In Quest of Truth - Q&A with Shri Babaji
In Quest of Truth - Q&A with Shri Babaji
Krishna and His teachings | In Quest of Truth - Q&A with Babaji, No.230
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Krishna and His teachings | In Quest of Truth - Q&A with Babaji, No.230
Recorded on 16th December 2023 with worldwide participants
0:00 Intro
0:13 A short description of Krishna's life
9:56 Do we all know that the correct action is for the greater good instinctively or do we need training to know that?
11:17 The thing that stops us following that greater good is simply ego?
11:45 What Swamiji said of Krishna
17:50 Krishna seems to describe a technique close to Jangama Dhyana in the Bhagavad Gita
19:56 Krishna describing importance of devotion and the story of Arjuna asking about Bhima's devotion
25:10 "Before death shall claim thee, go to the knowers of Truth"
29:37 "You have the right to perform action but you don't have any right to the result of that action."
33:49 "I've now told you all the secrets of the universe, but in the end you will behave according to your inherent nature."
41:05 Where does fear and anxiety arise from and how do we overcome it?
43:15 What is the concept of Radha and why do people say Radha Krishna?
48:15 Where does the knowledge and wisdom of a Self Realised Master come from?
51:34 Krishna's quote, "You will achieve peace only when you have sacrificed"
52:36 What should be the goal when you perform actions?
54:57 Would any feelings be there in pure consciousness?
56:07 When we come out of meditation how can we stay in pure consciousness?
57:07 Why 1 hour meditation is prescribed
58:02 Astronomical interpretations from the Bhagavad Gita
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Website: http://www.srby.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission
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Discourse: In Quest of Truth – online Q&A no.230
Sri Krishna and His Teachings
You tube Link: https://youtu.be/4v2dQ_fA_eQ
Recorded: 16 December 2023
Start of Questions and Answers
Question: This week we were going to consider the subject of Krishna and His teachings, and I was hoping Babaji could perhaps give a short description of Krishna’s life, please.
Babaji Maharaj: Sri Krishna, personally, I have always felt one of the greatest assets for this Creation, for the world, and for Bharatavarsha country – such a great personality. He was perfect in every way. He obtained Self-Realization at a very early age by sadhana, and He was an expert psychiatrist, psychological expert, knew how to deal with people, different temperament people, wicked people, good people, wrong, right, weak people, strong people, like that He knew every way and He had a solution for every problem. “Just face it,” type. Like for example, when there is a war, just face it, no problem. That type of thing if it is imposed on you. On your own you don’t go for a war, no conflict, have peace, but if it gets imposed on you, you have a right to defend yourself. So, that type.
And above all He gave the Bhagavad Gita which is considered the highest Upanishad, highest philosophical teaching of ancient India in which He talks that one can obtain Self-Realization or reach the Ultimate Truth through all different paths, whether through meditation, whether through acquiring knowledge, or bhakti marga, like that, provided you adopt the right technique, you understand what you are supposed to do. In that way you can reach the Ultimate Truth. Like that He tried to teach.
Also, another important thing, teaching a philosophy, teaching meditation, we know and everybody understands; it is not difficult. But in this world when incidents happen, situations arise, we are put into such circumstances, at that time to see justice, a larger cause always, not to be selfish or narrow-minded, where we have to set a priority. So, He taught that before you must not define and tie it with a chain, “This is all,” but you never know what is your duty. At that situation only you have to decide what is the priority. Like that He tried to teach.
For example, when Draupadi was about to be disrobed in Mahabharata, the wicked Duryodhana and his friends, they were all with him including great mahatmas, noble in nature, great knowledgeable people like Bhisma, Dronacharya – everybody failed giving a definition for their duty or dharma. Something else what they had thought it to be, and they had taken a vow. So, they failed to see “If we protect this woman we are going to protect the very clan that we want to protect,” and also they failed to see protecting this woman from getting disrobed should be the priority, obligation, dharma, the duty of any person. Nothing else should come, not even personal glory.
Like the same, Draupadi’s husbands also failed. At the same time Krishna, during the Mahabharata war when Arjuna was refusing to fight, was depressed telling “It’s my uncle, great grandsire, my this, my Guru, how can I fight?” Krishna said “They have sided with the wrong, wicked side, so they are fit to be killed in this war. They need to be. If you are not going to fight, I will take up a weapon and kill him.” Because Krishna had taken a vow “In this Mahabharata war, I will not take up any weapon. Simply, I will be on one side; all my Yadava army will be on the other side.” So, Arjuna was happy to have Sri Krishna as his friend and as his guide to be with him, but Duryodhana was very happy that all the army of the Yadavas will fight standing in his side.
So, now, when Krishna took up the wheel of the chariot that “If you are not ready, first I will kill Bhisma, and then we can fight other wars.” Then Arjuna comes running, “No, no, Krishna, You have taken a vow that You will not take up weapons; this is not proper. You must not.” Krishna says “No problem. The world will blame me that I did not fulfill my vows, but I will be satisfied that I fulfilled the dharma, the real duty, because they have sided with the wicked person. That must be eradicated.” Because He dreamt, if the ruler is both powerful and dharmatma – dharmatma means who has a consideration of larger cause of the country, all subjects to have peace and happiness in his kingdom – then only there will be peace for the subjects, people of the country, He thought. Because if one is powerful but not noble, then that person himself, king himself will trouble the subjects. If the king is noble but not powerful, strong enough, then others will take over, dictate terms to him and he won’t be able to uphold dharma. Like that Sri Krishna taught. It’s the most difficult thing to decide and teach.
Many people, we have seen in these seventy years on earth, we have watched people adopting double standards. One person says “I don’t believe in miracles.” Other day I was watching some video of a great acharya telling that “I don’t believe in miracles. I believe in the knowledge and wisdom of the scriptures.” This is what he said, educated person. But when the questioner pointed out “One of your disciples, he is trying to perform miracles. What is that magic then?” But he was diplomatic, “Maybe what he is doing is right.” Instead of telling “It is wrong, he must not be doing wrong.” So, like this we see in the society people adopting double standards very diplomatically, they don’t talk frankly. But Sri Krishna never did this. He said “Right is right; wrong is wrong. This is the priority. Draupadi needs to be protected. First that is important. She is a woman. She needs to be protected from getting disrobed. For that you don’t need any king’s order.” That’s what He taught.
So, these are some of His basic points which created an impact on my mind always. That is why I admired Sri Krishna. Though the world, Indians, we all consider Him as incarnation of Lord Vishnu, that is a different thing; people can have their faith and belief, no problem, but He was also born as a human being. His seven brothers were killed by the wicked king just before He was born just because of an astrological belief that the eight child is going to kill. Then he wanted to kill his sister as the eighth child born to his sister will kill him. Then his sister’s husband requests “Only the child is going to kill you, we will give you the child.” Then he puts them into jail and as one after the other children are born, he doesn’t want to leave anybody or take any chance, he goes on killing them as soon as they are born. Like seven brothers of Sri Krishna were killed. Finally, some loyal people somehow could take the baby Sri Krishna out of the jail and took Him to Gokulam where He was brought up. In those places He was instructed by some Guru that He practiced sadhana and became a great Self-Realized and such a wonderful personality. Such beautiful teachings of His.
Question: Thank You, Baba. Babaji was saying that Sri Krishna gives the guidance that the correct action is that which is for the greater good. Do we all know that instinctively or does it take training to understand that greater good?
Babaji Maharaj: Most of the time we all know that. Because I tell, “You can cheat somebody else but you cannot cheat yourself ever.” You know what the truth is, what needs to be done. Yet many of us may not perform the right act at the right time that is necessary. Understand the right thing; it's the most difficult thing. It may make us lose many things. One might be afraid of losing wealth, one might be afraid of losing status, one might be afraid of losing the life itself. So many things that could be; losing a relationship, for sake of relationship, for sake of so many things. So that becomes like that. But almost everybody knows what their mind is. Means what we call conscience.
Question: So Babaji, the thing which stops us following that greater good is simply ego?
Babaji Maharaj: Ego and some personal selfish reasons that “We want this, we should not be losing this one, we are going to lose this one.” So, such things are the basic reason which forms the ego, actually.
Question: Babaji, did Swamiji ever speak of Sri Krishna in a particular way?
Babaji Maharaj: He was very appreciative of Sri Krishna. He used to talk, “People do not understand how much work Sri Krishna did during His lifetime.” Swamiji used to talk like, “He hardly rested any time. Swamiji used to tell, “He used to visit some kingdom where there was some injustice, argue with them, talk to them, try to make them understand, like this. And then He would come back to Dwaraka. Then His brother would pull Him up, Balarama, the elder brother. “Krishna, why have You taken the contract of the entire Indian subcontinent? Why can't You stay here peacefully for some time and enjoy the time with us in Dwaraka?” No, Sri Krishna hardly rested. He used to come only for a few days. Again, take up the chariot and with one charioteer He would proceed to another. The length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent He traveled always, trying to see that justice is to be done.
That was His dream. The king needs to be both powerful and dharmatma. Dharmatma is the word I hope you all understand, is the real noble one who can see the justice to be done to all the subjects without a difference. That is important for the king. So that's what He dreamt, and He worked always. So, He traveled so much, He worked. Even during the childhood of Kauravas and Pandavas also, whenever He used to come to Hastinavati, He used to advise Dhritarashtra and Gandhari, “You must take care of your children, what they are behaving is not proper. Because now they are children, it might not appear to be very serious, but when they grow up, the same thing can make them go into a big conflict. They should not be behaving with Pandavas like this.” He always pulled them up and pointed out, “This is wrong, this is wrong. You must see in a justified way. All of them you should look after. All of them are your children.” So, like that He used to advise.
Again, Swamiji used to tell, “You see, not that Sri Krishna was violent or wanted wars. He tried to help Pandavas and tried to help Kauravas also to avoid the war. Many ways – He tried to explore all avenues before they had to go for the actual war.” To the extent when He came to the court of Dhritarashtra and while talking all this, what justice to be done, “Give back their kingdom, Pandavas.” That was all the dice deal that was worked out. “Now that they have fulfilled their twelve years of remaining in the forest and one year incognito, now it is time that you give them back their kingdom. Let them live peacefully and Duryodhana can live with Hastinavati peacefully in his kingdom.” But as Duryodhana went on refusing and was very rude and very rude to Krishna also.
Finally, Sri Krishna offered, “If you don't want to give anything, just give five villages, small villages, county villages. I promise, I'm sure Pandavas will accept when I say that one. On their behalf, I can promise you that we can avoid the war.” Like that, they tried to avoid war in every way. But one selfish, wicked person, when he insisted; Duryodhana, “No. I'm not going to give even the tip of the needle; that much of land also I will not give them. Let them come to the war field, battlefield – we will see there.” So, then war became inevitable.
This is how wars and conflicts happen in this world. People should talk and try to explore all avenues that is possible. Try to give them; what is the justice of theirs, that must be given. If one party refuses to do justice, then the conflict happens. Otherwise, there was no conflict. If the Guru permits you to remain in this ashram, “In a corner you build a room for yourself and do sadhana.” If you simply do sadhana, why will a conflict arise? But if you want to take more land of the ashram, and you want to cut the trees of the ashram, then disturb the ashram's peace, then try to show your power, then the conflict arises. That is all the reason. Otherwise, there was no reason for any conflict at all.
So, like this Sri Krishna also taught, like this Swamiji used to talk about Sri Krishna's great work. He was very appreciative. That is what needs to be done. Simply telling Him as an incarnation, He did everything out of divine play. No, He worked very hard. He had to work out. He had to understand everybody's temperament. He had to be careful. He had to help Pandavas so that they don't get deceived. Dharma doesn't mean that you have to be weak and you don't have a right to defend yourself. You have to be clever also in this world. You don't have to become cunning and selfish, but you need to be clever. You cannot afford to be a foolish person. That's very important. So, like that, Swamiji used to talk about Sri Krishna.
Question: Thank You, Baba. Babaji, in the Gita Baba mentioned Sri Krishna teaches many paths. He seems to describe a technique very close to Jangama Dhyana in there. Could Babaji please comment on that?
Babaji Maharaj: Exactly. Actually, what we call as Jangama Dhyana is a rediscovered technique. It was practiced in very, very ancient times. One of the highest methods practiced in very ancient times. The same technique was given to my Guru by the manifestation of Lord Shiva who came as a Jangama sage. That is the thing. In Rigvedic era, probably they all practiced the same technique. That is why they called in-between eyebrows as the commanding circle, agnya chakra. Means when you are able to gather the mind here, one hundred percent, that becomes purified and consciousness easily can get detached from the reflections or clutches of the brain. And then the one, sadhak, seeker feels as if he is on the head here, which is recognized as the Sahasara Kamala. Means, then the mind has become purified as a consciousness, pure consciousness, and is blossomed like a thousand petals.
Very often, these “blossomed like a…” things become, “No, it is the thousand petals lotus.” There is so much difference. “Like a thousand petals” or “a thousand-petals lotus”, they are different. Teachers would have symbolically mentioned “Like a thousand petals lotus blossoming, the mind is also blossomed.” So, like that, sadhana, this was done in Rigvedic era also. So, the same thing was given to Swamiji. Swamiji just wanted to call it Jangama Dhyana. That is all. It is the same technique.
Question: Babaji is also spoken about Sri Krishna describing devotion and its importance. And Babaji sometimes tells the story about Arjuna asking about Bhima's devotion. Krishna explains, “He is a great bhakta.” Could Babaji please recount that story about devotion?
Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, small, small stories used to come in magazines. We have read as children. One time Arjuna saw that a lot of flowers were being taken away in bullock carts. So, Arjuna went and asked the person who was driving the bullock cart. He said, “Lord Bhimasena had offered these flowers to God. And then all of them have become…” After offering to God, it becomes to be known as nirmalyam. Means, it is already offered flowers. So, not again to be offered to God. That is the thing. “So, we are taking away to dispose them.” So, then Arjuna says, “So much of flowers, how could this happen? So, I have never seen Bhima to sit down and doing worship, taking up so much of flowers or chanting anything.” Then he goes to ask Krishna. Krishna tells, “Bhima, whenever he sees the beautiful flowers on the trees, on the plants, everywhere, he just remembers me and offers them to me in his mind. So devoted, so innocent his devotion is. So, all the flowers, they reach the Divinity. So, that is how they come to be known as offered flowers. That is how Bhima's devotion is through the mind. He may not show it from outside.”
That is how just like we talk that a yogi is always worshiping God because His mind is quiet and into the Self. That is the real worship. He doesn't have to chant or do abhishekams, outside rituals. We do rituals or outside abhishekam, any such thing just to inspire others, so that anybody who is around, they all can gather, watch that and their mind to be applied. So, finally what we need to understand, application of the mind; in the mind. You remember God in the mind. That is more important. Through that only you can get connected. So that is what the Sri Krishna also explained to Arjuna also.
And one another time when somebody asked Krishna, “You are so loving always to Arjuna. You find him dearer and you don't seem to love anybody else.” He takes that person to where Arjuna was sleeping. So, in the sleep also, in his respiration of inhale and exhale, the sound was coming as “Krishna Krishna, Krishna Krishna” – so much he was devoted. Krishna tells, “Not that I am holding Arjuna. Arjuna is holding me by his devotion. He keeps remembering me all the twenty-four hours. So, I cannot help it. So that is how I am bound by his devotion, Arjuna's devotion. That is the real bhakti,” He said.
Real bhakti is that all the time you should be able to remember in your mind. For that you don't have to tell anybody, nobody need notice. You can be working, you can be dusting. But while dusting you can remember. We used to dust the ashram. When we were young and brahmachari, came newly to ashram, but all the time we were remembering, either singing or remembering Swamiji, Swamiji's play, everything, but dusting. I was not sitting idly. That is important. We used to make rotis in the kitchen, cooking in the kitchen. But all the time I was remembering Swamiji, that I am sure that Swamiji is watching me doing these rotis. Like that we used to remember.
So that is the devotion Sri Krishna recommended, which happens through the mind's application. Not just by sitting in a corner or offering flowers or anything. That is one of the exercises. But all the time you can attend to every work. You don't have to be idle and sitting on a bed and with a mobile phone messaging unnecessarily. You can be working anywhere. You can do everything. You can be working in the office. You can be doing anything, but at all times remember your Divine Guru. Whomever you love as the Guru, you can remember; that has to happen in the mind. You don't have to tell anybody. Nobody has to see that; your God will see, your Divine Guru will see that one, definitely. You will get connected to the Divine Guru. That's what Sri Krishna told and taught.
Question: Thank You, Babaji. Babaji, there are certain verses in the Gita that Babaji often quotes. I was hoping to go through two or three of those first and then invite other people to join in, if they had any questions. The first quote Babaji often brings up is, “Before death shall claim thee, go to the knowers of truth…” Could Babaji please go on with that?
Babaji Maharaj: Yeah. During the teaching of Bhagavad Gita in one of the chapters and the shlokas, He tells Arjuna. So, after talking about the mind, Arjuna asks, “The mind is the most slippery thing, how to control this one?” “By practicing,” He tells. “Abhyase tho Kaunteya.” Means, “O Kunti's son. By practicing, always you can achieve anything in this world. By practiced habits only your mind has gone out of control. By practicing the mind control exercises, you can control that one. Now, see that before death shall claim thee, one opportunity is there.” As we all talk, once in a life cycle opportunity is there when you are alive in this body. Well-developed brain is there to see what is real, what is unreal, what is permanent, what is impermanent. “And then go to such knowers of truth.” Means, who would have realized the Self, a Self-Realized Master. “Sitting at their lotus feet,” humility is advised. Not that with an arrogance you will ask a question, “Hey, what do you know about the soul?” You don't ask the Master like that one. You need to have the humility. “Seeking His permission, Master's permission, by asking intelligent questions.”
If a question is intelligent from you, then the answer will come in the right sense. Otherwise, if you simply tell something else happens, which has no sense of spirituality at all; “If I am just sitting, can the grace descend on me?” Like that, if you ask the question, you keep sitting whenever the grace has to descend, it will descend; keep waiting until then, it may take thousands of life cycles. We never know. So, like that. But you ask intelligent question about the aatman, about the mind, what is troubling you, why it is troubling you, what is the Ultimate Truth? Like that He exhorts, He advises Arjuna.
“So, before death shall claim thee, go to the knowers of the Truth. Sitting at Their lotus feet.” This is another important point. Why the feet is recommended? You are not going to sit on the head of a Master. Sitting at the feet is the respectful manners that is taught always. So you should not be disrespectful to a Master from whom you want to learn something; that is very important. Sitting at the lotus feet of the Master, of the knower of the Truth.
“Seeking the Master's permission.” You must seek the Master's permission. And then if He permits, then “By asking intelligent questions, then adopting such methods as taught by the Master then you achieve the Truth to yourself, Arjuna.” That is what Sri Krishna advises Arjuna in this. So, so much of importance is there. A person who wants to learn needs to have that humility, not arrogance or ego. Then they won't be receptive. They will never listen with apt attention. They want to test the Master, and then they lose. So, that is why I tell, once you ask a question, then when I am answering at that time, don't interfere again but listen with apt attention what I am trying to convey. Then there will be an answer for your question always. Otherwise, you are likely to get confused. That's what I keep advising everybody.
Question: Thank You, Baba. One other verse that Babaji often quotes is, “You have the right to perform action. But you don't have any right to the result of that action.”
Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, that's why this is so simple and practical. Though in the shloka it comes, “Karmanye vaadhi ka raste, maa phaleshu kadachana.” You have a right to perform your karma, your actions. But you don't have any right for the fruits of that karma. That means, simple, see – when you want a certain thing to happen, you put an effort. That effort must come from you. With your strong willpower and fully focused effort, you just do that one. When the result comes, that is not in your hands. It has to happen. Whatever happens, you have to accept. You cannot influence. Now that there is no such universal law or guarantee that you can tell, “I have put an effort like this, now the result must come. Otherwise, I'm not going to leave the God peacefully.” It cannot happen like that one. So, that's why He said. This is the truth. Very true things He said. You have a right to put in efforts, and you do that one. That's your job.
Swamiji used to tell; when people used to talk – people always try to be very clever, “Without the grace of my Master, how can I do sadhana?” Swamiji used to pull them up, “You do your job of sadhana. My grace will automatically come to you. But without you doing sadhana, don't expect the grace to come.” If you are just sitting in a corner and eating and sleeping, nothing else you want to do, that is not the grace; like that. So, that is how we need to understand. You have to put in effort. For that since ancient times, the beautiful terminology they have used is ‘purushaartha’, means your effort, super-human effort type. That much effort must be there. Your focused effort must be there. You must do that karma. Then the result will come. Whatever result comes, accept it. Then only you will have peace. If you keep brooding “Why the result did not come, I put so much of effort. It has all gone waste. I shouldn't have put an effort.” “You must not think like that,” Swamiji used to tell.
Be satisfied that you tried your best. Even if it doesn't happen, no problem. “Till the last breath of life,” Swamiji used to tell “you put an effort. Even if it doesn't happen, at least when you die, you will die with satisfaction that you tried your best.” That's what Swamiji used to tell, like a soldier; “When he goes to battlefield, if he gets killed, he dies. He will die with a satisfaction that he tried to defend his country. He tried to fight it out, not before fighting that he gave up his life.” Like that, you will have a satisfaction that you have tried.
So, now when we die, we will have the satisfaction that throughout my life, I tried to teach Self-Realization, about meditation, mind control, everything to whoever came in front of us. If some people didn't want to learn and wanted to run away, we don't have any regrets. We are satisfied. At least I was doing my duty, and I will always do my duty to teach. Whoever comes, whoever wants to learn, they can learn. We will do it. If one day this body has to die, when that happens, we will have that satisfaction. We tried our best to teach people, to create awareness to the people of this world about mind and mind control, about Self and Self-Realization, to tell them that “You are much more beyond the birth and death of the physical body. You are that aatman, you are that soul, you are that Supreme Consciousness.” Like that you will always have satisfaction.
Question: Thank You, Baba. Babaji, towards the end of the Gita, in the last part of the Gita, there is one statement Krishna says to Arjuna, “I have now told you all the secrets of the universe, but in the end you behave according to your inherent nature.”
Babaji Maharaj: This is important, you see. Swamiji used to tell, “Every day when I initiate people into meditation, the command is given, “Gently close your eyes, concentrate your mind and sight in between eyebrows. Just keep watching there. Do not repeat anything. Do not imagine anything.” This must be considered as a command from the commander. The soldier will never dare question that command; he just does it. Like that, if people do it, samadhi will come very easily; simple.” All you have to do is that, but people are unable to do it. Hundreds and millions got initiated from Him, but they are confused. Because they were reading so many books. I have listened to closest disciples of Swamiji, very senior disciples, very meditated, long hours they meditated, when they spoke they were so confused about Swamiji's method of meditation at all – “I have wondered after coming here mentally, what next?”
So like that, it happens. So, you need to have faith and listen to the command. That's what Sri Krishna told Arjuna. “I have taught you all the secrets of this world, about mind, Self. But I know, when you want to behave, you will behave accordingly your habits.” Mind has become habitual, you see? As long as people are sitting in front of me, they will listen to me and that will appear very sensible for everyone, “So nice. Yes, what Babaji is talking. This is like this. We must do like that. We must meditate. We must just watch and not do anything.” But the moment they go out of my sight, their mind runs again. Like Ramakrishna used to tell, “You have a beautiful bath in the River Ganga. And then come out of the Ganga, again take up the old clothes and put it on, the dirty clothes only, and then go. So all the things that you had, the shower and bath in Holy Ganga, is gone.” Like that, the mind gets influenced when you are there. But when you go out of the sight of the Master, you forget the Master, what He taught. Then it's all gone in one go. Then when you sit for meditation, it doesn't come.
Look, in the war situation in the Mahabharata war, Arjuna used to take a vow unnecessarily. So, Jayadratha was the reason for his son Abhimanyu getting killed that the other Pandavas could not go and help him. So, he takes a vow, “Tomorrow before sunset, I will kill Jayadratha. I will cut his head, chop off his head. Otherwise, I will enter fire.” OK, next day, the war began. And the entire enemy, Duryodhana's clan, they became very alert, very extra care they took. They said, “This is a golden chance to end Arjuna's life; he will commit suicide by entering fire, if only we protect Jayadratha.” So, he [Duryodhana] requested Dronacharya, everybody to be alert. So, nobody could win over Dronacharya. So, next day, when war began, half of Arjuna's consciousness, all the time attention was going to sun, whether the sun is going to set, time is passing by, he was fighting, fighting, fighting. That's when Sri Krishna pulled him up, “What was the need to announce in public that you want to kill Jayadratha? You could have simply today taken up bows and arrows and killed him, finish.” He said, “You all have such an illness to announce big vows and unnecessarily get into trouble. Now, all the enemy forces have become so alert. And your attention also is not fully to the war. Fifty percent of your concentration is on the sun. Only fifty percent you are taking up the bows and arrows and you are able to fight. Now, you are no match for Dronacharya. This old man knows no fatigue. You cannot win over him,” Krishna tells Arjuna. “So, just do pranaam, I will take the chariot around him, then we will go further. We will try to fight others. Otherwise, it will be very difficult.”
So, finally, Sri Krishna had to help by closing the sun for a while with His chakra, with His disc. And then everybody thought, “It is sunset, now Arjuna will kill himself. Then Jayadratha also came outside. Then immediately He removed the disc and Krishna told Arjuna, “This is the time to chop off his head. He is there in front of you. And take care that it should not fall on the ground because the Jayadratha's father had cursed, “If anybody makes your head to fall down on the ground, their head will be burst into thousand pieces.” So, one arrow, He cuts the head. And with another arrow, the story said, He made that the head to go such a long distance and fall on the lap of Jayadratha's father, who was doing deep meditation. Suddenly, he was shocked and he throws his hand and that head falls on the ground. So his father himself burst into thousand pieces and gets killed.
So, you see, here one important point. In those days, Sri Krishna was very well aware of all weapons systems of the subcontinent. Different people had different powers or any siddhis or any such thing. They had such curses and what is the solution for them. Such an amazing, intelligent wisdom Sri Krishna had; had such knowledge how to deal with it. So, without Krishna's help, Pandavas wouldn't have been able to win the war at all. Such was the situation. So, Sri Krishna tells… That's why He always ridiculed, “In your clan, you all have this illness of taking up vows unnecessarily. And just bind yourself to that one. And then you are confused again, don't know what to do.” He used to ridicule Arjuna.
Question: Thank You, Babaji. Babaji, a question that was written in. Where does fear and anxiety arise from, and how do we overcome it?
Babaji Maharaj: See, your mind has the ability to imagine. When it imagines an insecurity situation, something of danger, something unwanted, unpleasant for you, then a fear also arises. So, that means you are very negative in your thinking. That's why we try to teach, if you can be positive in thinking, you can overcome this negativeness. Just be there; like that. Swamiji used to tell, “After all, my head is going to be cut.” Like I have told in primary school, our teacher used to tell this, I remember, “In your life, always remember, if anything happens, after all my head is going to be cut. More than that, nobody can trouble you anymore. Once your head is cut, that's done. That's all the enemy can do. He will cut your head and you are done with.”
So, in any case, you don't have to be afraid of anything. That is important. Be courageous, have that inner strength. We all learned, just remain quiet and soft, but inside we are strong. We keep going. Nobody can make us move or give up our principles, our truth, our things that we are doing. Like that, if you can be positive, you can definitely overcome all fear. When we don't want troubles, we are not ready to face troubles. We are afraid of any troublesome situation or insecurity of living, any such thing. That's when we experience the fear, somebody else can subdue us, threaten us, blackmail us. But if you are ready for anything, nobody can trouble you.
Question: Thank You, Baba. Babaji has previously explained about Radha being the Shakti of Krishna. Could Babaji please explain the concept of Radha and why people say ‘Radha Krishna.’
Babaji Maharaj: Radha was a great devotee of Sri Krishna. She loved Krishna as a Divine from His childhood itself. These are Swamiji's words. Swamiji used to tell, Radha was Sri Krishna's aunt, actually. People have wrongly picturized Radha and Krishna in a different way. Not like that. She was affectionate to Krishna. That's what Swamiji used to tell. Not that she wanted to marry or anything. She was Krishna's aunt and Krishna was like a child for her. She felt herself like a mother for Krishna. That's why she always was attracted to Sri Krishna in His childhood and remembered Krishna, devotionally.
And such a devotion, she never felt Krishna going away from Gokulam. After a certain age, Sri Krishna left with His brother to go to Mathura and He killed Kamsa. And He never came back to Gokulam at all. He was in Mathura, then moved to Dwaraka; throughout India He was traveling and Mahabharata war; Everything was going on. It was great mission work for Him. He didn't have time. So, in the end, Uddhalaka, Uddhava tells Krishna, “You did a very unfair thing to Radha and other gopikas of Gokulam. You never went back. This is very wrong. And at least you could have brought them to Your place. You could have called them to come to You, where You were. You could have called them to Dwaraka.” Then Sri Krishna tells, “OK, if you want to bring Radha and other gopikas, please take the chariot and go to Gokulam and ask them that Sri Krishna is calling you, you all come.” Swamiji used to tell this story – very important of what the real devotion means, Radha's devotion means.
So, when Uddhava comes to Gokulam, he meets Radha and other gopikas. He meets Radha also. “Sri Krishna is calling you. Sri Krishna is so dearer to you. Come, I will take you to Sri Krishna in Dwaraka.” Radha ridicules him. “What nonsense you are talking, which Krishna you are talking, Uddhava? Sri Krishna is here with me all that time. He never left Gokulam. He has never gone anywhere else. And you are telling that He is in Dwaraka. My Krishna is here in Gokulam, very much with me,” she tells, and she refuses to go with Uddhava to Dwaraka. “When Sri Krishna is here, I don't have to come to Dwaraka to see Him all the way. He is here.”
That's how we all learn to see all pilgrimage at the lotus feet of our beloved Guru. Never wanted to visit any pilgrimage places, any places. Only when Swamiji forced me, He took me by scolding I would have gone. Even to Rishikesh Ganga also. When He forced me, scolded, then I would have gone. Badrinath and Kedarnath, one time He took me, otherwise, so many years we stayed there, so many people from South used to come. He always used to ask me, “Do you like to go with them to Badrinath?” I said, “No, my Badrinath has come here. Swamiji, you are my Badrinath. I want to be with You only, that is all.”
So like that we saw all pilgrimage at the Divine Guru's lotus feet. It's about the mind, Radha's devotion. It's the mind. Through the mind, she saw Sri Krishna everywhere, in everything, as everything. For her, Krishna was in the rotis that she used to prepare every day when she used to make. When she used to make butter out of milk and such things, then she saw in that Sri Krishna. All the time she was remembering Krishna and went on doing the work, everything. All the household chores she used to do. Every work she used to do, she never sat quietly. Swamiji said this. She used to cook, she used to go to forest to fetch firewood. And she used to work, clean up the home, everything she used to do, look after the cows, everything. All the time she was remembering Krishna and she saw Krishna to be with her only all the time. That is the real devotion.
Question: Pranaam Babaji. Babaji, I was reading through the translation of Bhagavad Gita, so wanted to bring across one verse and I need Your help to resolve the confusion, what was translated. So, the author describes that a human being in general has intelligence and instinct. They operate with their mind, deciding on certain things and instincts. But the person who is Realized and has gone to the Self works from the wisdom of the Supreme Consciousness. So, they describe wisdom as something coming from the Consciousness, Divine Consciousness itself. So, the Realized Being would get to know the knowledge somehow from the Consciousness. So, I wanted to understand, what is this kind of wisdom and how is it different?
Babaji Maharaj: In a simpler way to understand what people call it; an ordinary human being behaving in a way that his mind says, they call it natural, but it is not natural, it is unnatural actually. Because when the mind is not under fully control, is not totally purified, such a mind is likely to become confused often. And can start thinking in a narrow-minded way of a small selfish nature, it won't be able to visualize a larger cause. But the same mind, if it is purified through sadhana, that means, in the author’s words also, it starts getting connected to the Divinity slowly. And in that purified mind, in our way, in the worldly language I will tell, if you have a purified mind which is pure consciousness, when that consciousness gets applied on to the brain and uses the brain, it can use the brain to the best of its ability by remaining as the master of the brain; brain will be the servant and the mind will be the master. Then better decisions, better understandings, no confusion, no fear, no stress, all these things will come. You'll be able to see what the truth is.
So, that is what they have tried to explain. Simply you have to understand. As long as your mind is confused and distracted, its application on to the brain will not be perfect. You will not be able to use the brain to the best of your ability. That's when you will be confused. And for you to get connected to Divinity means you have to purify your mind. That purified mind is the Divine. That is the pure consciousness. When it uses the brain, that will be able to use the brain in a proper way.
Question: Pranaams Babaji, I was wondering if You could explain Krishna's teaching in the Bhagavad Gita, “You will achieve peace only when you have sacrificed.”
Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, this word is “Tyaagat shantiranantaram,” “When you sacrifice, you will have peace,” this is what it means. Now, sacrifice doesn't mean that you have to give up your home, your body, your car or your life or any such thing, nothing. Simply, whatever is troubling in the mind, the imaginations that are troubling, the worries, if you can sacrifice that from your mind, your mind will become peaceful. It is as simple as that. That will happen through the sadhana of meditation; when you can sacrifice unnecessary worries from your mind, you will have peace.
Question: Babaji, Katopanishad says, “Arise, awake, stop not until you reach the goal.” At the same time, just now You mentioned in the Gita, “Karmanye vaadhikaraste…” “You do your duty without expecting, without looking at results.” So here, the second thing, Gita, the goal is not mentioned there. So, how do we see this goal?
Babaji Maharaj: You have to set a goal, actually. Once you set a goal, here when generally we were speaking of “karmanye vaadhikaraste,” it is generally said, anything you desire to achieve, for that you have a right to put an effort. But when the result comes, you have to accept, then only you will have peace. If you keep brooding, you will not have peace. That is the meaning of that sentence. “Arise, awake, and stop not until the goal is reached”, what Katopanishad says, or whoever says, that means once you have set a goal, you keep trying, never give up. For that you be enthusiastic and awake. Don't be sleeping unnecessarily, don't waste your time. You keep going till the goal is reached. That means either death happens to the body, till the last breath, as we also say, “Till the last breath of your life you must keep trying”, or till the goal is reached, you are not going to stop.
So, like that, it is slightly two different. Here, you set a particular goal and then go for that goal; that is Katopanishad. In Bhagavad Gita, any goal that you have set and for that you have a right to put an effort, you must do karma. And when the result comes, accept it, then you will have peace. That doesn't mean that you have to stop putting in efforts. Once a result comes, at that moment, simply accept it, “This is the result,” then try again. You accept the result, then try again, you can continue. So that is the meaning what they would have tried to tell.
Question: I just got his doubt; When we are talking of the purity of consciousness, I am thinking that sometimes when I sit in meditation, I don't have any thoughts, I don't have any visions, but I sense a kind of feeling underneath, feeling maybe sad, maybe happy or maybe an impression. So, when we say pure consciousness, that means we should not have any of those things in there, any impressions?
Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, nothing. Nothing should be there, any attribution, any feeling, any bhava is all imagination that is getting generated. Either this or that, it must be pure, means just at peace. That is when the peace descends; when it is peaceful, that means it is quiet. It is quiet means it is peaceful. If both are not there, some feeling is there, that means it is not peaceful. It is the mind which is working, and it is not pure consciousness yet.
Same Questioner: When we come out of the meditation, how can we stay in that state of pure consciousness without having these impressions?
Babaji Maharaj: You see, every day you practice that meditation sincerely with that just watching. Then the mind gains momentum to be able to remain quiet for one hour totally. Then when you come out also, even if you need to think for some work that you may have to indulge in this world, for some need or anything, the mind will not take it seriously as an imprint. It will not be playing in the mind. You will just do the job and that's it; finished. You need to prepare the roti, you prepare the roti and that's finished. Then that roti will not be playing on the mind. So that's the achievement that would be possible when you practice meditation.
Same Questioner: So, when practicing for one hour, you only reach that state of quietness after 45 minutes. So, does that have to improve in that one hour meditation?
Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, that has to improve. Sometimes we would have said one hour is prescribed because first 40, 45 minutes you are likely to be struggling. The mind is running away, and you are trying to bring it quiet. Final five, ten minutes it may warm up to remain quiet a little bit – likely. These are all likely. That is when if you can continue for further, another half an hour, 40 minutes, then that quietness if it can stay for 40 minutes, that will be very beneficial. Then the mind picks up that habit of remaining quiet.
Question: Pranaam Babaji. Babaji, in the Bhagavad Gita everything has come from Krishna. So, there are two questions to that. Those two questions, actually, they defy the modern science. One is about the time, manvantara. As per that our universe is even much, much older than what the modern science is telling. That is one aspect; how far is that true?
And the second aspect is Sri Srila Prabhupada, they have constructed a basic planetarium which will be opened next, in 2024. I know Sri Srila Prabhupada is not here, but what He imagined as per the Bhagavad Gita is that Dhruva star [Pole star] is the center and then all the systems, like our systems are suspended through astral cords and then sun, sun revolves around the earth and the earth is in the center. And that is what is said in the Bhagavad Gita. So, they said, “If you are going to depict that in the Vedic planetarium, everybody will make fun of you. But then He said that, “No, no, no, that is the actual truth. The world will understand and the science also will understand.” So, what do you say to that, Babaji?
Babaji Maharaj: You see, these are all the astrological things. People interpret, misinterpret, twist and do anything with these things, circus. This is not a philosophical thing. We deal with the philosophical teachings of Sri Krishna about mind and consciousness. Whether earth goes around the sun or the sun goes around the earth is all same for me. So, what we are experiencing in this world is day and night, day and night. This is happening for us and the time is also going. So, whatever we have discovered, we have to accept. If tomorrow, if the humanity discovers it is the sun which is going around the earth, it doesn't matter. That is not the thing we need to worry. We need to worry to control our own mind and know our real Self, because this life is really short on this earth. Our own physical body is not going to be here for a very long, long time.
So, instead of wasting the time in these arguments, let us leave this to such people who deal with these subjects to find out whether earth is going around the sun or sun is going around the earth. We need to control our mind, understand the secrets of the mind, and finally we need to realize what we are actually as the soul beyond the birth and death. This is more important, Upanishad teachings of Sri Krishna that we would like to take, grasp. This is my opinion and advice.
End of Session
Summary
In this discourse on Sri Krishna's life and teachings, there is an emphasis on His role as a guide and philosopher. It highlights His contributions to India and the World culminating in gifting us the eternal and sacred Upanishad, The Bhagavad Gita. His approach to dealing with various types of people, and His unwavering commitment to justice and dharma are as relevant today as it was then. This discourse also explores the importance of devotion, the concept of the greater good, and the significance and importance of Self-realization through different paths. Through various anecdotes and teachings, it underscores the timeless relevance of Sri Krishna's wisdom in addressing life's challenges and achieving inner peace.