a live stream live stream in your home from your computer if you cannot come so this all the announcements thank you for coming and it's a great joy to be with you all this sunday wonderful experience and all of you stay well and god willing see you next week and we have classes every day of the week ordinarily monday evening swami atmo teaches patanjali yoga sutra 8 to 9 pm it's on zoom uh tuesday morning swami at bengali teaches the um spiritual talks teachings of uh shiram krishna disciples holy mother and family turian on the swami shiva and etc tuesday 11 to 12 that you can watch from home or come here wednesday there's gita class 11 to 12 myself thursday 11 to 12 summit he was not with us here he was here he's moved to california from there he'll be doing a class on the interior castle by centuries of avila christian scripture that's due thursday 11-12 friday evening swami atmagani does a class on the gospels iran 8 to 9 pm saturday afternoon 2 pm there's a gita class mostly for allied people anybody can join some of you join you are familiar with that on sunday service every sunday there will be a talk at 11 o'clock please come and participate as much as possible thank you all and