Temporal and Spiritual Knowledge

 

Temporal and Spiritual Knowledge

Gajaraj Swamigal: Father, Maha Muni, Great Guru, bowing to you, I request you to give me a simple explanation for the word knowledge.

Sage Agastya: Father Ganapathy, giver of knowledge Vadivela, bowing to you, I desire to give a suitable explanation to the question my disciple is asking me.

I will give a simple explanation to the fantastic question that you have posed, listen.

It is not easy to give details to the word called Knowledge.

Knowledge is that micro material, created by God that pervades the entire universe. Knowledge is of several kinds. In that the greatest is the explanation given by the very source of the Absolute! An explanation about this was given through Brahma by Maha Brahma for all the three ages.

As time passed, and as those that lived on earth changed, different explanations appeared that were relevant to the situation.

As the explanations became many, and those that explained this varied, and the meaning differed; yet understand that all this knowledge is like the flowers that have flowered in a tree that has deep roots and hence cannot be shaken.

While the flowers are many, and yet the tree is one, isn’t the taste of the fruit from that tree unique?

We call the knowledge that the Vedas expound as temporal knowledge. The other type of knowledge is spiritual knowledge.

Temporal knowledge is that which is written by man and written in books. It is the knowledge that one learns by being taught by others. The explanation is given by the Guru, or book or through what others say.

Spiritual knowledge is that which is knowledge beyond this. This type of knowledge is normally not known by reading or by listening. This type of knowledge emerges by itself from within. There is a connection between the mind and the soul.

From the depths of the mind, the soul gives the knowledge to the gross body that surrounds it. In such a case, the knowledge that is given by the soul, as it comes through the mind of the human, may get mixed up with the knowledge that he has learnt. I will give you another explanation to this, listen.

When it rains, water runs like a river and reaches the ocean. As it proceeds, it collects some material that is not related to it that is found on its way. In the same way, the temporal knowledge that man has gets mixed up with the spiritual knowledge when it emerges.

It is only when man keeps his mind pure like milk based on his actions, does the knowledge that comes through it remain white!

If one wants to gain that pure knowledge through his soul, then his mind must be pure.

Thinking of the Absolute, when you sit in meditation, and melting that memory of the Absolute in your heart, when you keep your mind without any dirt, and reach the state of void, which is when there is a computability between the mind and the soul.

 The soul becomes one with the Absolute in the yogis, in the paramahamsa’s and those that are pure. The knowledge that comes then is directly from the supreme. Those that reach this stage become known as Brahma Gnani’s - knowers of the Absolute.

Even though the first among the Trinity is Brahma, it is Gnaneshwara who is higher even though he is younger than the Trinity. Those that seek knowledge may first bow to Muruga and then through their own Gurus, gain this knowledge.

The knowledge that you are now gaining is like this. Yet, sometimes, your knowledge, the knowledge that you know, is getting mixed up in this river. This mixing is not wrong, isn’t it only when one bathes, that the place becomes cleansed!

Now I will give you some more details on knowledge.

Knowledge is the very basis of Dharma or righteousness. When one is known as wise, the actions he performs, the words, thoughts, must be without any taint. Goddess Laxmi who holds the lotus in both hands and stands on a lotus is also the supreme epitome of knowledge, I declare!

This is also one of the meanings behind the manifestation of Laxmi, wife of the Lord, as she appears, holding untainted knowledge in her hands, standing on a big lotus flower.

While the spear of Muruga is known as that which kills demons, I will give you a new explanation to that. The demon may be considered as ignorance. It is that sharp spear of Kumara that destroys the demon of ignorance, I declare!

Even though that which is destroyed is the demon of ignorance, that demon once destroyed, is also a pure soul, who emerges after settling all his sins, getting rid of them, and becoming free of the curse.

If you look at demons in all the puranas, you will understand that they are all great devotees.

That is why the one who has acquired the idea of knowledge, must first destroy the demon of ignorance that is within him and allow the lotus of knowledge to bloom in its place. This is liberation.

Science is another branch of knowledge. A person with a sharp intellect, improving his knowledge, understanding the knowledge that comes from within him like a flood, gives out new knowledge to the world at times. We call him a scientist.

There are some differences between a Sage and a scientist. The knowledge that is given by a scientist may be used by man both for good and for harm.

An ordinary Sage gives rationality to the world based on his knowledge. He cleanses the heart of others, and only good happens to others through him. I will tell you something at this point. The state that you are in is the state that I have just told you.

The one who is a Sage goes from ignorance to becoming a scientist and then higher than that.

After doing everything that he can do for others, after giving the knowledge given by the Guru to others, “This is enough, I will give my knowledge and intellect to the Absolute,” saying this, intent on the Absolute, in discipline, forgetting his children, those around him and people of the world, reaches a higher state of a Sage and that becomes the path to liberation.

Then addressing Gajaraj Swamigal, Sage Agastya said, Father, the path that you are walking on now, the actions you are performing, and thoughts have attained purity. Giving the knowledge that I have given you and the knowledge that is already in you, only to those that ask for it; forgetting everything, you will undertake the final journey to reach the Absolute.

Quote of the Day

 

 "Vazhipaadu is walking on the path that I show. It is listening to what I say with reverence and following it."

 

 "Vazhipaadu endraal naan sollum vazhiyil nadapadhuve. Naan sollum sotkalai ketu, panindhu vanangi nadapadhuve."

 

 "வழிபாடு என்றால் நான் சொல்லும் வழியில் நடப்பதுவே. நான் சொல்லும் சொற்களை கேட்டு பணிந்து வணங்கி நடப்பதுவே."

Sage Agastya

Agastya and Literature

 

C

ontribution of Agastya to literature begins with the greatest of all contributions – language, which is the very basis of literature. Legends state that Tamil, considered to be the oldest language in the world was given to Agastya by Lord Muruga[1].

This transmission of the language became the basis for Agattiyam, one of the first treatises on grammar in this language authored by Sage Agastya. It set the foundation for the incredible plethora of literature that was being produced in the area. Even though Agattiyam has not survived, the oldest surviving Tamil grammar Tolkappiyam refers to the first ever compilation of the Agattiyam.

According to historical references, the book Agattiyam was featured in the first Sangam[2]. These were literary conventions mainly comprising of poetic renderings of the history of the ancient kings of Tamil region. The Sangam or convention enabled litterateurs to gather and share poetic renderings that were discussed, compiled, and recorded. These are said to have been held in southern India, in the historical kingdom belonging to the Pandyan dynasty.

The Pandyan kings were known for promoting art and literature and hence it is only natural that these great conventions received their patronage. It is a popular belief that it was Agastya who convened the first ever Tamil Sangam. These are extant texts that have chronicled the kings and their history that contain archeological evidence to this effect.

While not much remains of the first two sangams or literary gatherings, extensive literature abounds that originated during the third Sangam. Just to give an idea of time - these Sangam’s spanned thousands of years each according to some history and legends. The first two were said to have been held in what is now termed “city under the sea.” The final one was held in the modern city of Madurai.

If you have noticed, we are already talking about a wide time span as far as Agastya is concerned here. Legend here is seen blending with history. The legend is the giving of the Tamil language to Agastya by gods. History is the treatise on grammar and other historical evidence of Agastya’s contribution to this language.

Yet, references to Agastya’s work in literature range from the Vedas that have no historical dates to the historical Pallava dynasty as evidenced by archaeological facts. It is said that Agastya’s work on meditation, medicine, hymns, and astrology - yoga, siddha medicine, mantras[3], and nadi shastra[4] are countless. It is believed that he has authored nearly 1000 books. There seems to be no topic he has not covered. His books cover everything from cosmic knowledge to siddha medicine, the tantras[5], and the mantras.

To name a few: ‘Poorna Nool,’ a book of 200 verses covers the topic of exorcism and prayers. ‘Deekshavedy’ is about magic and enchantment. ‘Vytia Vaghadum Ayrit Arunooru,’ covers medicine. ‘Canda Puranam’ ancient history. ‘Agastya Vyatia Ernoorti Unjie’ is on chemistry. The list is endless. Many of these books are available in the cities of Palani, Thanjavur , Tirupati and Chennai in Southern India.

The great philosophical text Thirumanthiram by Tirumular, references Agsatya as a Sage who came from the north and settled in the south. Another 10^th century treatise on gems and diamonds bears his signature name and is called Agastimata.

Other Sanskrit texts that Agastya is credited with are Agastya Gita and Agastya Samhita which appear in the Varaha and Skanda puranas. Interestingly there is much history and literature connected with Agastya in Buddhism as well.

The first century Buddhist texts refer to Agastya as having learnt Tamil and Sanskrit from Avalokitan, the Buddha to be. References to Agastya is made in texts like Manimekalai and Viracoliyam according to Anne E. Monius, an American Indologist and religious scholar. They refer to him as student of the Buddha to be. Other historians have found mention of Agastya in the Jataka stories[6] as well. He is featured in the Jataka Mala by Aryasura which talks about Buddha’s previous lives. Agastya is mentioned in its 7^th chapter.

The ancient Javanese text Agastya parva treats him as a principal Guru. That is probably why he is also sometimes referred to as Batara Guru. In Javanese, Batara means male deity or defied ancestor. Agastya was very important in the Javanese society because of his strong association with Shaiva Siddanta. In fact, some scholars state that Shiva himself was called Batara Guru by the Javanese. Reference to Agastya as Batara Guru shows the high esteem that the Javanese culture holds this Sage in. Scholars state that the earliest mention of Agastya actually date back to the mid-1^st millennium CE. Texts of the 10^th and 12^th century in Javanese language that reference Agastya still exist.

The most remarkable of the Javenese texts is Agastya Parva, a 11^th century text which is in the form of dialogue between a Guru and disciple. In this instance it is in the form of a dialogue between Agastya and his son Drdhasyu. It is a combination of philosophy, mythology and genealogy attributed to Agastya.

From the references in the puranas and historical texts, Agastya not only appears in texts about him, but as an author of texts as we see here. Of these, the most popular and continuously used work of Agastya are the hymns composed by him.

 

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[1] Muruga: The second son of Lord Shiva, Muruga is revered as Lord of knowledge and valor in Hinduism. He is known by many names – Vadivela, Valli Manavala, Shanmuga, Karthikeya, Kanda etc.

[2]Sangam: Literary conventions of poets and scholars in Tamil, held in southern India over a vast period ranging from 200 BC to 200 AD.

[3] Mantras: Mantras are a set of specific words that are uttered repeatedly. At the basic level, they aid in concentration on the spiritual path. At their most profound sense, they are powerful words or incantations of a small set of words that are said to give great spiritual, mental, and physical powers to the person who chants them with full devotion and with the right intonation.

[4] Nadi Shastra: A system of astrology where thumb prints are used to locate information recorded about individuals on ancient palm leaf manuscripts.

[5] Tantra: A set of spiritual practices that encompass method, study and practice of actions and words that result in beneficial results.

[6] Jataka stories: These were a large body of literature connected to the incarnations of Gautama Buddha before he assumed Buddhahood.

 

Powerful Invocation to Sage Agastya

 

This powerful invocation to Sage Agastya was composed by Gajaraj Swamigal. This small verse contains the very essence of Sage Agastya and his work.

In Vazhipaadu Sage Agastya says, he is ‘born’ of the ‘fire’ from the third eye of Divine Mother. As we all know Divine Mother or Adhi Para Shakti is the primordial energy. The very first manifestation of creation. He (Sage Agastya) who emanates from that fire (of expression or the initial duality of creation) is the primordial soul. He is the representation of all the souls in the world.

That is the meaning behind the first line of the hymn above:

The One who is manifest as the foremost in the letter ‘Aa’

Now, what does the second line, “The Sage, who is the highest among the living beings manifested in the letter ‘U’ stand for? This line declares that Sage Agastya is the highest or the ‘foremost’ among the manifested! He precedes the trinity themselves!

The third line of the hymn reads, “Dispelling the illusion of life as the letter ‘Ma,’ tells us that in following the path shown by him; by surrendering to him, the ultimate truth is revealed to us – by dispelling the ‘illusion’ that is creation itself!

Gajaraj Swamigal ends the hymn with, “That sacred feet of Agasthiyar, let us touch every day.” In doing so, he reminds us that we must hold on to those sacred feet of Appa Agastya who is the manifestation of the primordial energy in creation and who ultimately is our one refuge in dispelling the illusion of creation itself!

Brother Venkatesh Kiran also gives a beautiful explanation to this hymn:

“AUM is the primordial sound which is one of the parameters along with bindu the primordial light, which is the cause for creation. This is the combined energy of both symbolic male and female energies, the representation of Shiva and Shakti.

After the male and female energies of Shiva and Shakti came together, Agasthiyar Appa was the first to be manifested from the symbolic third eye or the creative, or fire center of Shiva and Shakti. So Shiva and Shakti as Aum resides in Appa and vice versa. So, Appa is the manifested form of unmanifest Aum. So worshipping Appa is the same as worshipping that primordial sound Aum.”

So, with this invocation you are invoking the primordial being, the Absolute himself through Sage Agastya. You can find this powerful invocation to Sage Agastya on YouTube titled ‘Invoke Sage Agastya’s Grace through this powerful Sri Agastya Mantra’ composed by Gajaraj Swamigal. It is sung by both Chi. Rohith Rajesh and Smt. Aparna Rajesh. 

Agastya Muni

(Gajaraj Swamigal)

AUM[1]

The One who is manifest as the foremost in the letter ‘Aa’

The Sage, who is the highest among the living beings manifested in the letter ‘U’

Dispelling the illusion of life as the letter ‘Ma’

That sacred feet of Agasthiyar

Let us touch every day.

Agasthiya Munivar

(Gajaraj Swamigal)

‘Agara’maai ezhuthinil aagiya mudhalvanin

‘Ugara’maai uyirgalil uyarndha munivanaai

‘Magara’maam pirappenum maayaiyai neekki

Arul pagarndha Agathiyan padham niththam pattruvom.

 

அகஸ்திய முனிவர்

(கஜராஜ் ஸ்வாமிகள்)

அகரமாய் எழுத்தினில் ஆகிய முதல்வனின்,

உகரமாய் உயிர்களில் உயர்ந்த முனிவனாய்,

மகரமாம் பிறப்பெனும் மாயையை நீக்கி,

அருள் பகர்ந்த அகத்தியன் பாதம்[2] நித்தம் பற்றுவோம்.

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[1] AUM: The cosmic word that contains the vibration of creation, preservation, and destruction. Aa in Tamil is ‘Agara’ and represents the vibration that brings about the creation of the universe; U (pronounced as ‘oo’) is ‘Ugara’ signifies the vibration that preserves creation and M is ‘Magara’ represents the destructive vibration. The word AUM is thus the beginning and the end. Through it the universe comes into manifestation and through it everything returns to the Absolute or the infinite spirit. AUM is universal to all Indian languages however, how each syllable is pronounced in its expanded form is based on that particular language. In the Hindu pantheon of Gods, these three attributes of creation, preservation and destruction are personified in the Trinity viz. Trinity Brahma, the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer.

[2] It is unclear whether he meant padham (பதம்) or paadham (பாதம்). Both make sense. We have chosen the more easily understood ‘Paadham’ for this version.

 

Who is a Siddha?

Sage Agastya: ‘Chid’ means mind or consciousness. After controlling his mind and sitting in one place, one who focuses on the Absolute and engages in worship, has the privilege of being known as a Siddha.

Any yogi, who is a spiritual aspirant, when he attains the power to bestow the light of wisdom; as soon as the thought comes to his mind, at the very place he is at; becomes a Siddha purusha at that moment. For this, one needs no learning nor is it necessary for one to learn from others.

To accomplish this, such a man must have performed good deeds and spiritual practices in his previous life. Along with this, he must have the love and blessings of his Guru and the boon he has received from Gods.

He does not become a Siddha, one who aspires to become a Siddha through spiritual penance that he has undertaken in one lifetime alone!

Forgetting

The flying birds

The sins

The virtuous deeds

And all materials

 

Thinking only of God

Pushing aside

Your fluttering thoughts

 

With a pure heart

Thinking of God

Bowing in devotion

 

If you want to become a Siddha

Immerse yourself in meditation

Henceforth.

If light must emerge from the lamp, a wick is needed. If the wick must emit light, the material that creates the fire - oil, is needed. As and when the oil depletes in the lamp, it must be replenished over and over. Similarly, one must always cultivate the habit of meditation and worship.

After becoming a Siddha Purusha, oil is no longer needed; the wick is no longer needed, and a lamp is not required.

At that time, the light that emerges from within will never be extinguished and will forever emit the light of wisdom.

Whichever Yogi, or aspirant, is able to give the light of knowledge, the moment he so wills, at any place, on such a day, he becomes a Siddha purusha. For this, lessons are not needed, nor do you have to learn them from someone else!

All that is needed is one’s virtuous deeds in past lives. All that is needed is spiritual achievements of the past, a Guru’s love and blessings and grace of God. That is enough!

Who is a Perfected Siddha?

This discourse brings much needed relief to those on the Siddha path, who do not have the luxury of becoming ascetics in the forest. Many of us remain in society, supporting families. We work, we pay our bills and are in constant interaction with the outside world that is necessary for our day to day life.

Sage Agastya: A perfected Siddha is one who is detached from the world. In such circumstances, it is indeed a very difficult situation when a person like you (Gajaraj Swamigal) who is still involved in family life, must also live as a Siddha in the world.

That is why one must walk slowly on this path. There should be eagerness, but not haste. Keep the changes that happen within you to yourself. As the outside world begins to appreciate you, at one stage without you even knowing it, you will appear as a Siddha.

At that time, you must keep only a pure relationship with your spouse. The relationship between you and your spouse must be that of only service.

As you progress, you will view both family and strangers in the same way. At that stage, you must accept complete vows of renunciation and keep very little relationship with outsiders.

When you consider everyone as souls,

You won’t be yourself

At that moment,

Man or woman, there is no difference

Friends or enemies, there is no difference

Dog or spirit, there is no difference

At that moment

There is neither man nor God.

Neither ocean nor tears!

Such a state will surely come. From that moment, without seeking any pleasure from the world, always thinking of God, you must meditate to gain God realization.

Detaching yourself from this body made of skin and flesh, that has worked and rested, make the effort for your soul to reach the feet of the Absolute.

You (Gajaraj Swamigal) had asked to be blessed to do some good work for the people of the world. You have already started this work. In support of this, I too am serving through you and through those who are with you with great satisfaction.

Your work is nearing completion, once it is done, your soul will stay in the Rishi Loka with me for a while and then gain a higher state automatically.

But I must continue to do my work by working through good people like you. My work will continue. Where is the retirement for me in following the command of God and serving him? Experiencing that great joy that is about to come, I must continue with the work.

Lastly, Sage Agastya says once the disciple reaches a certain stage, they no longer require meditation.

To those disciples interested in sharing their knowledge with the outside world, Sage Agastya says:

When woken up in divine contemplation,

The sleeping snake will spring up

Seeing the feet of God!

 

Until that time comes,

Like the mountain covered by snow;

Like the simmering milk covered by cream;

Like the palm nectar that is

Brought down from the palm tree before dawn;

Spend time like an ordinary man!!

Gods and Munis who are not seen by others, in a situation where they are not able to advise the people of the world directly; choose some as devotees or disciples at various times, and correcting his actions, help the world to walk on the righteous path through them[1].

While selecting someone like this, we take into consideration the good deeds such a person has performed in his previous life, and giving him the ability to speak, we first ensure that people perceive such a person as a good man.

While giving these words, without pride, without becoming a slave to praise; without desiring money; considering that being asked to do this good task, is like performing puja to God, considering it as a direction given by God, proceed with it.

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[1] This again finds confirmation in the Nadi palm leaf reading as detailed in the foreword by Sri Vallai MaMaharishi. What was told to Gajaraj Swamigal in 2002 was confirmed in a Nadi reading to Sri Vallai MaMaharishi in 2017. Neither of them knew each other or heard about each other.

Anger, Jealousy

 

Anger, Jealousy

Gajaraj Swamigal: Jealousy, anger, suffering why do they occur?

Sage Agastya: Let us start with jealousy as the first topic. Why does jealousy occur? Whom does one become jealous of? How much jealousy is manifested? How does it grow? Let us see.

When a person compares oneself to another person or situation, and then sees himself as inadequate; and does not have the strength to bear that, such a state is jealousy.

 Why does jealousy occur? Whenever man fails to find satisfaction with what he has, and wants more, then he develops desire. It is natural to have desire. However, when a person feels the lack of something in himself that is present on a larger scale in another, and is unable to gain that for himself, then he becomes jealous of the person who possesses it. Usually jealousy arises because of property, happiness, money, material, fame, and status.

When a person has less of something than another, such a person starts getting jealous of the person and aspires to become better or richer than the other. When a third person refers to the bounties of the other, and makes the person feel slighted, then jealousy increases.

This may occur between parents and children, siblings, friends, or couples. When anger and pride combine with jealousy, then it may lead to dire situations. During such disputes and fights people may even go to the extent of taking a life.

How can we fight jealousy? When comparing oneself to another, one thing needs to be remembered. What does it matter how someone else is? We must feel happy for another’s fortune - be it emotional or material.

Understand that there is no connection between your situation and the situation of others. Remember this: What one has in terms of materials, name, status are all dependent on one’s behavior, talent, or situation. If there is some shortfall over all this, one must consider this as something to do with one’s karma. To fight jealousy, one must seek help from your Guru or the God you worship.

Anger

Let us take a look at what anger is, why does one become angry, and how it is expressed.

A situation that is uncontrollable, or unbearable leads to anger. When someone’s words or actions are not acceptable to another, then that state is known as anger. A simple example: when a mother gets angry with her child, it is because of something wrong done by the child.

How does anger occur?

If one does not like a particular event, then it creates anger. If that is not forgotten, anger grows into a fire as time passes. If such events does not occur frequently, then the anger increases in stages. At one stage, when one is not able to control it, it is expressed. At such a time anger is expressed in actions like scolding, criticism, fights, and even killing.

Anger against whom?

Who is the anger against? Between a husband and wife, between parents and children, between oneself and friends, between oneself and outsiders, or sometimes, it may occur because of something that is not even connected to the person in question.

Suffering

Sage Agastya: What is suffering? Why does it occur? Where does it take us? Something that is not to our liking or something that we cannot bear, brings suffering.

Consider whether the suffering affects the body, heart, or mind? If there is disability in the body, or there is a deficiency in beauty, or if there is disease, it brings suffering to the body.

If there is sadness, it causes pain to the heart. Suffering of the mind may be caused by unfulfilled desires, criticism, unrequited love or owing to an unforeseen test. Suffering may also occur over something that is anticipated but fails to occur. Like this, many are the situations in life that cause pain and suffering!

It is not right to suppress the pain in your heart, yet it is also not right to not express pain all the time. Do not subject yourself to psychosis and exhibit a sad face all the time. Speaking emotionally or acting without enthusiasm creates disturbance not only in oneself but also others around you.

If you do not express your pain, others will not know why you are in pain, and it will always remain as a question. Because of this, you will have no peace and those around you will have no peace either. Consider if you want this type of life?

The most commonly known example is that of the man who cries because he does not have the means to buy a pair of shoes. It is only when he sees another without feet, that he realizes that having feet in itself is a great blessing!

 What does one need to do to have a healthy body and peaceful mind?

·         Clean and tidy place to live.

·         Peaceful coexistence with nature.

·         Consumption of naturally grown food.

·         Refraining from excess in terms of how we obtain what we want; the extent and how we experience it.

The mind always has a combination of desire, intention, sweetness, bitterness, happiness, and sadness. Those that harbor only good thoughts and perform good actions will always have a balanced state of mind. In addition, no types of weaknesses will bother one who believes in God and surrenders himself at God’s feet and spends his time in higher contemplation.

Bad Energies

 

Bad Energies

2002, December 14, 9.35 am to 10.40 am.

Gajaraj Swamigal: What are bad energies. What are the remedies against such bad energies?

Sage Agastya: You were just now contacted by a person who informed you that the lemon you gave her a few days ago has turned black. Based on this, I would like to give you some hints about the following.

·        What is bad energy? How does it spread or how is it transmitted?

·        Why the colour black? Are there any remedies for this?

One form of bad energy is the karmic energy that comes out of a person who is suffering. Another form of bad energy is the one removed from the energy field of a diseased person. The third category of bad energy is the utterances of people in anger or jealousy. These three are distinct from bad spirits, which make up the fourth category.

There are four types of bad energy. They are either circulating freely in the air or are directed towards the victim by some forces. Some bad energies get attached to objects used for their removal. Contamination by contact may also affect the person.

The nature of the problem affecting a victim depends on the nature of the bad energy with which he is inflicted.

Bad energy emanating from karmically negative persons:

People with lots of bad karma emanate ever flowing bad energy from their body. If people who are unprotected by will or power of God live in close proximity of such karmically affected persons, the energy affects not only the person concerned but also the people living with him.

Remedy: As far as possible, it is better not to allow such people to live with the family. Separate them. It is not wrong. You are justified in protecting your family by keeping such a person away from them.

Bad energy of diseased persons: This refers to the practice of healing by means other than the known and accepted types of science based healing. There are several alternate methods of healing using energy. A diseased person has negative energy in his aura. A skilled person can remove this by the act of will. This energy is not visible to ordinary eyes. The bad energy, which is removed, should not be allowed to spread. It is equivalent to germ spreading disease. When a person comes in contact with the discarded bad energy, and is weak, these get attached to him producing a specific disease.

Remedy: The diseased energy can be destroyed by the following methods:

·        By willing it to disintegrate in the path of light.

·        Directing the bad energy into salt water so it can disintegrate.

·        Performing rituals like aarathi where incense or camphor is moved clockwise with a strong will to burn the diseased energy.

·        Placing a lemon and allowing it to absorb the diseased energy.

Curse :This is a powerful energy in the form of thought or a verbal curse. The person who utters this must be highly developed or a wicked person with occult powers to actually affect others through their curses. Both are immensely powerful. It is distinct from other bad energies in that it is directed towards a particular individual.

Remedy: Curses will not affect a person who is pure, and spiritually high. It will not affect a person with a strong will power. It will not affect a person who is protected by Gods and gurus. Sometimes men with power can shield the intended victim.

If the person is already targeted, counter mantras, counter yantras and strong counter thoughts can return these negative thoughts to their source.

List of items that can remove such bad energies:

1.       Pure water from a river

2.       Sacred water from a powerful deity or place of worship

3.       Vermillion powder from powerful deities

4.       Margosa leaves

5.       Aarathi

6.       Lemon

7.       Mustard

8.       In some cases, slippers and brooms are used in a crude way to achieve the same effect.

Bad energy in the form of spirits: This topic has been dealt with in the previous chapter. These are bad spirits who are still circulating in the lower parts of the etheric field. They belong to men who were wicked before their death. There are spirits that cling to materials and places where they lived. They retain attachment to these things. They will not allow others to enjoy the materials or land that belonged to them when they were alive. Yet other spirits belong to those who were murdered. They remain seeking revenge.

An example: There is a place near this city where a lot of accidents and death have taken place. It is because this was a spot where human sacrifices were made in the past. The spirits in this area are weak and aimless. If a person who is not in full control of his mind happens to pass by, these spirits are attracted to that person and can cause that person to have an accident.

Remedy: Keep away from such places. If you must pass through such places, keep your mind calm. Carry some devotional object for protection with you.

Transmission: For transmission to occur there should be certain factors. At the physical level, dirty areas; at the individual level, lack of cleanliness of self and surroundings; already depleted energy; weakness of body and mind and lack of spiritual protection.

On the whole if you see the cross section of people who suffer because of these bad energies, very few who lead a simple and spiritual life are affected. Large-scale affliction happens to ignorant people.

A large number of afflicted people themselves are bad. Only in a few cases, it is because the energy has been directed towards a particular person. It will be there with the person until he becomes strong. Once the person is strong, the spirits leave him. That is why bad spirits are driven out with harsh words and powerful utterances.

Insanity related to Entities: Entities are spirits in the form of energy. They have  a mind but no body. They are formless. There are exceedingly small entities that are absorbed by unguarded persons through any of their chakras. The entity blocks the absorption of energy in that particular chakra. This affects the organ in that region in the human body.

Remedy: A fairly powerful healer can command the entities to leave the chakras after which the damage to the chakras should be cleaned and healed. These entities are also called energy cockroaches.

The second category is bad energy that may enter the aura of a person causing problems.

The third category is the larger entities that try to acquire the body of another person. There is a tussle between the soul and the spirit. The soul of the person attempts to throw the spirit out, and the spirit tries to throw the soul out.

The soul which dislikes remaining in the same body that is now occupied by the evil spirit, will want to leave the body. In such cases, the person may commit suicide. That is one of the reasons behind suicide of mentally altered persons.

In some cases, the spirit is too strong. It depends on the type of person it comes from and the type of mind it carries. It attacks the body of the person, possesses it, and fulfills its desires through the body of that person. This is what is called Satan in the Bible.

Q: How can entity related madness and insanity arising from faulty thought process be differentiated?

Wrong thought process can be cleared by right knowledge. Such people can be guided through counseling and advice. A person possessed by spirits cannot be changed. Special healers may be required to heal such people.

Black color: Going back to the reference to the lemon that had turned black, Sage Agastya said, “We know that the lemon turned black. Color is the element that you can see with your naked eye. Understand that this is proof to show that invisible thought forms can be converted into physical matter.”

Science has yet to prove this point yet. Thoughts can be transformed into matter. This is an important revelation. Here, the lemon has absorbed the thoughts or black energies and it has condensed to produce black color.

Disposal of such material: There are two main things that can be used to dispose of such material. One is flowing water. Another is fire. In some cases, salt can be used as well. These things can disintegrate bad energies. That is one of the reasons that people take dips in salt water (sea) or a river that is near a temple.

Without knowing the science behind this, people bathe in rivers in places like Kasi, Gaya, Varanasi, Kanyakumari, Rameshwaram etc. These people must become mentally aware of the reason behind this. Taking a dip without mentally being aware and willing the negative energy to flow out of the body converts the action into a mere ritual. It does not yield the desired results. So, I advise people who bathe in rivers and seas to mentally will that their bad energy is removed.

Q: How do we ensure that the property or house we live in is free from bad energy?

Many rituals are routinely conducted during the groundbreaking ceremony or during the housewarming ceremony (Gruha pravesham). The land must be purified since we do not know what kind of events occurred in this area. There may be objects below the ground that may produce bad energy. That is why rituals are performed within the boundary of the land where the construction will take place. People do this in a hurry and chant mantras without giving thought to them. This is not correct.

The materials used for the construction is brought from soil that may have many impurities. When the house is being constructed, the workers may leave their negative thoughts in the area. They may be working under stress or be angry with the homeowner or employer. All these negative thoughts enter into the structure of the building.

To ward off these negative energies, a sacrificial fire ceremony is performed during the housewarming ceremony. It is especially important that the chanting of the mantras during this is done with full intention and with proper intonation. The effectiveness of this ritual is based on two things. Proper pronunciation of the Vedic mantras as well as the materials offered into the fire. In the modern sense, both are not done correctly and therefore not effective.

Q: What is the alternative in such a case?

 This is one of the reasons that a cow is made to enter the building after construction and emerge from it. However, even this is not effective anymore because the sanctity attached to the cow is lost in the modern age.

In all these cases, it is the devotion of the person that is conducting the ritual which is important. In the modern days, how many homeowners engage in the ritual with the right attitude? Their minds are not on the rituals being performed. There are few priests who can pronounce the mantras properly. Often the chanting of the mantras is done while the mind is focused on material gain. That is why none of these are effective.

If the house has been constructed by a person with good habits and virtuous deeds who also has great will power, bad energies will withdraw from that area.

Q: Are cemeteries bad places?

A cemetery in itself is neither good nor bad. What is important is the type of person who is buried there. Remember, the samadhis of great saints are places of worship. Mantralayas, samadhis and dargahs belong to this category. Any place where the body of a saint or highly spiritual person is interred or preserved possess great spiritual energy.

Effects of Karma

 

Effects of Karma

Anuradha: Do specific karma have specific effects?

Sage Agastya: You have asked a question that I think will be posed to you when it comes to explaining some points regarding righteousness.

You are asking this question, not for yourself, but for others. Let me give you the answer in a simple manner, so it is easily understood by everyone.

Karma is the actions of human beings. The results are good or bad according to the type of action. It is an accepted fact that karma is carried over to the next incarnation since the fruit of these actions will need to manifest itself in the ensuing incarnations.

Vedas call this ‘Prarabdha karma.’ It is the karma carried over from previous births. There is also karma that results from actions in the present life as well. The effects of these actions can be felt either in the same lifetime or future births.

Karma is an action that stems from feelings and thoughts. These in turn are directed towards others.

Before answering your question, let me explain why a person commits bad actions.

It is important to remember that action and reaction are different. Action is what a person performs. Reaction is in response to the action.

This can be compared to a stone thrown into a pond. Throwing is the action. The sound of the splash and the ripples are the result of the action. It is the response of the water in the pond to the impact created on its surface.

Once again, it is important to analyze who aimed the stone and for what reason?

Imagine a person sitting on a mound and throwing a stone into the water in dejection. In this case, the action is not intentional. The person has performed this action without awareness. Such actions are excused.

Take a second example. A person picks up a stone and throws it with full strength into the water. In this case, he is aware of what he is doing, and also knows that the particular action was not necessary. Therefore, such an action is subject to punishment.

Keeping these two examples in mind, you can analyze the actions of humans and discriminate between the two types of actions. A person need not give much thought to unintentional, innocent, and spontaneous actions.

In life, many people unnecessarily react to such negligible and pardonable actions of others. Take the example of a small child. The child is walking through a street and sees a flower growing in someone’s yard and plucks it. What is your reaction? Would you scold the child or ignore the action? People ruin their peace by reacting to such trivial actions of others.

Let us take another example. A person throws a stone at a rock. What happens? Nothing. Nothing happens to the rock. The stone itself may break if it is brittle. If you are calm and do not resist another’s action, the deeds that are aimed at you will dissipate like a broken stone. The lesson here is not to react to the actions of others even if you think such actions hurt you.

There is a third category where if the stone is thrown into a mud, the mud allows the stone to sink into itself. In this process, the stone is not broken, the mud is not shaken, and everything remains calm. Such an attitude requires a refined personality to absorb insults and criticism of others. Such a person will take everything calmly. Once a person who aims the stone knows that he cannot hurt the mud by his actions, he will not attempt it again.

In short, I have explained three categories of actions. Now, let us see how reactions are produced.

In the first category, if a person is sensitive, he may react in several ways. He may respond with a sudden reaction to the action. This is when such a person loses control over his mind. Such a person is not able to discriminate. Such a person’s actions are uncontrolled especially if he is both emotional and sensitive. These types of actions result in fights, whether they are verbal or physical. Many murders are committed owing to such actions.

In the second category, the person is sensitive, but does not react outwardly. This is more damaging. Such a person keeps ruminating over the incident. Since he is unable to react, this may influence his actions and lead to misunderstanding in the family, thereby ruining the peace in his house. Ultimately this destroys his mental health and the happiness of his family.

The third category absorbs the action and remains unruffled. This is how Gods react to millions of abuses aimed at them by ordinary human beings. This is also the way a mother absorbs the tantrums and complaints of her children.

What is it that makes a person act? Consider what makes a person act keeping in mind the example I just gave you of a person throwing stones. We need to observe every action that we perform in our daily life and understand the intention behind our actions.

The mind is always active. Many exponents have compared the mind to a drunken monkey, and they are perfectly right. If not properly reined in, the mind can cause havoc. An uncontrolled mind, similarly, is agitated and reacts to its surroundings, and commits mistakes that are unwarranted.

Let us understand how actions originate. The mind is controlled by thoughts. Thoughts arise in the causal body. Thoughts are all around us. These are not our thoughts, but the thoughts of the multitude on earth. It is these thoughts either internal or external that function as an intoxicating drink to our minds.

Depending on the strength or the weakness of the person, the potency of thoughts, actions are performed. A person with a predominantly ignorant and lazy character (Tamo Guna) commits an act without much planning. A man with an intense character (Rajo Guna) acts fast. Therefore, the sins committed by these two types of people are grave. On the other hand, a person with pure character (Satva Guna) knows how to overcome a situation and avoids making mistakes by firmly controlling his thought process that leads to actions.

In short, it is best to use discrimination when reacting to any event. Discrimination is possible only if you have good samskaras and persevere in the path of righteousness. One effective way to develop is to start meditation.

However, you cannot meditate without first acquiring knowledge. That is the reason that meditation and knowledge have to go together.

How does one gain knowledge? For the most part it is through books, Satsang, and Gurus. However, there are some that are beyond this. They connect directly to cosmic knowledge and become Gnanis without books or Gurus. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Ramana Maharishi and many such Gurus of Kaliyuga belong to this category.

Now, let us examine your question. There is an atonement for every karma. Your question is whether there is a relationship between a specific bad karma and the atonement for it.

The fruit of karma is just a punishment to help the person understand that the actions committed by him are wrong. This helps him understand that he must not commit such actions again. In such an instance, punishment may be in any form. It is not necessarily the repetition of the deed. In some cases however, there is a correlation between the karma and the atonement.

Let us take some examples. A person is responsible for the death of another. While dying the victim is aware of the person who has killed him and that thought carries over to the next incarnation. Without his knowledge, the victim may try to take revenge on the person.

Take another example. A person kills a sacred animal like a cow. Such a person has to go through suffering owing to diseases in the next life. These are what we call ‘Naga dosha,’ ‘Sarpa dosha’ or ‘Stree dosha’ – limiting factors, or those that cause problems. These manifest as suffering.

Anuradha: If a person takes revenge in his next incarnation, will he not, in turn incur bad karma?

Sage Agastya: In this particular case, the person who takes revenge commits a similar mistake for which he too has to undergo atonement. Who is responsible for this revenge, the cause of which he does not himself remember in this case?

It is difficult to explain whether the actions are prompted from within or without. If the divine plan wants you to conduct a mission like killing someone in the battlefield like the epic wars of the yore, then you are only an instrument. Your actions do not fall under the category of sin. Innocent sins of the body do not pollute the soul.

Anuradha: Is it necessary to remember the sins of past lives?

Sage Agastya: You cannot ordinarily recall past lives. This is where the law of dharma takes over. That is the meaning of the phrase: God sees the truth but waits.

Why do you want to remember your past life? For a person like you who has chosen the path of right knowledge, it is not important to know the biographical background of your actions. You must feel that you are on the right path now. You are under the guidance of your Guru.

You are like a child being led by its mother. When it stumbles, it is not aware of it, but the mother knows how to lift the child up so it can walk again.

When that child grows up, it will not recall that it had stumbled. Likewise, it is not necessary to remember past lives. When you have the knowledge of causes and effects of karma, and when you believe in destiny, keep walking, and let your Guru guide you on the righteous path.

To be continued: More discourses on the topic Karma from the discourses will be posted...