Miracle 1🔗

Just let me tell this incident, then you will understand.

One small girl came to Kalpataru program. She might have been eight or nine years old. She came with her mother who is a widow. So the child didn't have a father. Somehow this girl felt very strongly connected with me. In the house, they have my photograph in the puja (worship) room.

Whenever the power went off, the first thing she used to tell her mother was, ‘Mom, Swamiji is there. I have to fan Him, He may feel hot.’ She would take the fan and run to the puja room and start fanning the photograph. If she got a new dress, she would wear that dress and the first thing she would do is stand in front of my photograph and show this side and that side and ask, ‘Swamiji, how does it look? Am I looking fine?’ She just felt I am there in her puja room.

She came for Kalpataru program. Her mother asked for my blessing. I blessed her; it was a very complicated problem. I said, ‘You will have it. Don’t worry; it will happen.’ Then that small girl came. She said, ‘You told my mother it will happen. Do you mean to say that you will give whatever I ask?’ I was in that high ecstasy and joy. I said, ‘Ask what you want in these three worlds.’

She looked up and around. There was candy in a cup. She said, ‘I want that chocolate.’ I gave the whole thing to her. Then she said, ‘I want everyday.’ I was in that high ecstasy, that mood. I said, ‘Alright; you will have it everyday.’ She just felt completely satisfied and started moving.

I called her and asked, ‘How will you get everyday?’ She said, ‘You are in my house. I will take it from you.’

Please understand, I am telling the honest truth, it has been forty days since that program. Till now, she is getting chocolates from the photograph everyday! Everyday out of that photograph, chocolate falls.

The mother thought, this girl is stealing from somewhere and putting the blame on me! She cleaned the puja room and locked it. For two days, she did not open. On the third day, when they opened, they saw two chocolates. Everyday she is getting different varieties of chocolates!

I want you to know an important thing, when they brought this to me, I told very clearly I am in no way involved. See, I have certain power or knowledge of what is happening. But I don’t have control over the incident. When she came and told me, at the most I can say on which day what chocolate came out at what time. I can download after the incident happens but I don’t have direct control over the incident.

In the same way, after a few days, the mother came and asked me, ‘You are giving chocolate for my daughter. Why can’t you give one for me?’ I said, ‘Alright; you will have it.’ The next question she asked is, ‘How will you give?’ The moment she asked, ‘How will you give?’ I said ‘Over! For your child, I did not explain how I will give. Just she knows I am there, I will give.’ The moment you ask, ‘How will you give?’ it means still you need to work. Still we need to hold hands. Either I am not stretching my hand too much or you are not stretching your hand too much. Somewhere the gap is there.

In the same way, another small girl of maybe five or six years age came and asked in Kalpataru, ‘I want earrings.’ I said, ‘You will have it.’ Her mother took her to the shop and she told her mother, ‘I want this type of earring.’ Then the mother said, ‘You ask your Swamiji. He said he will give you, right?’ Then she came back and she was praying and the same earring fell out of the photograph.

The mother came and showed me the earring. I said, ‘Go and check in the shop who bought it.’ They went and checked in the shop; in the bill my autograph is there! I am sitting in Bangalore; this happened in Salem, which is at least a four hour drive from Bangalore. They brought at least seventeen or eighteen objects like this which came out from the photograph. In no way am I physically involved. It is a science. All I can do is I can be available.

When I made the statement, when I said, ‘Whatever Brahma writes the guru can wipe with the left leg,’ if it just clicks with you, it is for you. Otherwise, forget about it. It is not for you. When it just clicks and you just know what he said is true, it is for you. The moment you feel he is bragging or he is giving statement out of ego or if you think it is too big a promise, even if some thought comes, it is not for you; relax. Something will happen; suddenly you will know it is for you, he is talking to you. If that happens, this science is for you.

One man, about thirty five years, came for Kalpataru in Bangalore. Our headquarters are in Bangalore. We have a huge, beautiful banyan tree. It is an ancient sacred healing banyan tree. This man asked me, ‘Swamiji, whenever I want to have darshan of you or the banyan tree darshan, I should be able to have.’ I asked, ‘What is the obstruction? Who is going to stop you?’

He said, ‘No, no. My wife doesn’t allow me. And all my money is under her control. She doesn’t give me money.’ I just laughed and said, ‘Alright; don’t worry. You won’t have any problem. You will be able to come.’ After ten or fifteen days, he wanted to come. It seems he went and asked his wife. She said, ‘Not only no money, if you go don’t come back. Get lost!’ This man went and stood in front of my photograph and started praying. You will be shocked, a reserved train ticket with his name and age fell out of the photograph!

This man came to the ashram and showed me the ticket. Then I told him to go and just check who booked the ticket at the reservation counter. This man went and checked; the person at the reservation counter said, ‘Somebody with saffron dress came and booked.’ And he saw my autograph was there. At the time this incident happened, I was sitting in Bangalore, conducting a program!

The moment it is not connecting with you, it is not for you. Relax! The moment it is connecting with you, it is for you. That is why I never allow this kind of news to publicize. You will never see in our books or website or fronting material this kind of news. And we always take care that this doesn’t spread. Because of two-three reasons. One is I want to be remembered by people as a person who gives enlightenment, not candy. It is ok as a play to give candy. But that is not my profession. When kids come, I can give candy and play with them. But I don’t want to be remembered in that way. Secondly, it is only for the people who feel connected. The moment you have a question, it is not for you; relax. That dimension is not for you. You will not be able to receive that channel. It is like a channel. If you have a strong feeling connection, only then this channel can open inside you. Otherwise the channel waves may be there everywhere but you won't be able to see.

I don't want to be known as a person who does miracles. I want to be known as a person who gives enlightenment. I want enlightenment to be the branding, not anything else.

The other problem is if this thing becomes popular, people will keep my photograph and keep sitting in front of it, waiting what will fall when! For this kind of people, only photograph will fall on their head! So understand, this all can be a side-drama, but not the main thing.

When you feel connected, suddenly you will see a different channel, different feeling, different experience. Whatever I am talking is the same. But what you are all hearing is not the same. Each one is hearing from a different angle. I can say, when the face lights up, I know the click has happened. The eyes will become big and wide open, I know the click has happened. Beyond their logic, their heart is falling in tune. I can say not ‘falling in tune’, ‘rising in tune’!

Q: Can I do Nithya Dhyaan while practicing other types of Kriya Yoga?

You can do, no problem. There won't be any contradiction. They will only complement each other.

Q: What is the difference between God and Master?

This again depends on your feeling connection. All the Gods you worship were at some time Masters in the planet Earth. They walked on planet Earth, whether it was Shiva or Krishna or Buddha or Jesus or Mahavira, all the Gods. And all the Masters in course of time will be worshipped as God, that’s all.

You can see the example of Shirdi Baba. Hundred years before, he walked in the planet Earth. Now they have about 70000 temples. They don't have a common organization. But you can register your name if you have a Shirdi Baba mandir or temple. They have 70000 registered mandirs around the world.

So it is like when they are with the body, they are respected as Masters. When they are without body, they are looked at as Gods. Actually without body it is easier to connect because you don’t have to give up your ego. You can bend the Master as you want. That is why it is very easy to play with the Masters who left the body. You can talk for yourself, and you can talk for them, both.

With me, I won’t let that game happen! So following a Master without the body is very easy. That is why all over the world, thousands of people go to temples but very few come to Masters. Because here changing your life is an immediate pre-requisite. Transformation is a pre-requisite. But with the deities and photos and idols, you can always play the game.

If you feel very strongly connected, then only will they land and help you. If you feel that strong connection, you don’t need the Master. You will directly feel connected with the whole cosmos. So I always tell people, connecting with the living Master, even though little difficult, will be the best thing. That is the best thing that can happen to a human being.

See, when their presence has a body, they are called Master. When their absence has no body, they are called God.

Q: If my guru comes and asks me for a boon, what do you think I should ask?

That you should think; how can I say! If you ask me, I will say ask for enlightenment. That is the best thing. Or you can ask for the feeling connection. I can say that is more than enlightenment.

The enlightened Master, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, says, ‘Even with enlightenment, some responsibility comes to you. But with that strong feeling connection with the Master, you enjoy all the good things of enlightenment without the responsibility of enlightenment.’ So ask for that strong feeling connection.

One disciple asked Ramakrishna, ‘What is the ultimate thing in the planet Earth?’ Ramakrishna said, ‘Not enlightenment.’ The disciple was shocked because he was thinking Ramakrishna would say enlightenment. He asked, ‘Then what else?’

Ramakrishna says, ‘Living with the Master, being around the Master.’ He says, ‘living around the avatar purusha is the best thing that can happen to a human being because without the responsibility of enlightenment, he enjoys all the great things of enlightenment.’

With enlightenment, certain responsibilities come suddenly. You won’t feel them as responsibility, just your being will play with it. But with being around him, suddenly you see you just freak out.

Q: What is the role of the senses?

The senses have no role to play. Only your consciousness has all roles to play. Senses are just your toys. When you want, you can use them.

Q: Is there a purpose behind time, place, family, society of a child’s birth?

Yes. See, the child decides based on what it wants to enjoy in this planet earth, religion, place, parents, everything.

Q: I tend to sleep when I meditate? What to do?

It is the mind playing. Just have a little more intensity, that’s all. There is no separate technique because any technique I give, you will fall asleep during that technique!

The big problem is we know too much. Not that we don’t know; we know too much, and never practiced.

Many times, I have faced this question, ‘Swamiji, what you say sounds so straight, real, simple truth. But why is it so difficult to practice?’ I ask them, ‘Have you practiced after listening to me?’ They say, ‘No, no, no. I tried practicing this earlier for two or three years.’ No! Then you may not have had that clarity. You may not have had that depth. You may not have had the same words. It is not difficult when straightaway it clicked you.

The moment you say, it is simple, so straight, it means it has clicked in you. Now start practicing. Earlier, it may not have clicked. It may not have hit your being. It may not have touched your very core. So all I request you is be intense, be sincere, be straight. You will see the truths expressed straightaway click in you. You don't know, the will created in you, the integrity, the idea created in you, really takes you to great heights. It really helps you to achieve the peaks, and experience the truth.

Now I want to share a few truths with you, just a few important truths. I want you to internalize just few truths, I can say the essence of Kalpataru.

Now I am going to talk about the exact technique through which you can go that fourth state. It is a very powerful technique. Let me introduce this technique.

At the age of three, I was handpicked by my yoga teacher and he started teaching me yoga techniques, Yoga Sutras etc. I remember only one thing, at the end of the session he would give me candy. Except that, I don't remember anything! In the first two to three years, I can't remember anything of what he taught. After the age of five or six, I can remember a few things.

He would make me do all kinds of things. In the temple in my hometown, there are stone pillars. I would have to climb them using one hand. I used to curse him, 'Why is he making me do this?' And he is very close to my family; so I can't say no either. My parents would insist I should learn. But now I really feel, because of his preparing this body, I am able to do so much work now.

From the age of three, he started teaching me techniques. Till the age of twelve, I worked with yoga, Tantra and a bit of Vedanta. At twelve, I myself had a strong experience, you may call it enlightenment or satori or turiya or nithyananda state. After that, I started experimenting with various techniques to find out whether they would lead to the same state.

First the master was teaching me till twelve years. After twelve, I started experimenting with myself. Till twenty two, I was experimenting with myself. I experimented with thousands of techniques during my nine years of wandering the length and breadth of the country. I used to go to different masters and learn different techniques and methods.

After twenty two when a deeper experience, opening happened, I started working with disciples and experimenting with them. I have been doing that for the last six or seven years. All these experiences: experimenting with me, experimenting on disciples, the whole experience if I put in a nutshell, it is 'Nithya Dhyaan'. This is what I stand for. This is what I prescribe, whatever may be your problem, whether physical health or wealth or mental peace or enlightenment.

This is like a master medicine. Please understand, I have designed hundreds of techniques and they are all published in books. But the essence is this technique. And if I have to say the essence of this technique in one word, it is 'unclutching'.

Let me give you the mahavaakya, means the words which lead you to wordlessness, the words which lead you to the higher consciousness. In Sanskrit we have a word mahavaakya means the ultimate truth, the word that puts you into the zone where there are no words.

In our tradition, we have many mahavaakyas like ‘You are That,’ ‘I am That,’ ‘Consciousness is That’. Now I want to give you a mahavaakya which is my experience.

‘Be unclutched’ is the mahavaakya. It means this one word is a technique; it can lead you to the complete fulfillment. It is an individual, self-fulfilling technique. Nothing else needs to be done. Just with this one technique, any hurdle can be crossed; you can reach the Ultimate. You can reach the fourth state just by this one technique.

It is self-effulgent, self-illumined and self-guiding. It will lead you to itself and it will lead you to the Ultimate by itself, both.

Let me exactly describe what is unclutching. When you sit with closed eyes, naturally some thoughts will be coming up like ‘When will I open my eyes?’, ‘What am I doing?’ When a thought comes up, do not give any meaning to it. Do not connect with the next thoughts and give meaning to it. Just decide, ‘Let me unclutch.’

Please understand, when a thought comes from inside, do not give meaning to it. Do not have greed or fear towards the thought. If you have greed, you will continue to be behind that thought. If you are afraid, you will try to suppress the thought. Neither giving meaning to it and running behind it nor trying to suppress it, just try to remember, ‘Let me unclutch.’ It means not supporting the thought with vital force, with your identity.

Just remember, ‘let me unclutch’. The moment you use the word ‘unclutch’, the thought will disappear; it will not be there. In two seconds, again some other thought will come or the same thought will come. Again, say ‘let me unclutch’. So there will be another two or three seconds gap. Then you may remember, ‘I am unclutching.’ Then unclutch from that idea.

Understand, when you start, the ‘unclutching’ will be like a word. After ten minutes, you will see it is not like a word, it will be just like an idea. First, you may have to move your tongue, then throat, then there will be no need to move anything. Just the idea will rise by itself.

Please understand, it will go to the subtler and subtler levels. Then there will be neither the need for a word nor will there be any movement in the tongue. It will be just like an idea. Suddenly you will see the gap between one thought and the other thought starts increasing.

You realize you are there. When you remember you are there silently, it becomes one more thought. Then unclutch from that. It is a very beautiful subtle process to bring you to the depth of your awareness.

Please understand, when something else comes up, say ‘unclutch’. Slowly, slowly, you will settle down. The gap between one thought and the other thought will increase. The space will become more and more. The silence will become more and more. Just relax into that silence without even knowing that you are silent. You will experience the fourth state. Anything you become aware, unclutch from it. You will see you are relaxing into the silence without even the idea that you are in silence.

I will describe the Nithya Dhyaan technique itself now. But in Nithya Dhyaan also, unclutching is the essence. Nithya Dhyaan has five steps.

The first step is sitting in vajrasana, means sitting on your knees. The vajrasana posture tremendously helps digestion and helps the lungs and heart. Sitting on your knees, keep the hands on the hips. Do intense chaotic breathing. The navel has to go inside and up. The whole body should breathe. This is what is called hyperventilation. Please understand, breathe with the whole body.

Do chaotic breathing. It is better not to have any tight clothing. Feel your whole body is a single unit. When you have tight clothing, your body becomes two units. Try to wear a single piece of clothing if you can.

Sitting in vajrasana, keeping the hands on the hips, do intense chaotic breathing. Melt your whole body by breathing. If you are a blood pressure patient, if you have any heart conditions, if you recently went through any surgery or any other serious illness, if you are pregnant, please don’t do the technique. You can do the last three parts which are related to visualization or you can do just unclutching. But don’t do the first two parts which are related to physical activity.

The next step: sitting in the same vajrasana, keep your hands in chin mudra on the knees. Do intense humming, chanting the mahamantra. Mahamantra means creating the sound which leads you to the omkaara, the ultimate sound. No mantra is mahamantra. The sound which leads you to the ultimate sound is mahamantra.

People come and ask me, ‘Is chanting ‘Shiva’ not mahamantra? Is chanting ‘Krishna’ not mahamantra?’ They are all mantras, wonderful. But this sound which leads you to the ultimate sound, ultimate energy is mahamantra. Intensely chant this humming as loud as possible, as intensely as possible. This is the second step.

Third step: If you want, you can continue to sit in vajrasana or you can sit cross-legged. Bring your awareness to each chakra, each energy center. We have a guided meditation CD to guide you.

The energy center at the root of the spinal cord is muladhara chakra. Two inches above is the swadhishtana chakra. The energy center on the navel is the manipuraka chakra. The heart center is the anahata chakra. The throat center is the vishuddhi chakra. The brow center is the ajna chakra. The crown center is the sahasrara chakra.

You can concentrate your energy on each chakra. It will awaken the deeper inner potential energies. You will put your awareness for a minute on each chakra. When you come to an energy center, exclude everything else. When you are at the root center at the start, exclude everything else. Just remember that one part. When you come to the next chakra, forget the root center. When you come to the navel center, forget all other centers; just remember the navel. When you come to the heart center, exclude everything else. When you come to the throat center, exclude everything else. Raise your awareness thus step by step.

The fourth step is the main part, unclutching. Sit silently, completely unclutched, in the deep restful awareness.

Fifth step: just feel connected to the whole Existence. If you feel connected to the Master, feel connected to Him. If you feel connected to God, feel connected to Him. Or if you feel connected to Nature, just feel connected.

In this last part, there will be few mantras chanted. If you know, please chant. Otherwise you can just relax and listen; nothing else is needed. It is not a ritual; they are beautiful vibrations to suit your being.

First truth: whatever you may be seeking in your life, you are seeking fulfillment. Please understand, you may be thinking you are seeking money, you are seeking love, you are seeking relationships, you are seeking wealth, you are seeking health. Whatever you may be thinking, you are seeking fulfillment.

Whenever you want something, some outer world object like a sweet or some gadget, your mind is constantly running towards that object. The moment you put that sweet into your mouth or that object comes in contact with your senses, immediately the running stops. You come back to the present moment. You falling back into the present moment is what radiates joy and satisfaction.

But you start thinking that the joy is coming from that object. No! If the joy was coming from that sweet, then after ten sweets the joy should be more. But it is not! As you believe, if the joy is from that sweet, the more the number of sweets the joy should be more. But it is not. Why? It is because the joy is not from that sweet. The joy is because your mind falls back to yourself.

Ramana Maharishi gives a beautiful example:

A dog which got a dry bone kept biting it. The dry bone started poking its own gums and blood started flowing. The dog started enjoying that blood thinking that the blood was coming from the bone! How the dog was mistaking the blood from its own mouth as the blood from the bone and it was enjoying it, in the same way you attribute the joy you experience through the sense pleasures to the object when actually that joy comes out of your own self.

If the dog starts thinking the blood is coming from the bone, it will just bite the bone more strongly. In the same way when you think that the joy comes from sense objects, you catch that sense object more strongly. When you put the sweet in your tongue, it is not ready to rest. You don't experience any more joy because your mind is now accustomed to the sweet. Suddenly you will see the emptiness after say ten sweets. The mind continuously asks, 'What next? What next? What next?'

The mind does not relax, rest, into that satisfaction. One part of your mind says, 'There is no joy in the object; the same joy is not there in that sweet.' But another part of your mind says, 'No, no, no, you are wrong! Try once more, try a little more. You may get little more joy...'

You are not ready to believe there is no joy in the object because that is the only thing you have in your hand. In that also if there is no hope, what will happen? You will become completely hopeless. That is too much. So you try to hold on. You try to add juice to the object from your own being and you try to enjoy. You are not ready to believe that there is no joy from the sense, from the object. You are not ready to accept that the joy is from your inner space, that the peace is because you are relaxing, resting.

Let you be very clear: For any enjoyment, for any joy, your inner space needs to be completely relaxed. If your inner space is tensed, you may be doing the activity that brought joy to you sometime, but you will not be experiencing the same excitement this time.

The excitement or the joy depends on two things: one is your senses coming in contact with the objects that give pleasure. Second thing: a deep relaxed inner space which can internalize this joy and experience it.

Your inner space needs to have some empty space to internalize the experience. For example, this moment, say you are enjoying a sweet, or a beautiful touch, or some melodious music. At this moment if you are relaxed, you can use the sense object to create joy in you, because you have enough space to receive the experience, internalize it, cherish it and relax into it.

If you don’t have an inner space to internalize the joy which is experienced by the senses, your senses will lose their sensitivity. Please understand, if your senses come in contact with sense objects or the things which give you pleasure, but your inner space is not relaxed, you don’t have enough of inner space to internalize that joy and cherish it, experience it. Then your senses will become dull and insensitive.

If your inner space is tensed, restless, disturbed, there is an urge, a pressure to squeeze the maximum joy out of that object. With that pressure and tension when you approach the object, even when you come in contact with that object, your senses will only become insensitive, dull and disturbed.

The things which give you pleasure, the objects which gives you pleasure can be used in three ways. First, the sense objects can be used to give you joy if your inner space has got enough space to internalize that experience. Second, if your inner space is tensed and doesn’t have enough space to internalize this experience of the senses coming in contact with the object, your senses will become dull, disturbed and insensitive. Third, if your inner space is completely empty and your senses come in contact with the sense objects, even before you start enjoying them, the same sense objects will open a new door to reality, to enlightenment.

Let us first understand: what is sense? What are our five senses?

If a stone is polished nicely it will shine and you will be able to see your face in it. The same stone might have been previously lying in a quarry. Not only can’t you see your face, but it is also may not be useful. If you take that stone and nicely polish it, it starts reflecting your whole face.

In the same way at five points in your body, the matter has been polished so nicely, it can reflect consciousness. The senses are those parts of your body which are polished intensely and hence which can reflect consciousness.

Physiologically the cells in your body are fundamentally the same. But through the special cells in the region of the eyes, you are able to see. Through the skin and special cells in the region of the ears, you are able to hear. Through the region of the nose, you are able to feel the smell. The cells in that space, in that area, have a different quality.

Your senses are like polished stones. At five points in your body, the matter is polished to such an extent, it has become sensitive to such an extent, that through it the consciousness can be reflected.

So you can use the senses in different ways. You can use them with a lot of pressure, to extract enjoyment and make them dull, dead and insensitive. Second, you can be relaxed this very moment, come in contact with the sense objects and enjoy pleasure or joy this moment. Third, if you are completely relaxed from the engrams, the very coming in contact with the sense objects itself will open a new door and liberate you to enlightenment.

So understand, fulfillment cannot be directly achieved through the senses. It is the inner core of bliss that enables even the senses to be a means of enjoyment and fulfillment. If fulfillment can be achieved through objects, at least some people should have achieved by now.

You can see around you, so many people have achieved whatever money can give but they are still not fulfilled. There are so many people who have achieved the peaks of name and fame, but they are not fulfilled within themselves. In the same way, have you seen any person who is completely fulfilled through his relationships, whose fulfillment is untouched by the ups and downs of emotions?

You can never achieve fulfillment by just running behind the sense objects, without awareness of your pure inner space.

Be very clear, as long as you believe you are your senses, you abuse your senses. Your body and your senses have got tremendous intelligence to update, heal, rejuvenate and replace themselves. When you connect yourself only with the senses, you stop that natural updating process.

Your ego is such, whenever you feel some enjoyment, you go the extreme, till that sense is tired. Till that sense gets tired you do not stop. Till we feel we are overflowing, we don't stop eating. Till our eyes are begging us, 'Please relax, please relax,' we do not switch off the television!

The same is the case with food. If we feel something is tasty, till our senses are abused we don't stop. If you have the intelligence that you are not the senses but you are using the senses, you will never abuse them. When you are able to create the gap between you and the senses, you will not abuse your senses, you will not misuse your senses.

In the same way, the moment you decide the touch is a pleasure, you go to the extreme. You use all your energy to feel that pleasure through touch. You do not let the body rejuvenate itself. You do give enough gap for the senses to rejuvenate themselves.

There is an automatic intelligence which is constantly rejuvenating and even replacing: if some part is damaged you have enough intelligence to replace that also. But if your ego or the mind interferes, you do not allow that natural process to happen.

If you bring tremendous awareness, suddenly you realize you are not just the senses, you are beyond the senses. You are using your senses. Through the senses, you are relating with the world.

When you realize you are beyond your senses, whatever you use your senses for, they have the power to rejuvenate and they don't get tired. Not only do the senses not get tired, but they also bring tremendous energy. It is like they refill themselves.

If you can center yourself, in your center, beyond the five senses, not only will you experience the bliss within, even the senses become very energetic and active. You experience a different level of existence. Altogether your very existence will be in a different level.

Understand, this whole existence, the whole cosmos is you. But when you identify yourself just with the five senses, you lose the illimitable space, your expanded consciousness, the expanded ecstasy and the bliss which is your very nature. Do not think you are just this six feet body. You cannot be just the six feet form of the body. Be very clear, you are only using this six feet. You are using the body. You are not the body itself.

Fall into the center, move yourself away from the five senses. Fall into the center and suddenly you will realize, this center is directly connected to the illimitable space. As long as you are running driven by the five senses, constantly behind one sense or the other, you can never realize who you truly are.

Why do you seek money? Because money expands your freedom. See, without money you have only one suffering. With money, you have a choice of sufferings! You can choose from many sufferings. Even having a choice of sufferings is a big freedom!

See, without money you don't have a choice. You have to lie down on your couch and suffer and be depressed. With money, you can choose. You can be lying down in Hawaii and suffering. You can be lying down in Honolulu and be depressed. You can be lying down in Machu Picchu and be depressed. You have a wide range of suffering. Your boundary is expanded; that is why you ask for money. You don't ask for money just for the sake of it; it expands your boundary.

In the same way, it is with love. When you feel somebody loves you deeply, it makes you feel better. It just gives you a complete feeling, a wholeness. That is the reason you ask for love and attention.

Especially in the developed civilizations only I see sending a card, giving a flower, saying, ‘I love you’. Once in half an hour you have to ring up and say, ‘I love you dear,’ ‘I love you darling.’ I can't understand this idea! Somehow I am not able to relate with some of these things. If you love, love, that’s all! Why should you be constantly telling? Maybe telling makes the other person feel better! It is like remembering and reminding the other person. Love gives you that kind of a feeling of completeness.

In the same way, it is with health. Why do you seek health? Because you know being healthy is your nature. For example, if you have headache, you know being healthy without headache is your nature. That is why you take medicine and you just want to come out of it.

If you had had headache forever, if you had never tasted a moment without headache, then you would never think of coming out of your headache! You know it is your nature. See, not having headache and being healthy is your nature. So you want to come back to your nature.

Whatever you may be seeking, you are seeking fulfillment. Please understand, these are the few truths you need to internalize.

Between the ages of 7 and 14, you experience your individual identity. From that moment you feel a kind of emptiness, the unrest inside. It is a kind of hollow, shallow emptiness. From that moment you start seeking fulfillment. If you believe money will give you fulfillment or if somebody makes you believe money will give you fulfillment, you start seeking that. If you believe love will give you fulfillment or if somebody makes you believe love will give you fulfillment, you start seeking through love.

Whatever path you may choose, you are seeking fulfillment. Whether it is health or love or relationships or luxury, whatever you may be seeking, directly or indirectly you are seeking fulfillment. Your whole life is a long chain of events performed in moving towards the one goal of fulfillment. Whatever you may do, whether it is eating or drinking or having relationships, gaining wealth or joy – it is all to experience the fulfillment. Through different directions you seek fulfillment instead of seeking it directly.

The emptiness which you started feeling the moment you felt the individual identity, you start seeking fulfillment from that emptiness. You want to escape from that emptiness. It happens between the age of 7 and 14, it depends on the culture. I can say if the culture is not corrupting you too much, if it is not putting too much of fantasy inside you, it may be upto 14. But if the culture is forcing too much of fantasy inside you, putting too many ideas inside you, then it will be 7. But it will be between 7 and 14.

When you are physically mature, that is the time a strong individual identity is felt by you. The moment you start feeling the strong individual identity, you start feeling a kind of deep emptiness, shallowness.

Look little deep. From the day you started feeling the individual identity, you have that emptiness. From that day, you started seeking fulfillment. If you believe or you are convinced to believe that through something that fulfillment will be achieved, you start going behind it, you start working towards it.

You start seeking what you are missing - in so many things, in so many places.

If somebody convinces you making money will take you out of the emptiness, it will give you fulfillment, you start making money. If somebody convinces you having love only will give you fulfillment, you start running behind love. If somebody convinces you good relationships and family will only give you fulfillment, you start running behind that. If somebody convinces you that having a car and house and all the basic needs only will give you fulfillment, you run behind that.

But from the beginning, whatever you may be seeking, you are working for fulfillment. The day you started feeling the individual identity, the emptiness started.

Somebody tells you, ‘First get educated, then life will be settled.’ So you start studying. Then you think, ‘If I get a job, life is settled.’ Then, ‘If I find my love, life is settled.’ Then, ‘If I am married and settled, life is settled.’ After marriage, ‘If I have my house and car, life is settled.’ After car and house, ‘If I have kids and family, life is settled.’ After kids, ‘If they study well and grow up little bit, life is settled.’ After the children grow up, study well, ‘If they find the right college, life is settled.’ After they find the right college and study, ‘If they get married, life is settled.’ Then after they get married, ‘If I have grandkids, life is settled.’ Till you go and settle in the graveyard, life is never settled!

Maya is that which is not there but which makes you run as if it is there. It creates the responses of fear and greed in you as if it is there.

Maya is nothing but running behind goals set by people who themselves have not experienced fulfillment.

A real incident:

Once a woman came to me with a complaint that her son would not listen to her. She wanted me to counsel the boy and make him understand that he should follow what she said. I was actually uncomfortable with this because I myself never followed anybody! But she wouldn't leave me without making me counsel her son.

Finally, I told the boy, 'Please listen to what your mother says. See, not only you, I am also listening!'

The boy replied, 'Swamiji, why should I follow what she says? Has she attained happiness by whatever she is doing and what she is telling me to do? No! Then why should I also repeat the same thing?'

I was shocked. What the boy said was true! When the mother herself had not realized the ultimate state of bliss and happiness, how could she guide her son's life!

So please understand, running behind goals set by people who are themselves unfulfilled can never lead to fulfillment.

Whether it is relationships or name and fame, we are constantly running behind what others say is our goal.

Many times in our lives, we can see how many decisions we have made just because people told us so. The son may want to become a painter, but he ends up becoming an engineer because his parents and society said that becoming an engineer is lucrative. The daughter may want to become a dancer but her parents persuade her to become a doctor because society does not value being a dancer as much as it respects a doctor. What will happen if these youth follow a profession they are not interested in? Naturally, when your heart is not in it, you just take it up as a profession. Neither are you able to feel fulfilled nor are you able to give your best to the work involved in the profession.

Fulfillment is within you, it is your very nature. That is why you keep trying to come out of the un-fulfillment that happens when you have a desire. You try to fulfill the desire and restore fulfillment. Fulfillment is not unknown to you. If fulfillment was something completely unknown, how could you be searching for it? If you are searching for fulfillment, it means fulfillment is known to you! You have experienced fulfillment in your life. You have experienced your true nature. But somehow you have forgotten your true nature. You have lost base with yourself. You are looking to find who you really are. All those instances when you felt some fulfillment are pulling you towards that fulfillment, giving you the hope that you will experience it again. That is why you drag your life.

First truth, whatever path you may choose, whatever you may think you are seeking, you are seeking directly or indirectly, fulfillment. That is the first truth.