Letter to Yogi Desai
Jai Bhagwan
Shri Kripalu Ashram, Post Malav via DarolPanch Mahal District
October 25, 1968
My son Amrit and family,
Jai bhagwan. I have received your letter a few days ago. Your mother came here and said “I want to stay in the ashram for two months and serve in the kitchen.” I told her, “That’s okay, but come when Amrit is here.” That will be one path, achieving two targets.
Thus, you are often in my memory. With the grace of Shri Gurudev the foundation work of Nirbij Samadhi has been done. From the last two months, my samadhi has been unbroken. If it continues for the next four months, I will enter the state of freedom from regressing. After reaching that stage of where there is no going backward; the construction of the divine body will begin. Each and every cell of the body will be renewed. For that, how long it will take I cannot imagine. But perhaps it might take about two years. That is my guess. It may not be true and could take even more years. After reaching that state there is no possibility of regression. And yet, because of such a great siddhi more obstacles may arise in my sadhana. After reaching the samadhi siddha state, even if people surround me there will be no problem. But before that if people are attracted then there could cause obstacles in samadhi.
Travelers on this path must have intense longing for Truth and extreme love for God-realization in their hearts.Immovable faith becomes life on this path. And that, itself, compels the Invisible Supreme Soul to become visible.
Faith is the most powerful part of devotion.
Complete non-attachment is the best part of the knowledge of the Soul.
Immeasurable courage is the best part of yoga.
One part can attract the other parts. This path is of complete surrender. There could be only two gurus for it. One is God and the other is a Purna Yogi (complete yogi). If you receive the grace of one, you automatically receive the grace of the other.
Raj Yoga is Eight-limbed yoga, Yama and Niyama, Asana, Pranayam, Pratyhara, Dharna, Dhyana and Samadhi. All these limbs are the experiences of yoga. By their support, the sadhak can travel on the path of Bhakti, Jnyana and Bhakti Yoga. Yoga is a blessing to given to humanity by the Lord. Indulgence in sensuality is separation from God. Yoga brings the reconnection with God.
You have expressed your desire to come here therefore I have thought, “What are the things should I teach to Amrit?” Thelord has made you my representative. Therefore I should give you my heritage. From this point of view, I have entered your name to be oneof the custodian-trustees of this ashram (in Kayavarohan, India). You should be considered to have the highest position at this ashram because you are the disciple who is spreading my yoga. In that, I have not chosen. The Lord Himself has chosen you. The Lord’s choice will always be better than mine. You should be have the most authority over others. In pondering what should I teach to Amrit, I have come to a decision that I will teach him Yoga Shastra.I have started writing the commentary of the second part of Asana and Mudra.* In that,Pujya Swami Shri Vivekananda has written the commentaryPatanjali’s Yoga Sutra. I have started writing the commentary on that, therefore before you come, some portion of it will be ready.
*in his last video lecture before leaving Sumneytown for India, Bapuji said “I assign Ashutosh Muni,Vinit Muni and Amrit to be in charge of all my writings and publications in Gujarati, Hindi and English.”
I have made a wholehearted attempt to learn English and other languages that I like but those efforts did not last too long. That disturbed me a lot. In order to appropriately express the feelings in your thoughts, the skills of language as well as good deeds are required. If the learned individual is of good character, non-attached and a lover of humanity, then he can do great service in the world. Not being familiar with the language, I am greatly dissatisfied. But now my mind has detached from that dimension. Any kind of desire acts as a big obstacle. Why should I enter any form of bondage knowing that it is so?
If the Lord wants this work through me to spread in an expanded way then he should give me the knowledge of the language. Or He would achieve this work through another way. To give advice to the Lord and compel Him to do this work in this way is inappropriate. There is nothing in it other than foolishness. Therefore, I am not at all thinking about spreading the teachings.
Of all the limbs of yoga, pranayama is the most important. Be very alert about the sadhana of pranayama. Without it, you will not achieve mastery of the other limbs. This is the master key. There might cause disturbance but do not be afraid of it. Such disturbances may appear to beharmful, but internally, it will be a great blessing for you. It will give you many times more rewards. Stay conscious in diet, thoughts and interactions with life.
I am greatly pleased to know about your activities there. In India, so many upheavals are arising one after another that do not allow anyone’s mind to remain steady. Seeing the pain of this county deeply saddens my heart. Whatever the Lord does is for good. Believing that, I receive solace. Wanting the progress of you all,
Your beloved Bapuji,
Kripalu
Postscript
The earlier stages of sadhana can be practiced in the group, but as you move deeper, practicing it privately is appropriate. Just as the male and female unite in privacy, so also the union of Jiva (individual soul) and Shiva (cosmic Soul) should happen in privacy. The small part of my private sadhana that I had shown you was inspired by the Lord. It should not be revealed. I have been constantly doing sadhana for the last 18 years and up until now I have never demonstrated the yogic experiments of any kind publicly. Not only that, I have never even desired to do so. In order to protect themselves from popularity, ancient yogis performed their sadhana in the dens of isolated mountains. Popularity is the biggest obstacle for a yogi.
The second important thing is whatever experiences you have in the practice of yoga has to be kept private.If you keep it secret, it increases your enthusiasm and you progress. The experiences of yoga that are valued by the sadhak cannot be valued by others. As a result, something so valuable becomes worthless.
I will give you an example. Consider that with the grace of the guru, somebody had the experience of spontaneous dance. The sadhak himself knows that I am not voluntarily performing the dance movement and yet it is carried out by itself. But those who observe it will not believe it. In their minds would be the thoughts that they are moving their limbs volitionally. And still they say they are happening spontaneously. The only proof of this is faith. In the same way, believe that anahatnad is now manifesting and the sadhak begins to repeat the Ram Dhun or something else (in that, there is verbal expression that has no meaning). If he demonstrated that in front of someone they will not believe it at all that such sound has emerged spontaneously. There are so many such experiences that are only for the sadhak, but by demonstrating it there is great harm and false notions about it spread.
By practicing the limbs of yoga, there is progress on the physical as well as spiritual level. Every 200 to 500 years, only one in the whole world is fortunate enough to become a perfect yogi. In the social dharma, chitta shuddi (purification of the mind and diet) and celibacy is given great emphasis. Social dharma is liberation through the path of activity, while moksha dharma or path of renunciation is only for the rare individual (in the first part of Asana and Mudra, page 165, yoga is not a social dharma. It is an individual dharma. Go through it, Amrit). In the Bible, chitta shuddi is given importance. In reference to the discussion on diet, the amount of thought the religions of India have given, no other religion of the world has thought with the same depth. India’s three main religions are sanatan (eternal), Buddhism and Jainism. Buddhism and Jainism are like branches that have grown from sanatan dharma.If what has been said in these three in reference to diet was published in book-form, it would prove to be much more effective than the thoughts of any other religions of the world.
In short, the sattvic diet, pious thought and pure interactions, then only that is the way it should be spread as samaj dharma. Only through that can one progress on the spiritual journey. You have become instrumental in the field there. Believing your work is God’s work, stay dedicated to it.
Jai bhagwan again and again to everyone,
Your beloved