Category: Swami Gratitude

Maya Panchakam Retreat Summary
Swamini Svatmavidyanandaji
May 2020
by Zarina Kaji

Pranaams Swamiji for your brilliant exposition of Maya in these 5 verses of the Maya Panchakam, by Adi Guru Sri Shanksracharya.
The purpose of every human life is to know the Truth about the Self. This Self knowledge is as-though shrouded by the veil of Maya.

Then what is this Maya? Maya is the Shakti of Ishwara that makes the jagat, which is an as an extension and an endless manifestation of Ishwara as discrete and variegated. As the manifestation of Ishwara in the jagat, the knowledge and “Isness” belong to Ishwara and the name and form belong to Maya.

For the jiwa, Maya appears, as self ignorance, with the notion of bondage, as long as the jiwa is identified with the Upadhi of the limited body mind sense complex.
Maya thus paints the jagat with the three gunas, satva , rajas and tamas in varying degrees and makes everything and everyone unique .

The avarna shakti, the veiling power, of Maya is like a “mother that smothers” embracing us so tightly, thus covering the truth of the self and strengthening our identification with the body mind sense complex.
This identification can be removed through the study of Vedanta that removes self-ignorance and the hold of maya.

Maya also possesses the vikshepa shakti, the power to project the universe of names and forms.
On the individual level, this shakti is the the ability of subjective projection rising from the unconscious mind.
The jiwa has both avarna and vikshepa.
Ishwara has no avarna and the whole jagat is his projection, vikshepa.

The personality of the jiwa is made up of the 3 gunas.
Our progress is to raise ourselves from tamo guna to rajo guna to satva guna and then hang on to satva guna, satva being the very truth of ourselves.
Maya is non seperate from Bhagwan. It is the manifest and unmanifest cause of the universe, it is the “Isness” of everything.
By definition Maya is mithya, it does not have an independent existence nor can it be said not to exist. It’s existence is dependent on the Sat, consciousness.
So we can say that Maya is non-separate from Brahman, but Brahman is not Maya.
B=A but A is not =B.
Sat Chit and Anantam, consciousness, are the truth of me, the Atma.
I am the Atma which is the undivided, the Unchanging One without a second.
Because of self ignorance, Maya, concocts as though differences within the indivisible Atma,into jiwa, jagat and Ishwara.
Thus we fail to hear the harmony of Oneness in the cacophony of maya.
Under the spell of Maya, we identify with anatma and spin from lifetime to lifetime on the wheel of samsara.
Maya as the sorceress of self ignorance makes the impossible possible.
Because of this veil of self ignorance, Maya creates desires, kama, which lead to Karma, punya papa and karma phala, and then into this ocean of samsara, which is only a notion.
Because our swarupaH is sukham, unlimitedness., we all seek that naturally.
Any desire we have is only a superimposition on the Atma which has no desire.
How can there be a desire from one who is already purna?
As consciousness, I know I am and that is Self evident.
Contentment, hence is one of the first signs of a Gyani.
Maya thus is capable of as-though making Anantam Brahma appear as a miserable jiwa.
What a pity!
Through knowledge, this notion can be corrected as in a jiwan mukta.

In the light of Knowledge, which is cognitive, the jagat does not disappear for the gyani. He appreciates the jagat as a manifestation of Ishwara and can recognize the Oneness in the diversity.

Here are some of the highlights :
Be in satva guna as much as possible.
See everything and everyone everywhere as Ishwara. Once you do that, there is no more maya —there is only Ishwara.
Do not take things personally.
Forgive yourself for slipping at times, and do not fall prey to hurt, guilt and anxiety. Be kind to yourself.
All core issues in the subconscious may not have a solution, so lead a prayerful life and surrender to Ishwara.
Maya belongs to the vyavaharik Sat, the empirical reality and it can be unmasked by studying Vedanta.

With the proper understanding and assimilation of Vedanta, once this veil of Agyanam or Maya, is lifted, the Sat Chit Anantam Atma, can be clearly known as the one and only consciousness, the truth of everything.

Kathopanishad Retreat 2019

HariH Om Swamiji, HariH Om dear friends.

My salutations to all our gurus from Lord Dakshinamutyhi, to AdiGuru Shanksracharya to Pujya Swamiji and you our dearest Swamiji.

Our hearts are filled with gratitude and love for your tireless teaching, your clarity and your compassion.You, as our guru, light the lamp of Self Knowledge for us, and we bow to you with love and reverence. When Nachiketas asks Lord Yama, “Upon death what remains?”, Lord Yama answers that The Atma being the unchanging limitless Self transcends the body and all that happens, happens to the body alone. So, With Shravanam may we understand the implied meaning of the scriptures. With Mananam, may our doubts be erased. With Nidhidhyasanam may we dis-identify with the body-mind-sense complex, abide in the knowledge of the Self with commitment, thus invoking the grace of the Self. Our life being a journey with a destination is compared to a chariot as in the Bhagavat Gita wherein the intellect is the charioteer, the horses the organs of perception and action and the mind the reins that direct the horses in the right direction. In order for this chariot to proceed toward it’s ultimate goal, the intellect and the mind must be aligned; We must walk the talk.

May we be blessed with the attitude needed to gain this antaH karana shudhhi, through the alignment of our thoughts, words and actions making me an integrated personality to discover my true Self as unlimited. May we see the imposition of the limited upon the unlimited and transcend it. May we arise and awake to discover that we need to give love to discover love, be kind to discover kindness and live joyously in the internal discovery of Ananda as unlimited Self.

May we strive to be a discriminatory person, a dhiraH who asks the question, what am I searching for? A dhiraH is one who sees that the desire behind all desires is to be free from lack and want. You taught us that like Nachiketas, may our desire to know ourselves not be swayed by the temporary ephemeral pleasures. As a dhiraH may we chose the preferable Shreyas with long term gain over the pleasurable Preyas, with long term pain.  Like the dhiraH may I measure my Self satisfaction as the true measure of the happiness that I have to discover from within., becoming more and more selfless, giving and kind in the process. What I am seeking is the discovery of the Self as the Sat Chit Ananda svarupaH which is praptasya praptiH. But how do I discover the Self? By becoming an introvert, turning the sense organs inwards and through karma yoga. Only the jiwatma identified with the BMS complex becomes the self-conscious, limited being, the experiencer of karma phala, a habitual superimposition upon the Akarta, Abhokta limitless self.

May I see that Ishwara is the uncaused cause, the uncreated creator. The Self Shining,Swayam bhu, the Unchanging Consciousness and that I am none other than Ishwara the one non dual Consciousness; The differences being only in the many and varied costumes or Upadhi. Giving reality to this as though duality is the error we make, creating the notion of separateness., creating conflicts and what makes us go from death to death, May we contemplate on the Ajasya atma, the consciousness, as the king who resides in the palace of the heart, in whose presence everything is illumined and functions. Everything else is mithya, a notion of superimposition upon the Sat Atma.

So what does it mean to gain immortality?  Immortality is to understand that I need not be born if I do not have an agenda. Immortality is to become free from the need to protect myself, free from fear, abhaya, because, I recognize the oneness of everything, the one non dual entity as myself and hence everything becomes a source of joy. Immortality is known by the mind alone, but how? By a satvic mind, with values that are ultimately based in non-duality, recognizing that which is praptasya praptiH. Consciousness being myself, there is no need to objectify consciousness, instead the mind has to recognize consciousness, as the very swarupaH, the indivisible reality of the self-effulgent self. Knowing myself as the one unchanging limitless consciousness and recognizing myself as the limitless ananda, liberates me from the as though bondage of samsara.

May I not fall into the trap of comparison, leading to a heightened sense of self consciousness, with a strong identification with the Body Mind Sense complex, developing a superior or Inferior complex both leading to dukha. May I have the wisdom to remove the very cause of sorrow, knowing that I am the One Non Dual, Omniscient, Omnipotent, Self of all, who lends its existence, by it’s mere presence to the universe of nama rupa just like the dreamer that becomes the dream. The Atma is the self shining light, the illuminator, the consciousness in whose presence all the luminaries shine, all the objects of the world shine, the sense organs shine, the mind shines, because anything can only be known when the light of consciousness illumines it. Only the Atma, the I is the self shining, self revealing I am, I shine and I am purna, asti bhati Priyam.

May we used the imagery from the Kathopanishad as models for contemplation on the cause and the effect as in the upside down peepal tree., like the tree of samsara where the roots above enjoy a higher reality, and the branches below a lower reality. Roots being Satyam and branches bring mithya. This imagery of the moving leaves on the bowing branches of the ashwatha tree., is sacred because the Self, the most auspicious dwells in it. Just like Lord Shiva the most auspicious dwells in the midst of the inauspicious. Brahman the limitless dwells in this tree of samsara, but this tree of samsara that is constantly changing, it is not real and is incapable of giving me unlimited happiness. but one that can be cut asunder., with viveka and vairagya., turning my mind inward, to discover that I am the very truth of the universe and not the names and forms superimposed upon the Asti Bhati Priyam. As the Asti Bhati Priyam I am resplendent, pure, self-shining and immortal like the limitless Brahman, the Brahman that is the substratum of the whole universe upon which everything is superimposed, that nothing can transcend , because the effect cannot transcend the cause.

Being the subject, the seer, the Atma is without any attributes names or forms in order to illumine everything, and it is not available for objectification. So, how will we know the Atma? When the mind is turned inwards and purified, when it has been exposed to the teaching, the Self can be known by the intellect, which resolves in the immortal Self revealing Brahman., the cause of the universe., the existence principle,Brahman, the Issness that can never be negated. May I have the conviction of God, truth, and harmony, in the universal Order as being true and just. Ultimately may I discover the absolute harmony of Brahman as myself, thus eliminating the very cause of desire, the desire and the desirer.

May I tune up with Brahman so that He may become favorable to me by revealing Himself to me., as myself. May I be a devotee where my total life is centered on Brahman. Once and for all may I discover myself as Brahman liberated in the here and now. We end with the prayer that helps us to understand and carry forth this fullness as we go along with each day.

Swamiji you are a masterful teacher, skillful with the words to explain the tattparya of the shastra, but most importantly you are the embodiment of love. May we live in your heart as you live in ours and may we remain blessed with your guru krupa to study at your lotus feet year after year.

Zarina Kaji

Namaste Swamiji and guru bandhus,

We began this series on the Chapter 17 with the analysis of the disposition of the mind with the gunas of satva rajas and tamas. This mind can be our friend or our enemy, an obstacle to our natural state of happiness. May we understand that I am the cause of my happiness as well as the cause of my sorrow, and that being unhappy is not my true nature, and in fact makes me uncomfortable.

With the help of the GPS Gita Positioning system, may we be firm in our shradhha in the teaching of Lord Krishna knowing full well that they are for my benefit alone. We must consciously choose that which is right and not that which is convenient by exercising our free will as human beings in every situation. Our convictions, our shaddha are reflected in our mind, thoughts and actions. These tendencies arise naturally based on the karma phalas of previous janmas but we can be vigilant and view them objectively to see if they reflect the satvic, rajasic or tamasic tendencies in our mind. The goal of this transformation is to make our mind more and more satvic, to neutralize the rajasic and tamasic tendencies with pratipaksha bhavana. The more satvic the mind, the more sensitive is the mind, the more sensitive the mind the more comfortable the mind is with the Self, thus able to revel in the abiding sense of happiness and freedom which is my true nature.When atma gyanam is taught to such a satvic mind, the knowledge is assimilated without any doubt.

If our choices of food that we consume not just through the mouth but through all our senses are satvic, our mind becomes more satvic , so we must strive to change our food habits from tamasic and rajasic to satvic foods, because the food that we consume is like a yagna, an offering to the Lord who resides within us as the digestive fire.

May we have the attitude of contribution in all our yagnas, our offerings to society and in turn to the Lord. May I strive to be a contributor rather than a consumer by using only what I need and not wasting any resources thus practicing the value of ahimsa. May our satvic tapas include self-restraint and service to all our gurus with respect and reverence. Swamiji with your teaching and grace may we strive to be like the transformed person with a satvic mind, ready for the teaching to be assimilated, one who maintains equanimity and poise and does not give in to elation or despair.

That being our goal, we must pursue this knowledge with shraddha, emulating the role models such as Rama, Krishna, and Mahatmas such as you, inspired by values and convictions, living a noble, simple life with kindness and compassion for all. Swamiji we pray that we remain worthy of your teaching and we look forward to our visit with you next year.

Zarina Kaji

Pranaams Swami Paramatmanandaji, our guru shri Vijay Kapoorji and fellow mumukshu,

I speak on behalf of everyone here , how grateful we are to be learning at your lotus  feet  Swamjji  and become immersed in the nectar of atma gyanam with the continuing unfoldment of the drk drshya Viveka Prakarna Grantha at this retreat over the weekend.

Your skill in the unfoldment of the sutra, explaining each word and its lakshay artha, with easy to understand examples, keeps our attention and clarifies our understanding.

Your humor, your ability to explain a concept over and over till we have understood it speaks volumes to the parampara of this precious teaching.

Your quick wit and the ability to tie in the jokes and examples to the topic at hand keeps us engaged.

In meditation, you urged us to make “ an appointment with ourselves.”

To see the self as the drk, the consciousness, the unlimited awareness that is all pervading and see that the body mind sense complex and the jagat are limited. 

You explained how  consciousness as though enters the antahkaranam, enlivening it, and creating the aham and idam vrittis in the mind., that further enlivens the sthula sarira. This as though manifestation of consciousness, with avarna and vikshepa wraps us in the web of maya with a false identification of the unlimited Self with the limited body mind sense complex., 

You taught us to appreciate Ishwara as the intelligent cause of the universe who along with the Maya Shakti, prakruti,  is also  the material cause of creation.

The dual powers of Maya, the vikshepa or projecting power projects the manifestation of Brahman as the jagat with names and forms, and the avarna shakti of Maya., deludes us into thinking  that we are limited beings,, in spite of our truth being unlimited.

How then are we to recognize our Truth? By removing the veil of ignorance through knowledge by removing the avarna shakti  through Viveka and continue to appreciate the  manifestation of the Jagat as Ishwara’s vikshepa Shakti.

Some of us here are indeed blessed to be the shishya of our devoted guruji Shree Vijay Kapoorji who blesses  us with his devotion and patience.

Swamjji I pray that we remain worthy of your teaching and with your blessings continue the learning and assimilation of this precious knowledge. You are a mahatma and we  look forward to welcoming you here year after year to bless us with your wisdom.

 I would like to invite Shree Vijay Kapoor ji to say a few words.

HariH Om

Zarina Kaji

1. “speech should be your finish product not raw material” are so true.
2. When your expectations does not meet , then make a box bigger.

Closing remarks at Adhyasa Bashya Retreat, Jan 2019,

by Zarina Kaji

HariH om Swaminiji
Harih om everyone.

Our short yet very enjoyable time with you Swamini is coming to an end and I speak on behalf of everyone here ,that it has indeed been a weekend of
gaining many insights into the teachings of Vedanta. Swamini ,your teaching is succinct and easily understandable with some examples we have heard before and many others which were new. You shed light on principles of Satyam and Mithya with examples like the shadow of yourself and yourself. You kept us engaged with your humor and rhymes always getting back to the point you were making with finesse and skill, like our dear Pujya Swamiji. With the study of the Adhyasa Bhashya from the Brahmasutra, we learnt to break the associated, patterned thinking that plagues our mind and instead cultivate clear thinking by staying in the present moment.
With clarity, we understand the need to create space between ourself, the atma, and the mind the anatma and not permit it to take us for a ride. Your explanation of the Purvapakshi as being none other than our own unconscious duality lurking in our minds, often shrouded by our shradhha was an “ah ha” moment for myself. i used to think that the purvapakshis were other people who only wanted to stir up conflicts and create misunderstanding., I stand corrected with your explanation. Your apt descriptions of the purusharthas of Dharma, arsha and kama which all ultimately resolve into the purushartha for Maksha is reassuring to us who are here on this path., to understand that Moksha is a sidhha vastu , praptasya PraptiH, not requiring action or effort ., just understanding.
You clarified for us the nature of the imminent Sat as the all pervading presence of Brahman in the jagat and the trancedental Sat which is asanga and remains untouched.
That the imminent Sat along with Maya Shakti manifests as the jagat which is Mithya but in reality is none other than the Trancedental Sat which is asanga and the truth of all, the Atma. Thus proving that Satyam and Mithya belong to two orders of reality and have nothing in common.

In meditation we contemplated, the glory of the Ishwara as the marvelous Creator of the physiological and physical order of our bodies and minds. May we learn to accept and surrender to the infallible order that is Ishwara, regarding events in our lives, our relationships and see the dissolution of the hrdaya granthi in our hearts as we see more and more of Ishwara and less and less of the “i.” You taught us not to take our selves so seriously., Knowing all this is the insidious adhyasa and not the Truth., understanding the collective power of avarna and vikshepa of Maya Shakti.  The Jiwa’s vikshepa Shakti being adhyasa. The unconscious mind with frozen childhood needs, is the source of the avarna shakti in the jiwa.
On the collective level, we must remove the avarna and on the individual level we need to remove the projection or vikshepa. We are grateful and fortunate to be here to reconcile our inner child ‘s unmet needs. May we see the error of our ways by knowing that the aham and idam are at two separate levels on reality., that aham and Idam can never be the same.,
With the classic rope snake example, you showed us the power of adhyasa with the äaropa of the snake in the adhishthana, the rope. Similarly, for the jiwatma, the adhyasa is on the Sat Chit Ananda atma because we project the anatma attributes upon the infinite atma as the atma ni anatma adhyasa. Similarly there is the adhyasa of anatmani atma adhyasa where we project the infinite on the finite. Th Adhyasa disappears once the truth of the rope is known., In Gyana adhyasa, once the doership disappears, like in a gyani who knows the truth as Sat chit Ananda atma, but who may as though continue to function in vyavahara. Resolving this mix up is the atma gyanam which we are all seeking.
May we with your Guru Krupa know that Moksha is my SwarupaH and purnatvam my Reality. As our guru, you have shone the light of knowledge upon the adhyasa, the collectively projected false reality , that dispels the darkness of self ignorance.
We are indeed blessed and humbly bow down to your lotus feet with reverence and love as we continue our shravanam, mananam and nididhyasanam to sharpen and clarify our understanding of the shastra .

Closing remarks at Vedanta Dindimah Talks, Jan 2019,

by Chaula Joshi

Respected Swaminiji, Shri Vijayji and all fellow students, my name is Chaula Joshi and I have been a student of Vedanta from a Arsh Vidya gurukulam parmpara, learning Vedanta for a number of years, participating in the regular classes with Shri Vijay Kapoorji.

Swamini Svatmavidyanandaji is a disciple of Pujya Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswatiji, who was an internationally renowned master and traditional teacher of Vedanta. I am extremely blessed to be sitting in front of You Swaminiji and listen to these 2 days very short but precise message of Vedanta Dindimah. On behalf of Arsh Vidya Centre and from all of us we owe you a debt of gratitude for all that you have done to teach us your wisdom of self knowledge. Your simplicity of examples, explaining why we should learn Vedanta, and the importance of attaining the goal of Moksha has been marvelous. Your explanation of what is Vedanta ? and what is students nishtha ? To become adhikari we have to cultivate Shraddha in to Śaštra and guru . Get clarity and understanding cognize from Shravanam. Your explanation on background given to us on above topic and The background of author Shankara from Shringeri math wrote these powerful 94 verses and importance of Vedanta Dindimah is very useful.

A student, who has to qualify himself by asking who am I? I am unhappy, I am bhogi , these wrong notions has to be dropped. Cultivate in to total Shraddha towards this teachings.  Thank you for bringing this morning meditation examples of relationship and how to see Ishwara in everything was discussed and at first it was not clear but by today I understood, if you reduce the expectation of others , automatically, it is easier to see Ishwara in everything.  by not expecting out of another person. It allows me to create this space and see oneness with Ishwara. By Mananam, I increase my awareness.

Your sense of humor and making students engaged in the questions make the delivery of the knowledge and message were very interesting. Your explanation of self ignorance in existence and non existence is very clear. Objects, situations in Jagat is Niether existence or non existence , it is in-between and therefore it is Mithya is clearly understood. I seek my blessings from you Swaminiji and all of my Gurus to continue with my spiritual growth and keep nishkam bhavna and give my seva.

Hari OM!

Respected Swamiji, shri Vijayji and all fellow students,

Namaste, my name is Chaula Joshi and I have been a student of Vedanta for a number of years, participating in the regular classes with Shri Vijay Kapoor.

I am extremely blessed to be sitting in front of You Swamiji and to listen to the week long courses. On behalf of Arsh Vidya Centre and from all of us we owe you a debt of gratitude for all that you have done to teach us your wisdom of self knowledge. Your simplicity of examples, explaining why we should learn Vedanta, and the importance of attaining the goal of Moksha has been marvelous.

It was just a few months ago I had a talk with you and by Iswara krua and Gurukrupa your visit came to reality. No words can explain our emotions and we cannot thank you enough for your visit to California. With your simple and profound statements your teachings are very clear and now with your blessings we should adopt this knowledge.

Your Mundka upanishad lectures describe the importance of the agnihotra ŸAGNAS. In modern society this may not seem possible, but one must do Sandhyavandana. You have stressed the importance of doing Seva Karma, which is for eg. Guru seva, Volunteering for the cause in organizations being akarta are essential for antahkaran shuddhi so that we become adhikari for knowledge to take place. 

The teachings of higher values: Love yourself and respect yourself, will fall all the values of values into place. Your examples of how to remove the Panch kosha to see the self was straightforward and clear. Thank you Swamiji for teaching us your vision.

On behalf of all the students here, I humbly request your presence next year and looking forward to your teachings.

Chaula Joshi

HariH OM ,

It is with a heart filled with love and gratitude that I speak these words on behalf of all of us. Thank you for your visits to California which I pray with be regular every year. Our sincere salutations to Sri Vijay Kapoorji, our Bay Area resident guru who tireless teaches us week after week.

As students of Vedanta, we begin our study with shravanam, mananam and nididhyasam and through a life of karma yoga ,bhakti and prayerful life, we develop viveka and vairagya and a burning desire for moksha. You have taught us that our swarupaH is sat chit ananda, that all the limitations that we place on ourselves are superimpositions on our Truth alone., that the ahankara or the small “i” is ultimately false.  Consciousness alone is the truth of me as chit, which is sat , and which is anantam , my very swarupah, knowing which I gain moksha in the here and now and from which there is no returning to the cycle of life and death as it dissolves the sukshma sarira or antahkarana which travels with us from lifetime to lifetime.

In meditation you guided us to suspend our identification with the body mind sense complex and remain in the awarenesss of the Self as we appreciated Ishawara’s vibhuti as the order of the universe.  In meditation, we saw our true nature as purna, asanga, nirgunaH atma.

In the Drk Dhrushya VivekaH. we focus on the real “I”, and the process of tvam pada shodhanam , through which we cleanup the false notions of ourselves., to remove the false cognitive plurality of ourselves. These false notions arise from our identification with our psycho- physio complex which cause us to feel limited and incomplete contrary to our Truth wherein we are unlimited and Purna.

Swamiji, you are a masterful teacher. Your teaching is systematic with examples that are easily understood. Your wit adds lightness to the subject matter and your skill brings us back to the subject on hand. Thank you for making the time for your visit to us. We remain eternally grateful to you and pray that we may be blessed with your guru krupa as we continue our journey. May we be so blessed that we can continue to learn at your lotus feet year after year.

Harih OM.

Zarina Kaji

Thank you Swamiji for this retreat where we can immerse ourselves at your feet and listen to the precious words that you speak. Our only wish is that it was longer. I know I speak on behalf of every shishya in this room. With your kindness, clarity and humor, you have expounded on the Kathopanishad with the story of Nachiketas, which inspires us to see the Truth about ourselves as Sat Chit Anantam Brahma.

May we discover the fullness and happiness that is our true nature and not be reluctant of embracing our reality as the manifestation of total freedom and happiness.
May your krupa bless us with a receiving mind and not a resisting mind.
You showed us the importance of paying off our obligations to our ancestors and to society who have all contributed to our growth. May we learn to Learn to develop such an attitude of gratitude. May we grow to become contributors and not consumers of society.

May we all strive to bring out the Nachiketas within all of us; with an intense longing for the truth, may we be alert at all times, choose the shreyas over the preyas, without any compromises or excuses.
May we strive to become an uttam adhikari like nachiketas , cutting asunder the ashwathama tree of samsara with the three vs of vicara, viveka and vairagya. May we understand the futility of acquiring and protecting and give it up lock stock and barrel. May the desire of all desires, to be free, full and complete, become the only desire in our mind and may we have the courage and fortitude to recognize that.
May we see the inderlying consciousness as the very substratum of myself in all four states of existence , waking, dream, deep sleep and turiam.
May we be aware that our truth, the Atma is like the Sun that can be covered by the clouds of ignorance but continues to shine brightly once they move on.
May we have the maturity to understand the Vedic equation of B=A, but A is not = B.
May the mithyatvam of the creation not delude us from our reality, which is based in Satyam alone.
May we understand that there is no birth or death for the Atma whose nature is Self-evident and Self illuminating and Anantam.
May we gain the emotional maturity to see the events in the creation as merely that and not allow them to affect the peace that is my nature.

Swamiji, you are a guru who with your humility bless us with your knowledge and clarity.
May we be so blessed to learn at your lotus feet year after year.
Harih om

Zarina Kaji

HariH Om.Thank you Swamiji for 4 days of exposition on the Daivi and asuri tendencies that reside in each of our minds ,  as though in the battlefield of Kurukshetra., between Dharma and Adharma. As human beings, we have to gain the emotional maturity to claim the Daivi virtues which are our  intrinsic nature and discard the asuri tendencies that can intrude in our hearts and minds  and overpower our thoughts, intensions and actions. Who amongst us does not wish for total freedom from pain and sorrow, limitedness and helplessness?  These are alien to our very nature and hence unacceptable. Your teaching  showed us  how actively cultivating the Daivi sampatis  we can move closer to knowing and assimilating the knowledge which will grant us total freedom.

Abhayam , the first Daivi quality we much cultivate is to confront any fear and learn to focus on the present moment , . not stress or worry about the future over which we have no control. See the silver lining in every cloud, be grateful for the present and accept what comes our way with prasada buddhi . We must not squander the joy of being alive with the fear of death.

Satva Samshuddhi : We must cultivate harmony between our thoughts, words and actions. In other words we must be a genuine person with pure thoughts behind every intention.

Next comes Gyan yoga VyavasthitiH Our commitment to learning and assimilating this rare and precious knowledge. Must be constant and unwavering. With the conscious development of these divine qualities, , we can progress from being an impulsive person, to a deliberate person and finally to a spontaneous person in whom these divine qualities which are inherent in us are effortlessly manifest in full measure.

May we cultivate the quality of Daanam , by sharing wealth, be it money, time, talent or empathy in keeping with our capacity.

With Damah may we progress by exerting self control over our organs of perception and action.

With Yagna, may we worship Ishwara with prayer to invoke His grace in our spiritual journey.

May we learn through Svadhya the importance or self- study, chanting and recitation.

May TapaH teach us to be less of a consumer and more of a contributor.

May I strengthen the divine quality of Arjavam, where I remain steadfast and straightforward in my thought, words and deeds.

May I always remember that Ahimsa paramo dharma. May I not hurt any being  at the physical, emotional and mental level.

May I cultivate the value of Satyam, always speaking the Truth in a kind manner.

Akrodha, : May I learn to diffuse the anger that may arise in me . May I learn to let go, forgive, move on and make accommodations for other’s actions. May my actions always flow from a place of love and kindness in my heart., through pratipaksha bhavana.

Tyaga: May the bondage of likes and dislikes release me through renunciation.

ShantiH: May I have the tranquility of mind where there are no demands or expectations.

Apaishunam: may I never expose someone’s defects and instead have a value for overlooking them and see their strengths instead of their shortcomings.

May Daya teach me to be sensitive to the pain of others, expressing  as compassion and empathy.

Aloluptvam: May I no longer have a longing for something , falsely  thinking it will be the source of my happiness.

May  I cultivate with MArdavam,  a gentleness in my thoughts, words and actions, To always remember that it is more important to be kind than to be right.

With the equality of Hrir, may I be naturally modest in my behavior even when no one is looking.

Achaapalam , May I not expend my energy with purposeless actions and speech.

May TejaH provide me the vigor that I need to not be influenced by others and understand the value of these values.

With Kshama: May my heart be large enough to accommodate the inner plight of the other , to respond with love even in the face of an injustice.

DhritiH : a can do attitude to continue our pursuit of Moksha in spite of any obstacles we might face.

Saucham: a purity of the body, the environment, with a pure and disciplined mind.

Adhrohah: a complete and total absence of ill will or hatred in my mind towards any thing.

Atimanita: May I never pretend to be something other than what I am to impress others and demand their respect

All these Daivi Sampat qualities when nurtured, and practiced  reward us with gaining AntaH karana shudhhi.

Why do we need the antah karana shudhhi?  So that when we are taught the  tatparya of the scriptures, they come alive for us and we can assimilate them in full measure.

Next Bhagavan Shri Krishna describes the Asuri tendencies that can prevent us from gaining Moksha, the freedom that we all that we seek . The asuri tendencies are the opposite of the Daivi tendencies but we need to be aware of them and be alert so that we do not get swayed by them.

DambhaH :Pretending to be other than what we are  due to a lack of self acceptance.

Darpa: a bully on the outside with no real substance on the inside.

AtimanaH – having a false and excessively high opinion of myself.

Krodha: anger leading to violence on words and deeds.

Parushyam: rudeness, intentionally humiliating another person

Agyanam: the inability to  conduct viveka, to see what is right and what is wrong.

We all have both the daivi and asuri tendencies in different measure and our goal is to neutralize the asuri tendencies with alertness,  effort and  consciously choosing the opposite  with pratipaksha bhavana.  As human beings, only we have the ability to choose to be happy or unhappy., depending on what qualities we choose to nurture in our lives. We need to and can tap into the daivi treasure within us to uplift our own perception of ourselves, thus leading us to become the perfect person, with emotional maturity , where one is purnaH, where no grand event or disappointment can  affect our  sense of freedom., which we can invoke when we tap into this divine wealth we all have within us.

May you always be blessed with good health and vigor to keep teaching us in the coming years. Once again Swamiji, Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sharing this knowledge with us, for making the time for us and for your gurukrupa in blessing us as we progress on this incredible journey.

HariH Om.

Zarina Kaji

Thank you Swamij for your profound exposition talks on Purushotama Yoga, the 15 th chapter of the BG, in 2017.  It is hard to believe we are already at the end of our series this year.  You have patiently explained to us the true nature of ourselves as Sat- Chit- Ananda , With your clear explanation and logic, you have urged us to see that we cannot be anything other than Satyam , Gyanam, Anantam Brahma.  As the masterful Guru you are you have shone the light on the  path of Truth for us to see our reality as being independent of the jagat, in fact being the very Truth and the unchanging cause of the jagat.

May we learn to detach ourselves from the delusions of me and mine and have the courage to mature emotionally and in the process gain the relative freedom and happiness, which will lead us to absolute freedom and happiness. May we see the dvandvas, the pairs of opposite that present themselves before us as Mithya, and see the underlying reality of Truth as myself, which is none other than the ultimate Truth, or Consciousness. May we begin to understand the truth of the world as the one reality as I AM., the limitless PurushottamaH. May we appreciate ourselves as being in Ishwara’s guest house, where He provides us with everything we need as the order of the Universe, as the infinite wisdom in everything.  Although this may appear as a tall order, I pray that with your guru krupa and Atma Krupa, we begin to see the light of Ishwara as the very truth about ourselves.

HariH om

Zarina Kaji

Thank you Swamiji for this retreat in June 2017, where we can immerse ourselves at your feet and listen to the precious words that you speak. Our only wish is that it was longer.  I know I speak on behalf of every shishya in this room. With your kindness, clarity and humor, you have expounded on the Kathopanishad with the story of Nachiketas, which inspires us to see the Truth about ourselves as Sat Chit Anantam Brahma.

May we discover the fullness and happiness that is our true nature and not be reluctant of embracing our reality as the manifestation of total freedom and happiness. May your krupa bless us with a receiving mind and not a resisting mind. You showed us the importance of paying off our obligations to our ancestors and to society who have all contributed to our growth. May we learn to Learn to develop such an attitude of gratitude. May we grow to become contributors and not consumers of society. May we all strive to bring out the Nachiketas within all of us; with an intense longing for the truth, may we be alert at all times, choose the shreyas over the preyas, without any compromises or excuses.  May we strive to become an uttam adhikari like nachiketas , cutting asunder the ashwathama tree of samsara with the three vs of  vicara, viveka and vairagya. May we understand the futility of acquiring and protecting and give it up lock stock and barrel.

May the desire of all desires, to be free, full and complete, become the only desire in our mind and may we have the courage and fortitude to recognize that. May we see the inderlying consciousness as the very sunstratum of myself in all four states of existence , waking, dream, deep sleep and turiam. May we be aware that our truth, the Atma is like the Sun that can be covered by the clouds of ignorance but continues to shine brightly once they move on. May we have the maturity to understand the Vedic equation of B=A, but A is not = B. May the mithyatvam of the creation not delude us from our reality, which is based in Satyam alone. May we understand that there is no birth or death for the Atma whose nature is Self-evident and Self illuminating and Anantam. May we gain the emotional maturity to see the events in the creation as merely that and not allow them to affect the peace that is my nature. Swamiji, you are a guru who with your humility bless us with your knowledge and clarity.  May we be so blessed to learn at your lotus feet year after year.

Harih om

Zarina Kaji