Commentary on Paramahansa Nityananda's Chidakasha Gita–Number 19
by Swami Nirmalananda Giri

Chidakasha Gita:
Verses 81-92

81. There is not a fixed rule about the taking of food. It has not been said that one should not take his meals. Moderation! Moderation is the rule. Half stomach, food; one-fourth water; do not love sleep too much.

• There is not a fixed rule about the taking of food.

Sattwic people identify with spirit; rajasic people identify with the mind–manas and buddhi; and tamasic people identify with the body. Consequently, tamasic people become obsessed with hatha yoga and diet, especially fasting. No matter how defiled their minds and personal lives are, they obsess on “purification” which they think is achieved by colonics, stringent diets, and prolonged fasts. I have nothing to say to them, as they are unreachable, but I mention it here so sincere seekers will not think they should take up the same obsession or blame themselves for not being interested in such pointless exercises in self-loathing.

As Nityananda says, there is no fixed rule about the taking of food–when or how much. However: “It has not been said that one should not take his meals.” So that is settled.

• Moderation! Moderation is the rule.

“Yoga is not for the man who overeats, or for him who fasts excessively. It is not for him who sleeps too much, or for the keeper of exaggerated vigils. Let a man be moderate in his eating and his recreation, moderately active, moderate in sleep and in wakefulness. He will find that yoga takes away all his unhappiness.”(Bhagavad Gita 6:16, 17).

• Half stomach, food; one-fourth water.

This is the traditional shastric prescription regarding the amount of food. The problem is, how do we know the size of our stomach? The Ayurvedic solution is to hold the hands side by side and touching one another with the fingers cupped. Someone should then pour uncooked rice into the two hands, letting it pile up until it begins flowing over the sides of the hands and no more will stay on/in. The amount in the hands should then be measured, and this is the ideal amount of solid food eaten at a meal. Some Ayurvedic practitioners say that it is all right to eat up to two cups of food at a meal, even if the hand measurement is less. It is up to the individual.

• Do not love sleep too much.

Tamasic people love sleep, and we must not become tamasic in that regard. However, in modern life, especially in America, most people do not get enough sleep, and even those who get eight or more hours of sleep may not be truly rested from the sleep. Such people should consult a physician and have a sleep study done. Also, excessive sleep can be a sign of a physical problem, so a physician should be consulted. I knew a yogi who craved sleep and seemed unable to get enough. It turned out that he was pre-diabetic and his body was signaling him in this way. So do not condemn or force yourself in the matter of sleep. Get qualified health advice.

82. Fire consumes anything and everything. It does not distinguish between good and bad. Likewise those who are doing “karma” may eat anything. Those who do not know what “karma” is are not aware of what they should do. Such a one suffers from indigestion. One whose digestion is all right may eat anything he likes. It will be digested. Sleep is necessary; moderate sleep. Do not eat when the stomach is full. Be always regular in your meals.

• Fire consumes anything and everything. It does not distinguish between good and bad. Likewise those who are doing “karma” may eat anything. Those who do not know what “karma” is are not aware of what they should do. Such a one suffers from indigestion.

When someone is a beginner in anything, one of the happiest points of the whole thing is its simplicity. Then as time goes on and they go deeper, that simplicity is often replaced by increasing complexity. This is true of Indian philosophy: there is a complexity that is a sign of deeper study and understanding, and that is good. What is not good is wandering into the labyrinth of external observances and holy “stuff” that is not a part of Sanatana Dharma at all, but superstitious accretions from the puranic period of Hinduism that has run rampant. Then it becomes like a kind of “gotcha” game. For example, the seeker is told that rudraksha beads are of benefit to the yogi. Good. So he starts wearing them and feels a definite benefit. Better. Now Best would be if it stopped there, but it often does not. Next thing the seeker is confronted with a lot of rules about the wearing and use of rudrakshas in many forms, accompanied by declarations of dire consequences if any “offenses” are committed in relation to the rudrakshas. This regresses to the incredible fiction that wearing rudrakshas will increase the negative karma of any “bad” thoughts, words, or deeds–that it is better to not even own rudrakshas. This is bolstered with endless quotations from “authorities” that are completely sociopathic nonsense. And God (Ishwara) help you if you have dared to obtain a Shiva linga or Shalagrama. Then damnation appears on the horizon and so many rules and regulations are introduced that you wish you have never heard of them. All this is of course asinine, but naturally it is assumed that the oppressive goondas (thugs) who tell you all this bilge know what they are saying. They do not. So keep it simple, smile at the jackasses, pranam, and live sensibly.

This is what Nityananda is speaking about. Those who follow the path of karma yoga–and that means every single Sanatana Dharmi–need not pay any attention to the “touchable” and “untouchable” obsessives, but just do what is reasonable and all will be well. For the path to God is often referred to in the Gita as Buddhi Yoga–the Yoga of Intelligence. Not superstition, anxiety, fear, and ultimate disgust and aversion.

“Eating” is a symbol for anything taken into the life, and “indigestion” is what happens once the fake pandits get hold of you. It is also an implication that those who do not follow the path of karma yoga as outlined in the Gita are wasting their time, anyway.

Please be assured: this is not a statement that a karma yogi can eat meat or other unclean and harmful substances without detriment.

• One whose digestion is all right may eat anything he likes. It will be digested.

Already covered above.

• Sleep is necessary; moderate sleep.

Here again, good sense is counseled. And may I add that it is not wise to ask another person how much you should sleep? No one knows your situation and physical constitution better than you. Do what works well.

• Do not eat when the stomach is full.

Very good sense, and of obvious meaning.

• Be always regular in your meals.

This is true, for the body sets a kind of program for maximum benefit in both eating and sleeping. They are important activities, and the yogi should take care of them.

In conclusion, let us hear the wisdom of the Gita: “Yoga is not for the man who overeats, or for him who fasts excessively. It is not for him who sleeps too much, or for the keeper of exaggerated vigils” (Bhagavad Gita 6:16).

83. Gold chains around the neck; gold jewels on the ears; gold rings on fingers. These are the causes of the fear of being robbed when they are on the body. Money is the cause of fear. When there is no gold on the body, then there is no fear.

The less a person has, the more peace of mind is possible. Nityananda’s comments are more relevant to India than the West at the present time. There is a very real danger in rural areas (especially in the south) of the kidnapping of children whose parents have them wear gold ornaments.

84. What is called fear is the creation of the mind; for the internal sight, there is no fear. Fear exists to the man who has no internal eye. It is impossible for a blind man to describe what the cart is like. Similarly to a man who has no guru, there is no place in the world.

• What is called fear is the creation of the mind; for the internal sight, there is no fear. Fear exists to the man who has no internal eye.

For when we see with the true, inner eye, we perceive that all is a manifestation of Brahman and therefore all is well.

• It is impossible for a blind man to describe what the cart is like. Similarly to a man who has no guru, there is no place in the world.

Since Nityananda did not advocate human gurus, he either means that until God is our guru we really know nothing, or that if we do not have a wise spiritual teacher (upa-guru) there is no hope of our learning “what is what.”

85. Full of food (annapurna) means full of prana. Food (anna) means prana. If we store our money in a box without much thought about it, it remains in a great store. If we spend from it, it becomes less and less. Money is life; the box is intellect (buddhi). The box requires nothing. Similarly, if a man knows himself, he does not want anything. If by the internal exercise of the sadhana (practice) which is with us, we lead the prana to the brahmarandhra, and there if prana and Shiva are united, then we do not require anything. Restraining the manas from going down and showing it the royal road of the middle path is what is called food.

• Full of food (annapurna) means full of prana. Food (anna) means prana.

In the final part Nityananda will define the “food” which makes us full of life (prana).

• If we store our money in a box without much thought about it, it remains in a great store. If we spend from it, it becomes less and less. Money is life; the box is intellect (buddhi). The box requires nothing. Similarly, if a man knows himself, he does not want anything.

That is, there is no lack inwardly or outwardly to those who engage in Buddhi Yoga, for they know that Life is their very nature.

• If by the internal exercise of the sadhana (practice) which is with us, we lead the prana to the brahmarandhra, and there if prana and Shiva are united, then we do not require anything.

The prana is led to the brahmarandhra by the japa of Om in time with the breath. So Nityananda teaches elsewhere in the Chidakasha Gita.

• Restraining the manas from going down and showing it the royal road of the middle path is what is called food.

The middle path is the sushumna, which is in the midst of the body–not the spine–reaching from the perineum to the crown of the head. The yogi who keeps the subtle life-force rising upward into the head rather than moving downward is himself “annapurna”–full of food, full of life.

86. The repetition of “Rama” is true delight; it is the eternal atma delight; eternal true delight; internal atma delight; kundalini grandeur delight. The lord of mind is Rama.

Rama mans atman. That which governs the ten indriyas (five karmendriyas and five jnanendriyas) is Rama. Ravana means all the wicked qualities in us. Sita means chitta. Lakshmana means attention (thought control). Krishna mans introspection. This introspection is the eternal atma delight.

• The repetition of “Rama” is true delight; it is the eternal atma delight; eternal true delight; internal atma delight; kundalini grandeur delight. The lord of mind is Rama. Rama means atman.

Next to Om, the most popular monosyllabic mantra in India is Ram, which is also a name of God in Hebrew. Neem Karoli Baba was an advocate of Ramnam, as of course was Gandhi as well as many great yogis, including Swami Ramananda of Almora. Many of these have insisted that “Ram” does not refer to the historical Ramachandra of Ayodhya, but is a designation of Brahman just like Om.

Actually Nityananda is making a play on three words: Rama, ramana, and atmarama. Ramana means enjoyer–one who enjoys or delights in something. Atmarama means satisfied–delighted–in the Self. He is saying that by the japa of Ram(a) one experiences and delights in the Self, that Ramnam arouses the kundalini and reveals itself as the Self, the lord of the mind and all else.

• That which governs the ten indriyas (five karmendriyas and five jnanendriyas) is Rama.

Through Ramnam the mind and the senses can be mastered.

• Ravana means all the wicked qualities in us.

In the Ramayana we are told about Ravana the king of Sri Lanka who kidnapped Sita, the wife of Rama, and fought a great battle with Rama, at last being slain by him. So all that is negative in us will be dissolved, wiped out, by the mantra of Ram.

• Sita means chitta.

Sita is the mind which is stolen away by evil, but which can be rescued and restored by Ram.

• Lakshmana means attention (thought control).

Lakshmana, the brother of Rama, used to walk after Sita as she followed after Rama. The meaning is that the mind is protected when focused on the Self and guarded by the control produced by mindful attention on the part of the sadhaka.

• Krishna means introspection. This introspection is the eternal atma delight.

Krishna is both the centering of consciousness inward and the delight (ananda) experienced thereby. Perhaps Nityananda is thinking of the Mahamantra in which the mantric forms of both Rama and Krishna are invoked. For the Self–Rama–cannot be known without the centering practice of yoga meditation–Krishna.

87. All are men. There is no incarnation higher than man. Man is the greatest of animals. But those are the best of men who ponder over the subtle.

• All are men.

The meaning is not clear. Perhaps he is saying that we must respect all human beings, not looking down on primitive or indigenous people or those who in India are called “untouchable” and “outcastes.” He may even be saying that all sentient beings that are not yet human are potentially human and should be regarded accordingly. But this is only my speculation.

• There is no incarnation higher than man.

As far as the earth is concerned, human beings are the highest evolved inhabitants, and for that reason worthy of respect however they may be wasting that status.

• Man is the greatest of animals. But those are the best of men who ponder over the subtle.

All humans are a marvel, but those who fix their mind on the Subtle–Ishwara and their Self are the best. “Among those who are purified by their good deeds, there are four kinds of men who worship me: the world-weary, the seeker for knowledge, the seeker for happiness and the man of spiritual discrimination. The man of discrimination is the highest of these. He is continually united with me. He devotes himself to me always, and to no other. For I am very dear to that man, and he is dear to me. Certainly, all these are noble: but the man of discrimination I see as my very Self. For he alone loves me because I am myself: the last and only goal of his devoted heart. Through many a long life his discrimination ripens: he makes me his refuge, knows that Brahman is all. How rare are such great ones!” (Bhagavad Gita 7:16-19).

88. “Ekadashi” means the worship of the ONE. To such a man every day is ekadashi. Those are called “men” who have such an ekadashi. A man should think very little about the gross. He should spend much of his time in meditation of the subtle.

• “Ekadashi” means the worship of the ONE. To such a man every day is ekadashi. Those are called “men” who have such an ekadashi.

Ekadashi literally means “eleven,” and refers to the eleventh day after the new and full moons that is devoted to the worship of Vishnu and his avataras. It is observed by fasting and through abstinence from certain foods such as grains. But Nityananda says the real meaning is “worship of the ONE,” since “eka” means one, and “dasya” is service or worship. Knowing that God is always God, the wise make every day an occasion of worship. They alone are truly human, for the sole purpose of human life is the realization of God.

• A man should think very little about the gross. He should spend much of his time in meditation of the subtle.

Jesus said: “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s,” (Matthew 22:21). Nityananda is telling us that the material is of very little worth in comparison with Spirit, so we should give the minimum necessary attention to external life and be always intent in the internal life, spending much of our time in meditation.

89. A man becomes “desireless” when he sees a dead body burning. This desirelessness is temporary. This is the secret of the body. Desirelessness imparted by a guru should not be abandoned. From desirelessness a man obtains liberation from bondage. This desirelessness is the best; guru is secondary.

The desire that a man be initiated is of the third class. Getting a guru is of the second class. By practice; getting experience for oneself is the real desirelessness which is the goal of human life. When one practices and imparts his knowledge to another, it is Yogananda Desirelessness. It is the imperishable and the indivisible state. It is the tree of peace. The climbing of the tree of peace which is in the head and being one with that peace tree is the real imperishable desirelessness. The cutting of the primary root of passion and anger is the imperishable desirelessness. Being in samsara, enjoying a little of its pleasures and then renouncing it is the second desirelessness. Desirelessness is liberation from bondage in this very life.

• A man becomes “desireless” when he sees a dead body burning. This desirelessness is temporary. This is the secret of the body.

Reading this immediately made me remember my first sight of the Manikarnika Ghat in Benares (Varanasi). I was seeing it from a boat on the Ganga. The arms of a burning body were slowly rising upward. They were only bone and the forearms had fallen off. “Who would like to embrace that body now?” I asked myself, and decided to fix that image in my mind for future reference regarding love of the body–including “love” of another’s body. Certainly when we see such a sight vairagya arises–only to subside sometime later. THAT is the secret of the body–any detachment or disgust is sure to eventually subside and the old addiction that was established during insect and animal lives in the millions will reassert itself.

Therefore we must never trust a seeming indifference to either our own or others’ bodies. The conditioning from past lives is utterly subliminal and instinctual, and all mental and philosophical analysis intended to block that conditioning is useless–worse than useless because it is deceptive. The body is a danger at all times until we are enlightened, and people who think they are enlightened almost never are. So keep the red lights on in the mind and avoid the danger.

• Desirelessness imparted by a guru should not be abandoned.

There are people of extremely high consciousness whose very presence brings desire into abeyance. However desire is not eliminated, only suppressed for the time being. But if the aspirant can receive instruction in yoga from such a person and will practice unbrokenly, then temporary desirelessness can be maintained until it becomes permanent when liberation is achieved. This is the kind of desireless that is needed–self-transforming practice, not just the momentary silencing of desire. After all, if you bang your hand with a hammer it is a pretty sure thing that most desires and delusions will be silenced, only to return when the pain subsides.

• From desirelessness a man obtains liberation from bondage.

True desirelessness is not just absence of desire but the presence of total fulfillment in the realization of the Self. It is the realization that frees from bondage, desirelessness is just a symptom of the realization.

• This desirelessness is the best; guru is secondary.

If only all “disciples” had this perspective! It is not the guru that matters ultimately: it is the realization made possible by the guru’s teaching–assuming that the guru is a worthy one. So a disciple is one who applies the teaching and attains–not some groupie-slave crouching at a guru’s feet “surrendering,” “taking refuge,” and all such thoroughgoing nonsense. As Buddha said, a teacher is a finger pointing at the moon. Once the moon is seen, who looks at the finger? Obsession with personality is just another way of perpetuating the ego.

I have lived with or spent time in close association with great yogi-teachers, and my memories of them are the dearest treasures of my heart. I am endlessly grateful for their teaching without which I might not have persevered in spiritual life. BUT REALIZATION IS MY OWN TO GAIN, something to which I must ever look forward, and not waste my time looking backward and idolizing those whom All-Devouring Time (Bhagavad Gita 11:32) has swallowed up to be seen no more in those names and forms. I have met the fabulously wealthy, powerful, and renowned, and it changed my status not a whit. Look at the lives of great masters and even avatars, and see the number of people whose association with them brought no progress whatsoever–and sometimes great spiritual destruction since they did not follow the wisdom of those great ones. Buddha’s cousin tried to kill him and Jesus’ disciple betrayed him.

Onward, ever onward, must be the motto of the serious sadhaka. Not only is the guru secondary, the guru is meaningless if the student does not apply the teaching and progress. Many times the great Swami Sivananda would tell a person who had lived two or three months with him: “You now know all I have to teach you. Go, now, and become something yourself.” No true teacher cultivates dependence, but rather gives independence.

• The desire that a man be initiated is of the third class. Getting a guru is of the second class.

The desire to be initiated by a guru is ignorance; getting a guru gives a slight chance of realization. But realization alone–not “perfect discipleship,” “loyalty to the guru” or “guru bhakti”–is the real thing. Another way of putting it is this: A third-rate person wants a guru, a second-rate person gets one, but a first-rate person realizes God. And Nityananda is indicating that a guru is not needed for realization.

• By practice; getting experience for oneself is the real desirelessness which is the goal of human life.

As I said!

• When one practices and imparts his knowledge to another, it is yogananda desirelessness. It is the imperishable and the indivisible state. It is the tree of peace.

This is an awkward translation. A better would be: “It is the desireless of yoga-bliss”–that is, desireless that comes from the realization of God through yoga. As Nityananda says, it is imperishable and indivisible, and so are those who attain it. It is the establishment in atmic peace.

• The climbing of the tree of peace which is in the head and being one with that peace tree is the real imperishable desirelessness.

The sahasrara, the thousand-petalled lotus of the astral/causal brain, is the seat of liberation. Therefore the yogi must establish his awareness there. At present our consciousness is identified with the states embodied by the lower chakras in the spine, which become the gates through which the dying person passes. The yogi must strive to become absolutely one with the sahasrara, as that is the abode of Self-realization and God-realization. The first leads to the second. And it all takes place in the sahasrara.

Nityananda indicates elsewhere that all the sat-chakras, the real, archetypal chakras, are in the brain, not in the spine–the spinal chakras being only subsidiary reflections of the true ones in the head. The sat-chakras are the “tree of peace” which need to be “climbed” unto the brahmarandhra, the supreme chakra at the crown of the head. Om is the means by which this ascent can by made–through the japa and meditation of Om. This alone results in “the real imperishable desirelessness.”

• The cutting of the primary root of passion and anger is the imperishable desirelessness.

Raga-dwesha (attraction-aversion), kama-krodha (desire-anger), must be cut off by climbing the inner tree of peace and escaping the ravenous tigers of samsara.

• Being in samsara, enjoying a little of its pleasures and then renouncing it is the second desirelessness.

Seeing through the folly of external attractions and renouncing them is wisdom, but it is only secondary wisdom that should be made to lead to the true wisdom: Self-realization.

• Desirelessness is liberation from bondage in this very life.

That is very clear. May we prove it to be true.

90. Those who have no faith have no desirelessness. Similarly, those who have annihilated the manas, have no vasanas. So also, those who have no faith do not reap any fruit. We buy a diamond for five or six thousand rupees; this is all rental delusion. If we have no mind to buy a diamond, its value is nothing more than that of a lump of earth.

• Those who have no faith have no desirelessness.

The “faith” Nityananda is speaking about is faith in the truth of the Eternal Self and the possibility of regaining full awareness of the Self: Self-realization. Without this, desirelessness is impossible, for what else is there but material existence if the realm of spirit is unknown to us? Of course we will run after all the mirages within the Mirage of Maya, for they alone will be real to us. Consequently only bondage is possible for us, liberation unthought-of and therefore unattainable.

• Similarly, those who have annihilated the manas, have no vasanas.

A samskara is an impression in the mind, either conscious or subconscious, produced by previous action or experience in this or previous lives. A Vasana is a bundle or aggregate of similar samskaras, impelling a person to repeat the same action. Vasanas are the cause of birth. So for those who have transmuted the mind into the Self there are no samskaras or vasanas, and consequently no rebirth.

• So also, those who have no faith do not reap any fruit.

Jesus said: “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29), meaning that according to our intention and will so shall be our future. Those who have no idea–much less faith–about spiritual life will not create or reap spiritual karma. Those who do not act with the will to achieve good will not create good karma, and therefore will not reap good karma. It is all a matter of knowing.

• We buy a diamond for five or six thousand rupees; this is all rental delusion.

Nothing lasts forever, and even while it does last, it is not a thing at all, but a conglomerate of parts, or energies that have come together and will in time disengage. That which comes into existence must go out of existence. So when we buy something, however costly, it is just a rental, and chances are our body will wear out before it does, so we will lose it either by our death or its destruction (death).

• If we have no mind to buy a diamond, its value is nothing more than that of a lump of earth.

Attraction is never in the object, only in the mind, and if our mind is free of illusions, nothing in the cosmic dream will be of any special value to us–nothing can entangle or enslave us. At the moment of death we will fly away into the freedom of the Chidakasha, into the Self, with not a backward glance or thought.

91. Elements are not five but four: earth, water, fire and air. Space is no element; it is one and indivisible. The earth is extended. Air is above water; space is above air; the sea is the boundary; the earth is the bed; space is the house; the air is above; the earth is below; the earth is red; the air is white. The earth, made of four elements is not round; it is triangular; between the lunar nadi and the solar nadi is sushumna; the earth is like our face.

I am tempted to take the easy way out and say: Figure it out for yourself, but that would be a cowardly coverup of the fact that nearly all this makes no sense at all to me–either because the transcription or the translation is faulty, or because my understanding is faulty! So I will try to explain what of this I comprehend.

• Elements are not five but four: earth, water, fire and air. Space is no element; it is one and indivisible.

One of the things I most admire about the East is the lack of fear in contradicting what is commonly thought to be true. Nityananda does not hesitate to speak from his personal insights even then they do not agree with standard philosophy. The same is true of the Thai Forest monks who do not hesitate to say that the Pali sutras only contain what their formulators liked, and that they omitted what they did not like or understand. Ajahn Suvat Suvaco told a friend of ours that some of the sutras are not at all the teaching of the Buddha. He knew because Buddha himself told him. And the wonderful thing about all this is our freedom to accept or reject either the “orthodox” position or the maverick’s statements.

Nityananda is saying that there are not five elements (bhutas) but only four–that akasha is really chidakasha, Consciousness Itself, “one and indivisible” since it is Brahman Itself. Since akasha pervades the four elements, and they are so dependent on akasha as their support, it is naturally mistaken as one of them. But they exist within akasha, and when they dissolve at the universal dissolution (mahapralaya) the akasha remains, for it is completely untouched by them.

• The earth, made of four elements, is not round; it is triangular.

He is speaking of the muladhara chakra which corresponds to the earth element in the gross and physical bodies. In manifestation there are no pure elements–that is, they are all mixed. When we find the earth element predominating we call it “earth,” but actually water, fire, and air are present in lesser amounts.

• Between the lunar nadi and the solar nadi is sushumna.

This is standard knowledge among yogis.

92. Vayu (air) is imperishable; it is one, indivisible. It exists in everything. When the glass chimney of a lamp is shut, there is no light. When it is not shut, the lamp shines brightly. If we take earth and imagine it to be sugar, it is sugar only in thought.

The nature of earth is not changed. So also, even if a man becomes a yogi or a jnani, the nature of the body does not leave him. Manas becomes one with Brahman; not the body. Jnanis are subject to the limitations of the body. Since their manas is annihilated, they are not aware of their bodily condition. A man in sleep, if bitten by a cobra, is not aware of the cobra bite and he is not affected by it. Similarly, jnanis are not aware of their body and hence, the bodily conditions do not affect them. When a letter, written in English or in any tongue, is given to a child of five or six months old, the child throws away that letter and it cannot know what is contained in it. A child of six months old does not at all know the difference between a diamond and a lump of earth. Such children have no idea of the body. They are always in the thought of atma. Children have no idea of duality. When their brains develop, they become aware of differences. When the brain is not developed, prana in such a child is in the sushumna.

• Vayu (air) is imperishable; it is one, indivisible. It exists in everything.

There are the five ordinary elements (bhutas), and then there are the Great Elements (Mahabhutas) that are virtually transcendent in their nature. We could think of them as the archetypes of the ordinary elements, the ideational patterns eternally in the consciousness of Ishwara, the Creator. Many consider the Mahabhutas to be etheric elements, part of the Chidakasha, and not really part of relative existence at all. I can only suppose that Nityananda is speaking here of the Mahabhuta Vayu.

• When the glass chimney of a lamp is shut, there is no light. When it is not shut, the lamp shines brightly.

The birth date of Nityananda is not known, but he was definitely born in the nineteenth century and was at least a young adult by the beginning of the twentieth. He said that he had seen Swami Vivekananda, who left his body in 1902. Consequently he was very familiar with what at that time was known as a “dark lantern.” Dark lanterns were made of metal, square in shape, with one side having a kind of “door” that opened up to reveal either a candle or a kerosene lamp inside behind a pane of glass. They were used by security people so they could sneak up on criminals and nab them, so of course they were used by criminals as well to keep themselves “in the dark” as much as possible.

The meaning of this is that when the light of the atman is covered, we live in the dark. Yet, the light is always shining inside, so all we need is to remove the coverings of the Self and its light will shine forth, uninhibited.

• If we take earth and imagine it to be sugar, it is sugar only in thought. The nature of earth is not changed.

Appearances are nothing–it is the reality of a thing that matters. A lot of people are eating dirt throughout their life and chortling over how good and sweet it is. “Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life” (Genesis 3:14), is the sentence of all trapped in the prison of material consciousness. Yet, they cling to their dirt and insist on forcing others to eat it, too. They consider anyone who abstains from eating dirt as crazy or fanatical. And it goes around and around.

• So also, even if a man becomes a yogi or a jnani, the nature of the body does not leave him.

How well do I remember meeting a famous yogi at an airport when he landed in America for his second visit. A large number of admirers were there, and as we were all walking along after him I heard a flurry of chagrined whispers about how the last time his hair had been totally black, but now he had so much grey in his beard. Not a few were quite disturbed by this, and I heard about it later on, too. One time when Swami Vivekananda visited London he found that his most fervent and devoted “disciples” had actually fled the city so as be sure they would not meet him. The reason? They had learned that he had been seriously ill some months before. Declaring that a master could never become sick, that sickness was sign of a mental flaw, they renounced and denounced him bitterly. His teacher, Sri Ramakrishna, had been very popular and respected in Calcutta, but when he got throat cancer the “devoted” disappeared–some because they believed a master could not get such a disease, and others because they were afraid they might be asked to help with his medical expenses (!). He himself said that the purpose of the disease was to separate the wheat from the chaff–and there was a lot of chaff. Many disdained Paramhansa Yogananda because of his illness and handicap in walking at the end of his life. (On occasion he swept the illness away and did what he needed to do and then brought it back. That is real mastery.) People I knew said that Swami Sivananda could not be a master since he “died” of diabetes. And when Sri Ma Anandamayi was severely ill and dying, many ran for the exits. Rats always leave sinking ships.

The body has its inherent flaws and they will manifest in time, even in those who are great souls. Now it is the truth that they can dispel them if they wish, but they do not. There is always a purpose for these things, one of which is to get rid of the hangers-on who are just looking to benefit themselves on the material level.

Not only does the body of a realized master have its vulnerabilities and weakness, the possession of a human brain also conditions the master’s consciousness at times. Certainly he can rise above it when he wishes, but part of the greatness of those liberated beings who come to uplift humanity is their willingness to take on these burdens and limitations out of love for suffering humanity. All are “crucified” in some way or another. When Buddha said: “There is suffering” he did not exempt even himself. Suffering is part of the human condition, and great ones know it but return to help “whosoever will” (Revelation 22:17)–few as they be.

• Manas becomes one with Brahman; not the body.

Sri Ramana Maharshi said that in time the mind of the yogi turns into the Self and ceases to be an obstacle to realization. Although “mind” or manas is used, it seem likely that the buddhi is meant and not the lower, sensory mind, though that may be assumed into the buddhi and the buddhi into the Self.

• Jnanis are subject to the limitations of the body.

That we have already considered.

• Since their manas is annihilated, they are not aware of their bodily condition. A man in sleep, if bitten by a cobra, is not aware of the cobra bite and he is not affected by it. Similarly, jnanis are not aware of their body and hence, the bodily conditions do not affect them.

This must not be interpreted extremely, for observation proves that jnanis have awareness of the body, but it does not overshadow their consciousness. If jnanis were not at all aware of the body they would never eat and would never apply remedies when sick. It is true that some jnanis do not bother to wear clothes, but most do. So they know the body is around, but they are not controlled by it, nor do they identify with it in any way. They know it is a mirage and they only give it the attention needed to keep it in the mirage so they can help those trapped in the mirage to get out.

Here is section from the Bhagavad Gita commentary on this subject:

“Standing firm in his realization, the yogi never loses or moves away from his perceptions of Reality. ‘Having attained this, no greater [or: further] gain can he imagine. Established in this, he is not moved even by profound sorrow’ (6:22). No suffering can overshadow or cloud the yogi’s inner vision, no matter how terrible or prolonged it may be. Two events come to mind that illustrate this.

“Sri Ramakrishna was in the final stages of throat cancer. Its ravages were terrible. One day he began pathetically describing the horrible pain to a disciple. After listening a while, the disciple interrupted him, vehemently saying: ‘No matter what you say, I see you as an ocean of bliss!’ Sri Ramakrishna smiled, turned to a disciple standing nearby, and said: ‘This rascal has found me out!’ And that was the end of the subject.

“Toward the end of his earthly life, Paramhansa Yogananda had severe trouble with his legs, at times being unable to walk. Sometimes when the pains were so bad that he could not sleep, close disciples would sit with him in his bedroom. Often he asked them to play recordings of Indian devotional music to take his mind to higher levels. Once, though, he fell asleep as his first American disciple, Dr. M. W. Lewis, and his wife kept sad vigil in his room. After some time, Yogananda began to softly moan, and then his groans became increasingly louder and more expressive of the awful pain. Both devoted disciples began to weep in sympathy for his sufferings. Instantly Yogananda stopped groaning and began laughing. Then they understood: the great Master was always immersed in divine bliss, however much the body might suffer.”

• When a letter, written in English or in any tongue, is given to a child of five or six months old, the child throws away that letter and it cannot know what is contained in it. A child of six months old does not at all know the difference between a diamond and a lump of earth. Such children have no idea of the body. They are always in the thought of atma. Children have no idea of duality. When their brains develop, they become aware of differences. When the brain is not developed, prana in such a child is in the sushumna.

First off we see why Jesus said: “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3), and: “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein” (Luke 18:17). Sri Ramakrishna said that a paramhansa jnani is often like a little child, including being unaware of the body. The “fall of man” is the sinking of awareness from the head into the lower part of the body. Most little children have not fallen yet. Children like and ask for food only because they want the taste in the mouth, not the sensation of the stomach being full. Hunger, unless intense, is ignored by them. That is why children have to be coaxed to eat if they do not have a marked liking for the taste of the food offered them. Very little children can go a long time without eating because they are still drawing primarily on subtle energies to sustain their body. People ask: “Where do they get all that energy?” but it was the same with them as children–they have just forgotten. Children are not aware of the body being tired, either. That is why they have to be forced to rest or sleep.

Nityananda is not a child psychologist–he is really teaching us about the state of a jnani. Here are the traits he lists:

1. A jnani cares nothing for what the world considers knowledge and wisdom, but discards it totally, for to him it is nonsense and without true reason. Logic he considers crazy.
2. He does not have the “values” of the world, but considers just about everything in it equally valueless. He neither honors nor dishonors anything, and ultimately sees all as one.
3. He sees the body for what it is: an instrument subject to aging, disease, decay, and death. But mostly he ignores it except for its minimal needs.
4. He is always centered in awareness of the Self, and sees all things in relation to the Self–in the context of the Self.
5. He ever dwells in non-dual consciousness, untainted by duality in any form.
6. When needed, the jnani can descend and function perfectly in the world in an extremely practical manner. (Nityananda often did this, accomplishing astonishing things for the benefit of others.) He can, if he will, communicate with even the ignorant on a level they can comprehend. On occasion he is seen to be brilliant beyond human genius, and possessed of vast worldly knowledge without ever studying anything.
7. The body of a jnani is always in a state of at least peripheral samadhi, and the forces within it are always oriented upward and manifesting his illumined consciousness. That is why the touch of his body can awaken others.