Recorded on 13 April 2025 with US participants

0:00 Intro
0:06 Ashtavakra Samhita, Ch.9 vv.1-4
1:36 ‘To whom do the conflicts belong?’
5:39 Is detachment something that you can practice?
8:17 Difference between detachment, indifference and apathy and how a Yogi acts in the world
9:40 How Babaji seems detached and the most caring also.
10:25 So the important thing to remind yourself if that the body, mind and world are impermanent?
12:32 Babaji’s comments to Ch.9 vv.1-4
13:43 What causes the consciousness of existence to lose awareness of itself?
17:09 How to we develop detachment, let go of things and not get carried away emotionally?
20:50 The consciousness is never suffering, it’s not involved in the activity.
22:51 Babaji’s comments to Ch.9 vv.1-4
25:32 Does a Yogi have happiness or unhappiness, or is he just in a state of peace?
27:58 Ashtavakra Samhita, Ch.9 vv.5-8
29:38 “Once one knows the varying transformation of the elements to be nothing but the elements themselves.”
32:58 Mental impressions, mind, consciousness, a brain gets involved and mental impressions are created.
33:54 How can we have a better attitude? Be like a honeybee and not a fly?
35:29 Babaji’s comments to Ch.9 vv.5-8
36:48 How a Yogi is “totally indifferent to the world in consciousness”
39:27 Babaji’s comments to Ch.9 vv.5-8
41:40 Mental suffering from worry about loved ones
45:00 How do we protect ourselves from other people’s negativity?
46:50 When I wake up in the morning, there is a lowness of energy and a kind of a sadness. What happens to the mind that causes this?
48:34 Lately I have this feeling that there are less and less differences between people, things, and whatnot. That on some level, they’re really all the same. Is this so?
50:13 How to avoid suffering due to loved ones.
52:29 How to pray to god?
53:28 I am not in close physical proximity to a Guru – how to get Diksha, initiation from a Master?
56:10 Just like in a dream, is it true that all the people and characters we witness are actually the same I-Self emanating from the body consciousness?

Detachment – Ashtavakra Samhita, Ch.9 | In Quest of Truth – Babaji Q&A, No. 242

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/rffz-LRcwCo
Recorded on 13 April 2025 with US participants.

Question:  Chapter Nine, Detachment. Ashtavakra speaks, 

Verse 1: “To whom do the conflicts of duties performed or not performed, and all the pairs of opposites belong? When do they cease? For whom do they cease? Inquiring thus, through complete indifference to this world, go beyond both renunciation and desires.”

Verse 2: “Rare indeed, my child, is that Blessed One whose desire for life, for enjoyment, for learning, have been extinguished by observing the ways of the world.” 

Verse 3. “Knowing this world to be impermanent, only a source of many miseries, insubstantial, contemptible, worthy only of rejection – the Wise One attains Peace.”

Verse 4. “Was there ever an age or time when the pairs of opposites did not exist for people? Leaving those opposites behind, being content with whatever comes, attain perfection.”

So, the first question, to whom do the conflicts belong? He’s asking that. Basically, Baba, it sounds a lot like self-inquiry; He’s inquiring thus. He’s asking us to look into the impermanence of the world, what lasts, what doesn’t last, what brings happiness, what brings suffering, and to try to find what is permanent and real.

Shri Babaji:  Yeah, you see, if we observe the world and when we meditate, we will understand we as the consciousness of existence are not at all connected in any way, anywhere, except in our own imagination. When we have imagined, then we get carried away and we also suffer with happiness and unhappiness. So that is why this detachment is recommended. However, many people should not misunderstand this detachment as a depression or to give up all activities, not to live in this world, nothing like that. You just be a normal person, live the way of life that you have adopted. If you are a householder, no problem, anything, no problem. Just remember the impermanence of this world and observe whether everything is happening according to your wishes or anything else is there, and is everything guaranteed permanently to exist at all times, or is there any impermanence?

So, these things we need to observe. Just like when you observe the movie, for a while, instead of getting absorbed or engrossed into the movie, just realize that you are sitting and watching, and see around. Are you connected in any way to the movie? Except in your consciousness, no other way that you are connected. It is simply a drama enacted going on on the screen, and you are just sitting and watching. When watching if you just get carried away, you feel as if you are in the movie and everything is happening to you. The same way this world also, including our own physical body, you are actually not connected in any way. However, because of the consciousness getting carried away, everybody feels as if they are connected to this world, all the good and bad, right and wrong, happiness and unhappiness happening.

So that is what the detachment is required to know that this is impermanent. And also, our mind cannot touch any of the matter at all, except it simply watches the reflections of the brain, which comes as a visual effect, like a cinema or a thought process. Simply watching that, in imagination it registers that as a reality and undergoes the influence of happiness and unhappiness, suffering, good and bad. All these things it experiences simply all in imagination.

So, if this is realized by the practice of meditation, so you would be able to overcome all such effects of depression, unhappiness, any such suffering, calamities, and you will just remain in your Self, in the Consciousness of Existence.

Same Questioner:  So, Baba, is detachment something that you can practice as well as develop? I mean, you develop real detachment through meditation, but is that something you can practice?

Shri Babaji:  It is possible. First thing, you simply need to understand the impermanence of the world. The rest you don’t have to give up anything. You don’t have to keep yourself away. You just be in the world. Be a normal person. Means, you would have adopted a way of life if you are a householder, any such thing. Just simply execute all your duties. Even loving each other also is a duty. It should become because you have adopted that, so then you love it. Just like I adopted the life of a monastic life at the Lotus Feet of my Guru. So, then I started loving it because I adopted. So, like that you adopted a marriage, and you love it. And you will enjoy, you will have peace and happiness. Simply, if you understand the impermanence of the world, should be all right. This is what for now that I can recommend and tell. Because people belonging to all walks of life, they should not get disturbed. Detachment doesn’t mean that you have to run away, or you have to become depressed, you have to lose interest in everything. There is no such thing. Simply you go on doing.

We also do in the monastery, in the ashram where I live. We work, everything. We do cooking, we do account office work, we do correspondence, we do receive messages and give counselling, we pray for people, everything we do. But inside the mind we remain unattached. Means, we do not allow our mind to get affected by the happening that is outside. Like somebody might come and appreciate me teaching, somebody may abuse me, use me, and go away. So, both are same, it’s fine, no problem. That is all that person knew. That’s why he abused, he could not recognize me, he could not understand me. It’s a pity that he is uneducated, and thus he abused because he is also selfish. More than that, we don’t have to worry or bother about it.

Same Questioner:  So, I was thinking about the difference between detachment, indifference, and apathy. Apathy is kind of a general all-pervasive lack of concern or interest with no motivation. That’s kind of a dark place, it can be. But detached; you’re just not emotionally affected.

Shri Babaji:  Definitely. Like that is what in Yoga Vasistha, Vasistha also talks, though a Yogi appears to be inert, means totally indifferent to the world, but however, if prayed, if you pray to Him, you have a problem, He will become compassionate. He can bless you. He can pray for you. That is why, if you need to call Him, you call Him, He will respond. People write to me. When they write, I respond with compassion, with kindness, with love and care, all these things. But if nothing comes, I am just quiet in my Self. I am unaffected. So that is somewhat like that only. So, we are not indifferent. We don’t have any apathy, like that.

Same Questioner:  Yes, I’ve seen, Baba, You over all these years. You do seem detached, but at the same time, it’s paradoxical, but You seem the most caring too. Nothing seems to get by You. You seem to respond and care about everything, but the same time You’re not attached to the outcome, I guess.

Shri Babaji:  Yes,Yeah, we do try to do that one always. People when they contact us for some blessings, for some prayer, for some concern, counselling, anything, we do respond affectionately. So, emails keep coming, WhatsApp messages keep coming, and we respond to them.

Same Questioner:  So, in terms of inquiry, the important thing is just to remind yourself that this body and the mind and the world are all temporary, impermanent, and that kind of makes you alert to look for what is permanent. I know myself, the candle is at least three quarters burned, so you start to see time is running out. So, what’s going to be here when this body finishes. It gets more focused and more important to know that. When you’re young, you have the whole world to conquer, you’re involved in it, so it might be a little harder, although for me, at a young age, I realized that everything was going to come to a stop, and I wanted to know what was permanent.

Shri Babaji:  So, once you conquer yourself, you lose the whole world, no matter. This is what Jesus said. If you lose to the world and conquer yourself, if you win over yourself, you have won the battle. And if you win the whole world and lose to yourself – means you don’t have restraint, you don’t have knowledge and wisdom, nothing, and you are not realized – then you would have lost that battle. You are miserable again. You become an emperor, you are miserable.

Same Questioner:  Yeah, today that whole observing the ways of the world and developing detachment, if you listen to the news, it’s pretty easy. I mean, with social media and everybody’s opinions, everybody’s got an opinion, very few people have any facts, and you just want to throw your hands up.

Shri Babaji:  He said, “Oh, God.”

Same Questioner:  I’ll read your comments Baba to those first four verses: “Detachment is discussed by the Master Ashtavakra, recommending how to sacrifice and in what way. My opinion is also that it comes by a firm conviction that this world is impermanent, an alertness that an impermanent structure cannot give a permanent happiness as even our physical body itself is impermanent. We imagine relationships and build duties for ourselves which in turn create responsibilities. If we need one, we can’t give up the other. If we want the good of this world, the bad of this world also comes with it. If we want the happiness of the world, we can’t avoid the unhappiness. We can compare the heart to a time bomb, which can stop ticking at any moment – finish – the end of life for us in this world. When we realize this impermanence, we look for truth which is detachment to this world.” Which is, of course, the Self.

So, Baba, what causes that? If our Consciousness of Existence is one thing that’s with us all the time, and it’s never changing, and it gets associated with the thoughts, the mind and the world, and loses awareness of itself – what causes that to happen? Something so all-pervasive and eternal gets covered up.

Shri Babaji:  Means, once you start driving, you must make sure before pressing the accelerator that your brakes are all right, because you need to stop, otherwise this problem happens. So, for that only, spiritual exercises are very much necessary. If one could have learned from childhood, then by the time you come to middle age or youth, you would be an expert to restrain yourself. You know where to stop, when to stop. So, this is what happens. Then when people start doing, as long as they go on with success in this world, they go on and on and on and never bother about themselves. Never bother to know about themselves. Never bother if any such thing is necessary at all, to restrain, to stop. So, all these things we would have forgotten. We have been pressing only the accelerator and don’t bother about any other aspect of the vehicle. So, this habit has happened for the mind also.

We imagine but we get carried away and go on imagining; thought after thought, thought after thought, which is not necessary. Somebody comes to you asking a pen, you need to give a pen. Just take out a pen and give it to him. But if you get involved mentally, “Who is this person? Why is he asking the pen?” Or you don’t want to give, you say, “No”, and then finish the chapter there. More than that, don’t think in the mind, “Why this person came. Why you didn’t want to give? Should you have given?” If you go on thinking like that, then you get involved, and it goes on and on and on, and you lose control over it. When you lose control, you lose your temper, also. You get annoyed, you get irritated, you get agitated, and all these things do happen. So otherwise, simply you have to be, simply he wanted a pen, he asked, and you have a choice whether to give or not to give. You do that one and forget about it. That’s it. So that type of [thing] everywhere. So, if we are arguing with a person, we don’t have to carry that argument to our home also. By the time you would have come to home, forget about that. Enjoy your home, be with your family, be smiling. No need to allow the mind to be playing the same thing. Take out that CD and play the other CD of happiness and peace. So, this practice can come only through spiritual exercises. Every exercise that we adopt naturally to control the mind, without harming the brain, is spiritual exercises.

Same Questioner:  So, Baba,how do we develop detachment? 

Shri Babaji:  Detachment you’re asking? 

Same Questioner:  Yes, how can we encourage that kind of non-emotional getting involved or over ruminating and playing things over and over? Sometimes you say something that somebody didn’t like, and weeks later, they’re still steaming about it. They can’t let it go. How do you become detached?

Shri Babaji:  You see, everybody in the world, they are in the world, but they all don’t observe the world properly. They simply get carried away in emotions, and based on their temperament they simply operate. So, they want something, they target for that one and once that’s got, more than that they don’t want to observe what is happening in the world. Means, the world’s nature, like Charles Darwin said, struggle for existence, survival of the fittest. So, these things are happening in the world, around the world, what is happening. Why this is happening? Why the human beings are behaving? That means something of impermanence is there in the world.

When we saw as a child, “Why is it that humans are always against each other?” We observed this. When we observed, we felt, “Why should one be against each other? Is there something wrong in the world, something wrong within us? And we are unhappy, we should be happy at all times. What makes us so?” All these things, churn it out. Then if you observe, you will know this world is impermanent. Means, we don’t have to bother so much that we actually bother. I’m not asking you to be indifferent or unconcerned. That is a totally different thing. You must feel concerned about the world. Try to teach meditation. Try to create that awareness. Everybody can create. Here ninety-one people, ninety-seven, hundred people come and participate. All of you have a right to create this awareness, influence your friend also to meditate. Your friend might have a lot of stress, lot of unhappiness, lot of suffering mentally, all things might be there.

You should be able to practice meditation, and you should also be able to give some counselling to others, “This is the reason that you are suffering. You don’t have to suffer unnecessarily. Just by suffering you cannot change the world.” You start worrying, for half an hour you worry, one hour you worry, and then see whether the world has changed, whether the conflicts have come to an end. No, it will all be going on and on like that. Instead, try to create an awareness. Whenever you come across a friend, even if you influence one friend to meditate, that is a great thing, “You meditate, you can also have peace. I have achieved peace. I have understood what this world is. This is impermanent.” But we will live happily, no problem. We will work. We will earn money, our livelihood. We have a family and we enjoy. It is so beautiful. Let us love each other, means understand each other, from heart to heart we have to love each other. We have to understand and accept each other as we are. So, like that, if you go on doing, everywhere it is happiness.

Same Questioner:  So, Baba, suffering is in the mind and so as long as people are unaware of themselves as the consciousness… the consciousness is never suffering; it’s not involved in the activity.

Shri Babaji:  Yeah, it is the mind. In imagination it suffers. See, many times, if you have observed, and others would have observed their own mind, even when there is nothing also, if they are sitting idly, the mind imagines as if it is suffering. Because it enjoys in that suffering imagination also. It feels as if it is suffering, imagines such stories and people are sympathizing with it, “Oh, so sad. Oh, poor you.” All these things people are telling it. It imagines such stories and then it continues suffering. Then it gets involved, which is not necessary. Why should we suffer at all? Why should we be sad? There is no reason why we should be sad. Yeah, I know this body will go away. If anybody tells, “Hey, one day you will die”. “Oh, that’s no problem. I already know that I am going to die. This body will die. So that’s not a new thing that you are trying to create a fear. I’m not afraid. We know that always. It’s going to happen. That’s it.” “At the age of sixty, you have to retire from the job.” I’ll tell “Yes, I know that I have to retire from the job. For that I have come prepared. That’s no problem. I have saved some money up for my retirement.” Like that, you prepare yourself. That’s what these spiritual teachings give. This is impermanent, this is going to happen, but instead of getting scared, panicked, afraid, worried, suffering, just prepare, be ready and go on normally in the world. One day when it happens, it happens.

Same Questioner:  Okay, Baba, I’ll continue reading: “As a child, I was influenced by Adi Shankara’s philosophical song ‘Bhaja Govindam’ in which, addressing the scholar who was trying to memorize a grammar word called ‘dukrinkaraney‘, the great sage tells him,” “Sing and remember the Divine, for when death occurs to your physical body in due course of time, none of your worldly knowledge or anything of this world that you may possess can come to your rescue.

I could not forget these words of death, and always was yearning to know the secret of death and the nature of ourselves as the soul. Further in the song, Adi Shankara tells us how, out of ego, we let go of precious moments of life by not trying to know the true nature of our existence, and in the end regret the time was wasted. Death is inevitable to the body, and consciousness, as mind, gets involved into the dualities of this world with its ego of an individual imagined self which does not exist. Thus, it is essential to feel detached to this world and utilize the precious time available to know our Self.

It is indeed very rare to find a person who has real detachment to this impermanent world and its objects, whose desire for life and enjoyment of the world has come to an end. The mind always tries to find happiness with an imagination that these objects of the world give happiness. One struggles to obtain properties, happiness in relationships, sensual pleasures, etc., and lets go of the precious time available without doing sadhana to know our Real Self. The real renounced One, who in consciousness does not entertain any wish or greed and is contented with whatever comes in life, doesn’t have happiness and excitement or unhappiness and disappointment; the mind remains detached, at peace. Such a one attains the perfection of Self Realization.” 

So, Baba, since we live in a world seeking pleasures or at least trying to avoid unpleasant things, that statement, “…doesn’t have happiness and excitement or unhappiness and disappointment, the mind just remains at peace,” can you explain that? Does a Yogi have happiness or unhappiness, or is He just in a state of peace? There are things that You seem to enjoy. You do laugh. You laugh a lot.

Shri Babaji:  Because we already are happy. To laugh there is no charges, you don’t have to pay anything. Simply laughter, we enjoy. Laughter is the best medicine. You crack jokes. That is what it is. So, once you have the understanding, a Yogi is always at peace. When the mind is at peace, that is the real enjoyment, and that is the real happiness. You automatically will be happy. When the mind goes into craving, then you lose happiness. You are stressed out. Anybody who complains, “I have stress and I am unhappy,” that means they are missing something, they are expecting something in this world; not of the soul, but in this world they are missing something. They want in a particular way. If that thing doesn’t happen, they feel very much stressed out.

Same Questioner:  Yeah, Baba, I know in my own life, people talk about accepting, and yes, accepting is better than not accepting, but for me it has kind of moved to another level, by just allowing life to happen. There is neither acceptance or rejection. Just kind of flow with what life allows and it takes all the friction out of life.

Shri Babaji: Yeah.

Same Questioner:  Okay, next. I’ll read the next four verses. 

Verse 5.  “The doctrines of different sages, saints and Yogis vary; seeing this, who does not become indifferent to teachings and attain quietude of mind?” 

Verse 6.  “Attaining that full knowledge of Pure Consciousness, by indifference, equanimity, reasoning and releasing oneself from the endless cycle of birth and death – does not that one become the True Guru?”

Verse 7. “Once one knows the varying transformations of the elements to be nothing but the elements themselves, then one is instantly free from bondage and settles in one’s own True Nature.” 

Verse 8.  “The world is only composed of one’s mental impressions – so abandon them. Renunciation of the world comes only through renunciation of those impressions. Having thus truly renounced, one can live anywhere, in any way.” 

There’s a lot in here, Baba.

Shri Babaji:  These are my comments you read.

Same Questioner:  Yeah, we will read the comments. But before that, I’d like to ask a couple of questions here. Just in these verses, particularly number seven – “Once one knows the varying transformations of the elements to be nothing but the elements themselves.” This to me, the whole thing of consciousness manifesting into matter.  For example, the universe didn’t exist at one time. It was just space, and then hydrogen and helium and some molecules came into existence. And from all that, just out of nothing, apparently, or out of fullness probably would be more accurate, out of completeness, the universe appeared. It started, what, they say, 13.5 billion years ago and the earth is what, three and a half to four and a half billion years old.

And then life came. The elements were here.  It was a ball of fire, and then it was covered with water, and then it was covered with ice, but at some point life started. Something came alive. Life came out of space, essentially. Once you take consciousness, this consciousness of existence out of it, you have this thing – “Once one knows the varying transformation of the elements to be nothing but the elements themselves.” You know, the elements appeared and those transformed into all these different forms. But in the end, they’re just elements. You start to get that as your mind becomes settled and you are more focused on your Self as that Consciousness of Existence. Then the world starts to seem like a lot of elements put together, but nothing to do with you.

Shri Babaji:  Exactly, the mind also is like that. The mind assumes so many forms, whatever it imagines. But finally, when all of them are withdrawn or dissolved, it is the mind that remains as Pure Consciousness. Just like the five elements you are talking, so everything is made up of the mind, and mind remains intact. When all that disappears – this you can experience in meditation, deeper meditations. During samadhi time you experience all these things. Everything disappears, and only the mind, which is now Pure Consciousness, for understanding we use the different terminologies; and it is there.

Same Questioner:  Yeah, I think, Baba, most often we think of the mind as all the imaginations and images and ideas and concepts that are in the mind. But that’s not the mind. That is the content of the mind.

Shri Babaji:  Yes, yes, exactly.

Same Questioner:  So, the mind is actually what is that consciousness producing all those things, but it is not the things themselves.

Shri Babaji:  Yeah, when they all dissolve, what remains is the consciousness only.

Same Questioner:  Yes, it’s amazing. Okay, then, next verse says, “The world is only composed of one’s mental impressions, so abandon them.” So there, first thing, all these elements are forming into things. And here, then the mental impressions, mind, consciousness, a brain gets involved, I guess, and mental impressions are created. Then asking to go beyond those, to silence those, to know the Truth.

Shri Babaji:  See, for people, this world appears based on their attitude, their perception. So, to some it may be good. To some it may be bad. To some it may be enjoyment. To some it may be suffering. Based on their own attitude, what they perceive, that’s what they call about the world.

Same Questioner:  Baba, how can we have a better attitude? Some people just gravitate… there are flies and there are honeybees. People are like that too. How can we be like a honeybee instead of a fly?

Shri Babaji:  Don’t bother about it, you will become a honeybee again in the next life, so don’t try to imagine anything. Nothing is really worthy like being the same soul. Because every creature will have its own fear, its own sadness. It will be scared of that body coming to an end. It wouldn’t like to die. That scare is there for every creature. It is there. We might see that they are free, they are simply flying, but very quickly their life comes to an end, and they are scared of that death. That’s why they keep running, they keep running, running, and they die. Only when you become a Yogi, you can be happy and at peace.

Same Questioner:  By the way, Baba, just FYI, that analogy, the bee and the fly came from Shree Maa. One time she said, “Agastya, be like the bee, not like the fly.” That was as far as she would go with any description.

Shri Babaji:  Sweet, like honey.

Same Questioner:  Okay, I’ll read your comments:

“Actually, to give up all ideas and opinions and remain quiet in the mind as Pure Consciousness is the best and really renounced state. Such a one is really Self-Realized. There are so many teachers in this world. One says you meditate; another says you worship, yet another says you serve. You do what you do, but give up the idea of the world thoroughly in your mind and remain silent in the Pure Consciousness of Existence. Only the Self-Realized, who has given up all ideas about the world, is mentally never involved in all the dualities, whether they are good, bad, right, wrong, and is totally silent in consciousness, will be Liberated and will avoid birth and death once and for all. They will not experience any type of world or worlds and dramas of life and death, of happiness and of unhappiness. They would be totally indifferent to the world in consciousness and will not have any opinion about the world or creation or ideas.”

Baba, it says here specifically, “totally indifferent to the world in consciousness”, because you’re not indifferent or apathetic to the world, but in consciousness, maybe, you’re apathetic to the imaginations.

Shri Babaji:  In consciousness, no comments simply. Means, if somebody is behaving in a particular way, we are not agitated, “Why this behaviour.” It’s simply another play, that’s it – finished. Don’t have to bother, don’t bother much. Keep quiet, keep quiet. We don’t know when death comes to the body. Keep quiet, keep quiet. That is the practice. That’s it. So thus, we don’t have any judgment for this world, no comments for this world – “Why this happening? What is this happening?” We will attend to that one if a certain person is distressed. If they come to us for prayer, we will attend to them. But I won’t be worrying why this person is distressed. We’ll know that once he realizes the Self, he will be all right. Until then, this will go on; I need to help him. Let me pray for him. Let me bless him. We become compassionate too.

Thus, we do not comment, but we are not indifferent to the happenings. That’s why I’m just trying to clarify so that people should not misunderstand. Whenever we use the word of ‘indifference’, people may misunderstand, depending on different cultures. Indifference means, “Oh somebody is suffering and you are not bothered at all.” That is not the thing. Simply, I’m not commenting on that, I’m not thinking about that mentally. But I’m ready to pray for them. I’m ready to bless them if they need, if they pray for that one.

Same Questioner:  Baba, I think the definition of ‘indifference’ means the lack of preference. You don’t have a preference. You don’t have a way that you feel it has to go. You’re neutral.

Shri Babaji:  In fact, we don’t have a preference at all. We are neutral. 

Same Questioner:  Yeah, that’s why it’s always easy to talk to you. You are not being judged. Okay, I’ll continue reading. We’re almost finished. 

“We were so fortunate having had the opportunity to sit at the Lotus Feet of Swamiji Guru Maharaj and learn the highest knowledge of watching and becoming quiet in consciousness to know the Truth and lose all ideas and opinions once and for all. Guru Maharaj taught like Dakshinamurthy – in silence, like Ashtavakra. Without any particular doctrine or philosophy, He commanded us to just sit, watch in between the eyebrows, not repeat anything and not imagine anything. Just watch and become quiet. Only such a one saves himself from the bondage of birth and death.

Guru Maharaj said, “Just give up desires, thus you renounce”.  Just by watching this world and its impermanence, the wise understand the eternal value of space as the Ultimate Truth. Just by watching, the wise become aware of the Self as Pure Consciousness of Existence. Just by watching the wise understand that the fire will burn; fools do not understand even after getting their fingers burnt. The wise understand this world as an illusion; as you think you are settling down peacefully in this world, trouble starts. You think you have solved one problem and then ten more arise, it’s a never-ending illusion.” End of Chapter nine. 

Shri Babaji:  Yeah, it’s 9:40pm India time.

Same Questioner:  Okay, do you have time for a few questions?

Shri Babaji:  Yeah, we will take. We have got the Ghost Queen here.

Question:  Baba, can I ask a question first?

Shri Babaji:  Okay, okay, yeah.

Same Questioner:  So, I see that the practice has brought a lot of silence in my mind. I feel detached with work. I’m in a flow. When I take a walk, I’m silent, when I drive, I’m silent. But I had an incident yesterday that came up that brought so much mental suffering. My sister went into the emergency room, and so for two hours I just was a wreck. She’s okay, but it’s that level of worry about loved ones, concern about loved ones that I just can’t seem to detach myself from. I’ve learned somewhat impermanence seeing mom and dad go and I’ve been thinking about that and observing. And You said some things today about the need for restraining and the brakes, and I’m hearing that. But what can I do to stop that?

Shri Babaji:  One important thing, in this world when you have somebody very close to you, a closest relation, blood relation, to whom since childhood, since the time that you acquired the consciousness of the world, you have become attached, considering as your sister, something like that – so when such a suffering happens to that person, you are likely to get affected. That’s no problem. For some time, you might also undergo some traumatic condition, but if you are practicing meditation, how quickly you can recover is the thing. A sadness occurs, no problem. You cannot say sadness must not occur at all, after all, it is the human body. For anybody it can happen, but the more you are practicing meditation, the more quickly that you will be able to recover and become conscious of the situation or impermanence, or other things, like reason out. Means what is in your hands; you can pray for her, you can try to help if there is anything that you can do, like this. Whatever is possible you go on doing instead of sitting and worrying at one place. So, like that you can overcome that traumatic condition in your mind by physically engaging yourself to help the person who is in need of your consideration, your sympathy or your love, your care, your prayer, anything. So go on doing all this. You will be alright soon.

Same Questioner: So, I trust that what you’re sharing with me, that as I continue to practice and watch, just watch, that just like those other detachments that have happened in my life, that I can obtain this level of detachment for those that I love in this body. That’s where I find the attachment is right now, so I’m trusting that it will happen.

Shri Babaji:  Yeah, it will happen. Understand.

Question: I’ve been reading a lot about science, and it seems that science is now catching up, in a way, to meditation, but not really, because they don’t even know about the mind. They now realize consciousness is all over and it’s from the brain. So, I just wanted to make that comment. But what I want to know is, how do we protect ourselves from other people’s negativity?

Shri Babaji:  By regularly practicing meditation you can become strong, your confidence, your self-confidence grows very strong. Mentally, you become strong. That is your defence. Strength increases, then you can protect yourself from any other person’s negative attitude or negative comment. You can remain unaffected. I face so many negative people making negative comment about me also, writing or abusing sometimes. We remain unaffected. Long-time of practice of meditation has helped me. So, you also continuously go on meditating. At that time also try to think, “Why should I get affected? I need to be strong, there is no reason why I should suffer. This is that person’s attitude, that person’s temperament. So, I don’t have to be a victim of that person’s attitude. So let me be at peace.”

Same Questioner: It’s just that I feel it all over. Same thing that you just said, meditate, and it’ll be okay. Thank you.

Shri Babaji:  Eventually it will be, definitely.

Question:  Firstly, I’d like to say thank you to you and to Swamiji for help over the years. I’ve been meditating for a long time, and recently there’s been a settling, a sort of arresting in the unchanging. Yet when I wake up in the morning, there is a lowness of energy and a kind of a sadness. So, I wondered, my question is about what happens during sleep? What happens to the mind that causes this, please? Thank you.

Shri Babaji:  Sometimes the mind might get reminded about a past or a childhood or any such thing by the brain’s reflections, which may come in the form of some dreams or some other form of reflections of the brain, because the brain would be holding the memories. So, this could be the reason. Or the mind might think, “I’ve been meditating and Self-Realization has not yet come. I need to have that.” So, that sadness also might come. So much of time has passed by, still it hasn’t come. Even great Masters felt this, like Ramakrishna Paramahansa used to bang his head in the temple of Mother Kali, “One more day has passed, and I am so sad, Mother has not yet appeared.” So, you will be all right. Continue your meditation. Have faith in the Divinity of Shivabalayogi, have faith in yourself. You will be able to do it. You will be able to overcome.

Question: Thank you, Baba, for being here for us. Lately I have this feeling that there are less and less differences between people, things, whatnot. So, maybe I like someone a lot and I don’t like someone else a lot, but it feels like at some level there’s really no difference between this person I like and this person I don’t like. There’s no difference between the fly and the honeybee. That on some level, they’re really all the same. Is this so?

Shri Babaji:  Yes, exactly. You might get affected simply by your thinking that “This person is good, this person is bad, I like this person, I don’t like this person.” When you think like that, one thought might make you a little bit happy or excited, another thought might make you negative and suffering and a little bit depressed, or any such thing. So, this is because of your thoughts only. What those two are, you don’t know actually, because they are the soul, the oneness of the Real Self. They themselves also may not be knowing when they behave like that one. So, like that, it is the oneness there, there is no difference, simply in the thinking it is there, otherwise they are all same as you are telling.

Same Questioner:  Yeah, thank you. I appreciate it.

Question: Namaste, Babaj.  Sometimes in life, I tried so hard not to suffer, not to bother the suffering of my loved ones. But I try to be hard; he knows he is doing himself wrong. But I sometimes blame myself, or I avoid, I put on all things on me. Sometimes I forget all the things. It affects my mind, brain and consciousness. Everything ruined. You start from zero again and again, again and again. It’s hard.

Shri Babaji:  I understand what you are telling. These things happen. So, if meditation itself is a little bit difficult, do other things – pray. Pray for the people who are suffering, your loved ones, and stop feeling guilty from your side. You are not guilty. Anybody will suffer on their own attitude, on their own way of life, on their own thinking. Like this only, they suffer. You are not the reason for which others are suffering. If your existence itself brings unhappiness to somebody, you cannot help it. So instead, pray to God, “Help them also to overcome suffering, help you to overcome all sufferings.” So, you will be all right. Have faith in the Divine. Strongly pray. Every time you feel unhappy, you pray. Start talking to God. Even if you feel irritated, annoyed sometimes, you fight with God. God is your Father. You are His daughter, so you have a right to fight with Him. You will feel relieved, at least you have conveyed your difficulties to somebody, like that one. So, this why we also allow people to talk to us. I behave like a father to anybody. If they are suffering, if they want to convey something, share something, we try to help them to pray. These things will be very effective and helpful. We will also pray for you. You will be blessed.

Same Questioner: How to pray to God? When will He answer? I ruin my own mind sometimes.

Shri Babaji:  He will definitely answer, if you sincerely, with all the concentration of the mind, you pray. In any language that is convenient for you, in English, in your language, anything is no problem. Pray, “This is happening, this suffering is happening. Am I guilty? My Lord, help me. Please, help me to overcome this suffering. I need peace. I want all my loved ones not to suffer.” Like that, you pray to God, “You are all pervaded. You know everything. You come to me. You must help me. I am not going to give up. I will fight with you.” Like that you pray. Anything that comes; just like a child, naturally you pray – definitely God will help you.  

Same Questioner: Thank you, Babaji.

Shri Babaji:  My blessings.

Question:  Namaskaar, Babaji. Babaji, I am actually listening to Bhagavad Gita lessons from YouTube for past few years. Around two years and following, and then I came to understand that we must get diksha, initiation from Guruji before I continue further. And I’m also doing meditation for many, many years, and my aim is actually moksha. That is the main thing I’m yearning for, but I’m also in a family, a normal family, and a working woman in a normal life. So, because I’m in Malaysia, I don’t know how to go for it, because here we don’t have any Gurujis to get a diksha. And I’m busy with the normal worldly things with children, husband and everything. 

Shri Babaji:  One thing, your faith and devotion is what matters, that is one thing. Another thing, like if you ever come on these zoom classes, when I instruct for the meditation, I tell people, “All those people who are here for the first time,” when I utter, “This is how you have to meditate,” that can be the initiation for you, diksha. You know, Kabir Das’s Guru refused to initiate him formally. Then what he did, he was lying on the steps which was leading towards Ganga River. One day his Guru came to have a bath in the Ganga. On the way, unknown to him, early morning, he stepped on Kabir. When he stepped, he calls, “Rama, Rama, Rama, Rama”. So, Kabir Das took that Rama’s name as a mantra, and the Guru uttering that as the diksha. With total faith he chanted and he achieved Self-Realization.

So, like that also, we initiate like this, telling the instructions. And if you want any mantra, if you have inclination also, so if you have a WhatsApp number, or you can write an email if you go to the website, info@srby.org. It is there. To that if you write, then I will write the mantra that my Guru gave. That also you can chant and you can consider that as a diksha, and continue. Have faith and God will definitely help you.

Same Questioner:  Thank you very much. Thank you very much Guruji. 

Question:  Just like in a dream, is it true that all the people and characters we witness are actually the same I-Self emanating from the body consciousness? Though the mind is just watching and not affected, is it the one creating the matter and characters?

Shri Babaji:  Exactly. It is the mind which is creating, so as long as you are dreaming, that dream appears so solid and perfect you cannot make out that you are dreaming. Only when you get up only you will realize that you were sleeping somewhere. In the same way this world is a longer dream. For a long time, in a higher consciousness you have dreamt, and this is going on. That will come to an end when you achieve Self-Realization through the practice of the meditation, which brings to an end to the consistent imagination that has gone out of control. That is why, you see, your mind is like a chatterbox all the twenty-four hours, thinking something, something, something, something. Thought after thought, thought after thought, millions of thoughts coming. And it could be torturesome for you many times, making you suffer. All these things are happening. When those thoughts all dissolve, then you will realize what you are, how you exist as the eternal soul; that is the Consciousness of Existence. Then you will be able to reach the higher consciousness through which you have dreamt this universe, and that’s what you are seeing. That is the fact.

Same Questioner:  Okay, Baba, thank you. Thanks for being with us today.

Shri Babaji:  Okay, wonderful. All my love and blessings to all of you. It was very nice being with you all. Now it’s time for me to disappear.

End of session