OPENING, NOT CLOSING, THE HEART WITH KIIRTANA FINDING THE SUPREME VERACITY WHAT DO YOU WANT? THE BEST CATEGORY OF PERSONS OPENING, NOT CLOSING, THE HEART WITH KIIRTANA official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1 cross-references: none this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1, 2nd edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. A popular Shloka is often quoted from devotional scriptures regarding Kiirtana. It is said: Na'ham' vasa'mi vaekun't'he yogiina'm' hrdaya na ca Madbhakta' yatra ga'yante tatra tis't'ha'mi na'rada. Na'ra'yan'a says where He remains and where He does not. Na'ra'yan'a is all-pervasive (sarva'nusruta). In scriptures the all-pervasive entity is known as Vis'n'u. "Vista'ra sarvabhutes'u vis'n'orvishvamidam' jagat." 'Na'ham' vasa'mi vaehun't'he' - I don't remain in vaekun't'ha. What is vaekun't'ha? 'Kun't'ha'' means 'contraction.' Why does this contraction enter the mind? When a person commits sin and is guided by baser instincts, the mind gets contracted. And in a contracted mind, the a'tman does not get scope of expansion. For the sake of expression of the soul, the contraction has to be removed. When does this contraction leave the mind? It happens when the mind moves away from sin. When the contraction has left the mind, the sin is removed, and the person attaining this will have Vaekun't'ha in the heart. 'Na'ham' vasa'mi vaekun't'he' - Na'ra'yan'a says that He does not remain in Vaekun't'ha. 'Yogiina'm' hrdaye na ca' -- He does not remain in the hearts of yogiis, either. If He does not remain in the hearts of yogiis, where does He remain? But if Na'ra'yan'a says it, what should I say? We have to got to accept it. Who is a yogii? Sam'yoga yoga ityukta' jiivatma' parama'tmanah When Jiiva'tma' (unit consciousness) and Parama'tma' (Cosmic Consciousness) become one, that is yoga. The word yoga originates from the Sam'skrta root word 'yuinj' plus 'ghain.' It means 'addition.' If two plus two becomes four, the components can manage to keep their separate existences. Two mangoes plus two mangoes are four mangoes; but these four mangoes can be of four different types, though these two have become four. In this case, they have not become one; their separate existences are not united. This kind of addition is not real yoga. Real yoga is there where there is unification (samarasa), i.e., that kind of addition in which separate entities do not exist at all. All become one. This alone is the real meaning of yoga. One who has become perfected in this kind of yoga is a yogii. The second meaning of yoga is "yogascittavrtti nirodhah." When different propensities in human beings are suspended, that state is known as 'yoga,' and one who has done this is a yogii. So, Na'ra'yan'a says that He does not remain in the hearts of yogiis either. How strange it is! "Na'ra'yan'a is all pervasive. Is the heart of a yogii beyond sarva (all)? But there is an answer. "Madbhakta' yatra ga'yante tatra tis't'ha'mi na'rada." -- Where devotees sing my name, there alone I remain. O Na'rada, I transfer my nucleus to that place. What is the meaning of 'Na'rada?' There are three meanings of the word 'na'ra' in Sam'skrta. One meaning of 'na'ra' is 'niira,' water. The second meaning is 'Parama' Prakrti' (Supreme Creative Principle), from which the word Na'ra'yan'a has come. The third meaning of the word na'ra is 'devotion.' 'Na'ra' plus 'da'. The word'da' has come from the root word, 'da', which means 'giver.' One who distributes devotion is Na'rada. So it is said, to Na'rada, 'I transfer my nucleus to the place where my devotees sing my name.' Why? Because in devotees there is upsurge (Ucchava'sa) and emotion (A'vega). With the help of that emotion, I radiate vibrations in the universe. How can vibrations emanate from the heart of a yogii who has closed all the ten doors of his person by suspending his propensities? Even if Na'ra'yan'a shifts His nucleus there, His radiation cannot unfold therefrom. But if He seats Himself in the midst of devotees, the entire universe is vibrated with that vibration. The object of Na'ra'yan'a will be served in this very thing. Hence, it is wise on the part of Na'ra'yan'a to remain the heart of devotees. It is true that Na'ra'yana is everywhere, but the origin (sphuran'a), radiation (viksuran'a) and sensation (spandana) of His vibration will not be everywhere. He is everywhere, but that vibration originates from that place where His nucleus is. He seats that nucleus at that place where devotees sing His name. What can be a better place than that? Hence, that utterance of Na'ra'yan'a is a fact. 20 August 1978, Patna FINDING THE SUPREME VERACITY official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1 cross-references: none this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1, 2nd edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. Purus'ottama is the nucleus of this Cosmological system. In the atomic system, there is a nucleus, and so many electrons are moving around the nucleus. Similarly, in our global system, the earth is the nucleus, and the moon is moving round the earth; in the solar system, the sun is the nucleus, and so many planets are moving round it. In the Cosmological system, Purus'ottama is the nucleus, and so many objects are moving round It, so many solar systems are moving round that Nucleus. But there is a speciality of this Cosmological flow. In other systems, that is, in smaller systems, movement is in the realm of physicality, but, in the case of the Cosmological nucleus, the movement is not only in the physical status but also in the psychic stratum. That is, all are also moving round Him mentally - knowingly or unknowingly. Those who move round Him knowingly - dancing round Him knowingly - are fortunate, are very lucky. Others are moving round Him unknowingly, and, with all their movement, sometimes they, unknowingly, unconsciously by their crude objectivity increase their radius. Sometimes they decrease their radius. When, because of lack of knowledge, the radius is increased, they feel sorrow, and when that radius decreases they get pleasure. so this is the speciality of the Cosmological Nucleus. In other nuclei, in the case of other nuclei, the movement is just physical. Everybody should always remember that each and every mental creation, each and every mental force, is moving round that Supreme Nucleus. You should have subjective approach and objective adjustment. Dharmacakra is subjective approach. He is the Supreme subject; all others are his objects. When the sensory organs and motor organs are the objects, your mind is the subject. When mind is the object, your a'tman is the subject. And when a'tman is the object, Parama'tman is the subject. So, Paramat'man is the Supreme Subjectivity. And the supra-mental world - atima'nas kos'a of Brahma - is the crudest objectivity. Where there is knowledge, but no devotion, there such people try to establish their speciality. And, as this endeavour to establish one's speciality becomes more important than finding the Supreme, people fail to find the Supreme Veracity. 21 August 1978, Patna WHAT DO YOU WANT? official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1 cross-references: none this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1, 2nd edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. There are innumerable logicians. Some say that this is right. Others say that it is not right. We cannot depend on the logicians. So a person should stick to his ideas, pursue his principles, and not depend on what the logicians say. Nindantu niitinpun'ah yadi va' stavantu Laks'mii sama'vishatu grham' gacchatu va' yathestham Adaeva maran'amastu yuga'ntare va' Nya'ya't pathi pravicalanti na dhiir'ah. The Sha'stras say that a person must stick to his ideals irrespective of whether he receives praise or abuse, whether wealth comes or wealth goes, whether he lives a thousand years or suffers death the next moment. Such a person is called 'dhiira'. My direction to you is to be Dhiira. You must stick to your ideals in spite to everything. In this lies your spiritual growth. If you are asked by God, "What do you want?", what should you say? You must say, "O Lord, I want your blessings so that my intellect may move along the right path." You know that the intellect is the cause of your downfall or evolution. So when your mind gets proper direction, what else would you require? The Vedas say that the creator of the universe is great and that a person's prayer to God should be that his intellect be attached to blessedness. The ga'yattrii prayer says, "O Creator of the universe, guide my intellect towards supreme bliss." The Vedas have chandas like ga'yatrii, anust'upa, tris't'upa, jagatii, mahatii, etc. The ga'yattrii has 3 lines, and there are 8 syllables in each line. Ga'yattrii is that which, when sung, leads a person to the path of liberation. Ga'yattrii can be used till a person gets Is't'a mantra sa'dhana'. Once a person gets the Is't'a mantra sa'dhana', he or she would not need ga'yattrii. 22 August 1978, Patna THE BEST CATEGORY OF PERSONS official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1 cross-references: none this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1, 2nd edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. There are three categories of people: uttama, madhyama and niica. The niica category of people are those who do not undertake any work. They think that they are ordinary people and cannot do any work. They are always scared of the probable obstacles they might encounter in their work. They do not undertake any work. The madhyama category of people are those who undertake some work but throw up their hands when any problem crops up. They presume that any obstacle that comes in their way is a Himalayan obstacle, and hence they give up their work. They think they will not be able to tackle the problems they face. They are not confident of their abilities. The uttama category of people are those who take up a task and are determined to fulfill it. They go on struggling against all odds till they achieve their goal. No problem can defy solution. No difficulty can be greater than their capacity to solve it. They go on fighting against all obstacles. They can face any challenge and meet any predicament. They are determined to achieve their objective, come what may. I want you to be persons of the uttama category. You must always think of the goal. Always look to your idea. By spiritual ideation you can get inspiration to adhere to your principles. 23 August 1978 evening, Patna