Commentary on the text “Ishvara Gita”
Ishvara said:
The one lingam is the unmanifest Brahman, devoid of symbol, self-luminous, the supreme truth abiding in the highest heaven, the unmanifest imperishable cause, the supreme state, devoid of qualities, pure knowledge that the gods behold. Devoted to him, with peaceful thoughts, living by his being, they behold him as the supreme Brahman. This is the lingam, according to the Shruti. Otherwise it is impossible to behold me, O best among sages. There is no knowledge by which the supreme is known. This supreme knowledge is known only to the wise; ignorance is different from it, from which arises the perception of the universe consisting of maya. The knowledge that is subtle, pure, beyond thoughts, immutable—the wise call my essence. Even those who see its multiplicity also see the supreme, having resorted to supreme devotion. They comprehend the unity of the supreme imperishable truth. Those who with devotion behold the supreme truth, Ishvara, as one or manifold, comprehend their identity with it.
Ishvara, Shiva, speaks of his innermost sacred essence. Of that essence which all yogis, all saints, all gods, and all siddhis seek. Our destiny as spiritual people is to seek this innermost essence. It is a great mystery for the conditioned soul. The reason for our incarnation on earth is precisely that we have not yet solved this mystery. When we solve this mystery, then maya, illusion, samsara cease for us.
For all of us, life is a mystery. There are those who do not try to solve this mystery, but live by going with the flow. These souls are called karma-bandha, bound by karma, bound by ignorance. Such souls are counted among the unfortunate types of souls, since they have not been so fortunate as to solve this mystery. Another type of soul is those who try to unravel this mystery, to answer the questions: what is God? who am I? what is the meaning of life? and what is this world?
The Evolution of Human Consciousness
Even scientists have their own classification of human beings. The scientific world, anthropology, has long studied the phenomenon of man, and various types of people have been identified. The most ancient was considered to be Homo habilis, the handy man. Still somewhat like an animal. He can pick berries, he can catch an animal. He is skillful, but he still understands nothing. He can only survive, eat, sleep, copulate, and defend himself from other animals. This is the stage of Homo habilis. He has not even fully risen and begun to walk upright.
There is another stage, called Homo erectus, the upright-walking man. He has already risen a little, learned to walk. Because he rose up, he began to see far, began to see the horizon, began to understand himself in space a little better. But everything is still the same: eating, sleeping, copulating, enjoying, defending himself. An animal existence. But because he rose up, he can develop; the subtle structures of his brain develop.
Many more thousands of years, or even millions of years, passed, and Homo sapiens appeared, the rational man. He began to comprehend, to become a little smarter than animals, to abstract himself from the material world, to reflect. He became more cunning than animals, began to make traps for animals, began to surpass animals in his skill. He became a very cunning being, dangerous to animals, began to drive animals out of jungles and forests, and to build settlements. Homo sapiens is the development of man approximately up to the Middle Ages.
Then there is also such an unconfirmed type of human being—Homo mentalicus, mental man, intellectual man. We are now entering the information era; in fact, we have already entered it, where communication, mass media, analysis, and information processing are of great importance. This means that the human species is also evolving. From a simple human being who reasonably provided for his life, sometimes waged war, sometimes engaged in science, the entire human civilization is moving toward the mind, Homo mentalicus.
In connection with this, new difficulties and new problems arise. Everyone notes that the world has changed in a short time. Over the past thirty years, hundreds of times more discoveries have been made in science than over the past two thousand years. Homo mentalicus has begun to think. Great challenges lie ahead for humanity. Artificial intelligence, universal chipping, which frightens everyone; Christians are already afraid, they are gathering to move out of the cities into villages, they do not want to accept the “number of the beast.” Some take sledgehammers and smash mobile phones; they are afraid of them. This is how one should deal with the Antichrist.
Robotics, artificial intelligence, blockchain technologies, and neural networks are developing. People do not expect it, while the techno-environment is developing very strongly. People do not understand what to do with it. The Internet of Things. The world is becoming different, transparent, unfamiliar, even inconvenient, and spiritual people also begin to wonder whether we need all this at all or not. What should our own path be? Because someone needs this—someone who invents all of it. But how much do we need it at all? This is a big question; we must think about it and respond adequately to the challenges of reality. This is what Homo mentalicus is.
The Path of the Sadhu and Spiritual Lines of Transmission
But there is another type of person; this type is even higher, and it has existed for a long time, independently of existing society. It belongs to Vedic culture; this is the sadhu. A sadhu is one who has transcended all worldly goals and seeks God. One who has understood that his purpose is God-realization, the knowledge of God, the knowledge of his connection with God. A sadhu is one who performs sadhana, who follows the culture of spiritual connections, spiritual relations with God, the culture of God-realization.
This is a very ancient culture to which we have the good fortune to belong. We belong to two very powerful lines of transmission of saints. The Northern tradition of Advaita Vedanta includes Narayana, Vasishtha, Parashara Muni, Shakti Muni, Vedavyasa, the author of the Vedas, Shukadeva, his son, Sanatkumara, Gaudapada, Govindapada, Sri Shankaracharya, the one who, being an incarnation of Shiva, gave the world the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta in the form in which we now have it. And all of them, or almost all, are on our altar. This is a great parampara.
Further, up to the root guru, we have the parampara of the southern line of transmission, which includes the tradition of the siddhas. God Ayyappa, Lord Shiva, rishi Nandidevar, mahasiddha Paambati, paramguru Swami Brahmananda, Swami Janardan Nair, and many others connected with Guru Brahmananda. Palani Swami. Great saints, great mahasiddhas. It is a great merit to belong to such holy lines of transmission.
The Principles of a Sadhu’s Life
When we enter the line of transmission, we become sadhus, those who follow certain principles. For example, if you are a karma-sannyasi, there are eight principles, and you must adhere to them so that your status gives you strength. If there are purna-sannyasis, then purna-sannyasis follow their own, more complex principles. There is an even more subtle system of principles. All of this is the culture of the sadhu.
For example, for a karma-sannyasi, these are the five vows of Mahavratam. Always adhere to truth, satya. Satya is not only not lying, but always and everywhere adhering to dharma, adhering to truth, and not lying as well. But it is considered that if someone needs to be saved, then one may lie. One should not be so straightforwardly truthful. If a robber is chasing a child and asks, “Did you see where he ran?” and you say, “I observe truth; I will be truthful: over there, go, catch him,” that is foolish. Place, time, circumstances—desha, kala, patra. Satya means adhering to truth. In this case, truth is not showing him where the child ran, but protecting him. Truth means saving someone’s life.
Or an animal—there have been such cases. A sage is sitting, meditating; he adheres to ahimsa, nonviolence, satya, truth. A hunter is chasing a deer, and the poor deer, already all wounded, with spears and arrows in its side, is looking for somewhere to hide. It runs up and falls at the hermit’s feet. Beneath the hermit there is a special pit; he meditates in it, as a place for retreat. He hides the deer, covers it from above, sits down, and meditates as if nothing had happened. The hunter runs up, his eyes red and bloodshot, with a bow and arrows. He says: Where is my deer? I have been chasing it for a long time; haven’t you seen it, didn’t it run by? And the sage is established in dharma; he is meditating. To keep his vow and save the deer, he says: It is right here, foolish hunter. The hunter does not understand what is going on; he thinks: these hermits are strange people, not quite right. The deer is saved.
Ahimsa means that we do not harm anyone, any living beings, including the very smallest. Rather, this is passive ahimsa. Active ahimsa is that we not only do not harm them, we try to protect or save them. Therefore, if there is an ashram or a dharma center, it is very auspicious to hold acts of compassion every month, to buy back fish and birds that someone wants to eat. One can even buy back certain animals and release them into freedom. But release them in such a way that someone does not eat them again, because there are many who would like to. This is what monks do. This is ahimsa.
Also, one must not use alcohol or drugs under any circumstances. There are sometimes people who call themselves tantrikas but understand tantrism in their own peculiar way. They imitate Shiva, who smoked a chillum. Some babas smoke. This is a special tantric sadhana, into which one must have initiation; one must have strong channels, one must have certain siddhis in order to cope with such things. But if a person born in Ukraine puts on prayer beads and thinks, “I will be like Shiva,” that is wrong. On the contrary: a pure life, control of the senses. Drugs, cigarettes, alcohol—a complete prohibition until realization. When you become a mahasiddha, you yourself will understand what you may use and what you may not. This is very important.
The brahmin Saraha was a mahasiddha. In rituals he used wine. Other brahmins did not like this, and they complained to the king. The king came with his retinue to sort it out. He was, after all, a brahmin; many villages were under his care, and such rumors were circulating about him. Saraha said: I do not drink. The brahmins said: No, no, he drinks. The king did not know how to resolve this conflict. He asked, Perhaps you yourself can suggest something? Saraha said: Let us do this: now we will take a bowl and pour molten lead into it, or boiling oil. Whoever does not drink can put his hand into it. And whoever drinks cannot. They poured some molten substance into the bowl. He put his hand into it. The king said: Yes, he does not drink. And you? They could not do the same. Then Saraha said: Let us do this: we will load large scales with weights; whoever is heavier does not drink. And he himself stepped onto the scales. And all the brahmins stepped on as well; they could not outweigh him. The king said: Yes, he does not drink; it is you who drink. Then he said: Let us do this: whoever walks on water and does not fall in does not drink. He walked on water; the brahmins entered the water and sank. The king said: Yes, he does not drink. But the brahmins still insisted: No, he drinks; he is simply demonstrating miracles. The king said: All right, if he has such energy, let him drink; do not bother him. In spiritual realization he is not your equal.
The laws of samsara, of the material world, are different for different beings. What is seen by humans is one thing; by gods and siddhas it is seen differently. This includes the law of karma, cause-and-effect connections. But we must understand who we are at the present moment, what our status is, what our role is at this stage. If we are karma-sannyasis, then we are karma-sannyasis. We have our own principles. If we are purna-sannyasis, then we have a somewhat different ethics and culture. If one is a grihastha, a householder, then this is a third ethics and culture. At every level there are its own principles and requirements. If one is an avadhuta, then an avadhuta is altogether beyond all principles and prescriptions. Like the same Saraha, for example.
Daily Sadhana and Spiritual Practices
In addition, karma-sannyasa means daily sadhana. It is essential to practice every day. The simplest thing is to recite a mantra. If you cannot do anything else, simply recite a mantra. In addition, there is daily upasana, worship at the altar. There is no need to perform elaborate worship if you are not used to it. You can begin with the simplest things.
There are people for whom it is difficult to perform daily upasana. They say: Guru, I can go up to the computer and sit at it for eight hours from early morning. But to go up to the altar—my legs simply will not move. I do not know why. Although a sadhu should first of all go up to the altar; that is his computer, to establish a connection with the gods, to download the necessary information, the blessing information. For a sadhu, the computer is his altar. A sadhu must learn how to enter into proper contact with divine forces, with divine beings, and download the necessary information. What kind of information is this? Blessings.
But to begin with, one can simply sit by the altar and look at Dattatreya. Simply come under the gaze of Dattatreya or Shiva, under the gaze of the murti. When you sit down, simply look into his eyes; your mind will already change, and you will be able to sit longer. Then you will want to offer a flower, then incense, and your mind will already be in the field of Shiva’s and Dattatreya’s blessing.
In addition, the principle of karma-sannyasa is svadhyaya, daily study of texts or listening to satsang. The soul must be nourished. If you do not give good food to the soul, the soul will feed on bad food. In any case, it will feed on something. The mind always wants to feed on something. Nourishment for the subtle body, for the mind, and for the soul is information. If you do not study sacred texts, you will study the television. The one-eyed guru also broadcasts his programs very successfully. You will study worldly news. Svadhyaya will still happen one way or another, because the mind needs nourishment; it feeds on information. Therefore, this information must be given to it. This nourishment must be pure.
Likewise, if a person does not have pure vegetarian food, he still needs to eat something. He will eat any food if he is very hungry. Svadhyaya means that we nourish our mind with proper spiritual information; we know the value of this nourishment. Many people are fond of diets. Among my disciples as well. They sometimes tell me: Guru, I brought you this; it is without monosodium glutamate. I had never heard of monosodium glutamate. And this one is with something else, without calcium. They create complex diet plans, various complex types of nutrition, and buy food in eco-shops in order to keep their body healthy.
We must do the same with regard to the soul, with regard to nourishment for the mind, with regard to information. We must carefully examine what nourishes our mind, what to accept and what to reject. Especially in the age of information technologies, where necessary and unnecessary information literally wants to get into our soul, literally imposes itself on us.
Seva — Service as a Path to God
The next principle is seva. Seva means service, constancy in service. Constant, daily, small, but service. Seva is not only doing something for God, for the guru, for the sangha, for the Dharma; it is an attitude of the soul. It is a different mentality, a different perception of life. It is when we realize our life as intended for service to God, for carrying out the divine will. Seva is a state of the soul and the defining of the meanings and values of one’s life, when we are ready to dedicate our life to serving God.
This is very important for a sadhu, because we cannot ignore God in our spiritual life; we cannot say: God is on His own, and I will be on my own doing asanas, practicing meditation, meditating, and will attain Enlightenment. This is impossible. To move toward Liberation means that our paths and the paths of God come together, not separate. Ultimately, sooner or later, the soul must fully surrender to God; it must give itself completely to God. There is not a single saint who has not given himself to God, who has attained Enlightenment and Liberation in some way outside of God, on his own. Such a thing is impossible, because the deepest essence of our soul is God.
Surrender to God is the main task for the soul. But the soul is not ready to give itself to Him and surrender. It has very many illusions of its own, many ideas, many karmas, many unfulfilled desires. And God does not insist; He always grants freedom of will. He very delicately hints, hints that you will remain in ignorance, there will be suffering. But if the soul wants to use its freedom of will, He, as it were, says: please, you are completely free, you may play in these illusions, no problem, everything will be as you wish; the main thing is, do not cry later when disappointments come once again, when once again you lose your way without Me.
He silently waits for the soul to gain a certain experience and begin to return. But wise sadhus are those who accept seva as a path, the principle of service as a path, and create the motivation to be a conduit of the divine will. Therefore, all saints are said to be the hands and feet of God, conduits of the divine will.
The Basic Principles of Spiritual Life
What other principles have we not mentioned? Vegetarianism, naturally. The retreat rule. The retreat rule means that we practice tapasya every month. If there is no opportunity to perform it in full, three days a month, then one can take at least one day a month. At least four hours can be spent in silence, reading texts, once a month, but this must be done regularly, monthly. We must pay attention to our spiritual life.
When we follow these principles, follow karma-sannyasa, then we gradually move into this class of beings called sadhus. Then the path to God, to spiritual evolution, opens for us: from sadhu to jnani, to the state of an awakened being, one who has realized Brahman in his heart, who has known Brahman.
The Tree of Spiritual Evolution
This is not the end yet. A jnani is also a certain stage of evolution. We have the great Tree of Refuge, and we ascend this Tree of Refuge, gradually rising higher and higher.
From a jnani, a spiritual person grows toward the state of perfection, a siddha, one who controls the elements of his body, the elements of nature, who transforms the inner instrument, the antahkarana, and the five elements of his body. One who carries out two types of dissolution: the dissolution of the ego, antahkarana-laya-chintana, and the dissolution of the five elements of the body, panchabhuta-laya-chintana. Such beings are called siddhas, and the highest among them are called mahasiddhas. For example, Paramguru Brahmananda is a mahasiddha.
Finally, siddhas and mahasiddhas, as they evolve, become devas, gods, divine beings who govern the universe, powerful attuners, geometers of worlds. They set dimensionality, space, and the course of time. They are very important forces in the universe.
Finally, the gods, evolving, rise even higher, to the great gods, mahadevas, those who are called shaktas, shambhavas, shivas, mantreshvaras, mahamantreshvaras. They stand at the origins of the universe, those who have merged with Brahman to such an extent and manifest such mighty powers that by their sankalpa they can create a universe. This is like a path of evolution for us, living beings. But for this, much labor is needed. Everyone performs the labor that corresponds to his abilities and karma.
The Four Stages of the Spiritual Path
Ishvara said:
God, Parameshvara, is directly beheld by yogis as their own Atman, eternal bliss, devoid of thoughts, the image of truth. Such is His state.
Yogis behold God as their highest Atman. To establish a connection with God, there are four stages. They are called: the path of righteous conduct, charya-pada; the path of worship, kriya-pada; the path of yoga, yoga-pada; and the path of wisdom, jnana-pada. Any religion or teaching, if it abides in fullness, contains all these four paths.
Charya-pada — the path of righteous conduct
On the path of charya-pada, one must learn to act in the spirit of self-renunciation, to accumulate merit by engaging in karma yoga and service. To act without attachment, without becoming attached to the fruits and results of one’s labor, without expecting a reward, without expecting praise. Service—this is especially emphasized—is service to God without reward, without praise.
When we do something, we always think: how much will I be paid for this? That is normal. Not physically, but at least morally; at least let them say “thank you.” The ego feels entitled to say that I have the right to be praised. This is the reward, the desire for fruits, the desire for results. The fruits may be physical or moral, it does not matter—dollars, euros, hryvnias, a certificate on the honor board.
But karma yoga is something else. Without fruits, without expectation of reward. Why? For the sake of God. Because everything that is done is given to God, offered to God. God should enjoy the results of our labor. God should enjoy the fruits of our labor. God should receive all the glory, all the praise, all the glorification.
Someone may ask: why do anything then, if there are no fruits or results; what is it for? In order to perform mahayagya, the great sacrifice. To learn to act in the spirit of self-renunciation, in the spirit of mahayagya, to learn to act in a way that brings enjoyment to God. Then God, as Ishvara, Shiva, Dattatreya, as the only enjoyer and partaker in this world, receives all the fruits, all the results. In the language of business and jurisprudence, this is called the ultimate beneficiary, the ultimate beneficiary of the transaction. You act, and the ultimate beneficiary, the ultimate recipient of the benefit, is God.
But what does the soul receive? The soul receives grace from God. That is what it enjoys. The soul enjoys God Himself directly. This is the meaning.
For example, this is the meaning of the Vedic yagya. A lot of ghee, many flowers, much incense are gathered, and everything is poured into the fire. No one eats the ghee, no one tries to smell the incense themselves; everything goes into the fire. This is a sacrifice. The brahmins to whom it is brought pour all of it into the fire. This is yagya. And people receive benefit in the form of answers to their questions, a response to their requests; their lives change somehow, something becomes clear, yagya brings grace. They are nourished by divine grace; they do not try to eat what they brought to the yagya. The brahmin does not try to take it for himself—good, they brought ghee, many flowers, incense, and some other ingredients—he pours everything into the fire. He does not receive gratitude for the yagya. Because he knows that all gratitude goes to Shiva, it goes to Dattatreya or to the God who is being invoked. This is yagya.
Actions in the spirit of karma yoga, nishkama karma yoga, are mahayagya, the great sacrifice, when all our actions, all our deeds, their fruits, their results are given to God; let God enjoy them. We will not enjoy them. But we enjoy divine grace. We enjoy God Himself, the feeling of self-giving, the feeling of satisfaction that arises as a result of such self-giving; it is much better, it is much higher. This is the path of Liberation, the path of karma yoga. We free ourselves from the tendency: I act, I am the doer, the fruits and results of my actions belong to me.
When a yogin learns to act in the spirit of self-renunciation, observes the commandments and principles, and leads a life according to his status, this is called charya-pada, the path of wise, proper conduct. Wise, proper conduct means giving all the fruits and results to God, while oneself enjoying God, enjoying divine grace.
Kriya-pada — the path of worship
The second stage of spiritual life is called kriya-pada; it is the path of worship. It is believed that the first stage leads to rebirth in heavenly dimensions, called “salokya-mukti,” liberation in paradise, reaching the heavens, entering paradise. This is salokya-mukti: righteous conduct and life in the spirit of self-renunciation, when one enjoys God but does not enjoy the fruits and results. Because new karma is not accumulated, and old karma is purified. In the first stage, the relationship with God is that of servant and master. This is called “dasya.”
The second stage, kriya-pada, is the path of worship and devotion. Here the attitude toward God is like that of a devoted son toward a loving father. The path of worship and devotion includes hearing about God, glorifying God, remembering God, offering prayers to God, serving the lotus feet of God, veneration, acting in the spirit of devotion, temple worship, and honoring the devotees of God. All this is called shravana, kirtana, smarana, vandana, pada, seva, dasya.
If you perform upasana every day, sing mantras and prayers, make offerings, listen and read about God, recite a mantra, this is the stage of kriya-pada. It is believed that kriya-pada, such a path of worship, leads to Liberation called samipya-mukti. Samipya-mukti means being near God, always being in the worlds close to God. For example, to be reborn in the retinue of the deity, one’s chosen deity, Shiva, Dattatreya. In this Liberation there is also duality, as in salokya-mukti. There is no realization of advaita in it. But such a path grants the lower kinds of Liberation. And at the higher stages, when bhakti turns into jnana, it grants complete Liberation.
Yoga-pada — the path of yoga
Finally, the third stage is called yoga-pada. “Pada” means stage. This is the path of yoga practice, the path of sadhana. When all practice is performed within. All worship is internal: kundalini yoga, raja yoga, the yoga of the illusory body, many secret, hidden, inner practices.
When a yogin attains samadhi on this path, he gains sarupya-mukti. Sarupya-mukti means having the same body, the same form as the deity. For example, to obtain an illusory body like that of Dattatreya—if you know how, have the transmission, recite the mantra, know how to transform into your chosen deity, and perform theurgical practices—over time you gain experiences in which you can transform into an illusory body. These are the causes for attaining sarupya-mukti.
In yoga-pada, the relationship with God is closer; this is called sakhya-bhava, toward God as toward a friend. The soul realizes the Atman, and it sees God as identical to itself—a closer relationship, when God and the soul do not differ qualitatively, although in terms of energy, of course, they do differ.
It is like Sundarar with Shiva. Shiva liked Sundarar’s bhajans when he sang, and Shiva would bless him with something. Such were their divine plays. Shiva would sometimes joke with him. Simply, before that he had lived on Kailasa, but because lust for two matajis who also lived on Kailasa had crept into his mind, he had to be reborn. But he asked that Shiva never forget him, and Shiva was always with him.
Once Sundarar got married. Somehow it happened; he did not want to marry, but he had to marry a pious girl. He was always wandering. The girl said: what kind of husband is this, who wanders everywhere? Such a husband does not suit me. Swear that you will not wander, that you will not go beyond the boundaries of the village. Swear by Shiva; you believe in Shiva, so swear by the shivalingam or by the murti. The girl was clever; someone had put her up to it—Shiva himself had appeared to her in a dream and told her to demand such an oath from him.
He thought: what a clever girl; very well, I will swear. At the same time he approached the murti and said: could you not come out of the murti and settle in the tree? I will swear before the murti, but you will not be there, so there will be no sin. Shiva appeared to the girl and said: let him swear by that tree; I will be there. Sundarar, thinking that Shiva was not in the murti, decided to swear the oath; the girl said: swear by the tree. Sundarar thought: well, well. He had nowhere to go; he swore by the tree, and Shiva was there. He became bound by the oath.
But he decided to ignore this vow and went beyond the boundaries of the village, the district, to wander, to go on pilgrimage, as usual. He abandoned worldly life, and family life as well. But since the vow to Shiva had been broken, he received retribution: he went blind. He began to reproach Shiva: Shiva, what are you doing, why are you playing with me like this. He began to sing songs and complain to him, even scold him in a friendly way: what kind of friend are you? Shiva appeared before him and gave him a blind man’s staff. Here is at least a staff for you. I give you a staff, as a friend. Sundarar began to reproach him even more. Then Shiva opened one of his eyes, and he regained sight in one eye. But Sundarar continued to sing bhajans, songs, and then Shiva opened his second eye. Such were the games between Sundarar and Shiva. This is the path of devotion.
Yoga-pada means that God and the soul stand on the same level. Because here the view is that of Advaita Vedanta. The view of Advaita Vedanta says: “Shivam bhutva, Shivam yajet” — you can worship Shiva only when you yourself consider yourself to be Shiva. This is the non-dual view.
Jnana-pada — the path of wisdom
Finally, the fourth and last pada, jnana-pada. This is the path of Liberation through jnana, through the most essential practice of Advaita Vedanta, jnana yoga, and laya yoga. Here the disciple must study the texts of Vedanta. Before receiving transmission into the non-dual texts and explanations, he must acquire many qualities spoken of by Sri Shankaracharya in the text “Viveka Chudamani.”
What are these qualities?
Viveka — discernment between truth and non-truth. For example, the discernment between the Atman and the five sheaths, the discernment between jiva and Shiva, maya and Brahman.
Vairagya — detachment from the world. Jnana-pada, in fact, is the path for sannyasis, for renunciates. Or, at the very least, a person must be renounced inwardly.
Mumuksha — the aspiration for Liberation. Such a yogi must possess strong faith, he must be detached from the world and strive to realize God in such a way as to be completely freed from attachment to the material world.
The sixfold qualities of sattva, shat-sampat.
All this makes it possible to follow the path of jnana yoga. If these qualities are absent, then it is impossible to follow the path of jnana yoga.
The Sixfold Qualities of Sattva
What are the sixfold qualities of sattva?
Shama — calmness of mind in any circumstances.
Dama — control of the senses, the priority of reason over the senses, the ability to act from the standpoint of reason, not from the standpoint of emotions or feelings. It is very important for a sadhu to learn to restrain his senses. Always and everywhere a sadhu must restrain his senses. If you feel like bursting into laughter, control the senses. Because if you want to burst into laughter and laugh unconsciously, then when grief comes, you will want to burst into tears, and you will have to cry as well.
But when you restrain and control the senses, the buddhi is activated, and you can observe: joy has come, but I observe it, I offer this joy to God. Then coarse joy has no power over me. I open a subtle dimension of joy, a more subtle one. When suffering comes, I no longer cry. Because, through buddhi, spiritual reason, I am able to offer suffering to God as well. If I surrender to God in a state of awareness, then suffering too has no power over me; I can also observe it. This is “dama.” Constant control of the senses, action only from the standpoint of reason.
One who possesses “dama” cannot become angry, he cannot get emotional; or rather, he can, but he will not. Because he is not foolish enough to become irritated, angry, attached, or impatient. Because he has inner awareness that allows him to control any emotions. He is able to offer everything to God. Then he is happy, thanks to his self-surrender.
There is no such thing as a sadhu who is “on edge.” It happens that people say: I got all worked up, I need to smoke, to have some cognac; the boss pushed me too far, the car got scratched. Such sadhus do not exist. Because the principle of “dama” is action from the standpoint of reason. And the senses are under strict control, because the senses must be controlled. If they are not controlled, it is like a charioteer riding in a cart while the horses take it wherever they like, and he does not direct them. The senses are the horses; they are energy. Energy must not be allowed to manifest uncontrollably.
And what lies behind energies? Behind energies stand thoughts. Thoughts initiate the direction of energy. This means that dama, the control of the senses, lies first in the plane of controlling thoughts. Therefore a sadhu has a very strong discipline of thinking. He himself chooses what to think. If an ordinary person thinks whatever comes into his head—a thought has flown in, and so it has flown in; I think because it has flown in. A sadhu is not like that. A sadhu himself says: I will think this thought, and I will not think that thought. He himself generates the thoughts he wants to think. And those he does not need, those he does not want, he does not allow such thoughts even to arise, to take root.
All people are slaves to their thoughts; this is normal. They are in bondage, held captive by thoughts; thoughts easily take them captive. If you are captive to your thoughts, then you are also captive to the emotions that inevitably arise from these thoughts. And if you are captive to emotions, then you have become entangled in life. But a sadhu is always free from thoughts. He chooses the thoughts that he himself wants to think. Thanks to awareness, observation, buddhi. He has a very strict discipline of thinking. He himself cultivates in himself one or another direction of thoughts. If some direction of thought does not suit him, does not please him, he simply cuts it off.
For example, we say that we need to cultivate pure thoughts, pure thinking. This means that if impure thoughts arise in a sadhu, he immediately cuts them off, replaces them with pure ones, because from the point of view of observing samaya and the practice of Liberation, this is unfavorable. This is “dama.”
The principle of uparati is the renunciation of unnecessary actions in samsara. Titiksha is patience. Shraddha is faith. And samadhana is steadiness in following the chosen direction. These are the sixfold qualities according to Shankara, which are necessary for jnana-pada, for jnana-yoga.
Viveka, vairagya, mumuksha, and shat-sam-pat: shama, dama, uparati, titiksha, shraddha, samadhana. When we possess these qualities, we can meditate on Brahman, we can engage in Brahma-vichara, Atma-vichara, and follow the great path of jnana-yoga. Shravana, manana, and nididhyasana. Listening, the removal of doubts about God, Brahman, and continuous contemplation of Brahman.
Sayujya-mukti and Its Types
Jnana-pada grants the highest level of Liberation, sayujya-mukti, merging with God. At the same time, there are several types of such merging.
There is an incorrect type of merging associated with erroneous practices of contemplation. It leads to the state of pralaya-kala, of one who has dissolved, having lost action in awareness, or having lost action in the view. Such a pralayakala enters the unmanifest state and remains in it for billions of years without evolving. When a new cycle of creation of the universe begins, and the gunas and tattvas go out of equilibrium, he again leaves this state in order to incarnate once more. Because the state was not realized.
Another type of sayujya-mukti is merging with the body of God, with the body of Ishvara. Many yogis, upon attaining the body of Ishvara, remain in Satya-loka until the end of the entire creation of the universe, waiting. They abide on the same level as Brahma, the Creator of the universe. And when mahapralaya begins, they enter mahapralaya, dissolving, and in the new cycle of the world-creation they themselves become new Brahmas. This is sayujya-mukti.
Flexibility in Following the Four Padas
The four stages of spiritual life make it possible to attain Liberation. Sometimes we feel the strength to follow the higher stages immediately. If you have much merit, you can perceive the teaching of Advaita Vedanta, the teaching of jnana-yoga, receive direct transmission from the guru, and contemplate. It seems that enlightenment is right there, almost right there, but then some period of life comes, some karma, some retrograde planet enters the horoscope, some evil graha seizes part of the soul and leads it in another direction.
We feel that jnana-pada is not able to bestow blessing, to pull our spiritual practice forward. Then we need to lower the pada, to descend to a simpler level, to the level of yoga-pada, for example, to do yoga, or to the level of kriya-pada, worship, mantra. And sometimes even to the level of simply righteous behavior and action in the spirit of karma-yoga, visiting places of pilgrimage.
It is like driving a car in fourth gear. On a flat road in Germany, on a good highway, you can drive very fast in fourth gear. Then you come to Ukrainian roads; one hundred and eighty is no longer possible—there are many potholes on the roads. You should not drive in fourth gear. You can drive in second gear or third. And then a hill appears, and uphill you need to shift down, to drive in first gear.
Thus the yogi regulates the padas, sometimes lowering them, sometimes raising them, in order to ensure the uninterrupted course of his spiritual life. Or, on the contrary, when a yogin has excellent experiences in yoga-pada, meditates excellently, has developed concentration, developed meditation on emptiness, received experiences of kundalini yoga, but is still attached to effort, then the guru says: study the yoga of non-meditation, study the yoga of effortless contemplation, move on to jnana-pada.
If a disciple is accustomed only to concentration, only to sitting meditation, he does not understand what the yoga of non-meditation is, what the path of Sahajayana, Laya Yoga is. But if he receives direct transmission and knows how to follow this path, he can raise his pada, rise from yoga-pada to jnana-pada, learn to abide in natural awareness without effort, beyond method. This is called the path of “anupaya.”
Thus, a sadhu follows the four padas, moves through the four padas toward Liberation, sometimes lowering the pada, sometimes raising the pada. This is the wise approach to spiritual life.
When you perform worship, you abide in kriya-pada. When you practice yoga, you abide in yoga-pada; when you do seva, service, visit places of pilgrimage, emphasize following the rules, the ethics of a sadhu, you abide in charya-pada. When you study texts, engage in analytical meditation, the philosophy of Vedanta, contemplate Brahman, then you practice jnana-pada.
My blessings to all of you, so that all may be well with you in all four padas.
