Shiva Sutras E-Book

Sri Sri Ravishankar

• Herausgeber: Aslan eReads
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 304

Beschreibung

A kite needs a string in order to fly through the sky. In a similar way, the Shiva Sutras offers threads to uplift our mind and let it soar to new heights. The Shiva Sutras describes the goal of life as: life radiating the light of inner joy. The Magic of the Shiva Sutras is that each sutra is complete, offering us a way to go deeper into our own nature, which is joy. Step by step, with inimitable humor and wisdom, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar takes examples from everyday life to guide readers on this journey of innocence and love

Leseprobe

Shiva Sutras शिव सुत्र

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Publications Trust, India

© Copyrights Sri Sri Publications Trust

This digital edition is published by arrangement with Aslan Business Solutions

Digitally Published By:

 

Aslan Reads -An imprint of Aslan Business Solutions Borivli, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Email: [email protected]: www.aslanbiz.com & www.aslanreads.com

Physical Editions Published by:

 

Sri Sri Publications Trust The Art of Living International Centre 21st KM, Kanakapura Road, Udayapura, Bangalore – 560082 Email: [email protected]: www.sattvastore.comToll Free: 1800-258-8888

© All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher

ISBN: 978-93-85898-19-8

Layout by: Sri Sri Publications Trust

Contents

Title

Preface

The Mind Facing Inwards Is Always Happy

The Energy Centres

Bubbles on the Water

Honour Desire

Rest Within

Guru is The Way

From Darkness to Light

Play of The Divine

Liberation From Lust

Life is a Play

Complete Happiness

The Body is a Temple

Embers Covered in Ash

Offering to Shiva

The Art of Living&The International Association for Human Values

The Founder

Follow Sri Sri on:

The Art of LivingIn Service Around The World

The Art of Living Programs

International Centres

Landmarks

Cover

Preface

In this edition, below the sutras is a paraphrase of each sutra in English. This addition will be useful for readers wishing to review the sutras and their meaning without having to re-read the whole book. True to the meaning of a sutra, the translations capture the essence of each sutra in few words full of meaning. The paraphrase in most cases has been taken directly from Gurudev’s commentary, and where necessary, slightly edited for conciseness.

Sanskrit words have been written in italics and spelt in a regular fashion. This will help those who may be unfamiliar with the sutras but still wish to read them with correct pronunciation. An appendix explaining the spelling and pronunciation is located at the back. Proper names have been made an exception to this system, and have been written according to common conventions.

It is our great pleasure to present to the English-speaking public a translation of Gurudev’s Kannada talks on the Shiva Sutras. We hope it faithfully delivers the timeless, yet ever new message of the original commentary by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to all seekers on the path.

Jai Gurudev

The Mind Facing Inwards Is Always Happy

yasya niścasita vedā yo vedebhyo akhila jagatnirmama tamaha vande vidyātirtha maheśvara

In order to fly a kite and guide it from the ground, we need a thin thread. While this thread stays on the ground, the kite soars in the air. That thread is a sutra. Likewise, for our life to soar higher and expand into the vastness of infinity, what is needed? We need a sutra that acts as a link between earth and sky, between humanity and Divinity.

Panini describes a sutra as:

Alpāk aramasa digdha sāravat viśvato mukhaAstobhamanavadya ca sūtra sūtravido vidu

“Alpāk ara asa digdha sāravat viśvato mukha” - A sutra is described as that which contains the essence and expresses the full meaning in a few words. The nature of the sutra we hold on to decidesthe direction and the quality of our life. In everyone’s life there is some spark of goodness or auspiciousness. We should reflect whether we are holding on to the good and positive or misfortune and negativity. Regardless of which part we tend to focus on, if we search we can definitely find happiness, pleasure and fortune in some measure. Yet, if you look now, this is not the case. Actually, there is so much that is positive. Life is made up of eighty percent positivity and only twenty percent negativity, the part that causes problems. Yet we make this twenty percent into two thousand percent; usually, we cling to the negative.

In every life some good must have happened, but the nature of mind is that it ignores everything positive and clings only to the negative. Suppose someone approaches you and gives you ten compliments and one insult. What will you remember? The mind’s nature is to cling to the negative. In order to change this mindset, we should hold on to the Shiva Sutras.

We should hold on to truth, beauty and śivatattva, auspiciousness or innocence, wherever they appear in our life. That is the reason for listening to the Shiva Sutras. If life does not have a sutra to guide it, it is not possible to find happiness, and the kite will fall to the ground. A kite may have everything, including a tail, but without a thread, how can it take off? The Shiva Sutras run through everybody’s life. That is why it is said:

Namah śrī śambhave svātmānanda prakāśa vapuśe

I bow down to the wealth that brings peace and fills the body with joy.

How does auspiciousness begin? It happens when the mind turns inwards. When the mind goes more and more outside, it gets caught up in problems and confusion. Do you know what misery is? Misery comes when the mind gets caught up in the world and forgets itself. Happiness can be described as remembering yourself.

Suppose a close relative or friend visits after a long time. You prepare sweets, arrange everything nicely to welcome them and go to the railway station with a bouquet of flowers to greet them. You eagerly look for them, checking whether or not the train is running on time and whether they have arrived. How do you feel when you finally meet them? Thrilled! The mind instantly blossoms. Where there is no eagerness and anticipation, there is less love.

The mind naturally flows towards that which you love. When you are with a dear friend, your mind stays with you and does not wander elsewhere. Observe that when you are joyful, you become one with your self. Your nature is joy, and this is the reason you experience joy.

If you read the word “mana,” meaning mind, in reverse, it becomes “nama.” When people visit various temples and pray, they say, “Namah.” What does it mean? When the mind turns inward it is namah, but when the mind goes outward, it is manah.

What attracts the mind outward? It is prosperity, wealth, success and beauty. The sight of anything beautiful draws the mind towards it. Whether money or fame, the mind gravitates towards it. The whole world revolves around only one thing, and that is “śrī,” or prosperity. Yearn for knowledge, yearn for happiness, yearn for beauty, wealth, success, advancement - whatever you long for, it is only for one desire, and that is śrī. However, the more intensely people long for it, the more difficult it is to attain. That is why everybody wears such long faces, as if everything were shrouded in misery. This is why Buddha concisely said, “Desire is the root cause of misery.” Go anywhere and look at what the people talk about, and you will find that it is all about śrī. Go to any chamber of commerce or film industry meeting, and what do they discuss, but ways to become rich and famous. That is śrī. Or go to any legislative body, and they talk about political power. Even that is śrī.

The whole world revolves around śrī, but how do we acquire it? Even if we do get it, it will turn out not to be satisfying. If one is to find śrī, one’s mind must turn inwards. When we are in a state of namah, when we are introspective, we find śrīand true wealth is born. Real wealth is within us, and when we turn inwards, we can access real happiness and pleasure. Although the richest of the rich may smile outwardly, peep into their minds, and you will not find any cheerfulness or contentment. Without satisfaction, what is the use of such a life and such wealth? It is nothing but worry, worry, and to die with worries. What kind of śrī is that?

Sometimes, people do gain wealth and fame, but even that is followed by problems. Once, when one of our ex-prime ministers met me, he confessed, “Before, in summer I used to sleep outside the house on a cot. Now, you can see fifty people around me and security all over. Now I am a prisoner, more so than the actual prisoners in Tihar Jail.”

“Śhambhave” - Wealth and prosperity should bring peace. However, many times one acquires wealth and many problems follow it. Quarrels start between parents and children and between husband and wife. If you examine the pending court cases, you will find that 75 to 80 percent of the cases arise out of disputes over money! Most of the conflicts between people happen over money, is it not? Even if we were to gain so much wealth, what is the point? While we do need money, along with wealth we also get diseases like stomach pains, ulcers, diabetes, heart attack, etc.

Once, a man won ten lakhs in a lottery. His wife worried how she should break the news to her husband because it might give him a shock or he might even suffer a heart attack due to sheer excitement. So she went to a priest. He said, “Don’t worry. I will come with you, and together we’ll give him the news.” So the next Sunday, he went to their house and asked him, “My child, suppose by the grace of God you were to win ten lakh, what would you do with it?” The man answered, “I’d give half of it to the church, Father.” No sooner the priest heard this, he had a heart attack.

Wealth should bring peace. Being wealthy should not bring arrogance, hostility, jealousy, disgust or boredom. Many times, when you receive a gift from someone, your state of mind changes as soon as you receive it. Have you observed this? When you receive certain things, you receive not only the gift but the intention along with the gift. That is the reason why, in the past, people accepted things from others only after careful observation. If they did accept, then they would immediately give a gift in return. An old saying says, “Why should we take others’ things that we do not want?” It is because such wealth might bring peace or disturbance. Nobody wants a disturbed mind.

Today we have completely forgotten this tradition. However, there is one thing we did in the past and continue to do today: when we celebrate weddings, religious ceremonies and other rituals, whether on happy or sad occasions, we invite guests for food and after food give them each one rupee as dakśina, or offering. This practice is more prevalent in villages. Do you know the reason behind this? This is to express gratitude to the guests for attending the ceremony and eating the food. The belief is that the guests have given them peace, and in this way, certain negative karma leaves and positive karma is restored.

“Śrī śambhave” - wealth should be peaceful. “Svātmānanda” - filled with bliss, having a cheerful state of mind. There are some people who do very good acts, but do not have peace and joy. Instead, they are very serious and have long faces. If the world is serious, it cannot be enjoyable, it will be dry and dull. Look at children. They are not very serious. They are happy. What kind of happiness do they have? “svātmānanda prakāśā vapuse” - happiness overflows from their bodies. They send out vibrations full of joy.

In life, happiness is the only attraction. You may have noticed that some people who are beautiful and have nice, fair skin are not attractive, while others who are not so pleasant to look at are still attractive. This is because of the vibrations they spread around them - “Svātmānanda prakāśā.” Wherever a child comes from, whether from China, Africa or North America, it is attractive. Joy overflows from each and every cell of its body. A child’s mind is innocent and calm, with a blossomed awareness. This is life’s goal. One characteristic of life is that it should end where it began, and life is a cycle that starts with happiness.

“Ānandena jātāni jīvanti” - this is a quotation from the Upanishads: “Life happens in joy and finds completion in joy.” The soul should be filled with happiness - that is the goal of the Shiva Sūtras: svātmānanda prakāśa vapuśe.

That happiness is not limited to us, but spreads to all who come near us. Such happiness is the sign of real success. Some people who do sadhana, though they sit from morning till evening with their fingers on their nose doing pranayama, shout at anyone who comes close and disturbs them, even children. It means that there has been no reduction in anger. What are you doing? Sadhana? Is this a sign of sadhana? If this is what sadhana means, then it’s better to stay away from it.

Many youth have left sadhana because of this. In their homes they see their older siblings, parents, grandparents and relatives praying and applying chandan to their forehead and to others too. Yet their anger has not lessened, even a bit. Seeing this, young people lose faith. They say, “If this is religious life, we don’t need it.” It is natural. Many swamis who are in charge of mathas are like this. They show such uncontrollable anger! People come with devotion, but are revolted by the way they see some swamis treating people. They think, “How arrogant!” and become angry and afraid. There is a saying that people should have fear and devotion. This is not correct. Where there is fear, it is impossible to have devotion, and with devotion, fear cannot exist. Both cannot be together. Someone must have compiled that saying sarcastically, but the sarcasm in it has not been properly understood. Instead, people worry that a swami will curse them. Devotion vanishes, and only fear is left.

“Vapuse” - the body should radiate happiness. Life is complete when that happens. Then, we realise that the aim of life has been reached. “Svātmānanda prakāśa vapuśe.” This is the goal of the Shiva Sūtras. We should read the sutras so that this happens. What can we do if this does not happen?

Atha śhiva sūtrah

Then hold on to the Shiva Sūtras

After we are asked to hold on to the Shiva Sūtras, they are explained one by one. Each sutra is complete in itself.

चैतन्यमात्मा

Chaitanyamātmā

We can realise our self to the extent that we raise our energy.

The first sutra is “Chaitanyamātmā.” You are alive, but you are living as though you were dead. Sleeping, eating and talking - you are like one who walks in his sleep. Often, mothers feed milk to their half-sleeping children, who do not remember anything later. In the morning, they complain that she did not feed them food or milk. We also live like this, as though we eat while we are asleep and continue to slumber. We do not have knowledge of ourself. How do we get knowledge about ourselves and about the soul? Knowledge grows as our energy rises - “Chaitanyamātmā.” This is the first sutra.

If we succeed in this sutra, then we become “Namah śhrī śambhave svātmānanda prakāśa vapuśe” - we reach our goal. “Chaitanyamātmā” - raise the energy in the body and in life.

The moment our energy is low, our speech gets confused, and we become lazy. When you talk too much, your energy lowers, and you get bored. If you have not experienced this, then do an experiment. Try to abuse someone for one and a half hours continuously, which may or may not even be possible - in a short time your stomach will feel sick.

We lose energy, which is required to digest food, and so the brain also stops working and starts functioning like a fool. Even if we eat more, vitality lowers. Have you experienced this? We are not at our best on a day when we overeat, isn’t it?

There are Brahmins who specialise in eating at death ceremonies, especially in Mathura and other such places. They are called “panda”. Their only job is to eat wherever there is death ceremony. When many people die, they are in great demand and sometimes have to eat at as many as five or six places in a single day!

Once, a son accompanied his father to the ceremony and they had a competition to see who could eat more. During the meal, the son drank a glass of water. The father got angry and slapped his son, asking him, “Why are you drinking instead of eating?” But they were not able to talk about it then. On reaching home, again the father asked the son the same thing. “I drank to settle the food I had eaten so I could eat more.” The father slapped him again and said, “Why didn’t you tell me there? I could have done the same and eaten more.”

On another occasion two ladies, who were neighbors, were talking. One was making the bed for her husband at one in the afternoon and so the other lady asked her, “Why are you making the bed so early?” The first one replied, “My husband has gone for food at a death ceremony. He will have to sleep as soon as he returns home.” Hearing that, the other lady said, “That is better. For my husband, I have to send the bed to wherever he has gone for the ceremony. After eating he cannot even make it back home.” Eating is also tiring.

Where is your energy if you overeat? It is the same with those who oversleep - they cannot be full of vitality. That is why it is said, “chaitanyamātmā.” We can realise our self to the extent that we raise our consciousness, our vitality. That is why we should do pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya and meditation. When you start doing these practices, then consciousness dawns. That is what the first sutra means.

You are searching for your self. Your self is not something that is separate from you. Your consciousness is your self, from which everything has been created. It is possible to experience this only when you become one with your consciousness. The same consciousness also makes it possible for you to understand yourself. Only this consciousness can understand itself. As consciousness, or energy, increases knowledge also grows. One who is awake has tremendous consciousness. Even the sleeping man has consciousness; but only the one who is awake knows it while the other one is unaware of it.

“Chaitanyamātmā” - this isthe first sutra. When we look at nature, consciousness is visible in every atom. Only in some it rests in a dormant state, in some it is partially expressed and in others it is expressed in abundance. If one understands this and wakes up to this consciousness, one can reach the ultimate goal. “Svātmānanda prakāśa vapuśe” - the light of joy in our body is our consciousness. We chant, do yagyas and practice yoga in order to raise our level of consciousness and move towards the goal of self-realisation. In fact, raising the level of consciousness is not the right phrase, because consciousness does not increase or decrease. It is only when we realise that everything is consciousness that we start to experience consciousness.

ज्ञानं बन्ध

jñānam bandhah

Limited knowledge creates bondage.

The second sutra says, “jñānam bandhah.” When we sleep we do not experience bondage. Only after we wake up do we feel bound. What binds us? The experience of ‘knowing’ creates bondage. Once, a person who was returning from a pilgrimage received the news that his house had caught fire. He was suddenly overwhelmed with fear, agitation and distress and was so shocked that his heart almost stopped. He was caught in bondage even before reaching his house because of the knowledge that he heard. Limited knowledge creates bondage. After some time, another person approached and told him that it was not his house but a neighbor’s house that had caught fire. “Is that so? I’m saved!” At once he returned to his normal self. The feeling of “my house” and “mine” created the bondage. That is why the sutra says, “jñānam bandhah” - knowledge creates bondage. Without obtaining knowledge of the self, of “Who am I?” We go about acquiring knowledge of the world, of “What is this?” and this causes bondage.

Where there is knowledge, the mind is limited. Some awareness is needed. For example, when you drive somewhere you need to have directions. Work requires knowledge, concentration and awareness and when you focus, your mind becomes limited. The real nature of your mind is infinite. However, when we work, the mind becomes limited and limited knowledge binds us. Many people are unable to sleep because they go on thinking. This thinking comes from knowledge. Can you think without having some knowledge?

Good knowledge generates love and affection, while negative knowledge generates anger and hatred. When we see a beautiful object, whether it is nature or a person, there is a desire to possess it and craving starts. Knowledge has created bondage. Similarly, when you see something that is ugly, the mind gets disgusted - knowledge creates bondage. That is why it is said, “jñānam bandhah”

Every second in life is new, but the limited knowledge you receive through your five sense-organs at every moment ties you to the past. Every cell in nature is able to perceive, understand and learn. This capacity is consciousness, which is the sign of life. So what is the difference between a wooden peg and a butterfly? At someone’s approach a butterfly, sensing danger, will fly off, while a wooden peg will not move. The same consciousness is present in the wooden peg, but to a far lower extent, so much so that some might say it is not present at all.

Even a stone has life, though it is so inert that it appears not to have life. Plants and trees also have emotions, but they are rarely seen. If one takes an axe to a tree, it cries in fear and if one waters a tree, it is happy. However, a tree does not have as much consciousness as birds and animals have to express its emotions. When you show a stick to a dog, it runs away, but when shown a piece of bread, it wags its tail and comes closer. The same feelings are there in trees, but animals can express them more clearly. Although the consciousness in stones is far less, say one percent, it is still there.

It is said that only knowledge will turn a man into a stone. A know-it-all cannot learn anything. There is no life, no vitality in one who is unwilling to learn. Newness is the sign of life. Learning happens only when you feel something is new. The unknown makes you attentive. An expert cyclist can easily become careless, while a beginner will ride with full attention, keeping an eye out for every possible obstacle in the road. To be full of life requires attentiveness and a willingness to learn.

When asked if he knows God, a wise person will simply smile and keep quiet because God is not an object of knowledge. God is knowledge itself as well as the ability to know. God is life, not a thing to acquire. When you say, “I know,” your ability to learn becomes less and the vast range of knowledge in front of you is limited. That is why it is said, “satyam jñānam anantah brahman” - Brahma means truth and infinite knowledge. In order to be free of the bondage of knowledge, the next sutra says:

योनिवर्गः कलाशरीरम्

yonivargah kalāśarīram

All activities happen through the body, which itself is an art. The body has originated from and is composed of the five elements.

It is only through the five sense organs that we receive knowledge. “Yonivargah kalāśarīram” means that these five sense organs, along with the mind, are all a part of the greater universe. When you understand this, a witness attitude can arise in you. You can observe: “I am not the mind, the emotions or the sense organs.”

We apply ash to the body as a symbol showing that there is no difference between the skin and ash. When one realises that it is only a matter of days before this body turns into ash, it becomes impossible to commit a crime, to kill someone or to break into a house. We call this ash vibhuti - “bhuti”means experience and “vibhuti”means a distinct, special experience. This experience is knowing that though this body will become ashes, “I am the self. My nature is Shiva.” When this is our real nature, then why should we get angry or jealous over small issues that have no meaning? Ash is applied every day to remind us of this truth again and again.

“Yonivargah kalāśarīram” - this body does not belong to us. It is created out of the five elements and belongs to the universe. The banana that was in the market yesterday entered your body this morning and is now ready to hear this talk. Everything that you have eaten, bread, butter, jam, eggplants and potatoes, all of it has been converted into your mind and body and is here, listening to this talk. Reflect on this knowledge and you might be amazed. The type of food you take determines how you think. This is all “Yonivargah”

The whole world is one yoni, one body. Within that, our body is a work of art. Remember this. Wake up! Look around you and realise that all the different types of bodies have emerged from one consciousness, and your body is also part of this creation. When we were born, we only weighed three to four kilos, but now look at how much we weigh. The 70 to 80 kilos you have gained comes from the earth, water, grains and air, and all of these, including your body, will remain here.

While you are still alive, become one with your body. That is meditation. This may sound surprising. You are not lazy or an inert piece of nature, so you should use your consciousness. However, the sutra says just the opposite, “Unite with your body.” This is a true statement, and it holds a valuable lesson if we look into it deeply. Before a kite is thrown to fly, it is held back. Similarly, we can understand that we are different from the body, mind and intellect only when we observe them and become one with them. This is the reason why we bring all our attention to each part of the body during yoga nidra.

This body is an expression of nature. “Kalāśarīram” - this body is a piece of art made up of five elements. One unit of consciousness becomes eye, nose, hands, teeth, tongue and different organs. The ability to see, hear, taste and feel all manifests in the body. What art is greater than this? The whole universe is an art. Nature and anything else that you admire and praise is a piece of art. A dull person does not honour anything, but those with elevated consciousness respect life, honouring everything and everyone. A stone cannot honour nor even love anyone. If you are to admire anything, you need consciousness. You honour all creatures and everyone because you all belong to the same family - “Yonivargah kalāśarīram”

If you have learnt to honour others to such a degree, you can be liberated from the bondage of knowledge. In the Bhagavad Gītā, Krishna says, “Na hi jñānena sadraśah pavitrah iha vidyate” - “only knowledge can purify you.” There is no soap like knowledge. However, the arrogance that comes from thinking that you know many things is like the dirt that forms when soap is not properly rinsed out of the clothes after washing. You may have washed the clothes, but you did not rinse out the soap! You cannot wear such clothes - they will begin to smell. The bad smell that comes from intellectual arrogance is worse than the smell that comes from ignorance.

After we escape the bonds of knowledge we feel that everything belongs to us, we are in everyone, and that nothing is different from us. You start to experience such oneness - that my self is the same as anyone else’s. “Sarva bhūtātma bhūtātmah” - the person that considers that everyone’s self is the same as his self has reached truth, consciousness and his goal. Then “svātmānanda prakāśa vapuśe.”

When you reach that goal, the happiness that wells up inside is not limited only to you, but radiates like light. If light can be bound, then it is not light. Light’s nature is to spread. The twinkling of the stars that is visible today may have shone as many as 1000 years ago! Likewise, it is not happiness if it does not spread. The happiness of a child, who is playing and laughing, is not limited only to that child, but spreads to anyone who comes near. Even an unhappy person looking at a child at play will forget his pain. The goal of life should be to radiate happiness from each and every cell of your being, and that happiness should continue spreading outward. Then knowledge is complete. Otherwise, incomplete knowledge will bind you.

The Energy Centres

ज्ञानाधिष्ठानं मातृका

“Jñānādhisthānam mātrka”

Go to the root of knowledge, silence.

“Jñānādhisthānam mātrka” - carefully observe and distinguish the different ideas, thoughts or worries that arise in your mind. Then observe one thought, then one sentence and then one word. Then separate that one word into letters and look at each letter carefully. When you do this, your worries will disappear. Practice this for one week and you will understand that when we hold onto the silence that is in between words, then worries vanish. Where there is no sound or words, there are no worries because words are the root cause of worry. To transcend them is to reach silence. The sutra says, “Jñānādhisthānam mātrka” - move from knowledge to the highest knowledge. A mantra, a sacred sound, is defined as “manahtrāyate iti mantrah” - a mantra is that which, when repeated constantly, clears your mind from worries and protects you.

Knowledge is bondage, and it is impossible to gain knowledge without words. We need the help of language to understand what we are worrying or not worrying about. When we separate the words, we will be free from worry. One gets worried by holding onto sentences. Suppose your mind is worried that “My son is unemployed.” Now sit down and break up each of the words in the sentence, like this: M-y s-o-n i-s u-n-e-m-p-l-o-y-e-d. The intensity of the worry becomes less, and if you reduce its intensity, then the mind, which is entangled in a sentence, drops the worry and becomes contemplative. If you meditate and attempt to drive away the worry, it may not work. So take hold of the worry and go for its root by taking apart its words and meaning.

उद्यमो भैरवः

udyamao bhairavah

When you put in full effort then you experience completeness.

“Udyamo” means effort. Give your 100 percent in action, speech and thought, and the energy that is generated by the union of these three will raise you up to a higher level. Udyamo is what supports us.

In life, we do so little. We do not give our full effort anywhere and even worry half-heartedly, here and there. If you want to worry, then sit down and worry 100 percent. Are you worried that you may drown or fall sick? You may die, and that is all. If you die, then there will be nothing to worry about. Anyway, everyone has to die.

What is worry? Worry means not applying your efforts 100 percent. You may be worrying about today, tomorrow or even the coming decade. If you are going to worry, then worry big! Worry about how the world will be after 100 or 5000 years. There is so much pollution already in the world today. What will happen after another 15 or 20 years? If you are going to worry, then do it in a big way. Drown yourself in worry. Otherwise, we live as though we are dead or dying at every moment. In Hindi, it is said, “A dying person dies only once, whereas a person afraid of death dies every moment.”

When will “svātmānanda prakāśa vapuśe” dawn in life? When will life be full of joy? We bargain for a little of this and a little of that, wanting that such and such should happen. These are our main worries. To free our consciousness, which is bogged down in petty worries, the sutra says, “ udyamao bhairavah.”

When we put in our best efforts, we do not worry whether or not our work will be successful. What does worry mean? It means that we have not worked to the best of our ability. Imagine that you are playing football or running a race. If you put in your full energy, you will have no regrets. If you do not put in your 100 percent, then you may think, “Oh! I could have done better.” A person who gives his full efforts knows, “How could I have done better? I did my best and am prepared to accept the results. If I get the fruits I will be fine, and if not, then too I will be happy.” When you completely apply your energy, fully using actions, speech and mind, you become Bhairava, full. Bhairava means fullness.

Dissatisfaction, unhappiness and discontent enter the mind when there is no fullness. Until people find fullness, they cannot have peace, comfort or sleep. At every stage in life, if something is missing, then boredom, uneasiness and discontentment set in. Just to rid themselves of discontentment, people visit temples and other places of worship. Why do we listen to discourses? Why do people pray? Why do we break a coconut at temples? Is it not to get rid of discontentment and to find contentment, to move from imperfection to perfection? A thirsty person looks for water and a hungry person for food. A person with a full stomach does not look around on either side of the road for a restaurant; only a hungry person does that. Only a person who is building a house will look for a hardware store. Before that, though he walked up and down the road so many times he did not notice the hardware store. An exception is clothing and jewelry stores, which always get noticed except by people whose minds are happy and content. They do not think of them, even for a moment.

Do not think that your mind is fickle or weak. It is not fickle; it merely desires completeness and is roaming here and there looking for completeness. When one is content, then the mind automatically becomes serene and quiet.

The whole of life is a struggle to find contentment. You will never find contentment in any object or any situation. Your very nature is contentment. In order to realise that, you should exert your full effort. Do you know what happens to your body when rajas, or restlessness, increases? It does not allow you to sit quietly, at ease. Instead, you fidget, rustle about, squirm, move your legs and tap the table. Sitting in the lawn you pluck the grass and pull leaves from bushes - playing like a monkey! This happens because of rajas