Chapter 21: Do Not Fear Unclutching🔗

And the ultimate thing, do not be afraid of unclutching.

An incident from my wandering days:

I spent ten years walking all over India begging and eating, sleeping under the trees, and meditating. I have seen the villagers in North India who have a novel trap to catch birds.

They will put a stick, held by the rope wound over it, and hang it between the trees. That's all. You will be surprised, how this can trap a bird.

Understand, when this stick is hanging, the bird will come and sit on the stick.

When the bird sits, just because of his own weight, what will happen? It will become topsy-turvy, upside down.

This poor bird starts thinking, if he leaves, if he relaxes, he will fall and die. I have seen, for hours, the bird will be hanging. The poor bird will be fluttering, will be trying his best, shaking his wings, but it will be hanging, thinking that if he relaxes, if he lets go, he will fall, and break his head, and die.

Have you heard any time of a bird falling and breaking his head and dying? No! The foolish bird does not know that if he just lets go, he can just fly…! He can be liberated.

Understand: I have seen the bird will be hanging for hours... The hunter will slowly come after two or three hours; he will come and just pick up the bird and put it in the cage.

How that foolish bird was thinking if he let go, he would fall and die, in the same way, we have the fear that if we let go of our mind, if we unclutch, we will fall and our life will become a mess. Understand, there is no history, there is no record saying the bird which let go, which opened up has fallen and died. In the same way, there is no record that a person who has unclutched has lost something in his life.

One more thing, the bird feels that the stick is his security; he hangs on to it. But the hunter comes, and not only does the bird lose the stick which he thinks of as security, but he is eternally in a prison also. In the same way, what you think of as security - your mind and life, if you hold on to it, what happens? When Yama, the Lord of Death comes, not only what you think of as security is lost, but you are also put to death.

Understand, just like that bird, in our foolish way, we are hanging on to the stick - the mind - with a fear, 'If I let go, what will happen ...?'

Sometimes I have seen, when the bird is hanging, some birds which are flying come and poke this bird and tell him, 'Let go! I had the same problem; when I relaxed I just started flying. All it takes is just two or three seconds to balance.'

See, the bird will be topsy-turvy; when it leaves, maybe for two seconds it will start falling, and then it will just turn and start flying. Courageously facing those two to three seconds, that chaos, is what I call tapas.

When you unclutch, there will be some revolution in your life, day-to-day thinking, decision-making, in your daily routine, in your lifestyle. Courageously going through that revolution, going through that transformation which happens in you is what I call tapas.

Understand, rarely, a bird which was stuck in the trap but had the courage to let go and open up, comes back and tells the birds which are hanging, ‘Hey, let go! Relax! Listen, I was like you. When I opened up, I never fell and broke my head and died. I only became liberated. I only became a free bird. Come on...’

you will have that experience. When it comes from the truth, it will reach your true Self and being. All you need to do is just let go, and you will become Paramahamsa. Let you live enlightenment.

I think I can answer a few questions related to this subject that I spoke of today. If you could write few questions, I will finish the question-answers; then we will enter into meditation. It is a very strong subject; let us internalize it by question-answers.

Q: Does removing samskaras mean samadrishti Can you please discuss about samadrishti?

Understand, you don't even have to remove, just unclutch. Do not own it, that's all. Understand, here the waves of so many TV channels are present; are you seeing them? No. But when you sit in front of the television and operate it, you see them. To stop the waves entering your space, all you need to do is just stop the television, that's all. You don't have to remove or suffer or struggle with the samskaras. Just unclutch from them, that's all.

Q: If the body cells get replaced once in 365 days automatically, why not thoughts?

Thoughts get replaced every moment. What are you talking about 365 days! Only thing, you need to trust that it gets replaced and allow it to happen. Because the gap between the thoughts is so small, you think it is a continuous shaft. It is not; after every thought, there is a break.

Q: Even when we unclutch, the same stimulus will give rise to the same thought. How do we handle this situation?

Understand, this you are talking before unclutching. Unclutch and see. Unclutch and see for a few times. Suddenly you will see, neither the same stimulus is the same stimulus, nor is the thought the same thought. The stimulus which created the same thought 9 years ago, 8 years ago and now, are not the same experiences. Why are you clutching again once more and seeing?

Q: If thoughts are independent and unconnected, how are day-to-day planning, inventions, and discoveries possible?

This is a wonderful question. This doubt I had for quite a long time. I met a Nobel laureate who invented the maser and laser. I met him in San Francisco. I said, 'Tell me exactly how the discovery happened.' (Because I strongly believe that such a discovery happens in the unclutched inner space.) Understand, when you are trying to unclutch, unclutch everything. Ramana Maharishi says beautifully, 'Throw out whatever you can. At one point, there will be something which you can't throw; hold onto it, that's all.'

When unclutched from everything, suddenly there will be some strong experiences happening, from which you will not be able to unclutch. Even the unclutching idea would disappear. Those experiences only I call 'revelation' or satya pramaana.

I always felt, only in that inner space the discoveries can happen. I asked him, 'First, please describe how you invented the maser'. He told me, 'Swamiji, I was sitting in downtown New York City on a park bench. Suddenly, in a deep relaxation, the revelation happened. I know the formula, I know the truth now, but I do not know the method how I arrived at the truth, how it was revealed to me. So, I was afraid to present it to the scientific community because they might think I have stolen it from somewhere! So, I analyzed and came up with the logical steps to reach the conclusion that revealed itself so clearly. But, even now, the logical steps are not fool-proof. It can be questioned. But experience or the final truth itself is the full proof.’

I was shocked when I heard this, ‘Oh god, this is what we call mantra drishta.’ A person who experiences mantra is rishi. When you unclutch, sometimes, even in a deep silence, the unclutching happens automatically in you.

Understand, great inventions and discoveries happen unknowingly when we unclutch. Knowingly, when you unclutch, not only outer world discoveries, but inner world discoveries also start happening, that’s all. Anything best can happen to you only when you unclutch. Be very clear, it is the ultimate technique to achieve, to raise your frequency of consciousness, to raise your inner space.

Q: When you quoted the Bhagavad Gita, you said Krishna says... But at the end you said unclutching makes us Paramahamsas. Do you mean we are equal to Lord Krishna?

When you unclutch, you experience the same state, the same consciousness in which Krishna stays. Understand, Krishna wants you to experience the same consciousness in which He resides. That is why He came down and shared the great knowledge, the Gita, with the world. If He just wants to show His greatness, He doesn’t need to come down. This world is enough to show His greatness. He has come down not to just show His greatness, but to inspire you to experience the same consciousness in which He is residing. Unclutching leads you to the same consciousness. That is what I call Krishna consciousness. Experience true Krishna consciousness where Krishna is residing.

Q: When you yourself don’t connect with your name, why don’t you let your disciples have that name? Being the guru, is it not correct to connect your followers to the Divine from which you received enlightenment?

Understand, when I don’t connect with my name, because of that only that name connects my disciples with the Divine. Because I don't feel this mind, I don't feel egoistically possessive about it. It is used as a technique by the people, and it really helps them to reach wherever they are.

Here is one more question:

Q: I just found your photo for the first time. From that time, I have had a strong urge to see you and to come and listen to you. When you said, ‘unclutch for ten days and it would help,’ why did it take ten years for you, and for some other sadhus many more years? How will we know that we unclutched?

Understand, it took ten years for me because I was seeking the technique. See, it's like having one lock and ten thousand keys. I was trying every key. Opening itself will not take ten years; opening took only one second. But finding the right key took

To open the lock takes only two seconds. Open and enjoy; you don’t have to go through the same thing which I went through. Understand, opening the lock did not take ten years for me. Only seeking for the right key did. You don’t have to seek now. Here is the key; have it and enjoy! ten years. Why do you want to go through the same thing? I am here to give you the key. I have given you the key.

Q: What is wrong in trying to extend the joy shaft? Even if it is hypothetical, ultimately it gives joy.

No. You can’t elongate the joy shaft. When you try to elongate, you become addicted, but you don’t experience joy. Addiction means, if you do that same activity, it will not be joyful; if you don’t, it will be painful. If you smoke, it will not be something great, but if you don’t you will miss something seriously. That is addiction. So, trying to work on the joy shaft only leads you to addiction. Here is a wonderful question:

Q: During tapas, when we undergo temporary imbalance would the free bird lend a helping hand?

It’s a wonderful question. Understand: the responsibility of the free bird is freeing other birds. It is the responsibility of the free bird to go and poke the bird trapped on the stick and say, ‘Free yourself’. I have created a net; even if you fall, you won’t hurt yourself. Relax! Let go, you will only fly!

See, the sangha of the master is the net. Even if you fall, you will not hurt yourself. First of all, you will not fall. But just to give you the deeper assurance, the sangha, the spiritual community, is created. So, I invite all of you, to come and experience the sangha.

Understand, with the responsibility that I am free, I have the responsibility to free the other birds. With that authority, I bless you all: Let you all be Paramahamsas; let you all achieve and radiate the eternal bliss... nithyananda.

Thank you.