Darshan On Life As A Boat Guru As Captain
July 04, 1977 am
[Bapuji chants Jivan Sukani bhajan]
[translated by Gurudev]
This bhajan can be classified, “Jivan Sukani,” Guide to Life.
Here, life is compared with the boat, and the guru is compared with the captain, or guide.
And the world is compared with the ocean.
On the opposite shore is the Lord.
The ocean is so vast, that you cannot swim across, and therefore crossing it, it is necessary that you have a boat.
So we already have life, which is a boat, but we don’t have the captain, the guide.
When you receive life, it does not mean that you also have the guide.
Those who have crossed this ocean, they are the ones, who are true captains, true guides.
If we truly want to go across this ocean of life, to reach to the Lord on the opposite side, we must find the right guide, the expert guide.
Those who do not find the need to go on the opposite shore, and they are very happy, and having enough fun on this shore, for them, there is no need for them to look for the guide, or the captain.
They can be happy, and be here.
For many years, we keep doing this same work.
We stay on this side of the ocean.
There are some illusions. They are such that they appear to be siddhis, or yogic powers.
We are just moving into the illusions, all the time.
Yesterday, as I told you, we go from one ignorance, to another ignorance, and we feel like we found the knowledge, and this is what is called illusion.
As long as we do not remove these illusions, we are going to be our own guide, and always be confused.
We can grow, only if we realize illusion to be illusion.
One gentleman, was very addicted to marijuana.
Every afternoon, he would grind the bong.
(It is called bong, in India.) He has to grind it a lot, and then add more power to it, by pouring from one vessel to another.
In India, they use it by crushing it, and really grinding it, and adding other spices into water.
Adding it into the water.
And then other spices in it.
And then they drink it.
(They don’t smoke it there) And they add some milk in it, also.
They make it very tasty.
But normally, this bong everybody doesn’t take.
This is particularly famous, in one of the pilgrimage places, called Mathura, and the chobas, those who are very heavy eaters, they drink this.
One man, can eat what fifty of you can eat.
One man, in one meal.
These people, they are famous for this.
They take this bong, and then they eat a lot, and then they go swimming, in the river Jamuna, and then digest everything, then come back again, take bong, and eat again, and go swimming.
They have tremendous power, physical power.
One such chobaji was really grinding it and grinding it, to make it really fine powder.
It was at twilight time, and he got very intoxicated with it.
He started getting dizzy.
Whenever there was one man, he started seeing two.
These intoxicating things, they first have a lot of effect on the legs.
They can’t walk properly.
Some of them walk together, putting their hands around the neck of each other, and say, “Walk like me.”
He always thinks that, “I am walking alright, and he is not straight.”
After he took this bong, he was intoxicated.
Then he decided to go across the river Jamuna.
So it was nighttime, and he was intoxicated, and he was rowing the boat himself.
Then he took his place in the boat.
He started rowing the boat.
He was very strong.
He could row for hours at a time.
He kept on rowing and rowing and rowing.
It was morning.
He was in the same place.
He never took out the anchor of the boat.
We are all like this man, intoxicated choba.
We are also under the illusion.
Our boat is also anchored, and we go on rowing.
It’s where it is, it doesn’t move, because it’s already anchored.
Now you have to take that anchor off, and then give the control of the boat, to the guru.
You have to do this only when you desire to grow spiritually, to find the Lord.
What should you do to go on this pilgrimage?
The ticket is very expensive.
He gives you permission, or a passport, only when you give up your father, your mother, your wife, your children, your home, your friends, and everything.
Then only you get the passport, ticket, if you want to call it so.
Now who will give the ticket?
As long as you don’t have that desire to grow, you won’t get that ticket.
Guru will also say “Has he given up all these things?” Then he will give it to him.
This ocean is very mischievous.
It has tremendous storms, of lust, means, sexual desires, and anger.
Those two big forces. And this is what makes the ocean of life, a great upheaval.
Can you imagine the condition of the boat of life, in such a condition?
The boat has a sail, of cloth.
And the sail is made up of self-control.
But the winds of anger and lust, pierce the sail.
They tear the sail.
And also there are whirlpools of greed and ego.
There are just whirlpools of greed and ego, going on, in the ocean itself.
In such a condition, when the water is whirling around, at that time, the sails of courage, they become very loose.
You can’t hold them too long.
And there are two big crocodiles in this water.
One is pride, and the other attachment.
Pride and attachment.
These are the two big whales in this ocean, that are troubling us.
They are so big, and so powerful, that even if they touch a little bit, the whole boat turns around.
The rudder of love gets turned in the wrong direction.
So this devotee says to the Lord, “My Lord, I have made many efforts to go across this ocean of life, and I have tried so hard.
Now I am completely tired, and I have become a pile.
I just can’t do anything.
Now when he is completely tired, he says to his guru, “Now please be my captain.”
Then he says, “Oh merciful Gurudev, keep me at your feet.
Have mercy upon me.
When you bring the rose flower, I like to show you, that this is lotus feet.
The stem of the rose flower, Bapuji says that is lotus feet.
This leg is too fat.
You should have the little stem.
That is the lotus feet, Bapuji says.
It is very thin.
Lotus feet.
And he holds onto the feet of his Gurudev and says please keep me in your feet.
And it is my desire that I go in the land of God, so please fulfill my desire.
That desire will be fulfilled, only when you take control of my boat.
The disturbances of mind and emotions, that are described here, they are very, very bad.
They are so dangerous, that they can be compared to demons.
In Indian scriptures, and in other scriptures also, they must have described this, but in Indian scriptures, it is expressed very clearly.
In the southernmost tip of India, there is one country called Lanka, which is now known as Ceylon.
[lost sound space in reel to reel] The enemy of Lord Rama used to live in that small country.
That Ravana was great learned man, and also Brahmin of very high stature.
He was very wealthy, prosperous.
His entire town was made of gold.] That is how prosperous he was.
He had great many scientific powers.
So that is why he was said to have ten heads, because he had that much power.
He had the strength of ten people.
Those who lived in his town, they were called daityos, means, the demons.
The name of this body is Lanka.
So as long as these disturbances are still with us, our ego, is the Ravana, the greatest enemy of Rama, who lives within us, and that is the ego.
So as long as we have all these great demons, ofanger, and lust and desires, and all these demons, living in us, and as long as we have their king, the ego, this body is still in Lanka.
Means Sri Lanka or Ceylon.
It is just allegorical.
By saying, “Ram, ram” you have to kill the ego, inside, Ravana, the ego inside.
This desire for sex, or lust, is so powerful, that even the great yogi’s, those who are continuously aware, and conscious about it, they are also greatly troubled by it.
In Gita, Lord Krishna has said about it, in some different words.
“The greatest enemy of this lust is knowledge. The man of knowledge and wisdom is trying to destroy it. That is why lust is trying to suppress it”.
So when you try spiritual life, then the desire comes even stronger.
One side, if you consider the lust of all mankind, and one side, the lust of one yogi, means, strong desires.
Because yogi is heavily invaded upon by the lust, more than anybody, because he is trying to wage a war with it, destroy it.
Because yogi is the leader of the entire world.
If he can win that, then the whole world will come at his feet, very easily.
Then only his kingdom will spread all over mankind.
Whenever somebody is practicing yoga, the kama, means the lust, imagine as a demon, he takes all his army, and goes to fight with him.
He doesn’t care for all the people.
He just wages war with one.
He catches the yogi.
Very difficult.
Very difficult path.
If I want to call it in a scientific language, whatever is the source of yoga, means union with God, is also the center of separation from God.
There is only one step ladder that helps you to go up, also helps you to come down.
Same one.
It is not easy to be a yogi.
There is one shloka in Gita.
‘Even a great man, despite trying, with great effort, is also drawn into sensual subject matter by sensual pleasures.
In the time when this Bhagavad Gita was written Lord Vyaasa had one most powerful disciple, named Jaimini, and naturally for Lord Vyaasa, his disciple has to be of a very high character.
In six darshanas, these are the scriptures, one of these is written by Jaimini, his disciple.
After writing this Bhagavad Gita, Lord Vyasa handed it to his disciple, and said, “My son, please look over the Bhagavad Gita.”
So when this disciple was reading this particular shloka, where it was described, that even the highest of yogis, when the senses are working on him, even his mind and his attention, they draw so completely, and disturb him fully.
He could not understand that.
When Lord Vyasa saw a little confusion on his disciple’s face, he said, “Do you have some doubt?”
“Yes, Gurudev, I have some doubts.”
He says, “A great yogi, very highly evolved being, even such a person, in spite of trying, these senses are disturbing him?
Then how can we call him yogi?”
Gurudev said that “What you are wondering about, is worth pondering upon.”
The great masters, even the most ordinary, or a small thing, they do not say it is wrong, right away.
But they create such a situation, that they themselves will find out that it is wrong.
So Gurudev, Lord Vyaasa said, “I will answer you tomorrow. Right now, I am a little busy.” One who is the master of all these spiritual teachings, with him, all these questions, are always standing with their hands folded.
Means, the answers are always waiting for him.
But here, he postponed the answer, and said, “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
So Jaiminiji went to his own ashram.
Gurudev used to stay in one hut.
Jaiminiji lived in another hut.
It was night, the sky was covered with clouds.
Lots of thunder and lightning started.
And the wind started blowing.
The trees of the woods started moving with great force.
And it started raining heavily.
The animals in the jungle started making noises.
Jaiminiji was about to sleep.
All of a sudden, he felt like someone was knocking at his door.
He was puzzled.
He said, “Who could be here, so late at night?”
He listened to it with a little more attention.
And he heard a knock.
He heard the sound, “Muniji, would you please open the door?”
It was a woman’s voice.
He said, “How could there be a woman, in such jungle, at such a time?But looking to the external atmosphere, he felt he should open his door.
The wind was blowing so heavily that it took quite an effort for him to open the door.
So at the same time the wind blew, and the door opened with great force.
At the same time, lightning happened.
At that very moment, he saw a very beautiful young woman was standing there, with wet clothes.
Her beauty was so enchanting, that as soon as there was lightning, the same kind of lightning happened in his mind, of lust.
He became aware that, “I am a yogi. I should not have such a thought, in my mind.”
But under these circumstances, how could it be possible that he would not take her inside?
“Muniji, outside it is raining, and there is heavy storm. Would you please let me stay in your hut for the night?”
It was his duty, that he give her the abode.
But he recognized his mental condition.
There were two parts, in that hut.
“Then he said, “You go into this room, and there are some dry clothes.
And you change your clothes, and then lock that door from inside, and then don’t open, even if I ask you to.”
What an unusual condition.
Just think.
What a dangerous condition.
The yogi who has been meditating for years and years.
Then he comes across such situation.
Then he comes from all the way up, to down.
Don’t think that the lust is after yogi, in an ordinary way.
He keeps on testing him, every minute he has strong desires.
It’s very difficult work.
There is only one yogi in this world, who will not be defeated by lust, or sexual desires.
Such a individual is called the light of the universe.
Beloved Gurudev is such a light of the universe.
He was urdhvareta.
Means, completely mastered the sex and lust.
He had completely mastered sex and lust.
Only the one who wins over lust and sex can receive the divine body.
I consider divine body just most ordinary, but the stage where it takes you, is worth desiring.
So just as after sucking the juice out of the mango, the seed and the skin is useless, so also, after attaining to the highest, the body is also useless.
Jaiminiji had a great storm in his mind.
He was not an ordinary yogi.
He was a great yogi.
And his guru was also very high.
He was a disciple of a siddha guru.
And he was also a true disciple.
He suffered a lot, seeing his own mental condition.
When two wrestlers are wrestling, and one finds that the other is a little weak, see how much strength he is putting in, to best him, at that moment.
When the Lord of lust, when he saw that Jaiminiji is little weak, he started showing a tremendous amount of energy, to win over him.
Jaiminiji saw, that just as the big storm is going on outside, the same storm is going on within.
There was a little hole in the wall of this hut.
Jaiminiji tried to look through it.
Isn’t this the defeat of the yogi?
What an unusual situation.
He saw that this woman had taken off all her clothes, and was picking out the dry clothes.
Seeing that scene, his own mind went out of his control.
He quickly, heavily, banged the door, and said, “Open the door.”
The woman inside did not open the door.
Jaiminiji became really helpless.
This was a little hut, and the doors were very weak, so he just banged it so hard, and opened the door.
And he quickly ran, to hug the woman.
And he gave a strong hug.
With great joy, when he opened his eyes, he found that she had a big beard.
That was his own guru!
Then his guru asked, “My son, is this shloka wrong? Aren’t you most unusual? Aren’t you yogi?”
His eyes came down.
He started crying.
Soon he left the grip of the body, and went down at his guru’s feet.
These truths of yoga are truly great truths.
It is difficult even to look in this direction, this direction of spiritual growth.
To walk on it, is many, many times more difficult than that.
To remain established in it, is even more difficult than that.
And to reach to the completion of the journey, the divine body, is almost impossible.
There you need the grace of God and guru.
Then only it is possible.
So as long as the guru does not become a leader, or a guide, this boat will not go to the opposite shore.
But do not lose your courage, listening to this.
We have to win that, sooner or later.
Only thing you have to remember, that as you gradually, and steadily, become free from the attractions, and attachments, you will grow.
Should I show you the trick for that, that my gurudev had showed me?
It is difficult to use this trick, but, it is usable.
The man, except the wife, should see older woman than himself, and call her mother, same age, as sister, and younger, should be daughter.
Same way, the sisters, when they see the older man than herself, call him father, same age, brother, and younger than that, son.
Call them, and develop that feeling.
When you call, and use this trick, when you call someone mother, sister, or a daughter, it must come from such depths of your heart, and it must be so piercing and penetrating, that it must create the impact of love, in the other person.
In the same way, when the sisters use the word father, or brother, or son, they bring it from such depths in their heart, that it will change the vibrations.
In order to master this principle of Brahmacharya, many experiments have been conducted.
Today, India is not like old India.
Now there are some samskaras, old impressions, that have been left over, and we use it.
Really, that is sanatana dharma.
It has the complete qualifications to become the world religion.
In that religion, it has been thought for every man, and man directly, without involving any other rituals.
Whatever experiments they have conducted, and whatever they have found, those truths are even today, working with the same efficiency, and effectiveness.
If you want to bring up the consciousness of an individual, of the family, of the society, of the nation, these experiments that have already been conducted in ancient India, would be of very much use, and with the same effectiveness, even today.
When this country pays attention to this, just as it has become so prosperous, by attaining to the physical attainments, physical sciences, it will also grow spiritually, and attain to a very high spiritual growth.
Don’t consider this technique to be an ordinary technique.
In this, specially, you have to be very careful about the word sister.
Because you can call sister, to some young woman, or say, brother, to some young man.
Because it is very likely that the impression would be most coming from the young blood.
For that, how to save yourself, from such lust, there is a whole description that has been given.
There are fifty-two shlokas that Bapuji has written, which are part of the “Asana and Mudra” that Bapuji has written.
He says, “Amrit must have explained it to you, and that explains the details of Brahmacharya.”
Today again, I took lots of your time.
Oh, I thought it was my holiday that happens.
Now I find out it was your holiday.
[Bapuji chants Hare Rama dhun]