1. Annamalai My Soul

The SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam ANNAMALAI MY SOUL The SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam ANNAMALAI MY SOUL The SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam ANNAMALAI - MY SOUL Published by KAILASA's Nithyananda Hindu University | Copyright 2021 First Edition: 2021 Ebook ISBN : 979-8-88572-909-3 Nithyananda Hindu University 9720 Central Avenue, Montclair, CA 91763 USA www.nithyanandahinduuniversity.org All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Nothing written, explained, shared or promoted in this publication should be considered or construed as medical advice or a substitute for medical care. Any instructions, teachings and suggestions contained in this publication are purely in a spiritual capacity and not intended to be any sort of guarantee or definitive statement about one's health or one's past, present, or future. This book is not a platform, guide or instruction for learning or practicing any meditation, siddhi, process, āsana, kriya, diet, or other technique that is described or pictured in this book. Any such technique included in this book is for illustrative and informative purposes only and should be practiced only under the guidance of a trained teacher Acharya, ordained by The SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam. Copyright 2021 Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam. All Rights Reserved. Annamalai - My Soul I welcome you all with my love and respect. Today's title is 'Annamalai - My Soul' When the Truth is uttered, it should be uttered in such a way as to kindle the interest of the listener to know that Truth. That is the essential feature, the grandeur, of the Shiva Sutra, being expounded by the Master. How beautifully, in what a simple language and how sweetly the Master has revealed here the essence of the Shiva Sutra, in such a way that the listener develops a deep interest to understand it! Today's sutra is endowed with the power to arouse in us the intense enthusiasm, the eagerness, the concentrated aim to know its Truth, the moment we hear it. na vrajen na vishechhaktir marudroopaa vikaasite nirvikalpatayaa madhye tayaa bhairavaroopataa [na vrajet: not having moved; na vishet: nor moving swiftly in a specific direction; shaktihi: shakti; marut roopaa: in the form of vayu or pranic air; vikaasite: there develops; nirvikalpatayaa: through a state of choicelessness; madhye tayaa: in the middle; bhairavaroopataa: form of Bhairava or Shiva] When shakti in the form of vayu or pranic air is still, and does not move swiftly in a specific direction, there develops in the middle, the form of Bhairava through the state of nirvikalpa or choicelessness. When the life energy in the exhaling breath and inhaling breath meet with each other, there being no alternative of moving, the Bhairava state or nithyananda state manifests. It is a very deep sutra. It means, when the exhaling breath and the inhaling breath touch each other, it is at that meeting point of the powerless and the personification of power, that the Bhairava state or nithyananda state manifests itself. Look at the number of meditation techniques that the Master has devised, keeping the breath as the central point! Superficially, all these techniques appear to be similar, but they are not. For each type of mental setup, a separate technique, with a little variation alone will suit. Sometimes all keys look alike, but it is only when you try to open the lock that you realize that only a particular key works. Another key may look almost the same, with a millimeter projection extra, but with that other key the lock cannot be opened. You cannot argue that the extra projection is only a millimeter long, so why can't the key open the lock! Every lock has its own particular key. Likewise, for every lock of the heart a particular meditation technique alone will suit. That is why the Master has devised different types of meditation techniques, though with minor variations in each of them. Viewed superficially, the variations are minor, but when you start practicing, you will see what immense difference there is! At the point where the inhaling air and exhaling air meet, it is the meeting point of the powerful and the powerless. In English we call it the Big Bang and Black Hole. Big Bang was a huge explosion out of which came into being this universe. Black Hole is intense darkness causing everything to end. Science describes as the origin of the universe the same process, the same sentences, as mentioned in the Arunachala Purana, which states that Annamalai appeared before Brahma and Vishnu. Here we should note some things in detail. This is not just coincidence. Coincidence is something happening by chance, but this is not so. Our ancestors have not said anything thoughtlessly or superficially. Behind their sayings lie deep Truths. The way our Puranas explain how Easwara appeared before Brahma and Vishnu when they were fighting, arguing, with each other, that same definition is the Big Bang theory. They say, something exploded as intense light and immense sound and out of its part came into being the stars and the solar system. Likewise, everything is being sucked into something called the Black Hole. A year ago NASA had released lovely photographs; for the first time they had photographed a Black Hole. Black Hole means that the stars are collapsing into something. What happens is not known, where they go after entering into that something is not known. Things get dissolved and new things originate. Creation and dissolution, birth and death, keep happening. What happens in the cosmos happens in the body of flesh too. We should deeply understand three things. Science clearly states the Truth mentioned in Arunachala Purana as to the origin of the cosmos. Just as the origin and the dissolution of the cosmos have been happening constantly, so also the world keeps originating, keeps dissolving itself, both in the cosmos and in our physical body. You will see only that world (body) which you regard as ‘I’, because it is the bio-memory contained in the body which acts as an opening, a door, for you to see, to experience, the world. Whoever wears a pair of green glasses sees the world as green, one wearing red glasses sees the same world as red. You will see that world, depending on the biomemory contained in the body which you regard as ‘I’. When you regard the real world as ‘I’, that moment you start seeing the real world. When you regard a body with a higher awareness as ‘I’, then you start realizing the state of higher awareness. Those who regard the bodies with still higher awareness as ‘I’ see as gods. It is then that seeing Krishna, seeing Murugan, seeing Ganapati, seeing Devi, and seeing such other gods happens to them.

You experience the universe through one of the seven bodies, (which we have within us) whose memories, awareness, imprints and samskaras you regard as ‘I’. This is what is called the ‘seven worlds’. Do not think these are seven different worlds existing somewhere else. There are seven bodies within you - seven layers of samskara. You will see the world as connected to the collection of samskara which you deeply regard as 'I'. Please understand this very clearly. All those present here are not seeing the world from the same point of view. If you think that you and the person sitting next to you are seeing the world in the same manner, it is a big mistake. You and the person sitting next to you are not seeing in the same manner the seat, me or the books lying here. You may wonder what this Swami is saying, but this is the truth. When you look at these things, the experience you get, your awareness, your way of thinking, are different for each one of you. This thing is called 'asanam' (seat), because all of you do not see it in the same manner. Things are given names in order to have a common word to denote them while communicating with others. Please note clearly that if all of you were to understand the thing in the same manner, there will be no need to name them. All of us do not look at a particular thing from the same point of view; we do not become aware of that thing in the same manner; we do not experience it alike. When two people look at a person sitting close, the two have different experiences about that person. You become aware of that person, depending on which collection of samskara you regard as 'I'. The world you become aware of changes according to the body or the layer you adopt. The moment you start viewing the dream body and collection of samskara which you use in that dream body, and the body formed out of that collection of samskara as 'I', at that moment you begin to see the dream world. Likewise, when you start regarding this real world, the existing prarabdha, these thought processes, this collection of samskara as 'I', that moment you start seeing the real world. You see the world from the viewpoint corresponding to the level of awareness which you attain. You are capable of achieving seven different levels of awareness; this is called the seven worlds. When you take your awareness to higher and higher levels, the world you experience will also attain higher status. The depth and intensity of the world you live in, and the experience that it gives you will deepen, and attain fullness. At a level of very heightened awareness, when we regard the existing thing as it is, without arrogantly regarding as 'I' the collection of samskara and the body formed out of that collection of samskara, however that may be, it is 'jeevan mukti', living enlightenment. It is this state that Easwara explains in this sutra. This is what I want to make you aware of, through this sentence 'Annamalai - My Soul'. Every moment the same experience happens within you, as mentioned in the Arunachala Purana, as regards the origin of the universe, which is accepted by modern science. Through this sutra Easwara very clearly expounds: na vrajen na vishechhaktir marudroopaa vikaasite nirvikalpatayaa madhye tayaa bhairavaroopataa Where the exhaling air and the inhaling air meet each other, that point of contact of the powerful and the powerless is the Big Bang. Where the huge explosion, the cosmic explosion occurs, where cosmic dissolution takes place, in that awareness may you merge your own. May you attain the nithyananda state there, says Easwara. In other words, the huge explosion in the cosmos and that happening within your body where both the inhaling and exhaling airs meet, are linked to each other. If you enter this explosion, you will become aware of that explosion. The cosmic explosion is Annamalai; the explosion taking place within the body is Atman. This is a subtle meditation technique which makes you aware that Annamalai is the Soul. Annamalai is the universal self or Brahmanda, and Atman is the individual self or Pindanda. It is this central point of meeting of both, the point where both are linked, that is the breath. At that point where your inhaling and exhaling airs meet each other, that point of meeting of the powerful and the powerless, as Easwara says beautifully, vikaasite, where shakti manifests itself, and nirvikapaltaya, (choiceless state), at that place, it can be said, there is tremendous energy, or it can be said there is vast emptiness. Many worlds are being born and many are dying. Lord Krishna reveals this to Arjuna in the 16th Chapter titled ‘Vishwaroopadarshana Yoga’ of The Bhagavad Gita. Having seen this, Arjuna, totally puzzled, tells Krishna, ‘O Lord! Thousands of worlds are dissolving themselves and disappearing in your mouth, and thousands are coming out. I am not able to look at this terrible spectacle.’ Terrified, he reaches the pinnacle of fear and calls it terrible. Had he looked at that with a little calmness, and without pride and fear, it would have been Ananda Leela or play of joy. What is a dreadful dance is also a dance of joy. For one who looks at it with fear and clutching at pride, it is a terrifying dance. For one who has shaken off his fear and kept aside his pride and is blissful, it is a dance of joy. If you fear, it is terrifying. Rudra does only one Tandava dance; it can be called the Rudra Tandava, the dreadful dance; it can also be called Ananda Tandava, the dance of joy. One who is held in the grip of fear trembles thinking that he may lose something and that it is a dreadful dance. For the Shiva gana who think ‘We have nothing more to lose, let us lose now whatever there is to be lost’ and throw their bodies, it is a dance of joy; there is nothing to hold on to. For the free Shiva gana, it is a dance of joy. After seeing that experience, Arjuna trembles. It was because of fear that he tried to escape fighting the war. He was perhaps not afraid of losing his life, but he did have the fear of his name in the society and his royal identity being spoilt. That means psychologically he was afraid of losing his personality, his identity. That was why he wondered how he could possibly kill his friends and relatives. It was because of them that he had his name. A king is king only if there are subjects. Arjuna was not determined enough, powerful enough, capable enough or brave enough to establish his identity in a new society. So he had a vested interest in preserving the society in which he had established himself. He was trembling on this account; that was why he was overwhelmed with fear, when he saw the Vishwaroopa.

Fear always has a great quality. It makes you see only a small circle; when the circle expands, fear cannot hold you. If you start visiting other places, fear will disappear on its own. Fear of life will disappear. That is why in our tradition it is prescribed that whoever wants to take to sannyas should undergo parivrajaka life, the life of a wanderer. The reason for giving importance to parivrajaka life is that it helps one rid oneself of fear completely. Without going out of their native village people will die of fear. It is those who had traversed many places that have no fear. There will be no fear of breaking the 'small frame'. Arjuna had the same fear, the fear of looking beyond the society established and maintained by him, in which he had built an identity as the greatest archer. Now Arjuna is not able to accept the experience revealed to him by Krishna - the experience of many universes disappearing into and coming out of his mouth. He is terrified; he trembles because he fears as to what will happen if he entered that experience. His identity will be lost. His personality, that concept of himself which he had been maintaining, would disappear. Fear has a big quality. It makes you see only a small circle; if you look beyond that circle the fear will melt away. There is a fundamental Truth which the Master always states: when you look farther and farther, when you expand your vision, you achieve expansion yourself. There is a beautiful article describing a man's experience of viewing the earth from the moon. The author says, 'How beautiful the earth looks when viewed from the moon! It is when you get down here that you see so many fences, so many borders. What a terrible hell we have made of this place!' This sweet earth, a gift from God, is nothing else. You can realize this while flying - look at the earth and see how beautiful it is! It is after getting down in the airport that we begin to see that there are many compounds, many fences here. Sometimes we may feel, 'Shall we get down and stay here?' It is those who keep flying over there consciously that we call Paramahamsa. Even if their bodies descend there, their awareness does not come down. They keep flying up, they remain there; they are called Paramahamsa. Meditate deeply once and you will see that this village, this place where you are, is a part of the country, the country a part of the continent, the continent is a part of the earth, the earth a part of the solar system, the solar system a part of space and space is part of the universe. You have no oath or compulsion to live in this place, in this body. You have chosen to live in this place, in this body, as a matter of sport. Only one who has realized the sense of freedom, can live as a leader and also as a follower. Only a true leader can be a true follower. One who has not realized the state of being free cannot be a follower, he cannot become a leader either. His ahankara or pride will lead him to the depth of sorrow and dissolve itself in the constant attempts to become a leader. If you observe one who has realized the state of freedom, you will see that though a follower himself, in his own state he continues to live as a leader. One who has realized the state of being free, though he may be a follower by social standards, he will be a follower leading the leader. He will be a follower showing the way, he will be a guide. One who has not become aware of the state of being free, although he might have become a leader by a quirk of fate, will be a leader, ever fearful of the follower. Leadership does not refer to the seat occupied or the position held; it consists of the awakened awareness. One becomes a leader only through awakened awareness. As long as your awareness is confined to inhaling and exhaling the air, you are only a follower. A follower who has no sense of freedom is a slave. This universe can kick you around like a football and keep playing like a football champion. The confluence of the inhaling and exhaling air, the meeting point of the powerful and the powerless is the Big Bang, it is life full of power. After having come out, after exhausting itself, when the breath goes back, it is the Black Hole. Dissolution is the power of the universe which gobbles up the whole world. The expansion and manifestation of the universe and its dissolution are constantly happening within you. It is the central point where expansion and dissolution happen; that is Annamalai. The Jyotiswaroopam (the appearance as divine light) as described by God Himself is revealed by God in which He manifests Himself. The beautiful Truth is revealed by means of an ancient story, a beautiful Truth. Let us understand that story; after that we will be able to understand that Truth. Suddenly there was a fight between Brahma and Vishnu as to who is the greater of the two. Brahma argued that he was the creator, and unless he created Vishnu will have no work. Vishnu's line was that if he did not protect, Brahma's creation will be useless. Brahma himself was born out of Vishnu's navel and therefore Brahma was his son. To this Brahma replies, 'It is true that I was born out of your navel and I do not deny that, but do not think that because of that I am inferior to you. One who grows higher than your shoulder is to be treated as your friend. To be your son does not mean that I am inferior to you. A pearl is not inferior to the oyster because it has come out of the oyster. One is not inferior to that out of which one was born.' The argument was severe between the two. The point here is that one who is really supreme does not go anywhere to argue his case; he has no need to argue to satisfy himself. He remains calm. But one who has doubt deep within himself that he is not supreme, constantly argues with others and has to convince himself as well as others that he is indeed supreme. A small story: In a forest, a big male lion asked a giraffe, 'Who is the king of the forest?' 'Sir, it is definitely you,' the giraffe replied. The lion saw a deer and asked, 'Who is the king of the forest?' The deer replied, 'Sir, it is definitely you.' Looking at the bear, the lion asked, 'Who is the king of the forest?' 'Sir, it is definitely you,' replied the bear. The lion asked the bison, 'Who is the king of the forest?' The bison replied, 'O King Lion who other than you could be the king of this forest? What doubt is there about that?' A huge elephant was passing by, and the lion asked the elephant, 'Do you know who is the king of the forest?' The elephant did not say anything, but caught hold of the lion, whirled him and threw him away. The lion fell at a distance. Feeling dizzy, scratching his head, he said half consciously, 'If you do not know the answer you could have replied so, why reply like this! I only asked a question,' and the lion fell down. It is because you have a doubt that you are not supreme, that you have to convince everybody that you are indeed supreme.

Both Brahma and Vishnu had the doubt that they were not supreme. In order to establish before others that they are supreme, they confront each other. Both inferior complexes clash with each other. Our marriages are all like this! By and large our marriages are instances of two individuals, each doubting his or her own superiority, trying to live together. Now each will continue his or her efforts to prove his or her own superiority. What will happen after arguments, arguments and arguments? It will be the same issue as that between Brahma and Vishnu. The female, Brahma creates and the male, Vishnu has to protect and preserve. The problem between the two goes on as life. There is a big argument between Brahma and Vishnu. I have seen this many times. On one side it a celebration by the devotees forgetful of their position. Some organizers say, 'All this happened because of me.' Some acharyas or teachers counter this saying, 'No, it was because of me that the class concluded successfully.' At times the Master will sit calmly and say, 'Nothing happened because of me. What happens because of me!' The mind, it seems, has been the same issue since those days of the issue between Brahma and Vishnu. Both Brahma and Vishnu argue with each other. Suddenly, in an immense explosion, Easwara appears in the form of an extremely intense light. Immediately Brahma and Vishnu begin to tremble. Then Easwara says, 'Now we shall determine which of you is superior. One of you may come back after touching my head or foot, and that is enough. Whoever comes after touching my head or foot is superior.' Even then these two did not become wise. They did not think, 'There is someone who is greater than us two. Let us seek refuge in him and be sensible.' When ahankara or pride blinds you, truth will not manifest itself. Even if God Himself were to appear before you, your pride will be busy with its own work, and will not give the clear perception to accept the truth. Immediately, Brahma quickly got ready. Having got his mind and body prepared, assuming the form of a swan, he began to fly higher and higher. Vishnu, assuming the form of a boar, began to burrow his way deeper and deeper into the earth. An important truth is mentioned here. Who is Brahma? Husband of Saraswati. He has wealth, prosperity, in his heart. Brahma, on the one side is searching for the head and Vishnu, on the other, is searching for the feet; both are searching. Vishnu went down.... down.... down.... as a boar and in the process, his teeth were totally worn out and he realized that he was not in position to go any further down. Just to mark the depth that he had travelled, he tied a bell to the leg of Easwara and returned. If you observe, in all the statues of Easwara there will be a bell tied on the leg at the calf. Be it Nataraja or Dakshinamurthy, all statues will have a bell tied on the leg at the calf. It means that Vishnu had gone only to the depth indicated by the bell. Vishnu returned, sought refuge in Easwara and admitted, 'I could not see the end of you, your foot.' Wealth and knowledge will not show the state of nithyananda. If you try to attain the state of nithyananda by means of wealth or knowledge, it will be futile. If you try to attain that state through money, or by constantly seeking money, you will have the wisdom by the age of 40 or 45. We call it 'depression of success' - having achieved all that we tried to achieve, but failing to achieve the purpose of achieving. We might have achieved the material things but not the awareness. Having realized that, Vishnu, intelligently took refuge. He tied the bell and returned. After a certain level we also tie the bell and return! That place of tying the bell is the possession of 50 cars, 20 houses etc. Realizing that even if you go beyond this, there is no bliss, we tie the bell. That place is our richness. How the bell, tied to the leg of Easwara, made Vishnu realize that he could not go beyond that, in the same manner, we also tie our bell when the awareness dawns on us that beyond a particular point our bank balance is useless. This money and that 'mani' (bell) both will clarify one thing to us. Brahma, who went up is searching....searching....searching... keeps going. He also realized that he cannot find Easwara's head. Having lost all his wings, thinking that he cannot fly any further when he was about to collapse, he saw a Ketaki flower coming down from above. He caught hold of that flower and asked where it was coming from. The flower replied that it was descending from the ear of Easwara. Brahma wondered, 'From Easwara's ear? That too from his ear, not from his head? For how many days have you been descending?' The flower replied, 'I have been descending for as long as four kalpa.' One kalpa means one age of Brahma. After one kalpa Brahma has to retire, meaning Brahma has to change. One kalpa is one age of Brahma and this flower says that it has been descending for as long as four kalpa! If the flower has been descending for so long as four kalpa, in the first place Brahma cannot live that long. 'Even if I traverse for four kalpa, I will be reaching only upto Easwara's ear, not the head.' He realized that he cannot achieve what he had set out to achieve. But the intellect cannot possibly accept the truth; it will not accept the truth. Then what does it do? It will try to turn the truth. The intellect has a tendency to think that no one can see, when in fact it did not see. I have seen that some people come as friends, devotees. Instead of thinking that they did not see something, they think that no one saw, no one could have seen. That means that if they cannot see, then no one else can. For such people there is no need of a separate punishment. Brahma's mind tended to turn the truth and therefore asks the Ketaki flower, 'O flower, I am descending, you are descending too; please help me. I will say that I have got you from Shiva's head and you also say yes to this.' The flower first refused and said, 'No. I do not want this sort of trick. Easwara knows everything. Brahma requested, 'Only once you help for my sake.' The flower agreed out of compassion, and thought, 'Oh! What a high position he holds! If I helped him once, he may help me on a later occasion when I may need help.' I think this is the first recommendation! The very first recommendation itself was a failure. That is why no recommendation ever works. We cannot agree to recommend even calling it compassion or out of compassion or for the sake of compassion. Sometimes, out of dull-wittedness, one agrees to that. Understand clearly, even with a view to helping others, if you were to go beyond the constraint of dharma, if you were to violate dharma, destruction is certain. This story is witness; it is an example. Even to render help one should not cross the limits of dharma; one should not violate the code of dharma.

Brahma takes the Ketaki flower, and places it before Easwara and says, 'Lord, I have seen your head and this Ketaki flower is the witness.' Easwara laughs. Apart from that, the worst quality of the intellect is that it makes one forget only one thing that true knowledge is aware of everything. Sometimes in the ashram when the brahmacharis come and tell lies before me, I feel the same way, 'Oh poor fellow, how he struggles telling lies when I know even what is in his consciousness, of which he himself is not aware!' This is nothing; not only telling lies but they even try to project it as truth! I feel pity. Sometimes when devotees come and tell me their problems, without listening to their talk, first I will hold their hand. They used to say, 'Why, Swamiji, I am saying something and you are just holding my hand without listening?' I would reply, 'My dear, you do not know what you say is right or wrong and therefore I am verifying it myself, leave it.' The intellect is so used to telling lies repeatedly that it would keep telling things without even knowing that it is a lie. That is intolerable. The intellect would not know before whom it says, what it says. Without knowing, it keeps telling. Brahma is playing that game. Even those who tried to reach the path of knowledge through money have turned back, realizing it is futile. Those who tried it through intellect, even after knowing the futility of their effort, begin to show themselves off because of pride, because of the fear that society may not respect them if they admitted their failure. They are fake masters. Brahma was behaving as a fake master. It is the Ketaki flower which he brings there as witness, that represents the magical tricks played by the fake masters. The Ketaki flower is the magical trick. To show that one has attained nithyananda state through these magical tricks - that is what Brahma is doing. But no magical tricks will ever work with the universal Energy. The universal Energy makes one aware that the magical tricks are madness, and it lies beyond all this. By indulging in these tricks one can tell the people, 'I am God, and I have attained nithyananda state,' but one cannot say this before God. One day I asked a devotee, 'Can you drive?' He replied, 'Swamiji, I have a driving licence.' I said, 'In that case the police may believe you, but not the vehicle! So tell me if you can drive the vehicle. It is one thing to have a driving licence, and quite another that indeed you know driving.' Sometimes it is possible to have a licence without actually knowing driving. Having the licence does not mean that one knows driving. If you have the licence the police may believe that you know driving but will the vehicle believe that! To fool the public is politics; to take refuge in God is spiritual. Brahma is trying to play with Shiva the same game played among people. This is where the problem begins. Keeping the Ketaki flower as witness Brahma is playing that he had seen Easwara's head. Now I cannot imagine how beautifully Shiva might have laughed; he might not have laughed aloud; he might have given a sweet smile. The moment Brahma sees that smile, there is a shake in his lower abdomen. His balance loses its stability, because in Brahma there was the weakness because of the untruth. Brahma is terrified. Easwara says immediately, 'Because you lied, you will not be worshipped on the earth.' That is why Brahma is not worshipped anywhere. The temples are for Shiva and Vishnu only. There is no worship of Brahma. Looking at the Ketaki flower he said, 'Hereafter you shall not be used for my worship.' Ketaki flower is not used for the worship of Shiva. Magical tricks are of no use to knowledge. Cheap tricks are useless to knowledge. Since Vishnu took refuge in Him, Easwara explains the Truth and gives him ananda (bliss). Beautiful story! One cannot attain knowledge through wealth or intellect. Going downwards is tamas (darkness). Going upwards is rajas (aggressive activity). Neither of these two can realize the truth, nithyananda state. Truth transcends the quality of tamas and rajas. It is this truth that Easwara is making us aware of through this sweet story that happened. Easwara, appearing in the form of intense light enacted this play and took the form of a hill that is Annamalai. That is known as Arunachala. That is why Ramana Maharshi said that Annamalai is the spiritual heart of the universe. When a premature birth takes place, the child is kept in the incubator in order to give it the necessary food, air, suitable temperature etc. Incubator is a device. If the child is kept in that, it will be possible to maintain its comfort, life, food etc. Just as the incubator gives everything to the child and makes it complete, in the same way, Arunachala is the spiritual incubator for the enlightened Master to come into this earth. Our ancestors have beautifully sang about it: 'It is the hill where moves around Easwara, the hill which the two (Brahma and Vishnu) searched those days, the hill where divine light pervades, the hill where justice flourishes, the hill that beckons and welcomes the seekers of spiritual knowledge.' It is a hill that captivates and welcomes seekers, wherever in the world they may be, in whichever corner of the universe they may remain hidden. Nowadays, television centers relay programs through satellites: they relay in a variety of ways. But only if you a have television at home can you receive those waves and watch those programs. In the same way there are thousands of siddhas, rishis, seers who have attained enlightenment. But we can attract and receive and give to the world the presence of the great Masters only if we have some kind of a receiver. Therefore the receiver given to us by our ancestors, which attracts the rishis and masters, is Arunachala. Again and again it will continue to attract and receive and give Masters to the world. Very beautifully, Easwara explains in the Arunachala Purana, 'I will continue to be available to the world as this hill, as the linga standing in the temple, as a living enlightened Master appearing from this town.' That is why the succession of Masters, for thousands of years, has been unbroken from generation to generation. Whatever may have disappeared, whatever may have ceased to exist, that succession of Masters, the succession of the seers of Annamalai, was never broken nor will it ever break. God continues to manifest himself in the world in the form of Annamalai. Inside every one of us there continues to exist that awareness and the Truth - Annaamalai, My Soul. Annaamalai is the Big Bang of the cosmos. The Big Bang happening in our physical body is atma. Both these are one and the same.

Look deeply at the explosion taking place in your body. Become aware of the meeting point of the powerful and the powerless, where the explosion occurs. Be aware that the central point is the same point where the explosion and dissolution of the cosmos takes place. The same meeting point of Big Bang and Black Hole of the cosmos is the same meeting point of your inhaling and exhaling breaths. To go round Tiruvannamalai is a big spiritual achievement. The reason for this is, as Ramana Maharshi says, when we sit the mind runs, it wanders; when we walk, the mind remains still. With deep, quiet, consciousness, if we could merge our awareness of the meeting point of the cosmic explosion and the cosmic dissolution happening within ourselves, where the powerful and the powerless meet, where the inhaling and the exhaling breaths merge, then going round this hill is a very big spiritual achievement. The hill is an energy field; it is the energy field of Shiva. If we could go around the hill, following this method of meditation, we will become aware, and also experience that the central point, the confluence within ourselves, is Annamalai Itself. Then within us will happen the cosmic explosion and the vision of Annamalai. Inhaling breath is Vishnu; exhaling breath is Brahma. The breath going deep inside is Vishnu, the breath going up is Brahma. If we could merge our awareness with the meeting point of the powerful and the powerless, lying between the two, Easwara will manifest himself. The manifestation of the cosmos, the manifestation of Annamalai will happen. Tiruvannamalai is the receiver. Sitting away from it, if we operate the remote we can see the spiritual vision which needs to be seen. The operation of the remote means entering the subtle meditation. Entering this subtle meditation means preparing ourselves by pressing the remote. Naturally, the Big Bang will happen in us; it will blossom within us. Ramana Maharshi says very beautifully, 'Having fixed a wooden peg to the ground, if we tie a cow to it with a rope, the cow will go round and round the peg. Then the rope will wind itself around the peg and the cow will stop its wandering, its movement. What happens if the rope is wound round the peg? It will get shortened and the cow will settle down peacefully.' Our mind is like that only. Keeping our mind on Annamalai and going round and round the hill will reduce the length of the rope tied to man's wandering mind, and the mind will become calm and get dissolved. A great brahmajnaani - one who has realized Brahman - an incarnation, has described this girivalam (circumambulating, going round the hill) as a great spiritual achievement. Going round the Annamalai hill is a spiritual achievement that calms the mind. Easwara presents us with subtle meditation techniques in order to make us aware of that meeting point which links the manifestation of Easwara, as prapancha (the cosmos or Existence), both in the cosmos and in our physical body, na vrajen na vishechhaktir marudroopaa vikaasite nirvikalpatayaa madhye tayaa bhairavaroopataa When the inhaling and the exhaling breaths merge with each other and remain in the form of air not moving and with no alternative, as the powerful and the powerless, may you become aware of that point of confluence; may you become aware of that meeting point. It is at that point of confluence that we can experience Annamalai - My soul. That sentence is the sentence revealed by Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi in his Aatmvithai (spiritual) songs. Very beautifully Bhagavan says, 'As we regard our body as 'I', so does God regard Annamalai as 'I' and blesses.' One problem is that for us it is difficult to give up self-regard. For Him, for God, it is not difficult to give up that. He regards Himself by compassion. For us self-regard is by bondage. His self-regard is by compassion. How God, out of compassion, blossoms into a human Master, in the same manner He blossoms into Annaamalai out of compassion. Out of the five activities of creation, protection, destruction, putting into maya (illusion) and bestowing knowledge, for the first four activities God need not assume human form. Your cooperation is not necessary for creation, protection, destruction and putting into maya (illusion). Because cooperation of man is necessary for the fifth activity, God incarnates himself as Master, in human form, talking to man in his language, giving him inspiration, cheering him up, in order to show him the Truth. God incarnates Himself as human Master only to carry out the activity of bestowing enlightenment. The Master, regarding the body of the seer who has achieved enlightenment, as 'I', manifests himself through that body. Annamalai is like that. It is the manifestation of enlightenment, the energy of enlightenment, the fullness of enlightenment, which God shows, regarding Annamalai as Himself. If you observe closely, the temple or the place of Annamalai, this truth alone will manifest itself at all places. It is truth that they again and again will be revealing at different levels. The collection of tales about Arunachala is a beautiful purana. Devi herself came to the coral hill, did penance and merged with the left side of Easwara. There is deep truth in this. In the Tantra Shastra (Tantra system), it is mentioned that we all are half male and half female. Even psychiatrists accept this. But the sad part is that society brands us as male or female. What happens then is that only one dimension is allowed to enter within us. The male is not allowed to cry, to appear merciful, and display motherly qualities. In the same way, the female is not allowed to exhibit manly qualities in the society. Immediately after giving a name, society begins to suppress our capacity to express. A man who becomes aware of the manly and womanly qualities existing within himself, and reveals both of them fully, becomes enlightened. A woman who becomes aware of the manly qualities existing within herself as well, and expresses them fully, achieves enlightenment. They become enlightened the moment they become aware of both the qualities existing within themselves and assimilate and reveal them. Tiruvannamalai is the place where Parashakti did deep penance, realized God, and revealed both her dimensions fully. That is why it is called Ardhanaareeshwara Sthalam (the place of the half-male and half-female God.), the place where Devi (Consort of Shiva) realized the exact half of God which existed within Herself. That is why even today Tiruvannamalai observes Kartikai Deepam, the festival celebrating the attainment of enlightenment by Devi. Kartikai Deepam is the day commemorating the day when Devi attained enlightenment. Devi performed severe penance and realized the light of Knowledge within herself, through this subtle meditation, by deeply immersing herself in it.

We should deeply understand this subtle meditation technique. When you go deeper and deeper into where both the breaths merge into each other, where the meeting point of the powerful and the powerless exists within you, you will experience the cosmic explosion happening within you, the experience of Annamalai - My soul. We will become aware that the cosmic explosion happening in the universe and that happening within our physical body are one and the same, and spiritual experience will blossom. It is the point of time when Devi had that spiritual experience that is celebrated as the festival of Kartikai Deepam. There is a link between the attainment of enlightenment through deep penance in the sweet evening of the full moon day of the month of Kartikai, and any full moon day. If you observe, you will see that many Masters attained enlightenment on the full moon day; starting from Buddha, Vallal, Murugan...we can have a big list. Awareness is at its peak on the full moon day. The world itself is high on awareness. On the full moon day there is high tide in the sea, because of the moon's gravitational pull. When the seawater agitates, your awareness will also agitate, because 80% of your body consists of seawater. That is why there are two words in English- lunar and lunatic. If your consciousness agitates when the seawater agitates, if your mind changes according to the movement of the moon, we call it lunatic. In our village we used to say 'It is new moon day and that is why that man is shouting more; leave it.' There is a great meaning in this because 80% of your body is made up of seawater. When the seawater agitates the water inside you will agitate too. For the bad it will increase the awareness of the bad; for the good also the agitation will be deep. That is why they say, we should do good things on the full moon day. That is why we should do girivalam on full moon day. If you keep good memories, increase awareness of good things imprinted when the salt water within your body agitates, you will be in that awareness during the whole month. If there is half madness within, then it is madness that will agitate and come out. What is inside alone will come out. If you keep a pot on the oven and boil the water, whatever you put into that alone will come out cooked. In the same manner whatever is within you alone will come up when the salt water agitates. That alone will come out on the full moon day. That is the reason behind the practice of doing girivalam on the full moon day. That is why we are advised to do girivalam on the full moon day. In the evening of that day of the full moon, Devi becomes aware of the heightened experience within herself of the subtle meditation. It is at that moment of awareness that Devi becomes aware of the Cosmic explosion, in the form of jyotiswaroopa (the form of Divine Light), Annamalai. It is that experience that is celebrated as Kartikai Deepam. That is why the moment the lamp is lighted, the Lord appears inside the temple as Ardhanaareeshwara, explaining the experience of Devi attaining enlightenment. Devi becomes aware of the Cosmic explosion, Annamalai, the intense light, the spiritual voice. At that moment itself she becomes aware of both the manly and womanly dimensions existing within Herself, and attains enlightenment. That is the essence symbolized by Devi appearing as Ardhanaareeshwara, at the moment when the lamp is lighted, as the event of attaining enlightenment by means of the awareness within. These are events revealing a deep Truth. If you observe superficially, it will not be clear. We will be able to understand every event of Tiruvannamalai and Truth by connecting it with this one sutra. Places like Tiruvannamalai are meant to make us understand and accept the Truth as expounded by God. It is the same energy which manifested itself as the Cosmic explosion, Annamalai, that constantly keeps exploding, manifesting within your body. Merge your awareness with the meeting point of inhaling and exhaling breaths, the confluence of the powerful and the powerless. When the inhaled air goes out, it will be full of energy, and your awareness as a whole will vibrate. One can touch and feel the life energy. The place where the exhaled air returns will be totally vacant. One can touch and feel death. When the inhaled air comes out one can touch and feel life directly. When the exhaled air returns one can touch death. If we merge our awareness with both these meeting points, we can experience within ourselves both the cosmic explosion and cosmic dissolution. The moment you experience the cosmic explosion and cosmic dissolution happening within you, you transform yourself as universe, universal Energy, Annamalai; you will become aware of Annamalai. This subtle meditation technique is designed to help one become aware of that. May you all experience, immersed in this meditation, that 'Annaamalai - My Soul'. May these Truths, and this subtle meditation awaken in all of you nithyananda state, and fill you all with the experience of Annamalai - My Soul. Now, we shall try to answer questions. When questions are answered, truths will be churned even more deeply; they will be deeply understood. So let us enter into questions. Q: You say that Shiva Sutras is the science of enlightenment, whereas Devi sitting in the lap of Shiva is the personification of devotion. What is the connection between devotion and the science of enlightenment? Good question! The first one to record victory over the effort to change the science of enlightenment into devotion and devotion into the science of enlightenment is Easwara. This science of enlightenment and experience were separate. There continued to be the bridges between intellectual understanding and emotional experience that could not be connected together. The first one to connect them together is Easwara. Deeply understand this that till Shiva Sutras was articulated, spiritual experience remained just an accident, and did not become the science of enlightenment. No one knew how the emotional experience would happen. It was Easwara who, for the first time, concluded that if intellectual understanding did certain things, it will be possible to create the circumstances conducive for that emotional experience to happen. Please understand clearly, if you plant a rose plant, put fertilizer, water it at the appropriate temperature, it will be possible to create the circumstances conducive for the rose flower to blossom. On the other hand, if you want the rose flower to blossom by accident, it will be very rare.

Creating the circumstances does not mean that we have created all that is required for the rose to blossom. But this is the science for growing a rose. Beyond this certain things need to happen on their own. Those who cause such things that need to happen to actually happen are the enlightened Masters. That is beyond our capacity. But God has given us the clear science which will help us do things which we can do ourselves. Until before that, till Shiva Sutras was expounded, the rose could grow only as a matter of accident. Some rose plant may grow on its own, otherwise not. The rose will grow only if one actually does all this, not merely if one reads this science or manual. But this science has not been known even to the extent that, if one does this it will create the circumstances conducive for the rose to blossom. It was Easwara who deduced this science to that extent. For the first time Easwara deduced the science of enlightenment as a pathway to the experience of enlightenment, awareness of Shakti or Energy. You have asked what is the relation between devotion and enlightenment. True devotion and true enlightenment mean one and the same thing. The superficially understood enlightenment and superficially understood devotion stand apart. Albert Einstein, a great scientist of the 20th century very clearly says that spirituality begins where science ends. He says that beyond a particular point science cannot answer; only the mystics can answer through spirituality. He says that beyond this point only those with intense visualization can become aware. That means that beyond all these sciences, devotion can lead us deep into awareness. In fact if we go as far as science can take us, it will transform itself into devotion; it will immerse science in devotion. If we have to go to America from India, till the airport we have to travel by train, and after that we must board the aircraft. We have to go to America but we cannot help traveling by train as far as we have to or by car as far as we need to. We can board the aircraft only after that. The question on the relation between enlightenment and devotion is like that. Use the train as far as necessary. Easwara, through imparting the science of enlightenment to Devi, the personification of devotion, has merged the two into one. He gives fullness to both. He transforms both into pathways to Truth. Look at the situation: Easwara and Devi sitting together, in the grip of love, merged in devotion; at that place Easwara imparts enlightenment. The reason for this is to tell the truth that, even for those who are guided by intellect it is possible to have devotion, and to show those paths. Therefore enlightenment can be imparted only to Devi, the personification of true devotion; no one else can be imparted enlightenment. Even enlightenment can be understood only at the height of devotion. Understand clearly, even the concepts of the scientists are understood only by those who have an attachment to and love for them. When Einstein formulated laws in the form of his Theory of Relativity, it is said that only a handful of people around the world could understand it, because only a handful of people could view him with sympathy. An important thing: When someone tells you something, you will have the maturity to understand what he says, only if you have sympathy for that person. Only Devi can love Easwara. Devi alone can even understand the various dimensions of Easwara. Also, only Devi, who loves Easwara, can absorb the enlightenment revealed by Easwara. The truth expounded by Einstein can be imbibed only by a scientist who regards him with sympathy. Only Devi, enlightened with the awareness of devotion, and who alone can love Easwara knowing his dimensions, can be imparted this enlightenment. If this had been imparted to anybody else, certainly it would not have been understood. When told to others, the Truth was not uttered so deeply. Easwara has imparted this to Murugan, to rishis like Janaka, to Patanjali, to Vishnu, to Nandi, but in no other work is Truth expounded so comprehensively as in the Shiva Sutras; because even to absorb that science of enlightenment, to some extent one has to be enlightened with the awareness of devotion. Devi was at the height of the awareness of devotion, and that was why the science of enlightenment was imparted to her. Knowledge is also devotion, and devotion is also knowledge - each is the other as well. To put simply, the inhaling breath is devotion and the exhaling breath knowledge. Exhaling air is intellect, Brahma; inhaling air is devotion, Vishnu. The inhaling air and exhaling air are the same energy playing all these games. When devotion takes the form of words, it becomes knowledge and when knowledge is realized as awareness it becomes devotion. When uttered it is knowledge, when realized it is devotion, that's all. There is no other difference between the two. Because it is devotion when realized, and knowledge when uttered, it was uttered as Knowledge to Devi who is immersed in devotion. If you look at the truth, it is a big cycle, a big circle. Awareness is uttered as words. What is uttered is knowledge. Awareness is devotion, utterance is knowledge. The same thing becomes knowledge when uttered, and devotion when realized. Therefore Devi alone is capable of being imparted knowledge. Only those who can imbibe knowledge can change themselves and become Devi. Q: Many of your sayings resemble Osho style. Is it true? Do you resemble Osho within you? I do not resemble Osho within; you have that resemblance within you - those who ask this question have within them. If you had read many of Osho's works, when you hear my views you will see that many of Osho's views resemble mine. If you had already read many of Ramakrishna's works, you will feel that I am repeatedly saying Ramakrishna's views. If you had already read many of Ramana Maharshi's works, you will feel that I am repeatedly saying Ramana Maharshi's views. If you had deeply meditated on Krishna and worshipped him, you will see Krishna's resemblance in me. If you deeply meditate on Easwara as a particular form and worship him, you will see Easwara's resemblance. If you deeply meditate on Devi and worship her, you will see Devi's resemblance. Understand deeply that whatever resemblance is imprinted within you, that you will see in me. Very beautifully, Krishna says in the Gita, 'In whatever form you fancy me, in that form I appear before you.' I am appearing before you in the same fashion. You will see me in the same resemblance that you have. I do not have the resemblance of Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi or Osho, but I have their essence. Understand clearly, I have understood their essence. You have their resemblances and whatever resemblance you have within you, that you see within me. I do not have within me their resemblances; their essence is there. That is why I do not resemble any one. But I remain the essence of all of them. Q: One can attain enlightenment when one merges awareness within the gap between breaths, and there is no need to even go into the next meditation. In that case why have you initiated so many people into Brahmacharya as a pathway to enlightenment? There is no need to go to the next pathway. There is no need to go into the next meditation technique. As you say, one can attain enlightenment by merging awareness within the gap between the two breaths. There is no doubt about that. But to do that, Brahmacharyam is needed. Understand this clearly. You are asking why Brahmacharya, when there is no need to even go into the next meditation. Beautiful question! In fact do the first meditation and then you will know why Brahmacharyam is given. It is only when you actually do, that you realize what all things come out, that's all! For example, I ask a brahmachari to clean up the meditation hall, Ananda Sabha, and immediately he comes with the keys. He thinks that keys alone are required to clean up the Ananda Sabha. What for is the sweep, and other equipments? The technique given by God is like the key. With that you can only open the lock. What happens when you come inside? You have to clean up the whole place. When you merge your awareness between the breaths, your lock will be opened. But you have to clean everything that is inside. Brahmacharyam is for that only. The power called Brahmacharyam is to see that the garbage inside does not come up and instead it gets dissolved. Another important point: It is a very simple subtle meditation technique to merge one's awareness between two breaths. Practice it, and you will see that to attain that is no ordinary job; a whole life time may be required. Not only that, when you do that your life itself will change. When life changes, the vow of Brahmacharyam will blossom itself. Both are beautifully interrelated to each other. Why only two? They all are related to one other. When you place your awareness between two breaths, brahmacharyam happens. When Brahmacharyam happens the awareness will dissolve itself there. When you merge your awareness, your body, your nerve centers should become deeply, centrally controlled; you have to settle down a lot. For that, Brahmacharyam is needed. It is for entering into that centrally controlled state that the vow called Brahmacharyam is needed. If you go deep into this Brahmacharya then awareness will get combined and what is called Brahmacharyam combined with awareness will happen. These have direct link with each other. There is no change in that. Q: Shiva Sutras is a Tantra. But yesterday you said Shiva Sutras is the very essence of Gnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga. Are not Yoga and Tantra two different paths? In that case, how can one be the essence of the other? Please explain the differences or the similarities of both. First point. A Master's job is to merge the essence of different paths; explain the different techniques that need to be separately followed at the time of practice. Although merged by essence, from the point of view of practice, all are separate. Yoga and Tantra are not different. If two people follow Yoga, it will be of two different styles. There is an incident that happened in America. In one place they invited me to 19 the Tamil Sangam to address them, and I agreed to go. Next day a phone call came from another Tamil Sangam, 'Please do not go to that Tamil Sangam, you should come to our Tamail Sangam only.' I was surprised. I asked, 'How many Tamil Sangams are there?' The person sitting next to me said that there were two Tamilians and three Tamil Sangams! They had two separate Sangams and one joint Sangam! If two people follow Yoga both the Yoga will be different. As many practitioners, so many Yoga. As many Yogi, so many yoga. Do not think that Yoga and Tantra are different paths. Even yoga are as many as there are practitioners. The essence is the same. The state ultimately achieved is the same, but the paths are different. All try to reach the peak of the mountain, but different people will trek the mountain from different directions, from different angles. If you follow a particular path, another cannot take that. When one takes a particular route it will naturally be a different route; it will be a separate route. As many routes, so many trekkers; as many Yogi, so many Yoga. Therefore if you observe Tantra, Yoga, Gnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, they are given to each individual. This Shiva Sutras is the encyclopedia of all types of Yoga. This Shiva Sutras is the thread to which all yoga are strung together. Yesterday itself I had told you that with just one sutra of Shiva Sutra, you can create a spiritual dynasty itself, a spiritual movement, a religion itself. In Shiva Sutras Easwara has given the essence of every Yoga in the form of subtle meditation technique. So, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Tantra, and any number of yoga as there are, Easwara has divided the essence of all these as separate techniques. There are as many paths as there are people. Easwara gives here clearly as many paths, as there could possibly be. Q: Is Brahmacharya and sannyas necessary for attaining enlightenment? Theoretically it is true that one can attain enlightenment without sannyas (renunciation), but if we see from practical angle as to how many have achieved this, we see very few. Many times I have been thinking of not stressing on sannyas; I have been thinking of devising a method without that. But after considering, again and again the various spiritual movements, spiritual revolutions, spiritual achievements, revelations of spiritual energy, I realized one thing: however beautifully we may describe householder's sannyasa, Karma Yoga, and propose to try that as well, it is only the talk that is beautiful. From the practical point of view, for the enlightenment to manifest itself, I do not think that there is any other enabling method than sannyas. Take the case of an ordinary thing in your life. In order to become a doctor, to become an engineer, a whole lifetime is required, isn't it? Can one become a doctor by working part time? Look at the part time doctors, they are busy the whole day, only reading the newspaper, The Hindu. Although two people (one who has done full time medicine and the other part time) have graduated from the same medical college, one owns a hospital after say 25 years. Another doctor, in the same village, continues to read The Hindu from morning till evening, wearing a more powerful pair of glasses. This is because the doctor who heads a hospital became a doctor not only bodily, but also by awareness. Doctoring is his full time activity, his life itself. So he became successful. You can imagine what would have happened if he had treated medicine as his part time profession. If you want to see the peak of knowledge, you need to become a full time seeker as the full time doctor. There is no other way. When you find that even in an ordinary field of medicine, only one who gives his full time attention to it, can be successful, do you think that in the very big field of enlightenment, part time engagement will suffice? Somehow, I do not think so. But I do not know whether this is enough to go to a state beyond the mind. Understand deeply, I am clear-headed and intelligent. I have not done anything in life unnecessarily. Did I not tell you yesterday, in my life I had not played marble or games because I did not want to waste time on these? I have never done anything unnecessarily. I have taken to sannyas, so it would mean that, for some reason, it is a fundamental necessity to take to sannyas. Otherwise, I would certainly have not done that. I do only unavoidable things. If they are not necessary, I do not do them. I do not waste time doing them. Therefore at a public place, where many people are present, if you ask me this same question whether sannyas is necessary for attaining enlightenment, what can I say? I may say, 'Maybe, may not be.' I have to be 'socially polite' just not to hurt others' sentiments. But if you want the straight truth, this is the truth. Whatever you may do, unless you immerse yourself in this field it is impossible to obtain its essence, the pearl that is enlightenment. It is like learning swimming without jumping into the water. It may work out theoretically - move your left arm four times, move your right arm four times, kick the water with both your legs. Like this we can read ten volumes on the technique of swimming. But without jumping into the water it is not possible to swim. Likewise, one can read big books, books of the size of pillows, but of what use is that reading? One can keep it below the pillow and sleep. Those who think that the pillow is not high enough can keep a book below it, and can continue to read pillow-sized books! Those who only read books, and live only that kind of life are like people going into five star hotels, reading the menu card and then returning! What do you want - do you want to come out after reading the menu card or do you want to eat and then return? One who eats is a sannyasi, one who reads only the menu card is a householder. This is all and there is nothing more to it. Whatever may be, I feel, without taking sannyas big changes cannot be brought about. Q: In this world, although many have attained enlightenment, very few are called Paramahamsa. Normally what is the difference between enlightened Masters and Paramahamsa? Some people jump into the sea alone and swim ashore safely. Some people can collect some logs of wood, make a raft and save a few more people, apart from themselves. Some other people can organize a boat and save some fifty or hundred people. Still some other people can arrange for a ship and save thousands of people. But only a few, very few people can act as a bridge and save the entire world. Those who save themselves and those who save a few people are called seers. Those who act as a boat and save many people are called sadguru. Those who save thousands of people by being a ship, are called incarnations. Those who are the manifestation of enlightenment, who act as the bridge and save the whole world are called Paramahamsa. That means, he should be a bridge for getting ashore, even for one with the strongest mental makeup in the world. Such people are called Paramahamsa. These are words connoting the various states - seer, sadguru, jagadguru; these are words meaning various states of one’s spiritual development. Paramahamsa are those who act as a bridge, as a guide to the world, and kindle awareness. Q: I do not know why I was born, why the earth is spinning continuously, how this universe, without any apparent reason, goes on? Who created all this? Will I become enlightened if I find answers to these questions? If you find answers to these questions, you can only become either a logician or a lunatic. You will become enlightened only if you realize that it is not possible to find answers to these questions, and you merge yourself with the energy that propels all this. Understand clearly, trying to find answers to these questions is like this. In the morning when the sun began to reflect itself in the water, the fish in the tank jumped at the sun in order to swallow it. It would have been okay if they had jumped at the reflection, but the fish jumped wanting to swallow the sun itself. Your attempt to find answers to these questions is like the attempt of the fish. If luckily the fish had jumped and fallen back into the water, it would be alive. If, on the other hand, it had fallen on the land, it would be dead. If the jumping fish falls into the water, it would talk to other fish boasting that it has invented something - that is logician. If it loses direction and falls on the ground, it would struggle for breath and die - that is lunatic fish. Now if you try to find answers to these questions and lose direction and fall then you will become a lunatic. If, luckily, by good fortune, you fall there itself, you will become a logician as well, but there is absolutely no chance of your becoming enlightened. On the other hand, those fish which, appreciating the reflection, and awakened by the refreshing awareness resulting from it, dancing up and down in that sea of bliss - they alone would become enlightened. So, instead of jumping at 'why I was born, why the earth is spinning continuously, how this universe, without any apparent reason, goes on, who created all this?' you plunge into the bliss thinking 'Oh! I have been born!' Instead of questioning why the earth is ceaselessly rotating, merge yourself in the bliss 'Oh! It is rotating!' Instead of asking how such a big universe goes on for no apparent reason, blissfully celebrate it saying 'Oh! It is still going on for no apparent reason!' Instead of wondering as to who created all this, feel happy that 'at least some one created it, without leaving that job to me!' If you could feel happy this way, this bliss itself will give you the controlled mental setup capable of understanding the secrets of the universe. Understand, I am not asking you not to ask these questions, I am only telling you not to try to find answers to these questions. Leaving aside these questions, if you start enjoying all this, you will achieve the heightened, controlled, and sublime awareness that will reveal, and also realize the answers on its own. Then you will not have to go to anyone seeking that answer. That will become an experience within you. After that you will have only one problem. That is, if someone asks the same question, you will not have the answer. As I am in no position to answer your question, so also you will not be able to answer, if someone asks you the same question. What will you say at that time? The same thing as I am saying now - start experiencing, and you will understand on your own. Like this, from age to age, the Truth has been told; it is being made aware of. Socrates, a great philosopher, was a great logician. He could make everybody in his village listen to whatever he said. But he could never make his wife listen to him. A story, not a story, an incident. Socrates' wife used to hit him as soon as he entered the house. So he started staying outside the house without going in. In fact he was staying in the veranda only. A young man asked him once, 'Sir, shall I marry? What is your advice?' Socrates replied, 'Certainly you should get married.' The young man asked, 'You have no peace for yourself. Daily you get beaten by your wife, you stay outside your house.' Even before the young man could finish the questions, a voice came from inside, 'Stupid, it is one hour since I had asked you to wash the clothes and you are telling stories over there!' Then Socrates said, 'Get married sir. If, by chance, you get a good wife, your life will be happy and you will be fine. If, otherwise, your wife is not good, you will become a logician like me. One thing, if the wife is good, it will be good for your family, for you; otherwise, it will be good for your country. It will be good one way or the other! So get married.' Leaving aside the bliss, like the fish in the tank, leaving aside what is in hand, and digging for something, thinking of something - is becoming a logician. In the same way, in our lives also, begin to be deeply, blissfully aware of what is, and you will not become a logician. The Truth ‘Tat-tvam’ will be clear to you. ‘Tat’ means universe, and ‘tvam’ means ‘you’. That is the meaning of ‘Tatvam’. Tat means Truth-Universe, tvam means ‘you’. One who has realized the Truth, ‘Universe is you’ is enlightened. One who keeps arguing on that is a philosopher. The means of becoming an enlightened being instead of a philosopher is to begin to celebrate bliss blissfully. Live what is. What happens will be clear by itself. If we live what is, we will be aware of the Truth within us. I bless you all that you may live what is. May this truth, and all these views blossom within you. May this meditation fill itself within you, blossom in the Dhyana state, fill itself in nithyananda and become Nithyananda. About The SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam The Supreme Pontiff of Hinduism ("SPH"), Jagatguru Mahasannidhanam ("JGM"), His Divine Holiness ("HDH") Bhagavan Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam, is recognized as the 1008th living incarnation of Paramashiva as per Sanatana Hindu Dharma ("Hinduism") and by His predecessors of enlightened masters and adepts The SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam is reviving Hinduism as the 1008th Acharya Mahamandaleshwar (the head for all spiritual leaders) of Atal Akhada (ancient apex body of Hinduism), coronated as Mahamandaleshwar (Supreme Spiritual Head) of Maha Nirvani Akhada (largest apex monastic order) and the youngest Mahamandaleshwar, ordained as the 233rd Guru Mahasannidhanam (Pontiff) of Thondai Mandala Aadheenam, ordained as the 293rd Guru Mahasannidhanam (Pontiff) of Shyamalapeeta Sarvajnapeetam, ordained as the 23rd Guru Mahasannidhanam of Dharmamukthi Swargapuram Aadheenam, and coronated as the 203rd Emperor of Suryavamsa Surangi Samrajyam. The Srimad Karana Agama, Purva bhaga, Patala 71, Sakalotpatti vidhi, Sloka 8 & 9 (Sacred Ancient Hindu scripture) declares: इत्येवं निष्कळं प्रोक्तं परं भावमिति स्मृतम्। सृष्टिस्थं लोकरक्षार्थं लोकस्योत्पत्तिकारणम्। साधकानां हितार्थं तु स्वेच्छया गृण्णते तनु:। In this way (Shiva) who is Nishkala - without any body and parts, who is the Ultimate Supreme Being, who is established in the Creation, who is the Cause of the creation of the Universe, assumes a body out of His Free Will for the protection of the Universe, and for the welfare of the Spiritual seekers and Devotees. The SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam is the reigning spiritual emperor of 17 ancient traditional Hindu kingdoms and the reviver of the most ancient, most peaceful, still-living and long-lasting demonstrable system that shows the possibility of peaceful co-existence amongst people. Following the coronation to establish KAILASA worldwide at the age of 16, for the past 27 years, The SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam, as the face of the unified Hindus, has been single-handedly, tirelessly inspiring the dispossessed Hindu Diaspora to reclaim their Hindu centric freedom and stand unified for the centuries-old Hindu genocide. The 1008th living incarnation of Paramaśiva, The SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam stands as the unifying force for the 2 billion born and practicing Hindu diaspora worldwide and established the Hindu State, KAILASA for the persecuted Hindus in over 100 countries. The SPH Nithyanada Paramashivam has made resolute efforts towards recognizing and legitimizing the Hindu genocide which has been receiving scant consideration by global leaders and international bodies, The SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam founded KAILASA Uniting Nations. For the past 27 years, this international body has been responsible in building relations, bridging dialogs, inspiring leaders, uniting nations towards acknowledging the Hindu policies which are universal, life positive as referenced from the ancient text of Hinduism. This is the 'ahimsa' (non-violent) way of bringing acknowledgment to the horrors of the Hindu genocide, the untold facts of the darkest act of mankind on Earth to the most contributing civilization - KAILASA. KAILASA is an apolitical nation whose vision is enlightened living for all. Towards this goal, KAILASA is the only Hindu nation on planet Earth today bringing legitimacy to the principles of Hinduism. Social principles, economic principles, judicial principles, Hindu medical principles, and Hindu economic principles. KAILASA is The SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam's response to humanity's global problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, disease, violence and global warming and the continuing ethnocide and genocide of over 80 million Hindus worldwide since 7 centuries. Over the last 50 years, the effects of meditation and its significant impact on stress, crime rates, violence, political decision making and even war in local and global consciousness is well established. Unfortunately, in the last two hundred years, forcibly we are made to believe Hinduism is a functional principle only for enlightenment and spirituality. It is absolutely dysfunctional for the political, social, economical system. Making Hindu family structure, Hindu social structure dysfunctional is the greatest crime done against humanity. Sanatana Hindu Dharma has faced both historical and ongoing religious persecution and systematic violence, in various forms including assassination attempts on living incarnations, targeted elimination of Hindu pontiffs through bio war and lawfare, cyberbullying, Hindu phobia, forced conversions, documented massacres, demolitions, desecration and grabbing of worship temples and monasteries, looting of Hindu temples properties, destruction of Hindu educational institutions, elimination of well known Hindu libraries, the gross violation to the freedom to practice the Hindu school of liberated thinking (Sankhya), Hindu schools of living enlightenment (Jeevan Mukthi), gross violations of the right to freedom of religion that includes violations of the right to life, personal Hindu integrity or personal Hindu liberty, mass execution, looting and enslavement. Hinduism was once practiced freely in over 56 nations across the continent from Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Burma, Sri Lanka, all the way to Singapore, Malaysia, and Cambodia and Indonesia, and in 200 states, 1700 samasthanas (provinces) and 10,000 sampradayas (traditions). Over several centuries the combined forces of foreign invasion, political upheaval, colonialism and religious persecution systematically ended millennia of Hindu Swarajya, or self-rule. Today Hindu temples remain in a few countries but the Hindus who worshiped in them have been ethnically cleansed. The revival of Hinduism through the civilizational nation of KAILASA globally irked vested interests of atheistic terrorist militant elements, caste supremacist terrorists and other anti-Hindu forces who executed a massive persecution and genocide on SPH and His followers on 2 March 2010 that continued for the next whole decade and comprised of over 70 assassination attempts, over 250 sexual assaults on SPH and his monks and disciples, lawfare of 120 false cases over 10 years, massive hate propaganda in electronic media of over 14,000 hours and print media of over 25,000 articles in 5 years, destruction of heritage properties worth over 27 million USD, and the continuing ethnocide and genocide of over 80 million Hindus worldwide since 7 centuries. Specifically, the lawfare involved: Delegitimizing SPH by hate propaganda, disenfranchising Him of His civil and human rights, prejudicing Him from fair representation and fair trial Repeated illegal imprisonment, with brazen torture, custodial assassination attempts, supported by system justification in various forms, including the common processes of bureaucracy, indifference, self-deception, diffused responsibility and has resulted in continued systemic complicity with torture, murder and genocide Well-planned multi-layer false hate propaganda by the ‘fourth estate’ media sustained by moral disengagement, leaving the broader public in a state of willful ignorance, motivated denial, out-group victim-blaming, dehumanization and bystander apathy to even genocide. The SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam stands in solidarity with the untold, multi-level - social, political, intellectual, religious, cultural, linguistic, economic, legal, digital - persecution done to Hinduism and faced by Hindus and Hindu minorities worldwide for the past several thousands of years continues through the modern day. The SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam has been recently acknowledged by the United Nations for the persecution of The SPH and the KAILASA global community, especially the women and children. The KAILASA with de facto spiritual embassies operating across over 100 countries and having presence across the globe as the largest spiritual knowledge source on Hinduism is spiritually governed with the life positive, all-inclusive, universal policies sourced from Hinduism revived by the SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam. Having enriched and enreached more than one billion individuals over the past 27 years the KAILASA raises the voice to protect Hindus, defend Hindus and preserve the Hindu narrative for the world. Ebook ISBN : 979-8-88572-909-3 27