Commentary on Paramahansa Nityananda's Chidakasha Gita–Number 23
by Swami Nirmalananda Giri

Chidakasha Gita:
Verses 130-137

130. One is the dwelling; one is the eternal dwelling; that dwelling is Omkar. That dwelling is formless; changeless; indivisible. Future is not happy; today is the happy day. Tomorrow is not; day after is not. Nine o’clock, ten o’clock is not the time. Now is the time. The indivisible time you realize by discrimination is “the time.” The time that you spend forgetting the goal of life is beggarly.

• One is the dwelling; one is the eternal dwelling; that dwelling is Omkar.

We never really live anywhere but in God, Who is designated by Om. For a while we dream we are somewhere else, but as David said: “When I awake, I am still with Thee” (Psalms 139:18).

• That dwelling is formless; changeless; indivisible.

In other words, that “dwelling” is God (Brahman).

• Future is not happy; today is the happy day. Tomorrow is not; day after is not. Nine o’clock, ten o’clock is not the time. Now is the time.

There really is no time but Now, and the wise sadhaka thinks and acts accordingly. As Swami Sivananda used to sing: “DIN–Do It Now; Do It Now; Do It Now.” Saint Paul wrote: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2).

• The indivisible time you realize by discrimination is “the time.” The time that you spend forgetting the goal of life is beggarly.

“The indivisible time” is really not Time at all, but Eternity transcending time–in other words, Brahman Itself. To remember Eternity is the royal road, but to dwell immersed in time is to be a spiritual pauper, a beggar dependent on external things, an exile from the inner Kingdom.

131. The seat of mukti is Gokulnandan, Govardhana,and Gokul. The third eye is Gokul. The internal eye is Gokul. It is Mathura; it is Vrindavana.

• The seat of mukti is Gokulnandan, Govardhana, and Gokul.

Liberation is Krishna Consciousness–that divine awareness which dwelt in Sri Krishna. Gokulnandan, the Delighter in Gokul (the area where Krishna lived as a child), is Krishna himself. Govardhana, the hill which Krishna held on the end of his finger, is a symbol of the Sahasrara Chakra–and so is Gokul. The true Krishna Loka, the World of Krishna, is the transcendental Consciousness that is experienced in the Thousand Petalled-Lotus by the perfected yogis.

• The third eye is Gokul. The internal eye is Gokul. It is Mathura; it is Vrindavana.

The awakened perception of the Sahasrara is the Third Eye, the Ajna Chakra that is the gateway to the Sahasrara. It is the place where the Infinite Krishna dwells and acts. Those who would be united to Krishna seek to be established in the activated Sahasrara, and do not waste their time in the externalities and emotionalities of outward-focused “bhakti” (devotion). Instead they unite their inner consciousness with Brahman, the true Krishna.

132. Look for the all-pervading God in the head! Truly look at Him in the head! Hence enjoy the eternal bliss! See this creation in the heart.

• Look for the all-pervading God in the head! Truly look at Him in the head! Hence enjoy the eternal bliss!

In the awakened Sahasrara, the astral/causal brain, God is to be found and known. Therefore the yogi keeps his awareness centered in the Sahasrara day and night, and thereby enjoys eternal bliss.

• See this creation in the heart.

All creation is there, for the Sahasrara is the true “heart” of us and of Brahman.

133. Realization of Omkar is the annihilation of the world. Realization of Omkar is the destruction of the manas. When honor and dishonor have become one to a man, he attains ananda, eternal joy, exhaustless joy, real joy. Then all that appears, becomes nothing but joy.

• Realization of Omkar is the annihilation of the world. Realization of Omkar is the destruction of the manas.

Of course Nityananda means the realization of Satchidananda who is designated by Om. Until Brahman is known, the world will always be “with us, late and soon”–whether this material world or a subtle world to which our karma will draw us as an inexorable force. Only Brahmajnana can annihilate the world from our destiny. The mind and the world are inextricably bound together. Therefore as long as the manas, the lower mind, persists, so will the world.

• When honor and dishonor have become one to a man, he attains ananda, eternal joy, exhaustless joy, real joy.

Then all that appears, becomes nothing but joy. When duality is ended, then ananda–the bliss of Brahman–begins. Nityananda specifically mentions honor and dishonor to indicate that if anything of earth has the power over us to make us either elated or pleased or unhappy and displeased, then true joy, true ananda, is beyond us. But when that power is broken, then all that we experience will be a source of joy, for all things are Brahman Whose essential nature is bliss.

134. “Shiva is from Kashi;” the heart-space is Kashi; manas is Kashi. Everything is Kashi. The eternal atman is Kashi. What is Kashi is in the head. The ten nadas (sounds) are eternal. The subtle Kashi is the Nirvikalpa Kashi. What is Hardwar is the nine gates in the body. It is the heart-space. It is the place of peace. Yajna (sacrifice) is the immortal jnana (wisdom).

• “Shiva is from Kashi;” the heart-space is Kashi; manas is Kashi. Everything is Kashi. The eternal atman is Kashi.

Kashi is a section of what today is called Varanasi (Benares). It is said that those who die in Kashi attain liberation through the blessing of Shiva. Here Nityananda is telling us about the “Kashi” we must live and die in to be liberated. The heart-space is the Self. We must leave this world fully in the consciousness of the Self to be liberated. The mind, in the sense of the illumined intelligence, must also be our abode. In fact, “everything” is a safe dwelling if we perceive the Self there.

• What is Kashi is in the head. The ten nadas (sounds) are eternal.

The sahasrara chakra, in which the ten subtle sounds that pervade all things can be heard, is also Kashi, the abode of liberation (moksha dham).

• The subtle Kashi is the Nirvikalpa Kashi.

The nirvikalpa state in which Nirguna Brahman is perceived is also the liberating Kashi.

• What is Hardwar is the nine gates in the body. It is the heart-space. It is the place of peace.

It is said that those who leave their bodies in Hardwar are liberated, just as are those who die in Kashi. Here, too, Nityananda tells us it is the heart-space, the immortal atman.

• Yajna (sacrifice) is the immortal jnana (wisdom).

Knowledge (jnana) of the immortal Brahman is the true offering (yajna) which obtains liberation for the aspirant.

135. Yukti is like walking on foot. Shakti is that which enters the heart. Sannyasa is like going on a train. He who goes on foot is a wanderer. (Manas is fickle). The body is the train. The passenger in the train is manas. If there are no passengers (manas), the train will not move; tickets will not be issued; people will not gather. Then there is neither the first class nor the second nor the third. Manas is the class of peace; the master of the chariot is buddhi; the engine is the head; the nerves and the blood vessels are the screws; that which moves in the nerves and blood vessels is vayu (air).

• Yukti is like walking on foot. Shakti is that which enters the heart.

Yukti has several meanings, but here it means intellectual reasoning which by its very nature must plod along and miss a great deal as it goes. Shakti, in the sense of spiritual power or vibration, directly enters the heart–the inmost consciousness–and changes the individual for the better. Therefore that is what we must seek and be open to.

• Sannyasa is like going on a train. He who goes on foot is a wanderer. (Manas is fickle).

The tracks of the train are not haphazard or subject to whim. You get on the train; it moves; you arrive; and you get off. It is all direct and sure. Sannyasa is like that when it is genuine. It is the straight route, all obstacles having been removed and the terrain prepared. In a few hours you can travel to a destination that might have taken weeks to reach if all had not been prepared and made ready. Those who wish to travel through this world in safety and speed take to sannyasa. Those under the influence of the fickle mind of the senses and the ego, on the other hand, go by “foot” on the “ground” of earthly consciousness. Their progress is often completely undetectable (and non-existent).

As Saint Teresa of Avila said, worldly people want to go to God the way a chicken walks. In case you have not watched a chicken walk, I will describe it to you. They meander around, never in a straight line, scratching and pecking at the dirt, often lifting one foot and then standing still as if they are in a coma. They literally veer to the side frequently and often walk backwards a bit. If they run, it is only for a few feet and then they stop and wonder what they are doing. Everything they do is “in a bit.” As I said, they meander, they do not really walk. It is purely a matter of lack of intelligence, and therefore lack of good sense. Further, as they walk they often croon to themselves in an aimless and patternless manner, as if trying to figure out if they are even alive, much less where they are–and why. Yet people prefer to live in just such a way, and are proud of it. As Yogananda said: “People are so skillful in their ignorance.”

• The body is the train. The passenger in the train is manas. If there are no passengers (manas), the train will not move; tickets will not be issued; people will not gather. Then there is neither the first class nor the second nor the third. Manas is the class of peace; the master of the chariot is buddhi; the engine is the head; the nerves and the blood vessels are the screws; that which moves in the nerves and blood vessels is vayu (air).

In this final section of the sutra, Nityananda is telling us that if we do not have an intelligent, functioning mind, then our human birth is worthless, for nothing will happen. The “train” will not move at all, much less carry us to a destination. Without spiritual intelligence we are simply nothing–at least for this life. When we do have the requisite intelligence we live at peace and in control of our life. Otherwise we are a heap of junk, like a disabled train.

136. He that saves you at the time of death is Shiva. It is not Hari. Shakti is in Shiva. Maya (delusion) is in Hari. Bodies are earthly. The bodily senses are all looking outwards. Shiva is internal; he is the brahmarandhra. That which is taught by others is no real knowledge; that which has come to your experience is real knowledge.

• He that saves you at the time of death is Shiva. It is not Hari.

As explained in the commentary on Sutra 118, Nityananda is not speaking of the Divine Aspects known as Shiva and Vishnu (Hari), but about internal states within each human being. “Shiva” means spiritual consciousness that is liberating, and “Hari” means external, material consciousness that keeps us in bondage. “Shiva” consciousness strives to dissolve all earthly ties, but “Hari” consciousness strives to maintain them. “Shiva” is indifferent to the world and its ways, while “Hari” is attached to them. Obviously, then, only those that cultivate “Shiva” consciousness will be freed from further rebirth when they leave their bodies, whereas “Hari” consciousness is a sure guarantee of a return to this earth, a spiritual round-trip ticket.

• Shakti is in Shiva. Maya (delusion) is in Hari.

This is an important distinction. Shakti is usually equated with Maya, but in the Siddha Yogi tradition expounded by the Master Yogi Gorakhnath (and to which Nityananda belonged) Shakti is really Shiva in his dynamic aspect. They are not two, but one, and Shakti reveals the Self and liberates the individual spirit or jiva. Maya, on the other hand, blinds and binds everyone under her power. Those of “Shiva” consciousness do not fear Shakti, but take refuge in her, while those of “Hari” consciousness are addicted bond-slaves of Maya.

• Bodies are earthly. The bodily senses are all looking outwards. Shiva is internal; he is the brahmarandhra.

In the body, earthly as it may be, Shiva is to be found–by those of in-turned awareness. Shiva is the brahmarandhra, the gate to liberation in the Sahasrara Chakra, the Thousand-petalled Lotus in the head, the astral and causal brain. So those with internal consciousness will find a treasure in the body of clay, while those who exploit the body will only end up with dust and ashes.

• That which is taught by others is no real knowledge; that which has come to your experience is real knowledge.

This is so important for yogis to comprehend. Of course in the beginning we would be helpless without the counsel of scriptures and worthy teachers, but we must never think that anything we learn from them is true wisdom. That we gain only through out own experience. A yogi should not be overconfident, but he must never lack positive confidence in himself–for after all, do we not hold TAT TWAM ASI as a foundational principle? Prudence is always, good, but unsureness and hesitation can be deadly for us. Therefore we must not pass our whole life believing something because someone else said it. We must use our intelligence and good judgment, even from the beginning.

There is a tremendous amount of nonsense–some of it actually harmful–in popular Hindu religion and contemporary yoga. Unless we use our reason and intuition we will end up in a dead end, going around and around in circles, being nothing and getting nowhere. Just look at the population of the “yoga world” and draw your own conclusions. Once a man wrote to me lamenting that thirty-six years of practicing “the highest yoga known to man” had done nothing for him. Because he was so hypnotized by the mythological claims about his guru and the yoga, and fearful of “leaving the path” through “disloyalty,” there was really no way out for him, though plain good sense and trust in his own experience (or lack thereof) would have freed him to seek and find real yoga. So his incarnation is wasted by staying with a worthless practice given him by worthless teachers. It is important that we pass from believing to genuine knowing. The jnana Shankara insists is essential for liberation is the result of each yogi’s experience. It cannot be borrowed from another.

137. When you have attained perfect peace, there is no necessity of going anywhere. There is no necessity of seeing anything. There is no necessity of going to Kashi, Rameshwara, Gokarna and other holy places. All is seen in the mind. Going and coming are delusions of the mind. When peace is attained, ALL appears to be the ONE. Liberation from bondage is seeing the ONE in ALL and the ALL in ONE. This is desirelessness. The thing in the hand must be seen in the hand itself. You cannot find it anywhere else. So also, everything must be tested in one’s own thought.

• When you have attained perfect peace, there is no necessity of going anywhere. There is no necessity of seeing anything. There is no necessity of going to Kashi, Rameshwara, Gokarna and other holy places. All is seen in the mind. Going and coming are delusions of the mind.

Western students of Eastern philosophy naturally carry along with them the attitudes and assumptions of the West, but it is good if they can lay them aside when the situation merits it. This is especially true in the ego-based reaction that anything that is not the highest, the best, the most complete, or the pinnacle should be ignored and even contemned. This is a continuation of a child’s mindset, actually, one which grips modern advertising in which the latest version of some product is absolutely IT and the older version was trash–hardly a rational conclusion. In the early days of television more than one ad consisted of an actor throwing the “old” product on the ground declaiming “That’s the OLD” whatever, and pulling out the “new” version in exuberant reverence. The outright silliness and stupidity of this never seemed to occur to anyone I knew. No wonder contemporary sociopaths have adopted the “that was another person entirely” when confronted with past peccadillos, thinking that people will accept it (many do).

Consequently we must not consider Nityananda’s words as condemnation of pilgrimage to holy places. After all, he spent many years of his young life in constant travel–even to Japan. Rather he is saying that when we are established in higher consciousness it will no longer be necessary to go here and there in pursuit of spiritual benefit, for all will be found within, in the illuminated intelligence (buddhi). It is true that “going and coming are delusions of the mind,” but it takes a lot of going and coming to find that out for ourselves.

• When peace is attained, ALL appears to be the ONE. Liberation from bondage is seeing the ONE in ALL and the ALL in ONE. This is desirelessness.

“Peace” in this aphorism means the cessation of all ignorance, of all the waves (vrittis) in the mind (chitta). Like a lake after a storm, the mind-waves cease and the mind becomes a perfect reflection of Reality. Just as the lake is a single field of water, no longer divided into waves and movement, when the mind becomes one it is the state of liberation. Seeing the One in All and the All in the One means that both are Real, that in the All we should see the One and in the One we should recognize the All. They should not be divided in our minds, and never should we think that Diversity is inferior to Unity. There is nothing wrong in seeing diversity as long as we experience and know that it is really unity. And in that unity all desire will melt away because there will be no “other” to desire.

• The thing in the hand must be seen in the hand itself. You cannot find it anywhere else. So also, everything must be tested in one’s own thought.

This is a cardinal principle of spiritual life, and it is as much ignored as it is necessary. Everyone cites some kind of authority and accepts that, when the only real authority is our own knowing. Certainly we should study the teachings of the wise, but our purpose should be to further our own search for the revelation of truth. Truth must be realized by each individual. No one can impart enlightenment to us, we must gain it ourselves–each one without exception. A thing can only really be true when it is part of our own knowing, our own experience. This is one of the glories of yoga: it enables each person to know for himself what is true and real. Nothing need be proven to the yogi, it only needs to be experienced by him.