0:00 Intro
0:18 The restless mind is unable to find happiness in the world
3:02 The cravings of the mind lead to unhappiness
10:21 How important is it for parents and schools to teach spirituality from a young age
16:08 Why do we seek wealth and power when we know those things will not stay with you at death
26:52 A child is innocent but vulnerable like an animal
33:41 Youth is subjected to the fire of lust and short-lived pleasures
39:00 In old age, unable to satisfy desires, one asks ‘who am I’ but at that stage is unable to change the life’s course.
45:17 Which English version of Yoga Vasistha is recommended?
46:10 How to deal with other people’s distress when more detachment comes from meditation?
48:00 Should we contemplate the beauty of god in nature or should we see the transience in all things – or do they go together?
48:55 How can we know the difference between the real Guru and the false prophets?
49:45 What is the difference between detachment and indifference?
51:27 How to deal with situations where we need to be involved with people who are not good?
52:50 How do we avoid being lazy, avoidant and fearful and be more selfless in our efforts?
53:38 How can we avoid dilemmas in life?
54:14 What does duality mean?

Yoga Vasistha – Vairagya Part 2 | In Quest of Truth – Q&A with Babaji, No.216

Recorded on 22 March 2025 with worldwide participants

Question: So, today the topic is Yoga Vasistha, but first will be the Vairagya; we’ll finish with the chapter, and then about the ‘Behaviour of the seeker’. Then to continue with the last session, I want to again record the last question about the restlessness of the mind. Rama says that the sieve can never be filled with water, and then the mind can never achieve the fulfilment with these objects of the world. The mind fleets in all directions and is unable to find happiness anywhere. So, can Babaji elaborate on that?

Shri Babaji: After going around the kingdom as a pilgrimage, the young prince Sri Rama got into such detachment on seeing the impermanence of the world. Like for example, He tells, “The whole world seems to be struggling to fill up their bellies. If we do not give feeding to our body, we die. But on the other hand, if we go on feeding, then also we die one day. So, what is this illusion, or fun, or what it is? Who am I? Where do I stand in between?” Like that, He starts doing the questioning of his detachment. So now also He tells, “Mind always seems to be running after the matter of this world, seeking happiness. But that happiness seems to be elusive.” You go with an expectation. You try to have that. And there is always a disappointment. Somebody behaving in a different way, somebody behaving in a different way. You want everybody to be behaving normally, peacefully, harmoniously, lovingly, carefully. But everybody have their own ego. And based on their own temperament, everybody operates in this world. So that’s why Sri Rama says, “There seems to be no peace for the mind at all. How can this be achieved? The mind is consistently wavering and running after the world. Why this mind runs after the world?” That’s what Sri Rama asks with this question to Vasistha.

Same Questioner: Thank you, Babaji. The next thing Rama points to is the craving. And then Rama says that the craving dries up all the good and noble qualities of the mind and the heart. And the craving of the mind is looking for happiness in this world, but it only finds the contrary of that, an inauspiciousness and unhappiness. So why is that Babaji? Why that craving is there if it is not able to give whatever we are looking for?

Shri Babaji: Buddha says, “Constant cravings of the mind is the basic reason for unhappiness”; one thing. And generally, for human beings this craving happens, and this gets transformed into greediness. When they see the world, they imagine their happiness is in the world. And they start imagining, “If I obtain this”, like “If I obtain this kingdom to mine, if I become the emperor of this kingdom, if I can own this property, I can own this wealth,” any such things, one or two, or hundreds; the matter, the world that consists. Imagining happiness, we become greedy. That is what Rama says. People become greedy. When they are greedy, by hook or crook they want to obtain and possess that one. Whether ethically, morally they can behave properly, or immorally also, unethically also if they need to go. Like, pickpocket somebody, disturb somebody’s peace, rob somebody, do anything, any harm to anybody, “but I must possess.”

Kingdoms: look at the history, one invading the other. Hardly anybody has remained in their own kingdom peacefully, happily, contented. Even in history we get to see there were exceptions, some noble kings who remained in their kingdom happily, peacefully contented. But then, others did not allow them to live peacefully. So, they invaded them. So, this type of greediness always is happening. I have also wondered since childhood, why cannot human beings live for each other? Why is that they are always against each other? This craving, and this greediness. Craving happens when you do not have satisfaction, contentment. Someone, somebody Swamiji was telling, “Perhaps it is the human beings only, they eat for taste. They don’t eat just to fill their belly.” Even if they are full also, if a tasty food comes, they want to go on and continuing eating, because they are greedy, the craving is there. By indulgence, the craving increases, increases.

Everywhere, people are not satisfied with their one thing. We got to see stories, people are not satisfied with one wife, they want to go for an extra marital affair. And then wrong things happen. Robbing, murdering, these things are all happening. That’s what Sri Rama mentions. In the society, always we get to see people losing nobility, becoming greedy by craving. Then, they lose all ethics and moral values. How can this come? That’s what Sri Rama mentions and explains to Sri Vasistha.

Means, your question was, why this happens, right? Means, all these things happen if we are not practicing spiritually. That is important. You see, since childhood, we learnt spirituality as a way of life. Sitting next to the laps of our mothers, we learnt chantings, remembering God, offering flowers to God. And also, eventually, we learnt meditation. We started thinking in that direction, in a noble way, that all must be happy. The happiness must be there 24 hours, 12 months. Humans must live for each other. Like this, it came as a child also, in our mind. We were never greedy, never wanted to rob somebody else. Because spiritual practices were there.

Also, if you have observed in my talks, I have told, it is very good that we have advanced through science and technology, no problem. But all these, many of these things have given rise to more conflict. Through science and technology, people have tried, countries have tried to become more powerful. But it has given them arrogance, ego, trying to bully other countries who are weak. So, these type of things all happen. So, they don’t get contented. That is because they have forgotten spirituality.

If everybody can be meditating as a way of life, just like, you get up in the morning, you want to have a shower, you clean up, you dress up, you have a breakfast and go for your job, your business, your work. In the same way, before that for one hour, if you can sit for meditation, like a way of life, that must be without fail every day, then the mind can remain under control. You will be able to restrain yourself, means anybody, they won’t go into a greediness. They will be able to understand, “Yeah, this certain thing belongs to somebody else, this is not mine. I should not become greedy to rob this person.” That type of noble thought will come if the mind is purified through spirituality.

So, that’s my opinion. If everybody can undertake meditation and like that spiritual exercises, so they can restrain themselves, they will have noble thoughts, and peace and contentment will descend. Like we have to remember here, a scientist’s statement, many times that I have told, “Earth always have had and will have enough resources to meet the need of humanity, but not its greed.” So, this thing we must notice; a point to be noted. We have to work for our need, not become greedy. So, that is the reason.

Same Questioner: Thank you, Babaji. Now, with this what Babaji said, Babaji always says the importance of what his mother taught him about the culture, the philosophy in the school. So, how important is it to change the course of this that we are going, to teach in the school proper spirituality to the children and then they can get educated into the spiritual path, not only into the world. So, how important it is, that change?

Shri Babaji: You see, in Indian culture, in our Bharat culture, since time immemorial, this mantra was taught, “Mata Pita Guru Devo Bhavaha”. Means, first number comes to mother, then father, then comes the number of Guru. Because, as a small child, just born baby, it is on the laps of the mother. That is where it can learn good things, bad things, or learn nothing at all. So, if mother is well educated, she is noble, if she is spiritual, she will be able to teach the child also the right manners, right contentment, right culture, nobility, all these things. If every mother in the world are there, then they can be teaching, then father also needs to be. Swamiji used to tell, “Parents, don’t simply give a lecture to your children. They will be observing your behaviour also. Your behaviour also is very important.” Father, Mother, they have to behave properly in front of their children. A father keeps smoking and gives lecture to the child, “Smoking is very injurious to health, you must not smoke,” that thing will not work. The child will pick up habits. Like that, Swamiji used to tell examples, our Guru.

So, their behaviour also is so important all the time. If they are spiritual. Above all, the child will have its own prarabdha, its own basic nature it’s bringing from previous lives. But to a larger extent, parents can try to influence from childhood. You have to give time. This will not come once in six months if you give lecture to the children. Every day, you have to try and spend some time with your children when they are very young. Then they will pick up the thing. Then they should be able to find the right teachers. So, in our time, even in nursery, primary schools, the teachers, along with the prescribed lessons, they used to talk about moral values, moral stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata, cultural values they used to tell us. So, it used to influence our minds. So, slowly, we became highly spiritual. So, this is very necessary.

Spirituality doesn’t mean that you have to give up homes and run to forests. That is not spirituality. Spirituality means living as a matured human being, a noble human being, having the ability to consider about each other. Because if one person considers, but another person is wicked, it will not work. Both have to consider. In the ashram, if the Guru has left one disciple and another disciple to do sadhana, they both will have to do sadhana. If one tries to encroach for his personal gain, then the conflict happens. If one only is looking after the ashram and another tries to encroach the things for his personal thing, there will be conflict, there cannot be harmony and peace. This is what happens in the world also. This is just an example I am giving, what we have seen in our life. Otherwise, if everybody can simply do sit down in meditation, where is the problem? In this hall, all of us sat and meditated. If we all meditate and gain nobility and go our way, so what is the problem? But instead, if we start fighting, “This place belongs to me” and “This harmonium belongs to me”, then the conflict arises. This is what the world is seeing. When people become greedy, go into craving, they don’t meditate properly.

So that’s why spiritual exercises are very much necessary. Then when we come to the Guru, the Guru should be the right person, teaching the right things to the students. Then comes God. That is how we were taught. Mother, Father, Guru and God. All these – means combined, life can be the best teacher, if one can learn with nobility, “This is right, this is wrong”. In spite of that if we don’t want to learn, means we are selfish, then we become cunning and we become narrow minded. Such people don’t want to learn. Even after spending years of time with a Guru like Swamiji, if they don’t learn, that means they were not proper. They were not really interested in spirituality, though they were showing meditating. So, this is what happens in the whole world also. Swamiji used to tell.

Same Questioner: Thank you, Babaji. Now, going back to Yoga Vasistha, Rama points out to the body and the stages of the body – the childhood, youth and old age. So, starting with the body, He says that the body is inert, but it appears to be intelligent, but at the end it is only a boat to help us to cross the ocean of birth and death. But we should not regard that body as our own Self, because even if it lasts for longer or it dies very quick, it is useless, Rama says. And then it also says, “And mindful of the old age and death that they are equal for the rich and the poor, it seeks wealth and power”. So why the body is seeking these two things all the time when you can realize that everyone is going to die and those two things are not going to go with you when that happens?

Shri Babaji: See, if you all remember, the same thing in my talks I have been telling – what spirituality alerts. Because entire universe, including our own physical body, is impermanent. That is why it cannot give us permanent happiness. We have to look for a permanent solution. “Who are we then?” Like that everybody should think. Like I used to think, are we born with this body? Are we going to become extinct when the body dies? Are we going to exist in some other form? How did we come to be in this body? Or if we are not this body, what made us so? What is the reason? And throughout the mind keeps struggling and everybody goes into a greediness, selfish, they become narrow mindedness. Many; we get to see in the society every now and then this keeps happening. So, this is all lack of spiritual teachings, lack of spiritual practices.

That’s what in our culture we talk of different eras, yugas. Like there was a Satya Yuga where people were very highly matured, very great noble people who always loved each other, they lived for each other, nobody knew any greed or harming anybody else, nobody knew what robbing was. Then Ramayana, Mahabharata came. Still there were lot of moral values there in spite of certain wrong things that happened. During Mahabharata, though one person became greedy and was always trying to harm his cousins, but yet there were some noble values there. During the war, as long as Bhishma was alive, all rules and regulations were followed. It was fought only for a specific reason, not to harm each other, not out of vengeance or hatred. So, like that it went on. But after that, slowly everything was lost, people became unethical and immoral. So thus, this thing happened.

Then finally, Yudhishthira came to be the emperor. During the fag end of his rule, one day when he saw people locking homes, he was damn surprised. Today when we talk of locking the home, it is not a surprise, it is a must. It is a need. If you don’t lock, people will think that you are a fool. Any robberer, any thief can come and rob your things and go away. You must lock. But at that time, they did not know. There was no thieves and no robberers. But then Yudhishthira was surprised, “Why these people are locking their homes?” he exclaimed. When first time you saw a strange thing, that is how it happens. So now, immorality has grown. It has become the order of the day.

Whatever we considered 50 years ago or 100 years ago as immoral or unethical, when majority of the people start doing, they start demanding, “We be recognized for doing this job. We want to continue this. Give us official recognition”. You never know, one day all thieves may form an association, can start demanding, “We thieves be recognized.” That is what is happening in the world. Anybody doing anything, if they become majority, they demand the government recognize them, judiciary recognize them. Nobody bothers to discuss whether it is moral or immoral, or proper or improper. “No, it is the order of the day”. If one boy tears the pant and uses it as a fashion, then others all follow. Then they all demand, “This is the right educated way.” If you point out, “Why are you tearing your pant like a mad boy, idiot? They tell, “No, this is the fashion. This is how all educated people are doing. They are tearing their pants.”

So, that is how things happen in this world. ‘Might’ becomes ‘right’. That is the old saying, “Might is right”, not the right things. Nobody thinks. If there are four people, forty people, they demand this to happen, “We be recognized for this thing.” And one day that may become the order of the day. What we couldn’t have thought of fifty years ago, it is happening today. So like, humans, where they are going. Because they forgot the spirituality [inaudible]. That is based on this only, Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, during Ramayana, during the Mahabharata, Shri Krishna time, that era is known as Dwapara Yuga. And now, people call this as the Kali Yuga.

Kali Yuga means human thinking is deteriorating. Day by day, it is deteriorating. All things are happening. Anything you wouldn’t have considered. As I am telling, fifty years ago, a hundred years ago, whether in movies, whether in the society, whether in the life, it is becoming order of the day, it is done open. There used to be one day when, in our childhood, a person would drink alcohol, quietly unknown to anybody because they would be taken to the police station and beaten up. But now they openly drink and the police have to be careful not to touch a drunken man. You know, you don’t know whether he’s a VIP, or what he is. Things have changed, you see? So, that is how humans thinkings are deteriorating. Based on this only the Yugas are calculated. Thinking has gone down. This is all. We have forgotten spirituality. Right type of Gurus have become very rare. A Self-Realized Master is the rarest of rare things. So many gurus have cropped up. They teach all sorts of things. They dress up in any way they like. And the students also pick up the same thing, “Our guru is able to ride on a motorbike. He rides with a pant and shirt. He’s not a simple man. We don’t have to be simple people. We can also do anything.” So, like that it goes on and on. So, there is no end for this. That is why the world is deteriorating, if you think.

But still, there are people who are thirsty of spirituality, who want to know the truth. You see, people sitting here, 150 people are sitting here in a meditation. They are listening to our question and answers. We are able to talk at least because somebody is listening to us. It should have been 1,500, it should have been 10,500. But at least 154 is fine. It’s a big number for us, you know. So, that’s what Sri Rama spoke, thousands of years ago that was. Maybe 10,000 or more years when Ramayana happened, Sri Rama’s soul was very ripe. Just by listening to the discourse of His Guru Vasistha, He achieved Nirvikalpa Samadhi; total quietening of the mind. And achieved Self-Realization for which we keep struggling. One hour sitting we keep struggling. One hour to keep the mind quiet seems to be impossible. But it became possible so easily for Sri Rama. He was a ripe soul. He understood the problems of the world. He understood why this happens. Then when He made His mind quiet, He realized the Truth. Because I have meditated, I have seen my mind becoming noble. I can guarantee that one. I am a harmless creature. Unless there is a larger cause, I don’t want to go into a fight with anybody. If somebody attacks our ashram, then we have to defend. So, through the practice of spirituality since childhood and meditation, mind can definitely become purified.

If a person meditates for 40-50 years and he is still selfish and narrow-minded, his mind has not become purified. Means, he has not meditated properly. You put a bread into the oven and you don’t connect it to electricity. And you wait for one hour, you wait for ten hours. The flour batter is like that only and the bread has not got baked. You keep wondering why the bread is not baked. Because you are not connected it into electricity. Why this human meditated for 50 years? Why is he behaving like this? With his Guru’s property, with his Guru why is he behaving? He has not meditated properly.

Same Questioner: Thank you, Babaji. So, now Rama goes to the childhood in the body. He says, it seems the child doesn’t have any problem and can be happy all the time. But what is the worse suffering than the restlessness mind? So, the child is the most extremely restless in the mind. And it is inert like a tree because if it feels heat or cold, it cannot help the child. Someone has to help the child. And it’s like an animal that it looks only for what it wants and nothing else is there. So, can Babaji elaborate on that?

Shri Babaji: See, it’s a very beautiful sentence that Sri Rama talks about childhood. We all talk “Childhood is innocence”. For a while, definitely it is innocence. But as it starts growing, when it gets to watch the surroundings, its brain is working, its mind also starts working. That’s what we felt as a child. Sometimes we feel excited. We seem to be happy. But sometimes an unknown fear engulfs. We don’t know what will happen. We don’t want anything to happen to our kith and kin. We want our parents to be living all the time, our siblings to be living all the time. That fear comes, that pain is there. We want a certain thing, we are unable to get it. We feel that pain, fear, everything comes in the child.

Child’s innocence can be risky and dangerous is what Adi Shankara also tells. Because whoever teaches the child in whichever way, that child can be moulded into such, either positive or negative. Its thinking becomes like that one. So that can be so dangerous. A child is full of fear. Everybody thinks that the child is happy because it doesn’t know anything. As long as it doesn’t pick up anything, it is really happy. That’s why Buddha’s parents, when an astrologer said, He is going to become a Buddha and a bhikshu also. So, His father did not want Buddha to go out of the palace for a long time till He became a youth of twenty year old. He married Buddha also to a beautiful princess. So, Buddha didn’t know any difficulty, He was a prince. Everything was available in the palace – eating, sleeping, enjoying, there was no responsibility, nothing to do. But the destiny, one day He happened to come out of the palace, the fort on a chariot with His charioteer. Then He got to see the world. When He saw the world, a person suffering, a person becoming old, a person dying, a dead body, these became  puzzling. “That is also a human being like me”. He asked His charioteer, “Do we also have to die?” “Yes, Master, one day we all have to die.” “Yes, Master, one day we all have to become old. We might become ill any time. There is no discrimination for illness,” he said.

Then Buddha became puzzled. He became restless. He lost interest in the kingdom. He lost interest in the palace, in His luxuries, in eating. The story says He lost interest in wife and the beautiful child. He left them in the midnight and went to find the Truth. He meditated and became Buddha. He achieved Self-Realization. And He only said, “Constant cravings of the mind is the basic reason for unhappiness.” He said, “You achieve Nirvana by meditating. Then you achieve contentment also. Then you have peace all the time. Mentally you have to stop.” That’s what He told the Angulimala, the dacoit chief. He was walking in the forest, Buddha one day. This dacoit was following him from behind. He tells Buddha, “Stop!” Turning back, Buddha says, “I stopped long ago, Angulimala.” Angulimala means, he was a robber or dacoit who used to kill people for his livelihood and cut their fingers and make a garland of them and put it on his neck. In that name only he came to be known as the finger-garland person, Angulimala. Buddha tells, “I stopped long ago, when are you going to stop?” This had a mesmerizing transformation in the person. “Why is He telling that I have to stop? How does he say that he has stopped? What does that mean?” He comes and talks to Buddha. “What do you mean that you stopped? I ordered you to stop here. That’s why you stopped. Now I am going to kill you.” He says, “This stopping is not the stop. This is the physical body. ‘I’ stopped, I told you”, Buddha tells. “The ‘I’ inside the consciousness, the mind”, He tells, “That achieved Nirvana, and I am totally contented. If you want to cut this body and you think that you can achieve happiness, you do that one.” Then some realization occurs. He becomes a disciple of Buddha. Such transformation occurs. That’s what Sri Rama talks here beautifully. Finally, spirituality is the answer. Meditating, trying to understand the Self, what we are is all important. Then we can achieve contentment, peace. These things come. This is what Sri Rama is also talking in this Vairagya prakarana, detachment chapters to Vasistha. He talks like this. This was the puzzle he had, like Buddha. That was how Sri Rama also became a great Self-Realized soul whom we worship as God, equivalent to incarnation of Divinity.

Same Questioner: Thank you, Babaji. Then Rama explains or points out about the youth. That it is subjected to numerous mental modifications, and then goes to the misery of childhood to greater misery. It is going for short-living pleasures. A lot of lust, like the fire of lust in the heart happens. It is going behind the sexual activities, and like a slave to the sexual attraction. So, He says that even after that, all the passions that crops in the youth, it follows to the next of the old age, and then burns the heart there fiercely. So, can Babaji comment on that?

Shri Babaji:  In a simple way I have tried to explain and tell, means of about the ice cream or chocolate, any such thing. You want to eat an ice cream and then you think that you get happiness, then cravings come. You are unable to stop. You want to have one more scoop. You eat another. You eat another. How many you can eat? Thus, if you want to eat 10, 40, 50 and 100, go on eating, you have cravings and you are unable to stop. The same ice cream which gave you happiness with one scoop; you thought the ice cream is going to give you happiness, it will give you unhappiness also, illness also. When you go on eating, and eating and eating, if you think that “This ice cream can keep me happy forever, and I can go on eating forever”, it cannot happen like that. It is temporary. This is what Rama is explaining about this world. This is a very blunt explanation of the Ultimate Truth and the truth of the life, truth of this world, truth of the impermanence. Many teachers may not talk about this. Many books may not talk about this. But Sri Rama talks the truth.

Everybody, people go to this world thinking they are going to be happy. But they become miserable. Then they are unable to give up. They get trapped. This is what Sri Rama is talking – becoming greedy, unable to restrain ourselves. Means, another point to know or remember, spirituality does not prohibit you to be in the world. This one must understand. No need to misunderstand these utterings or teaching. You can live in this world. You can adopt any way of life, no problem. You can be a householder. You can be anybody. But simply you need to know the limitations of the world, and you need to know when to stop. That is important. Like I tell, you can sit in a car and go on driving. That is no problem. But you need to know when to stop. If you are unable to stop, then you are in danger. You can be dangerous to others also. So that’s what it is. Should not allow to go into a craving. Limited way, limits of the world. You should be able to restrain yourself. Keep yourself under control. This will be possible if you practice meditation. If you practice spirituality in its right sense, understanding the right techniques. Find the right master.

That is why Sri Krishna also tells Arjuna, “Before death shall claim thee, go to the knowers of the Truth, sitting at their Lotus Feet, putting intelligent questions by seeking permission from them, adopt their teachings in your life and achieve that Truth to yourself. You can be happy.” Later in these chapters Vasistha also tells, achieve that Self-Realization. Through numerous stories, He talks about the illusion the mind can create, why the cravings all happen. But if you achieve Self-Realization, then you can happily move on this earth. You can be anybody. You can be a prince. Sri Rama became a king also. He was a prince. He got married also. Simply you have to follow the rules and remain contented. Then you are always happy. So that’s what one needs to understand. We don’t have to misunderstand by these teachings or the detachment chapters. Swamiji always told, “You don’t have to give up homes and run to forests or caves. You’ll be carrying your mind there also. It will trouble you.” Sri Ramana also spoke the same thing. So that is why you have to be careful not to become greedy. That is all. Control yourself.

Same Questioner: Thank you, Babaji. I would like to ask one last question that is also going to the age. And then Rama points out the old age. And He says, the old man is unable to satisfy his desires physically, but they keep flourishing and growing. So finally, he asks himself, “Who am I?” But then it’s too late to change his life course. Please, can Babaji elaborate on that?

Shri Babaji: You see, mind has no age. Whether it is 70 years, 90 years or 16 years, mind can be working in the same way. What a person gets attracted to in the 15, 16 years, the same attraction might happen to a 70-year-old, to an 80, 90-year-old also. Mind never grows of old age. Only the body becomes old. They are unable to satisfy, because the body has given way slowly. It has become old. Then understand the misery of such an old person when the mind goes into such cravings. He will be mad. Many times we get to see old people unable to restrain themselves. They go into such wrong things. Even when they become 75 years, they will be going after the opposite sex all the time. Because they are unable to remain contented. They cannot stop themselves. The craving happens. But the body slowly is giving way. That is what is happening. So, then they become more miserable.

If they want to meditate, not possible. Body is painful. You cannot sit in one position. You cannot sit even for one hour stabilized. It is so essential, we try to teach, body’s unmoved, stabilized posture is very important. You can sit into any comfortable posture, is no problem. But try to keep the back and neck straight so that you don’t fall asleep also is important. The brain needs to be alert, then you watch in between eyebrows, then the results will come. That is how we try to teach. If it is not possible to sit in any posture at all, you want to be lying, then there is pain always and the mind is into craving. You cannot meditate. And you cannot understand what are the teachings of a Master in the old age because the craving is there, constant cravings are there. People come to a master, but they don’t learn. They go back with the same craving. They remain the same personalities. So, that’s how things happen. That is why even Purandara Dasa talks, “Now, here, try to remember God. Because when your body grows old, it will be troubled with cough, mucus, phlegm and coma. You are going into coma. How can you remember the Divinity, oh foolish human?” He talks, He sings in this beautiful song. Great sages have spoken like this. “So, it is now.”

Swamiji also sometimes used to tell a joke. “You take the Sri Rama’s name now. Otherwise, when you become old, when you die, people who are carrying your dead body will try to utter “Rama, Rama” very depressively. They won’t be happy because you are dead. And you won’t know that they are chanting Rama’s name. That’s why when you are alive, now, here, remember the Divine. Now, here, meditate.” Swamiji was once telling somebody, I remember. So, such is the teachings of old age. So, we have tried to understand. That’s why Adi Shankara also sings in his Bhaja Govindam song, ‘Bāla stāvat krīdāsaktah,’ when you are a child, always you spend your time playing. You don’t know what else to do. ‘Tarunastāvattarunīsaktah,’ when you are in the youth, you get attracted to the opposite sex. ‘Vriddhastāvachchintāsaktah,’ when you become old, you are always worried. Your mind clings on to death. ‘Parabrahmani kō’pi na saktah,’ nobody wants to remember the Parabrahma.

So, the ancient teachers used to be very blunt, and they spoke the truth frankly. Today, it may not be acceptable. It may appear very funny for many people if we talk bluntly like this one. We don’t. We try to be lenient, and just try to tell, “Meditate. You remain in any way of life, no problem. Be at your home. Just take one hour”, Swamiji use to tell. “You have 24 hours. Just take one hour. All 23 hours you have time to sleep, you can utilize to earn your livelihood, and you can utilize to have some recreation. Enjoy the world. But one hour you meditate. If you cannot take out this one hour also, God help you.” Swamiji used to tell this. So, this is what one needs to understand.

Well, the sessions were very nice and your questions came out very beautifully. Yoga Vasistha is one such rarest of rare Upanishads scriptures where Vasistha and Rama converse with each other. The truth of this world, the truth of our life, the truth of our own existence. So, now, if there are some questions for 15, 20 minutes, I can take some questions.

Question: I have a question in relation to Yoga Vasistha. Is there any specific version or edition you recommend us to read?

Shri Babaji: In English, published by Divine Life Society, the title ‘Supreme Yoga’, written by Swami Venkateshananda is one that I know. There is one more book published by Ramakrishna Math also Ambaji is saying. You can try there also in Ramakrishna Missions websites or online things.

Same Questioner: Babaji, I have another question, is it possible?

Shri Babaji: Yes, we’ll take.

Same Questioner: How to deal with other people’s distress, because sometimes people want, or need… relatives, they need our attention. And of course, we have to give them our attention, but I have noticed that the more we meditate, we feel detached a little bit from those, from other people’s problems. So, how to deal with them in order not to seem impolite with people, you know?

Shri Babaji: One thing, when we meditate, when the detachment comes, what we need to understand is the universe is impermanent. So, we don’t have to turn our face from this world or people. If any one of your own people or any relatives or friends is in need, two things: one, you can try to listen to their unhappiness or what they are being troubled. And then try to give a little bit of counsel, that you are good, you can become better. You also try to pray to God, you try to meditate, something like that you can try to help them, counselling. That will be a great relief to others, even if you are unable to do anything else. So, detachment doesn’t mean that you have to be totally unconcerned about anybody in the world. Like, we also as a Yogi, after tapas, we give time to people if they want to talk about their sadness, sorrows or troubles. At least if I cannot do any magic, I listen to them. That gives a big relief to them. So, like that you can help. And continue your meditation.

Question: Pranams, Babaji. When we go about the world, we see things, nature, etc., should we contemplate the beauty of God in those things, or, as Yoga Vasistha says, should we simply see the transience of things? Or maybe those two attitudes could go together?

Shri Babaji: You see, first to begin with, you see it as a temporary, impermanent thing. Then you practice meditation. Gradually, your consciousness expands with purity. And automatically you will be able to see the Divinity everywhere. That is the right thing practically. By theory, if you try, you can get confused many times.

Same Questioner: Thank you, Babaji.

Shri Babaji: Javier, you had some questions coming in to you? You can read them now.

Question: How can we know the difference between the real Guru or knower of the truth, and the false prophets?

Shri Babaji: First thing, you need to be sincere that you want only Self-Realization, mental peace, sadhana for mind. Then you will not compromise. Automatically, you will be blessed by God to find the right guru. You will not get attracted to magic, crowds, or such dancers or such chutkulars, or such things. You will not compromise. That is important. Then, the Divine will bless you to have the right type of guru. You need to be sincere. Next question.

Same Questioner: What is the difference between the detachment and indifference? It seems that people think that detachment is to be indifferent. But what is the real meaning of detachment?

Shri Babaji: Just now a while ago also, for the last question also the other person when he asked, I spoke about. Detachment and indifference are two different things. Detachment means you need to be alert and understand the universe as impermanent. You don’t have to be indifferent to anything. You live a normal life, but slowly practice meditation. That’s why I told, just by listening to a theory or reading, don’t try to behave indifferent with the world. You will be confused. And even when you want to see God everywhere also, you meditate. Slowly as your consciousness becomes purified and expands, then you will automatically be able to see God in everything, in everywhere, as everything also will be possible. You don’t have to be indifferent to anything. Whatever you think right, if somebody is in need of your help, you help them. You live a normal life. You don’t have to run away to caves I’m telling. So, indifferent will not be helpful. You just be there with an understanding that the entire universe is impermanent, anytime anything can happen. But continuously practice meditation, do the spiritual exercise. That will transform your mind and give you the better understanding about Divinity and the world also.

Same Questioner: Thank you, Babaji. Some things in life that are essential for their livelihood. But not all is in our control. There may be others involved in those things who may not be good people. So, in such situations, how can we stop worrying about that?

Shri Babaji: You have to live. Many times you may have to put up with things surrounding you. I understand. But you continue your spiritual exercise. Do not give up. Then, you will be able to keep like a diplomatic relationship, continue with that one without disturbing such a relationship. Yet, you can keep yourself not to become corrupted, will be possible. Some places, if it is in your office or anywhere, you have to act in a diplomatic way. Diplomatic way means go slow, be at peace, talk sweetly, talk in a better way. Like, you don’t bluntly say, “You are very bad”. You can try to say, “You are very good. You can become better.” Adapt such methods and practice meditation. You can be a very good diplomat and a matured human being.

Okay, we take only two more questions quickly.

Question: Namaskar, Babaji. My question tonight is, how do we transform our behaviour and mindset and become less lazy, avoidant, fearful, and instead work to selflessly serve our communities with our self-efforts?

Shri Babaji: You must understand, the entire universe and your own physical body is impermanent. So, every moment that body is there is a golden opportunity you must utilize. Practice spiritual exercises, meditate sincerely, then transformation will come in your mind. You will become a matured person always. You can remain unaffected by the world, yet you can selflessly be helpful to somebody, right?

Question: Pranams, Babaji. My question to you is that in Bhagavad-Gita there is a lot of mention of the word dilemma, dwandwa – I read it in Hindi. I read dwandwa again and again. So, dwandwa is in ourselves? We have to be away from the dwandwa?

Shri Babaji: You practice meditation, only then you can implement in your life all these things. Mentally you have to be away from the duality, but physically you live a normal life. That is necessary. Then you will know this.

Same Questioner: What does this duality here mean?

Shri Babaji: Duality is happiness and unhappiness. One thing gives you happiness, another thing gives you unhappiness. So, don’t allow your mind to get involved with either of them. Then you are with the Divine.

Wonderful. They were very wonderful questions. Thank you, Javier. Now, bear with us for two minutes. We will go for Aarati.

End of Session