104. Awaken to the freedom

(This section contains words spoken by Nithyananda while briefly elucidating the poem 'Song of a Sanyasin' by Vivekananda, a great enlightened master from India. He delivered this to a small group of ashramites in the Bidadi ashram, spiritual headquarters of the Mission at Bangalore, India. He spoke little, but with an overflow that overwhelmed the group into dazed silence. He stopped abruptly, saying He would continue later. Parts in bold are words from the verses.

Nithyananda explained how he works on the brahmacharis and brahmacharinis (young boys and girls training on the path of sannyas) and how they can accelerate the process by understanding the process.)

Wake up the note…!

Wake up the note! the song that had its birth

Far off, where worldly taint could never reach

In mountain caves and glades of forest deep,

Whose calm no sigh for lust or wealth or fame

Could ever dare to break; where rolled the stream

Of knowledge, truth, and bliss that follows both.

Sing high that note, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

Strike off thy fetters! Bonds that bind thee down,

Of shining gold or darker, baser ore;

Love, hate; good, bad; and all the dual throng,

Know, slave is slave, caressed or whipped, not free

For fetters, though of gold, are not less strong to bind;

Then off with them, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

Whether you are caressed or whipped, a slave is a slave.

Understand: currently, your ego is settled in a few places. Your ego is settled in pride, lust, anger, wealth, social importance, personal freedom and such things. As long as you live according to those things, whether you fulfill your desires or not, depression will be your base. Any manifestation of ego causes depression, either in a subtle way or in a big way. Do you understand? I think we are discussing this poem for all of you...!

dual throng…caressed or whipped….

Whether you are shown love by the master, or whether you are whipped by him, as long as you follow your ego based routine, your ego based lifestyle, you will remain a slave.

for fetters, though of gold

Understand, there is something called 'immediate freedom'. It is like this: when you wake up, you conduct your life according to how you feel. You wake up at whatever time you feel like, do things according to how you think they should be done, spend money the way you want to spend it. All this is immediate freedom. Only when you shake that immediate freedom, will the cognitive shift happen in you. The feelings of 'I' and 'mine' will be jolted. The shift will happen.

If you watch what I do, you will see that I am simply shaking your immediate freedom all the time! Nothing else. Presently, you have invested your entire personality in whatever you think as your immediate freedom. I will simply shake that!

Let me explain this so you can understand it in the context of your own life.

Presently, you may be following the ashram routine from five AM until midnight. Starting tomorrow, if I give you ten days off as a holiday, saying you don't have to follow the ashram routine, what will you do? For the first four days you will sleep long hours, tossing around in the bed! After that what will happen? Your own desires will take over, and you will start functioning according to your ways.

The routine that is set for you by me is there to raise your consciousness, but it will be boring for you. When you are given a break, you will feel free for a few days. But after that, what will happen? The weeds inside you, your unconscious desires, will pull you and take you over. Without your knowledge, once again, you will be a slave, but to your own desires.

Presently what do you feel? You wonder if there is a need to work like a slave all the time from morning until night everyday following the same routine. But what will you be doing after four days of freedom from that routine? You will be a slave to your own desires! That's all.

When you follow your own desires, you will simply be postponing and relaxing your routine. Your eating time, your sleeping time, your whole routine will relax. While you are doing this, a thick layer of depression will start developing in your being. When your own whim starts guiding your routine, without your knowledge, the depression develops in you. But in the lifestyle that I give, that thick depression layer will not develop. Day by day, beyond your logic, a lighter and lighter mood will start enveloping you! This is the big difference between these two paths.

Let darkness go! The will-o'-the-wisp that leads

With blinking light to pile more gloom on gloom.

This thirst for life, forever quench; it drags

From birth to death, and death to birth, the soul

He conquers all who conquers self. Know this

And never yield, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

Understand carefully: in the period between death and the next birth, the one who says, 'Aha, I have done a good job and come away,' that one is a sannyasi. In the period between birth and death, which is life, the one who thinks, 'Aha, I am doing something great,' that one is a samsari! Do you understand?

It is in the gap between death and the next birth that the soul reviews its past actions. The soul feels good when it has lived the previous life closest to reality. The soul feels regret when it has lived in illusion. The sannyasi is the one, who during this time between death and the next birth, feels he did a good job of life and came away because he would have lived closest to reality.

The samsari, on the other hand, is the one who during the time between birth and death, which is life, prides himself with illusory achievements, and concludes he is doing a good job! Understand: when I say samsari, I don't mean married people. I mean the 'mindset' that is of the illusory world. This has to be clearly understood.

thirst for life, forever quench; it drags

The thirst for life never dies. It keeps on happening forever. After having taken many lives, and getting bored, 'settling down' is what I call anubhava, the ultimate experience of life. The enlightened master is one who, after having taken millions of lives and feeling bored, finally settles down and radiates such an energy that a person who just sees him, holds on to him for life! That is the mark of the enlightened master. That is how the relationship between the

By applying the deep life solutions inside you, within your being, a freedom will awaken.

master and disciple happens. The disciple simply sees the master in a way that is

beyond the disciple's logic and so holds on to the master!

Understand, all the experiences that can happen through many, many lives, I have gone through and have come here now. I am what you call a 'senior soul'. Otherwise, can you see any correlation between my 31 years of age and the soul that is inside here? No! There is no connection here!

In the moment of seeing the senior soul, capturing that experience and raising oneself is what is called sannyas! That is what Vivekananda is saying here. Sannyas is seeing the enlightened one and holding on to him to raise oneself.

He conquers all who conquers self. Know this

And never yield, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

'Who sows must reap,' they say, 'and cause must bring

The sure effect; good, good; bad, bad; and none

Escape the law. But who so wears a form

Must wear the chain.' Too true; but far beyond

Both name and form is Atman , ever free.*

Know thou art That, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

Just by escaping a law or a situation, never think you have really escaped. If any problem surfaces, just go into your being. Heal yourself by saying, 'I am atman***** ', and feel the response to that problem happening within you, however difficult it may be. Act according to that response. That alone is freedom. Presently, when you have a problem, what do you do? You simply escape from that situation or from that person or from that place. Am I right? By escaping, you think you have freedom. That is what Vivekananda is denying here!

Both name and form is Atman, ever free.

Know thou art That

Atman - Soul, Spirit, Consciousness etc as referring to the individual imperishable energy that is a holographic image of the Cosmic Consciousness.

By applying the deep life solutions inside you, within your being, a freedom will awaken. That freedom that comes from deep within is the real freedom. Only that will take you to the ultimate freedom. Other than that, through any other way, if you try to move towards freedom, it will take you only towards more and more bondage.

'Who sows must reap,' they say, 'and cause must bring

The sure effect; good, good; bad, bad; and none

Escape the law. But whoso wears a form

Must wear the chain.' Too true; but far beyond

See: as soon as you take a form, as soon as you take birth, whatever you try to do to attain freedom, either by escaping from something or by resisting something, freedom never happens. Just like when you remove one chain that binds you, you tie another chain around yourself! If you want to heal a wound, you need to apply medicine to it. Can you heal it by digging into it continuously? No! Likewise, when you want freedom, the effort you make in the outside will only put you in more and more depression. From that depression, whatever work you do, will only take you to further depression. Anything you do from bondage will take you only to further bondage. Working Anything you do from bondage will take you only to further bondage. Working on the inside is the only thing that will help you.

on the inside is the only thing that will help you.

For example, when you people do something wrong, to escape from it, you alter some situation or people in the outer world, right? You simply rearrange a few things to cover up. After that, only a worse sorrow happens to you! Once that sorrow comes, you think, 'What will I tell people who enquire about this? What answer will I give them?' Your ego will not permit you to tell that you brought the sorrow upon yourself. So what do you do? Without exposing your mistakes, without allowing the suffering of the sorrow to show, without exposing that you are in deeper sorrow now, you say, 'Ah…I did everything right. Leave it. Everything is going the way it should go.'

Am I right? This is the way life goes on now!

Take life here in the ashram. When the boiling starts happening here, when I start causing trouble for the ego, for the builtup identity, you escape from here and go to Pondicherry* ashram. When you go to Pondicherry* ashram, there is a greater sorrow waiting for you there! You escape from there to Salem* ashram. From Salem* you run to Tiruvannamalai ashram. If none of these work out, you go out of the organization itself ! You escape somewhere, right? Understand that by escaping, only a greater sorrow will come your way. But even after that comes, what do you do? You save your face! You say, 'Nothing is wrong. Everything is just fine.' Even if you know that the suffering came only because your ego was unable to bear the boiling, you will console yourself and continue doing what you were doing. If this cycle continues, you block the chances of being liberated from it.

Both name and form is Atman, ever free.

Know thou art That

What is the solution? Again and again, Vivekananda says, 'Know 'thou art That'. Inside yourself, again and again, stand up and experience the freedom of the inner world through acceptance. Whatever happens in the outer world, experience it as a happening in Existence. Know about the inevitability of the 'moment'. Understand that you are the atman or soul. Actually, you don't even need to understand. Just think that you are the soul; that is enough. Just think that you are the pure soul, not bonded to the body and mind. Experience whatever is happening to you in the outer world as a divine play happening within you. Know that what you see are mere reflections. By reminding yourself of these truths, a freedom will awaken. That is the real freedom. That is the ultimate freedom.

Know thou art That, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

They know not truth who dream such vacant dreams

As father, mother, children, wife and friend.

The sexless Self ! whose father He? Whose child?

Whose friend, whose foe is He who is but One?

The Self is all in all, none else exists;

And thou art That, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

Pondicherry - A state in South India neighboring Tamilnadu. Salem - A city in Tamilnadu.

Aye…!

They know not truth who dream such vacant dreams

As father, mother, children, wife and friend.

The sexless Self ! whose father He? whose child?

Whose friend, whose foe is He who is but One?

Thousands of thoughts cross your mind every moment. Thoughts are nothing but vacant dreams, illusions created by your mind. All relationships and all emotions are but illusions. You came into this world to exhaust your karma and leave as an enlightened soul. But after coming here, you got caught in vacant dreams like relationships, emotions and such things. As these vacant dreams pass through your mind, suddenly you feel that the most torturous things are happening to you. You feel you can't bear it any more. Understand, if you feel this suffocation, it means that the time has come to stand up! The time has come to shake off the illusions and see reality. But what do you do? You alter the dream! You alter the situation! Then what happens? You continue the dream on a milder note. You miss the opportunity to awaken and see the Truth.

When I boil you again and again, understand that I am awakening you!

When I boil you again and again, when I make the dreams terrible for you, understand that I am awakening you! When the potato is being boiled, if it jumps out, what will happen to it? It will go for waste! Similarly, when I increase the boiling, if you don't jump out, if you stay inside and make up your mind to see what is going to happen, it is enough! That is the becoming of a siddha* , one who attains spiritual wisdom.

They know not truth who dream such vacant dreams

As father, mother, children, wife and friend.

The sexless Self ! whose father He? whose child?

Whose friend, whose foe is He who is but One?

The Self is all in all, none else exists;

And thou art That, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

Siddha - One who is a practitioner of the spiritual techniques.

Understand that by jumping out, you only extend the dream. See, unless it is a wild dream, you will not wake up! If it is just a mild dream, you will not wake up. If I am changing your life into a wild dream, please understand that I am waking you up! I am doing the job of waking you up. At that time, if you shout, 'No! Leave me, Swamiji!' and you alter your situation, what will happen? It will become a mild dream. Then what will you do? You will keep continuing the dream. You can continue for as many days as you wish. It is each one's preference.…mmm?

There is but One – The Free, The Knower – Self !

Without a name, without a form or stain.

In him is Maya, dreaming all this dream.

The Witness, He appears as nature, soul.

Know thou art That, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

Have thou no home. What home can hold thee, friend?

The sky thy roof, the grass thy bed; and food

What chance may bring, well cooked or ill, judge not.

Which knows itself. Like rolling river free

Thou ever be, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

Thus, day by day, till Karma's powers spent,

Release the soul forever. No more is birth,

Vivekananda says, 'Live every day like it is a possibility for awakening.'

But what do you do? Even though you come to me with this strong inspiration, after some time, you forget that every day is only for me to boil you and awaken you. You forget that every day is only for the purpose of boiling you. Then what do you do? You just settle down with a mundane attitude. You think, 'Ah…all this is just business. What is there in this? What is there in that?' You settle down with these thoughts and get diluted. You start taking me for granted.

Thus, day by day, till Karma's powers spent,

Release the soul forever. No more is birth,

Nor I, nor thou, nor God, nor man. The 'I'

Has All become, the All is 'I' and Bliss.

Know thou art That, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

Heed then no more how body lives or goes,

Its' task is done. Let Karma float it down;

Let one put garlands on, another kick

This frame; say naught. No praise or blame can be

Where praiser, praised, and blamer, blamed are one.

Thus be thou calm, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

Truth never comes where lust and fame and greed

Of gain reside. No man who thinks of woman

As his wife can ever perfect be;

Nor he who owns the least of things,

nor he Whom anger chains, can ever pass thro' Maya's gates.

You can't create enlightenment in a being by teaching. You can only reproduce enlightenment by inspiring.

So give these up, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

Say, 'Peace to all: From me no danger be

To aught that lives. In those that dwell on high,

In those that lowly creep, I am the Self in all.

All life both here and there, do I renounce,

All heavens and earths and hells, all hopes and fears.'

Thus cut thy bonds, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

Where seekest thou? That freedom, friend, this world

Nor that can give. In books and temples vain

Whatever
decisions you
make during	Thy search. Thine only is
depression will set	that	hand
the next stage for	that holds
a scene of worse	The	rope
depression.	that	drags
	thee	on.

Then cease lament,

Let go thy hold, Sannyasin bold! Say –

'Om Tat Sat, Om!'

Vivekananda says, 'Books or temples do not give you the right wisdom. It is the hands of the Guru who lives the Truth that give you wisdom. Hold onto those hands. Don't let go of them. After that, there is no sorrow for you.'

Vivekananda was a true sannyasi! He sacrificed his very life for the sake of the goal. He lived to show how a Paramahamsa lives on planet earth! Understand, these verses are expressions of a great Consciousness. They spur one to bring clarity within oneself, again and again, to stand up and make the right decisions. Out of that, he says, emerges the freedom that we seek.

So understand, to come out of depression, don't change the situation. When you change the situation, you will only go into further depression. Whatever decisions you make during depression will set the next stage for a scene of worse depression. Just imagine, when you are in depression, will you have enough clarity to make a good decision? Will you have the clarity to properly handle anything? No! You will not. Whatever you do at that time will be like hooking on to four or five more keys and entangling yourself with them. When a drunk man gets a rope, he will unconsciously bind himself more and more with it, thinking he is undoing it! All the decisions taken during depression are like this.

The only way to come out of depression is to bring clarity within yourself. Watch and stand up with courage. Then the real freedom will start happening.

***** Namo Arihanta!

What is the role of the master in sannyas?

Mahavir Jain was a great Jain master who compiled the teachings of Jainism known as the Jain Sutras. The verse begins, 'namo arihantana* '. 'Namo arihantana* means, 'I bow in reverence to the arihantas who achieved the highest truths.' He is talking about the great enlightened masters.

Namo arihanta - 'I bow down to Arihanta', the Jain master and deity.

These masters not only achieve, but they radiate the truths so much that those who go near them are also inspired to achieve!

Arihanta does not mean a person who teaches. No! Arihanta is a person who inspires. You can't reproduce enlightenment by teaching. If we could, we would have started selling it long ago! We would have created stores like www.enlightenment.com. 'Please visit our website to get enlightened!' We would have created 'Enlightenment Guaranteed' shops. No! Fortunately or unfortunately, you can't create enlightenment in a being by teaching. You can only reproduce enlightenment by inspiring.

Arihanta is the person who is radiating the truth very powerfully, very strongly. His presence is so intense that anybody who comes near him, even if they spend a few minutes around him, they get inspired. The fire is ignited. The transmission of light happens. They start feeling that this is the best state to live in. This is the best space in which to exist. This is the best thing that can happen to me in my life. Please understand that if you go near an enlightened being, even if you spend just two to three minutes around him, suddenly you will feel that this experience is the best thing that can happen to you.

Through just his mere presence, you will feel god. He will become a fantasy in you. He will inspire you so much. He will occupy your inner space so much that either you start working towards achieving that Arihanta is the person who is radiating the truth very powerfully, very strongly.

state or you feel you are not able to. Even if you feel you are not able to, it's okay. At least you have taken the first step. You have begun.

Respect towards an enlightened being is the first step towards enlightenment. It means that you want that state. Normally, you will not respect anything unless you agree with the ideology. Unless you have a little bit of attachment or feeling towards that ideology, at least a subtle feeling that you should be the same, you will not have respect for it. For example, if you are respecting somebody who is physically beautiful or handsome, be very clear, you have a subtle desire to be in that state, to have that quality. In the same way, if you respect a rich person, there is a subtle desire in you to have wealth. Anything you respect shows that it has entered your inner space.

When you say, 'I bow in reverence to enlightened beings,' it means you are paying your respect to enlightenment. Here you are not bowing down to someone who will help you when you are in fear. No. You are not bowing down to a king. You are not bowing down to a rich person who will give you money. No. You are not bowing down to a person who will give you logic or philosophy, mere words. No. You are not following any person here. You are merely bowing down to a person who inspires, who drops the seed of enlightenment in you, who helps you achieve enlightenment! Somewhere you feel that just being with that person is enough. Enlightenment will happen. Such is the nature of the arihanta!

There is a beautiful commentary that says when you sit in front of an arihanta, the ultimate conscious being, without your knowledge, without even your conscious understanding, your whole being integrates towards that one goal, towards enlightenment. As of now you are not one being as you think. Your head is pulling, calling you in one direction. Your eyes are pulling you in the other direction. Your ears are pulling you in a different direction. A conscious decision to integrate these different fragments and direct the being towards enlightenment is sannyas! Sannyas is the determination to transform. Then the enlightened being can help you.

When you attain sannyas, you cannot explain it to anyone! You can experience it. You can radiate it, and they will catch it in the way you walk, in the way you talk and move around. You will become a spontaneous crowd puller. You will radiate an incomprehensible charm and energy. Grace happens naturally with sannyas, because sannyas is nothing but revealing your inner beauty. The very fragrance of sannyasis grace and bliss.