THE CHIDAKASHA GITA
OF BHAGAWAN NITYANANDA OF GANESHPURI
Verses 226-250 With Commentary by Kedarji

226. He is a Brahmin who has experienced Brahmananda. Your Maya (delusion) is transient. O Hari! Burn the ego! One who has destroyed the Manas has destroyed Maya. Hari (Maya) is not the lord. Shiva is the Lord. All know that butter is latent in milk. When we boil milk, butter must be obtained. Those who take butter are very few. Milk is Bhakti. Heating milk on fire is the power of discrimination. The vessel for discrimination is Buddhi. The fire of discrimination is the fire of yoga. By this Viveka fire, the six enemies of the body: anger, desire, envy, passion, greed and delusion are destroyed and the butter obtained.

Commentary: One who has experienced the Bliss of the Self is a Brahmin. Shiva’s Maya is transient. This world of forms is transient. O Hari! Let the ego be burned and purified in the fire of sadhana. Once the mind is merged in Shiva, Maya dissolves. Hari (Lord Vishnu) is Maya. Hari is not the Supreme attainment that Liberates you. Shiva is the Lord. Shiva is the Supreme attainment who Liberates you. Just as butter is latent in milk, Shiva is contained inside every living being. And yet, few seek Him out in earnest.

Most become hopelessly attached to the body and to sense pleasures and worldly pleasures. Bhakti is Devotion to the Guru and to God. When this Bhakti is heated in the fire of Sadhana, Viveka, subtle discrimination, which leads one to God, is the result. The vessel for this Viveka to shine through is the purified Buddhi, the purified intellect. As you develop Viveka (the ability to discriminate between what is real and what is not) the six enemies of anger, desire, envy, passion, greed and delusion are destroyed. Then Shiva is obtained.

227. Without oil, a lamp cannot burn. So also, without breath, the body cannot move. Without a helm, a boat cannot be steered to its destination. A steamer is steered by steam energy and by the intelligence of the captain. A boat cannot go like a steamer. Similarly, a Sanyasi is like a steamer. He who has the whole world, in himself, is like a steamer. He who is in the world, is like the boat. The guiding light of a steamer is on the top. Similarly is the Brahmarandra to a Sanyasi. Mind in a Sanyasi is merged in the heart space. What is light is Sanyasi. A cow cannot run like a horse. He whose mind is merged in the Self is like the horse. He whose mind is in the world is like the cow. All cannot become kings at the same time. All cannot be traders at the same time. Customers are also required.

Commentary: Without oil, a lamp cannot burn and without the breath, the body cannot survive. Without a helm, a boat cannot be steered to its destination. A steamer is a more efficient type of boat. It runs better because it relies on a better energy source. In the same way, a Sanyasi, one who has experienced Shiva, leads life in a more sublime manner. One who has not experienced Shiva is like the inferior boat and does not lead life in a sublime fashion.

The guiding light of a steamer is on top of the ship. In the same way, the guiding light for a Sanyasi is the Sahasrar. A Sanyasi is one who has merged his mind in this heart space in the head. Such a person sees the Divine Light of Consciousness all the time. A cow cannot run like a horse. One whose mind is sunk in worldliness and craving for this and that is like the cow. One who has merged her intellect and ego in Shiva is like the horse. All do not rise to the consciousness of Shiva in the same way, nor at the same time. Only he who first obeys can command. Likewise, only the person who has become a disciple of a Siddha and follows that Guru’s instruction can realize God. That disciple does become a Siddha in time and is then worthy of leading others.

228. When you walk in darkness, you have fear. But in light, there is no fear. Ignorance is darkness. Knowledge is the light. Guru is such a light. Light is guru.

Commentary: Ignorance of the Truth is like walking in darkness. One of the afflictions that comes along with cravings and desires for sense pleasures and worldly pleasures is Fear. When you don’t know your own true nature, when you are not aware that you are God, you also fear death, believing yourself to be imperfect and finite. When your mind is absorbed in Shiva Consciousness and you see God in everything and everyone, everywhere, you have no fear. Ignorance of the Truth about your real identity as Shiva is darkness. Direct knowledge of your true nature as Shiva-Shakti is the Light. The Siddha Guru who teaches you is also this Light of Divine Consciousness. This Light is the Guru.

229. In perfect sleep, men forget everything. Suppose you walk ten miles and then sleep. You are quite unaware of your existence in this world. So also, when you are hungry, you must satisfy your hunger by taking food yourself.

Commentary: When you fall into deep sleep, you forget everything and this world does not exist. Also, you are completely unaware of even your body when you are in deep sleep. Just as, when you are hungry, you take food to satisfy your hunger; in the same way, if you want to know the real Truth of your existence, you have to go inside yourself and experience God there for yourself.

230. Just as there are the gutters (storm drains) on both sides of the road for the water to flow freely, so also, you must allow the breath to take an upward course freely. It requires great effort to carry a stone upwards. But without the least effort on our part, it suddenly comes down. Similarly is concentration. It is easy to take birth. But it is very difficult to leave this body. We must discover the source of a river. After it joins the sea, there is no use in seeing the river. To a tree, its mother root is the most important. All other roots are subsidiary. When we raise a chair, our breath goes upwards. That is the seat of Prana. When we are cooking, flames of fire have an upward course. So also, the smoke takes an upward course. In the lighted chimney, the course of the heated air is upwards. Similarly, in the heart space, the course of breath is upwards. Our joy is caused by the motion of the air (Vayu). Without this air motion, there is no blood circulation. When a water canal is damed, the motion of water has come to an end. So also, in this body, such a dam is Vatha, Pitha, and Kapha (three humors of Tridishas).

Commentary: Just as there are gutters on both sides of a road for water to flow freely, in the human body there are three channels or nerves for the breath to flow freely in the body and psychic apparatus. It is important to direct the breath into the Sushumna Nadi so that it can maintain an upward course, carrying Shakti into the Sahasrar in the head. In the beginning, this requires proper instruction and a good deal of concentration in practice. It is easy, in the beginning, to get lazy with this practice. Therefore, you have to be vigilant.

It is easy to become attached to the body and remain ignorant of the Truth. In this way, you continue to get caught up in the vortex of Samsara, in the cycle of birth and death. More difficult is the Sadhana required to break the chains of this ignorance so that you can become Liberated from the cycle of birth and death. However, with the Grace of the Master and your own self-effort, Sadhana becomes a Joyful event that you constantly look forward to.

If you want to find the source of a river, you don’t go looking for it in the sea. In the same way, to experience God and merge with the source of all existence, you can’t go looking for this source in sense pleasures and worldly, mundane existence. You will not find the source there. You have to perform Sadhana (spiritual practice) to experience God within and this Sadhana needs to be done before you approach your death.

The root cause of this world-appearance is the most important root. All other “roots” are secondary. To find the source of your existence, Prana must be directed upward into the Sahasrar. When Kundalini Shakti is caused to rise in this way, Joy is experienced. This Joy is the Bliss that you experience when Shakti merges with Shiva in the Sahasrar. Without the breath, the heart will not pump and the blood will not circulate. In the same way, the three humors (vatha, pitha, kapha) that create obstacles to the free movement of Prana in the body (owing to your Karmas) cannot be transcended unless you learn Sushumna breathing.

231. Head is the seat where the smell of musk, sandal-paste, camphor and concentrated camphor is experienced. Ants swarm at the place where there is sugar. Where the sound of Omkar is experienced, there is no ignorance. That which is seen by the spiritual eye is the real heart. That which is seen by the physical eye is not the real heart. The greatest is the head. The origin of breath is true Ananda. The real Ananda is in the cavity of the heart. The house of breath is the dwelling of Kundalini. This is the house of Shiva. This is our real happy home of peace. This is the home of Satwa guna. One who lives in this house, does not care for honor and dishonor. This is the home of a yogi who has renounced everything. This is the home of those who have the power of subtle discrimination. This is the home of Kundalini. This home is the heart home.

Commentary: The heart of all existence, the heart of Yoga is in the head in the chakra known as Brahmarandhra or the crown chakra. It is here that incredible scents can be experienced and sounds heard as Shakti merges in union with Shiva. It is here that the golden nectar, spoken about by so many Saints, falls from, lighting up one’s entire being. Just as ants swarm to the place where there is sugar, Shakti swarms to the place where Shiva dwells.

It is in the Sahasrar that the eternal sound OM is experienced without interruption. There is no ignorance in this state. Once established in the Sahasrar, you see with the spiritual eye of knowledge that is Shiva Dhristi, the outlook of Shiva. The origin of the breath is Shiva’s eternal Bliss. It is out of this Bliss, this pure Joy, that the entire universe comes into being.

This Bliss exists in the Heart space in the head. Kundalini and Prana are one in the same. The home of peace is experienced when Kundalini merges in Sahasrar. This is the House of Shiva. When this merger occurs, your actions become taintless and you want only to be pure and to operate from that place of purity (Sattwa). Remaining in Shiva Consciousness, in this uninterrupted state of Purnaham Vimarsha, you rise above both honor and dishonor. You attain subtle discrimination and the vision and outlook of God.

232. Those who do not concentrate on breath have no aim, no state, no intelligence and no fulfillment. So, concentrate and think. Concentrate on indrawing and outgoing breath. Draw the breath in properly. Breathe, concentrating on the sound the breath produces. Concentrate on the sound which is produced internally. Have faith in the internal sound and breathe. Breathe in. Breathe deeper and deeper. Breathe in so that the internal sound may be audible to the ears. Do not think of anything else. Eating and drinking, coming and standing and eating, these do not elevate the soul. Cook for yourself. Do not desire to eat what others have cooked. O Mind! Do what you do with faith.

Commentary: Those who do not concentrate on breath have no aim, no state, no intelligence and no fulfillment. The science of Hamsa, of So’ham, is the greatest yoga science, the greatest spiritual practice. So, concentrate and think. Concentrate on the indrawing and outgoing breath. Focus on the space between the breaths. Draw the breath in properly. Breathe, concentrating on the sound the breath produces.

This sound is the mantra Hamsa, otherwise known as So’ham. It is the only natural mantra. It repeats itself, resonating within you 21,600 times each day. Breathe deeper and deeper. Breathe in so that the internal sound of Hamsa may be audible to the ears. Do not think of anything else. Focus on Hamsa and the space between the breaths.

Eating and drinking, coming and standing, these do not elevate the soul. Experience this for yourself. Do not simply take the word of others. Practice it! Have your own experience of God within and seek knowledge of the Self, by the Self and not from others! O Mind! Do this with unwavering faith!

233. Round a leafless tree, wind blows in vain (there is no response). In a dead body, there is no air (Prana), no sound. Without air, an animal can never live in this world.

Commentary: Prana is life itself. The body has no power and no life separate from Prana. Without Prana the body is a mere lump of useless flesh. Where does this Prana come from? You should seek to learn the mystery of this before you draw near your death.

234. The engine does not move without steam. A coconut tree does not yield jack fruits. What one talks without experience, is in vain. The judge and the magistrate hear what the plaintiff and the defendant say and form an idea of the case. But they do not know the truth of the case. It is not enough if you have sugar in your hand. You must taste it to know its sweetness. Although there is water in the bowels of the earth, we must dig a well in order to get the water. The main thing is the internal practice and the union of Prana with Parabrahma in the center of the brain. This is seeing God face to face. This is the fulfillment of yoga. This is the eternal peace.

Commentary: An engine does not function without a power source. In the same way, the body cannot function without God. A coconut tree does not yield jack fruits. To seek out the Truth, you don’t go to a financial advisor or someone who seems to have intelligence. To experience God you need the Grace and instruction of a Siddha. Only such a person is competent to instruct you.

It is not enough to intellectualize about God. And forming opinions about Divine Consciousness based on hearsay and debate is useless. To know God, you have to go where God exists as the source of the Universe. That place is inside your very own being. Through the practice of Meditation and Pranayama as instructed by the Master, you can see God face to face in the Sahasrar. This is the fulfillment of Yoga that brings eternal Peace.

235. There is no prescribed food for a neophyte. Peace is the food for the practicer. The highest of all arts is the Brahma Vidya (art by which God is realized). Such an art cannot be bought for money. It isn’t obtained by honor or dishonor. It is not obtained by the outer fame. It is acquired only by unwavering devotion (Bhakti). Without Bhakti, there is no liberation from bondage. Mukti is attained by a man only by the subtle Bhakti. Brahmananda is not empty talk but solid experience. This is the same as Satchidananda. This is acquired by the unceasing practice. All is Brahmananda to one who has realized.

Commentary: The right path for you to follow is the one that brings you unwavering peace and the one that will guide you to the realization of God. Liberation or God-realization cannot be bought and it is not obtained simply by engaging in honorable behavior and avoiding dishonorable behavior. Liberation is acquired through unswerving Devotion/Love for God and the Master. Without this Bhakti, there can be no Liberation.

The key element that draws God’s Grace to you through the Guru is your Devotion and your complete surrender to the practices and instruction of the Guru. It is this Bhakti that causes God to come looking for you. This is known as Disciple’s Grace. It is the element that enables the Guru to teach you and guide you across. If Bhakti is not present, no matter how powerful a being, the Guru cannot serve you. For the Siddha’s power to work, your Grace, your Bhakti, has to be present also. God is realized through the solid experience that comes from unceasing practice. This unceasing practice causes you to merge with Shiva. Then you see only God in everything and everyone, everywhere.

236. O Mind! Banish the idea of duality. Have subtle discrimination. Having abandoned the idea of duality, think that the visible universe is all Shiva, the spotless. There is no disguise. Have everything within you. That which is permanent is faith. O Mind! Control the breath. Have internal life. Discover the truth by means of subtle discrimination. That which is related to subtle discrimination is eternal. The essence of every creature is eternal joy. Acquire eternal joy. What is eternal Ananda is eternal Mukti. The mental seats (posture) are the thrones of kings. The eternal seat is the eternal joy. When Sat and Chit are united. The same is Paramananda. The same is called Chaitanyananda.

Commentary: O Mind! Only Shiva exists. Nothing exists anywhere that is not Shiva. Have this subtle discrimination and banish from your mind all sense of duality and differences. When you encounter an object, say “Hello, my Shiva!” When you see a place, say “Ah, my Shiva.” When you interact with a person, think that you are interacting with the Lord himself. Have this attitude.

In truth, Shiva is not concealed. It is only your limited perception, your limited vision that makes Him seem so. Have Faith in the one Reality. Control the inward and outward breath to remove all thoughts from the mind and experience Him there. Discover this truth by means of this subtle practice and discrimination.

Practice, practice, practice this and make Him reveal himself in your very own being. The essence of every creature is pure Joy. Acquire this Joy by going inside yourself. This Bliss is the Bliss of Liberation (Nityananda). This mental posture of seeing God in everything and everyone is the throne, the eternal seat of Joy. When Sat (pure Being) unites with Chit (awareness or Sat), Shiva is realized.

237. All creation is mental. The body is nothing but a means to an end. Shakti is of the Atman. The highest tower is in the head. This is the seat of the Atman. This is the sky of consciousness. This is the greatest support. The Ajna (the sixth chakra of the body) is the support. The seat of Kundalini is the heart sky. What is traveling in a train is the thought of the Atman. The mail train is the Raja yogi. The local train is the Hatha yogi. The difference is only in time. Although the velocity is the same, time differs. This difference is the delusion of the mind.

Commentary: This creation is a mental representation of Divine Consciousness. It is a superimposition in Shiva’s Maya, an illusion created by perceptions that are the mental moods. In truth, this is all the one Shakti and this world appears out of the glory of Chit Shakti. The body is simply a means to an end, a means to revealing God and basking in His eternal Joy.

The highest tower is the seat of Shiva-Shakti in the Sahasrar. The Sahasrar is the sky of consciousness. It is the seat of Shiva and is the greatest support one can have. It is also the seat of Kundalini Shakti in Her expanded form. It is reached by way of the Ajna Chakra. When Ajna is pierced permanently, Shiva comes looking for you and Liberation is at hand.

Raja Yoga, the yoga that includes the chakras above the neck as its focus, is the express train or the quickest means. Hatha Yoga, the yoga that has as its focus the chakras from the neck down, is the local train. It is a slower means. When you realize God, time disappears. You experience timelessness and the delusion of the mind vanishes, as a result.

238. A man’s birth is from his parents. He is first a child. He grows to manhood and himself becomes the parent of children. The difference is due to time. The nature of the child is according to the thought entertained by the parents when they are in union. If the parents entertain devotion, mischief, wrath, activity, desire, etc. at the time of union, the child born to them will imbibe the same qualities. Creation is caused by Vayu’s entrance in the womb. If the parents at the time of union have worldly or celestial inclination, the child born will have the same inclination. When the child has the latter inclination, it will soon be enlightened. The first essential is desirelessness, after birth. The destruction of the seed of birth and death comes next. When a man is subjected to repeated sorrows, he must see the light after the exercise of subtle discrimination. What is called Prana Vayu is the destruction of creation. Prana Vayu and the Apana Vayu must be merged in the Atman. When these two are united, all conditions are annihilated. Before the expiration of Prana, one must attain Mukti. Then it becomes one, indivisible, losing its duality.

Commentary: Your birth is due to your past karmas. Karma also causes you to choose your parents. The qualities you grow up with are, in part, derived from your parents’ mental state at the time of your conception, and while you are being carried in the womb. If, at the time you are conceived in sexual union, your parents are thinking only on God and Devotion for God, you will be born with those qualities and will soon become enlightened. If not, if your parents are thinking on simple sexual satisfaction or if they have anger, greed, desire or any of the lower qualities in their mind at the time of your conception, you will be born with those qualities. In this way, the parents are the first Guru.

For one to become Liberated in the present life, the first essential step is to remove limited desire and craving from one’s being. The next step is to destroy the seed of birth and death by performing Sadhana under the direct guidance of a Siddha, until God is realized. This is the aim of life. When a person is subjected to the pain and pleasure of this world-appearance, both of which bring sorrow, that person must strive to know God. This is the only way to rise above misery.

Prana Vayu, the upward breath that is directed into the Sushumna Nadi, is the withdrawal of creation. Both exhalation and inhalation must be merged in Shiva in the Sahasrar. When the breath is directed into the Sushumna and inhalation and exhalation are internal, all mental conditions are annihilated. Before your death approaches, you must attain Liberation (Mukti). Then you will destroy all sense of duality and experience only Equality Consciousness.

239. Upanayana is the goal of life. Jivatma must be merged in the Paramatma. Upanayana is internal. Upanayana is the subtle. What is called Upadhi is the third eye. The object to be attained is to be near God. What is Upanayana is not the body idea. It is the thought of the Atman. In this world, he who has performed such Upadhi is a Brahmin. Upadhi is the Sushumna nerve. It is the Brahma Nadi where gods and goddesses dwell.

Commentary: Upanayana is the practice of remembering God until you have merged in God. When you merge your individual identity into Shiva, this is Upanayana. This remembrance of God is internal. It is subtle. It is the practice of Meditation and Contemplation that brings Upadhi, the crossing of Ajna Chakra (the third eye) into Sahasrar.

Upanayana has nothing to do with body consciousness. It is supreme detachment from the body. It is Dispassion. It is the understanding and experience that nothing exists that is not Shiva. It is the constant, uninterrupted vision and recognition of God. A person who has mastered this Upadhi is Shiva. Such a person is a Brahmin and is Liberated while still in the body.

240. Shabda (sound) is generated in Akash (space). That which is generated in space is life energy. What is called Akash (a space) is in the head. Akash is heart space. Life energy is one only. Just as there is difference between a river and the sea, so also, there is difference between Jivatman and Paramatman. It is one of degree, not of kind. One must not think as “I” and “mine.” This is the cause of next birth. That man is of little intelligence who thinks in terms of “I” and “mine.” By so thinking, he descends into lower birth. The energy in the sun appears as light. Likewise, there is an energy in the form of light in a gas light. To those who have lost the difference between day and night, the light of the sun and that of the gas light are the same. There is no difference between the two. One’s faith is the greatest thing. Above faith, there is no God. In this world there is nothing higher than faith. A Man with faith cannot be deceived by the wicked tricks of others. Man enjoys that in which he has his faith. The internal faith should be concentrated upon breath. Those who have no faith have no thoughts of anything. Those who have no faith have no regard for Sadhus and Sanyasis. They think (wrongly) that thousands of Sadhus are merged in them.

Commentary: Shabda is the primordial sound that is generated in Akash (space). This Akash that appears outside is a reflection of Chidakasha, the inner expanse or Heart space of Supreme Consciousness. Life energy emanates from Chidakasha. This space is in the Sahasrar. The life energy that flows from Chidakasha is Chiti or Spanda Shakti. This Spanda contracts to take all the forms of existence. This Spanda becomes Shiva’s reflection in this world-appearance.

The difference between the river and the sea is a matter of degree. The river actually manifests from the sea and, eventually, returns to it. In the same way, the Jiva (individual bound soul) is a manifestation of God and returns to God in time. Therefore, everything and everyone is God. The yogi should strive to have this outlook. He must not think that there is any difference between God and these objects, nor between himself and all other things. Harboring the notion of differences is what causes Karma and rebirth, again and again. To those who have become immersed in Shiva Consciousness, to those Siddhas, there is no difference between the light of the sun, the light in a lamp and the Light of Divine Consciousness. These are one in the same to a Siddha.

Faith is the greatest attainment. By Faith, God is found. Without Faith, you cannot realize God. Therefore, there is nothing greater than this Faith in God. Armed with Faith, no one can fool you or sway you from the Lord. The greatest Faith is Faith in the instruction of a Siddha. The greatest practice of Faith is directing the breath inside the Sushumna Nadi. This is known as internal Faith. One who has this kind of Faith has no thoughts and no worries. Those who do not have this kind of Faith, have no discrimination. They are not able to tell the difference between a criminal and a Siddha. They disrespect Saints and they wrongly believe that they are greater than the enlightened.

241. To a blind man there is no difference between day and night. To him, external light is of no use. In him, the light of Jnana is strong. To the blind, their bodily form is of no use. As their physical eyes do not see, their spiritual eye must be very effective. Blind men cannot describe the form of a carriage by feeling it with touch.

Commentary: The blind are not able to see differences in anything. However, the fact that they are blind means that their other senses are heightened. Blind people also have a more developed intuition. Because they have no sight, they have not developed the vanity that would cause them to be attached to the body. Because they can’t see forms, they have no attachment to this world-appearance.

Jnana is stronger in those who are blind. Their spiritual eye is more developed. A blind person may not be able to describe the form of a carriage by touching it, but his/her intuition will still tell him what the carriage looks like. Just as a blind person has no use for the bodily form, seekers of the Truth should become blind to sense pleasures and worldly pleasures to destroy their use for them. Blind to craving and desire, you become one-pointed on attaining God.

242. Is the sound generated from the world or is the world generated from the sound? Is the effect from the cause or the cause from the effect? The world is generated from the sound. From the sound is generated the form, and the world which has form. From the cause is the effect. Whence is the cause? The cause and the effect are from the Self. Cause and effect must be the slaves of oneself. Both these are from the Self. This Self absorbs the cause and the effect and they become one (indivisible). The Maya which the Self creates is annihilated by the Self. A lie is a lie. If you believe the lie, you will have to tell the lie. If you believe the truth, you must tell the truth. Those who utter falsehood have no truth about them. There is no falsehood separate from them, but it is one with them. What is the cause of falsehood? Their mind becomes habituated to falsehood and they do not feel it to be false. They do not feel falsehood as a separate thing. If they knew it (falsehood) to be evil, their mind will not be inclined to falsehood. Then they will feel that there is a separate thing called truth. Then they will attain the good. Then they will know the correct path.

Commentary: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The answer is, neither came first. Shiva-Shakti is and always was. From Shiva-Shakti came Light and then Sound. Actually, Light and Sound are first in an indistinguishable unity. Then they separate as Spanda Shakti contracts. Then there is only sound and then comes the world of forms (including the chicken and the egg). Shiva is both the cause and the effect. This is very important to realize.

Shiva has two aspects, transcendental and immanent (expanded and contracted). Shiva is both these aspects. All the forms of this Universe emanate from Shiva-Shakti and are reabsorbed back into Shiva-Shakti. Chiti Shakti is the cause of Shiva’s Maya. This Maya is the illusion that the Universe actually exists. It is this same Spanda that Maya dissolves into when the Self is realized by the Self.

Just as a liar has convinced herself that her lie is actually the truth, people have convinced themselves that this world-appearance is real and exists separate from God. When the mind develops the habit of lying, it causes the belief that the lie is not a lie at all. People are so used to justifying their bad behavior with false notions that they convince themselves that they are actually telling the truth. In this way, the lie becomes their “truth.”

There is your truth and there is the Truth. Once a liar decides to seek the actual Truth, that person has the realization that he/she has been lying. In a good person, this realization causes one to attempt a change in behavior. It is the same for one who seeks God. Once you have the realization that there is a force greater than you that has caused the existence of this Universe, you develop the desire to want to know God. Then, in time, the illusion, the lie that there is a world separate and apart from God, vanishes.

243. Just as all rivers enter the ocean, both the good and the evil enter the Atman. Both are sacrificed to the Atman. Both the good and the evil are from the Atman. They enter in that from which they came. Mind is the cause of good and evil acts. Mind is Atman’s power (instrument). No one can increase or diminish it (the soul force). What will happen will happen. It will happen only in one way according to the eternal law.

Commentary: Good and evil are concepts that exist in Shiva’s Maya only. It is only in this Play of Divine Consciousness that takes the form of this world-appearance that good and evil are played out. Both are reflections in Shiva, in God, that exist for his sport. They are perceived to be real because of the existence of the mind.

In Shiva Consciousness there is no good or evil, only the Bliss of the Self. The mind is the cause of good and evil acts and these acts dissolve in Shiva when one attains Shiva Consciousness. A Siddha, a God-realized being, has risen above both virtue and vice in this way. The mind is the instrument of Shiva-Shakti and functions by the sacred law and will of the Divine. No one can diminish its power nor change its function. The mind is a contracted form of Chit Shakti and exists through Shakti’s power.

244. The seed is not from the tree. The seed is the beginning. A seed falls down from a tree and that seed grows into a small plant that grows into a tree. Again and again, trees grow from seeds. Similarly is creation. In the seed is the beginning but there is no ending. Wherever you may see, you see the same seed.

Commentary: It is God who takes the form of a tiny seed from which a great tree grows. This seed is God’s creation and God’s reflection. It comes from God. Therefore, we don’t have to argue about which came first, the seed or the tree, because neither existed first. First and always is Shiva and His Shakti that creates all the objects of our perception.

This Shiva-Shakti power or God-principle has no beginning and no end. It is timeless, eternal. The concept of time is one that only exists in limitation, in Shiva’s Maya that is the illusion of this world-appearance. In Shiva Consciousness there is no concept of time. This is why it is said that Siddhas, the saints, are timeless beings. Whatever you can observe in this world is a reflection of Supreme Consciousness. This reflection has, as its seed, the Shiva-Shakti power.

245. Those who have no doubt, find that this doubtlessness is the path to one-pointedness of mind. A doubting person’s intellect is small (limited). Wherever they may see, they see nothing but doubt. Everybody is subject to his own nature. There is no cause for finding that quality which one has not. In the shaking water, a man cannot see his shadow. In the still water, a man can see his shadow quite properly. Similarly, to a fickle-minded man, his real nature is not visible. To a steady-minded man wherever he may see, he sees the ONE, indivisible. He sees himself in others. If you put on red spectacles you see everything red. You cannot see green color. Everyone sees according as he thinks.

Commentary: The world is as you see it. One who has doubt and fear experiences these every where. A person who has Faith and has removed doubts about God and spiritual practice does become one-pointed on God and becomes God. Each of us is subject to how we think. Whatever we think on we become. Gurudev Muktananda always said, “Change the prescription of your glasses.” If you want to attain your true nature, if you want to rise above your mundane experience of life and realize your true identity, you have to absorb your mind in Shiva, in God. Then you will become Shiva. Of this there is no doubt.

246. Why do you hold an umbrella? To prevent the rain from falling on you. Rain is the Maya. Truth is the umbrella. Chitta is the handle. In everything, there is truth. But there are very few men who have realized that truth. Maya is from Atman. But Atman is not from Maya. The prime minister is of the king. The prime minister is not the king. Mind is not Atman. Mind is the reflection of the Atman. Mind is two ranks below Atman. Mind is subject to destruction. Atman is indestructible. Mind is deluded by the various objects to the senses. Atman is not subject to the delusion caused by the three fold qualities, Trigunas. Mind is subject to the three fold qualities. When we say that mind is a fragment of the Atman, we mean mind is to Atman what the river is to the ocean. Atman is the ocean. Its water is measureless and endless. Similarly, Atman has neither a beginning nor an ending. Atman has not come from anywhere nor does He go anywhere. Atman is everywhere. There is nothing existing but Atman. Interior to you and exterior to you is all creation which fact is unknown to you.

Commentary: Just as you hold an umbrella to keep from getting wet, you perform spiritual practice under the instruction of a Siddha Guru to keep from being devoured by delusion and ignorance. The Chitta, the individual mind, is the means by which you experience God within. Therefore, the mind needs to be trained to turn within to become absorbed in God. God exists in everything and everyone, everywhere. Yet, relatively few have realized who they carry inside their own being.

The Truth is inside you, yet you continue to search for it outside yourself. This world-appearance is an illusion supported by Shiva’s Maya. Shiva is the Atman. Maya is from Shiva. Just as the prime minister serves and reports to the King, Maya does not create Shiva but is the servant of Shiva. The mind is also a product of this Maya Shakti. The mind is transient and subject to the control exerted by the senses and the three Gunas (sattva, rajas and tamas). These Gunas cause one to become deluded. Shiva is not subject to these. Shiva is eternal.

The mind is to Shiva what the river is to the ocean. Shiva is the ocean and is timeless and without any measurement. Lord Shiva and His Shakti have no beginning and no end. Shiva-Shakti is everywhere and nothing exists but this Shiva-Shakti power, the One, unifying God-principle. The entire creation exists inside you and is reflected outside of you. But you are ignorant of this fact. The removal of this ignorance requires study and practice under the guidance of a Sadguru.

247. When the life energy moves in an outward direction, desire is generated for the sense objects. It manifests as mind and it is divided and subdivided into two, three, and six. Thus what is called “world” comes into being. From this world all qualities (good and bad) come into being. Five organs of action are related to the earth. Five chief senses are related to space. Organs of action are said to belong to Sat-guna. He who conquers the senses is the free man. To such a man, fulfillment comes from himself.

Commentary: When you focus your Shakti outside yourself, this Chit Shakti becomes the mind and desire for sense objects is created. This outward flow is the first of The 5-Fold Act of Divine Consciousness, known as the act of manifestation. In this way, Chiti manifests as the mind (Chitta), the intellect, the ego, the five senses and their offspring. It is by this manifestation that what we call “world” comes into being.

All qualities, both good and bad, are manifestations of Shiva’s Maya, as is this world-appearance. The five organs of action (Karmendriyas) are a part of your physical body and the five senses and their offspring are the powers that function through those organs. They are aspects of Chiti that take the form of all these. When you conquer your senses, you become truly free. This freedom is an inner attainment.

248. Think and think about Brahman. Mind, though seemingly different, is one and one only. Mind when it is one pointed is great indeed. This mind is the eternal mind. This eternal mind is supreme joy. This eternal mind is called Chidakasha. A clean mind is a clean space. A clean space is Siddhi. This clean space is yoga (union with God). This clean space is the heart. When you move in this clean space, it is the fulfillment. When you move in this clean space, the difference between “you” and “I” will vanish. In this clean space is Mukti, Bhakti, Shakti and the path suitable. This clean space is Buddhi. When the Jiva dwells in this clean space, the attachments to sense objects will be burnt away. This clean space is Brahmarandhra. What is called Raja Yoga is above the neck. What is called the “Color cavity” is above the neck.

Commentary: Keep your mind absorbed in the Absolute. Though the mind may seem to be different, it is not different from God. The mind, when turned inside and absorbed in God, becomes God. Then it is the eternal mind. When you merge your individual identity and your mind in Shiva Consciousness, you experience Supreme Joy, Supreme Peace and all that is worth knowing. This space of Shiva Consciousness is known as Chidakasha.

This Heart space is completely pure. It is the place of complete fulfillment in God (Siddhi). When you dwell in this space of Chidakasha, the notion of “you” and “I” vanishes. All is the one Shiva there. In Chidakasha one is Liberated and experiences uninterrupted Devotion and Love for God. Chidakasha is full of Spanda Shakti and is the spiritual path. It is Divine Intelligence of the Will of God (Buddhi). This clean space is the Sahasrar.

The teachings and practices of the Siddha path are practiced to arrive in that space. The Siddha path is any path that focuses on the chakras above the neck, arrived at by the upward movement of Prana Shakti (the awakened Kundalini) inside the Sushumna Nadi. What is known as the Blue Pearl (color cavity) is above the neck.

249. Mantra is this Brahmarandhra. Mantra is the minister to Prana. This prime minister of Prana is Atma Bindu. In the midst of this is eternal Mantra, in the midst of this is Chidakasha. This Chidakasha is Chit. This is supreme joy. This is the supreme medicine. This supreme medicine is the supreme guru whose Mantra is Tatwamasi: That art Thou, Thou art That.

Commentary: The primordial mantra sounds in the Sahasrar and reverberates downward into the Heart space in the head. This primordial mantra is contained in this Heart space known as Chidakasha. It emanates from a point known as Bindu, Vindu or Visarga and is also called Bindu Nada. It travels on Prana, on the breath, and is sounded with every breath you take. Chidakasha is Chit Shakti in its transcendental form (also called Chiti). This Chiti is Supreme Joy and is the Supreme medicine. This Shakti of Shiva is the Guru whose mantra is this primordial mantra Tatwamasi (Hamsa), which means I Am That.

250. Why is man called man? The true man is he who ruminates. If you do not know the path leading to Brahman, you will be born again and again. If you do not know the path, you will have no contentment. This contentment consists in doing your duty without attachment to results. This non-attachment to results of action is called Mukti. It is also called the supreme joy. Desire is hell. Desirelessness is supreme joy. The supreme position is Shiva-Shakti. The Shiva-Shakti is the knower of both the visible and the invisible.

Commentary: A true human being is called so because he/she directs his/her attention to God through Meditation and Contemplation. Here “ruminates” means full awareness of the Self, of God, at all times, even while engaged in action. If you do not know the path leading to Brahman, you will be born again and again. If you do not know the path, you will have no contentment.

This contentment consists in performing your duty, engaging in your daily mundane activities, without attachment to results. This non-attachment to results of action is called Mukti. It is also called the Supreme Joy. Selfless Service (Seva) is the act of going about your mundane activities with the knowledge that it is God who is acting through you. When the prime minister is told to deliver a gift for the King, does he tell the receiver that he himself is offering the gift? No. He tells the receiver that he is acting on behalf of the King who the gift is from.

In the same way, take action with this understanding and without appropriating the glory to yourself. Do your absolute best without being concerned over the result and while offering the result to God. In this way, you remain desireless and absorbed in God at all times. This is the way to experience Supreme Joy and Liberation. The Supreme position is Shiva-Shakti. Shiva-Shakti is the knower of all things created and uncreated. Merge with That.

Verses 1-25, Verses 26-50, Verses 51-75,

Verses 76-100, Verses 101-125, Verses 126-150,

Verses 151-175, Verses 176-200, Verses 201-225,

Verses 226-250, Verses 251-286.