Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Faith Makes the IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – A TRUE Story of God’s Biggest Blessing by Swami Mukundanand

Faith Makes the IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – A TRUE Story of God’s Biggest Blessing by Swami Mukundanand


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUDyzPdbfI Main Points:

1. 0:01–0:21 — The greatest divine blessing is finding a guru and connecting through sraddha (faith), but true benefit comes only by surrendering the intellect before the guru’s wisdom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUDyzPdbfI&t=1 2. 0:24–2:36 — The story of Rishi Gautam and his disciple Satyakam illustrates this: through devoted service to his guru, Satyakam unknowingly fulfills the task and receives divine knowledge from Indra. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUDyzPdbfI&t=24 3. 2:53–4:14 — Just as a patient must trust the doctor’s prescription without overthinking, a disciple must follow the guru’s instructions to be cured of spiritual ignorance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUDyzPdbfI&t=173 4. 4:32–4:46 — The Svetasvatara Upanisad declares that full faith in God and guru reveals the essence of all scriptures through divine grace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUDyzPdbfI&t=272 5. 4:51–7:29 — The tale of Shankaracharya’s disciple Sanat, who was illiterate but full of faith, shows how surrender leads to miraculous transformation — walking on water and speaking fluent Sanskrit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUDyzPdbfI&t=291 6. 7:31–8:19 — The intellect is eternally afflicted by avidya (ignorance), and cannot cure itself; surrender is the only way to transcend its limitations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUDyzPdbfI&t=451 7. 8:32–10:25 — A humorous story of a cowherd boy reveals how even prolonged thinking can be flawed when guided by a defective intellect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUDyzPdbfI&t=512 8. 10:27–12:28 — Patanjali outlines five defects of the intellect: avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego), raga (attachment), dvesa (hatred), and abhinivesa (fear of death). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUDyzPdbfI&t=627 9. 12:29–13:16 — Just as one hires a lawyer to navigate legal complexities, one must rely on a guru to guide through spiritual intricacies beyond intellectual grasp. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUDyzPdbfI&t=749 10. 13:30–15:01 — A disciple tries to accompany his guru to Golok but lets curiosity override surrender, falls back to earth — a cautionary tale underscoring the need to surrender intellect and follow sadhana. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUDyzPdbfI&t=810 Full Text:

0:01 One of the biggest of the divine 0:04 blessings is finding a guru and getting 0:08 connected with that guru through shradha 0:10 faith. But we receive benefit from 0:15 the guru only by submitting our 0:19 intellect before his higher 0:21 understanding. The Vedas relayed the 0:24 story of Rishi Gautam and his exemplary 0:28 disciple Satya. 0:31 Gurudev called his students over and 0:35 explained the problem. The cows of the 0:38 ashram were in distress and they needed 0:41 to be tended to by taking them to a far 0:44 away grassland. Only Satyakam was willing 0:50 for this arduous and challenging guru seva 0:56 Gautam said my child 0:59 take good care of them as your service 1:03 to your guru when you find that their 1:07 number has grown from 400 to a thousand 1:11 bring them back. Satyakam did his seva 1:16 dutifully 1:18 and he tended to the cows with so much 1:21 of love as a devotional offering at the 1:24 feet of his guru. 1:27 The number of the cows kept on 1:29 increasing until it reached a thousand. 1:33 But he was so immersed in his seva he 1:36 didn't even realize the number had been 1:40 reached. 1:41 The king of the celestials, Indra, came 1:44 over and said, "Satykam, 1:47 do you know that your guru's instruction 1:51 has been fulfilled by you?" 1:55 On his inspiration, they started 1:58 returning to the guru ashram. It was a 4 2:02 day journey involving four night halts. 2:06 And at each halt Indra instructed 2:10 knowledge of one of the Vedas to 2:13 Satyakam. 2:15 When the disciple reached his guru he 2:18 said Maharaj I have fulfilled your 2:21 instruction 2:22 sage Gautam his face beaming said my 2:27 child I can see the glow on your face. 2:32 You have become a knower of vedic 2:36 knowledge. 2:37 This is a prime example of the benefit 2:42 of surrendering your intellect before 2:45 the guru. Let's read about it from my 2:48 latest book spiritual secrets from 2:51 Hinduism. 2:53 Once we find a god realized guru, we must 2:57 then diligently adhere to his 3:00 instructions. 3:02 This is just as when we are sick, we go 3:05 to a doctor. We explain our symptoms to 3:08 the doctor. Beyond that, we do not use 3:13 our intellect. We trust his expertise. 3:19 The doctor diagnoses our problem and 3:23 tells us the remedy. 3:26 Take this medicine 3:28 two tablespoons three times a day for 1 3:32 month and you will be cured. 3:35 We follow the doctor's instructions and 3:38 get well. Now suppose we used our 3:42 intellect. 3:44 The doctor has told me to take a little 3:48 medicine every day for one month. 3:52 Let me take it all today so that I will 3:55 get cured in one day itself. 3:59 If we were to do this, the doctor would 4:02 not be able to treat us. Similarly, the 4:06 guru can only cure us from the disease 4:11 of ignorance if we follow his 4:14 instructions. 4:16 The Svetasvatara Upanisad states 4:32 For those who have implicit and complete 4:36 faith in God and their guru, the purpose 4:42 of all the Vedic scriptures gets revealed 4:46 in the heart by divine grace. 4:51 The inspiring story of Shankara 4:55 Charaya's disciple 4:57 is very relishable 5:00 amongst his legendary students, Hastāmalak, Tōtakāchārya 5:05 5:08 Mandana Mishra, who was Sureshwarāchārya,  5:11 There has also been one illiterate 5:15 disciple called Sananda 5:18 He could not understand any of the 5:20 scriptural teachings but had implicit 5:24 faith in guru Shankaracharya 5:28 and he would dutifully engage in seva. 5:32 When gurdev taught Brahm vidya he would sit 5:37 and just keep staring at his guru's face 5:41 without understanding a syllable. 5:45 One day it was time for the class. The 5:49 other disciples said to Shankaracharya 5:52 please begin Gurudv. 5:55 He said Sananda is not here as yet 5:58 let's wait. They said Gurudv he doesn't 6:02 even understand what difference will it 6:05 make. 6:07 Shankaracharya said he listens with great 6:10 faith. 6:12 He called out Sananda. 6:16 His disciple was on the other side of 6:19 the river washing Guru Dev's clothes. 6:22 When Sananda heard Shankaracharya calling his 6:26 name, immediately with all his devotion, 6:30 he felt the need to come over to him. 6:34 Without thinking, he started walking on 6:37 the water. And the story goes wherever 6:41 he placed his feet lotus flowers bloomed 6:46 from below making it possible for him to 6:50 walk across. He reached and did a prostrate obeisance  6:54 and the stuti praises for gurudev 7:00 that emanated from his mouth were in 7:03 sophisticated 7:04 parishkrit sanskrit. 7:07 amazing all the other disciples. 7:11 Since then he became known as Padma Pad 7:16 the one under whose path the Padma 7:20 (lotuses) had blossomed and he became one 7:24 of the four major disciples of Adi 7:29 Shankaracharya  7:31 The takeaway for all of us is the need 7:34 to surrender the intellect. 7:38 And why so? 7:40 Our intellect is affected since eternity 7:45 by a disease. 7:47 What is that? Avidya or ignorance. 7:53 “Because a person who has been covered by ignorance since time immemorial is not capable of effecting his own self-realization, there must be some other personality who is in factual knowledge of the Absolute Truth and can impart this knowledge to him”. (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.22.10) 8:03 Vedvyas says that the Avidya is “anadi” since 8:08 eternity. 8:10 You cannot remove it by the power of 8:14 your own intellect 8:16 because the intellect is the one 8:19 affected by the ignorance. 8:22 Just like if you wish to lift yourself 8:25 up from the ground by holding your boot 8:28 straps, it will not be possible. 8:32 The interesting story is told of one cowherd 8:35 boy, a gopal 8:38 who would everyday milk his cow, which 8:41 was the Gujarati Gir cow having long 8:45 horns. And this particular cow's horns 8:48 were inclined towards each other. 8:52 The cowherd boy would eye the gap 8:54 between the two horns and the top of the 8:57 cow's head and ponder, "Can my head fit 9:01 into the gap." 9:04 One year went by, finally the curiosity 9:08 got the better of him. He said, "Let me 9:11 try it out." He held the cow's horns and 9:15 managed to push his head in, but it 9:19 startled the bovine who lifted her head, 9:24 thereby raising his feet above the 9:26 ground, and he now felt threatened that 9:31 this was a situation of death by 9:33 hanging. To reduce the pressure on his 9:36 neck, he grabbed the cow's neck which 9:39 startled the creature further and it 9:41 started lifting its back feet moving in 9:45 alarm. The villagers came running, grabbed 9:49 the cow, extracted the poor fellow and 9:53 said, "My dear man, 10:06 Did you not think before putting your 10:09 head there? He said who says I did not 10:13 think? I thought for one year and then 10:16 did it. But the thinking itself had its 10:21 faults because it was an activity of the 10:25 defective intellect. 10:27 Likewise the Vedas say that no matter 10:31 how intelligent you may feel you are 10:34 your intellect suffers from five defects 10:39 Patanjali calls them panch-klesh 10:44 What are these? avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego), raga (attachment), dvesa (hatred), and abhinivesa (fear of death). 10:49 Avidya is the ignorance by virtue of 10:52 which we have forgotten that we are the 10:54 soul and we are thinking I am the body 10:57 mind intellect 11:00 Asmita is the pride 11:03 whether we realize it or not the defect 11:07 of the false ego exists in the material 11:12 conditioned state in all of us and then 11:17 Rag attachment to the worldly things. 11:20 Dwesh, 11:22 hatred, resentment for something that 11:26 has hurt our self-interest and abhinivesh 11:30 the fear of death. 11:35 even though we know that we are eternal. 11:40 An old man 11:43 has been badly injured and is terribly 11:48 sick in the hospital, cannot visit the 11:50 restroom, has a bedpan on the bed, 11:53 cannot eat, has a tube going in the 11:55 mouth, the leg is suspended from the 11:58 ceiling. Such a man also says, "Doctor, 12:02 I hope I will not die. Please save me. 12:06 Arey baba, do take care of your body. But 12:10 why so much of anxiety? The whole 12:12 machinery is spoiled. If you were to go, 12:16 God would send you back with a new 12:18 machine. 12:19 But the clinging to the body results in 12:24 the fear of death. Another defect of the 12:28 Intellect, 12:29 the Vedas say. 12:32 the idea of making a guru is going 12:35 beyond your intellect 12:38 Just like in case you need to find a 12:41 case in court, you get an advocate 12:45 because you are unfamiliar with law. The 12:49 advocate understands the matter and 12:52 instructs you accordingly. If you need 12:55 to go for a testimonial in the witness 12:58 box, you stand up and do as the advocate 13:02 does. 13:03 The other side’s advocate tries his best 13:08 to get some statement out of you to 13:11 exploit, but you stick to the 13:14 instructions 13:16 and get the edge in the case. 13:20 Likewise in the spiritual realm as well 13:23 there are so many things our intellect 13:26 cannot comprehend at present 13:30 one 13:31 maverick disciple 13:34 used to be often disobedient. 13:37 His guru had grown old. The disciple 13:40 said gurudev 13:42 you will attain maha samadhi any day. 13:45 What will happen? 13:48 Gurudev said my child do your sadhna daily. 13:52 My grace will be upon you. 13:55 Gurudev 13:56 the singhasan (throne) will come from Golok for you. 14:01 Can I latch on to it and accompany you? 14:04 What loss will there be of yours? 14:10 Now the singhasan came the guru sat on it 14:14 to go to the abode of God and enter 14:16 the nitya leela, the disciple also held on singhasan, they 14:21 were crossing the lokas Bhu, Bhuvar, Swarga, Mahar, Jana, Tapa, Satya  14:27 but in between the disciple’s intellect 14:30 started getting the better he said 14:34 uh this place we going to Go-lok are 14:37 there cows there ? . 14:40 Yes. 14:41 Gurudev are the cows black or white in 14:45 Color, beta they are both 14:48 gurudev how big are these cows 14:52 beta when you reach there you'll find 14:54 out there maybe they are perfect now he 14:58 released the singhasan and back he returned 15:01 to the earth plane so the scriptures are 15:05 telling us 15:07 15:14 Surrender your intellect to the guru 15:19 Learn the sadhana, Follow the instructions 15:23 and progress on the spiritual path.


Standby link (in case youtube link does not work) Faith Makes the IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – A TRUE Story of God’s Biggest Blessing Swami Mukundananda.mp4

#1 Happiness Mistake Humans Do – Shree Krishna’s ONLY Way to Divine Bliss by Swami Mukundanand

#1 Happiness Mistake Humans Do – Shree Krishna’s ONLY Way to Divine Bliss by Swami Mukundanand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40UH1AcYXDg Main Points: 1. 0:00–0:29: When senses are subdued and virtues like compassion and patience arise, one begins to taste sattvic happiness, as described in both the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40UH1AcYXDg&t=0 2. 0:38–0:48: The video introduces Chapter 6 of the Gita — Dhyan Yog — with chanting, translation, and commentary by Swami Mukundananda. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40UH1AcYXDg&t=38 3. 1:16–1:37: A self-controlled yogi, united with God, becomes free from material contamination and attains perfect happiness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40UH1AcYXDg&t=76 4. 1:42–2:55: Swamiji explains the three modes of happiness: tamasic (from ignorance, anger, intoxication), rajasic (from sensory pleasures), and sattvic (from inner virtue and peace). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40UH1AcYXDg&t=102 5. 3:06–3:28: Even devotees can fall prey to tamasic pleasures; addiction becomes their life’s goal, showing the pull of lower happiness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40UH1AcYXDg&t=186 6. 3:30–4:36: Most people chase rajasic happiness — sensory and romantic — but it lacks true fulfillment and leaves one restless. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40UH1AcYXDg&t=210 7. 4:41–5:32: Sattvic happiness arises when desires fade and the mind becomes calm; this is the joy experienced by the jnani (knower of the self). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40UH1AcYXDg&t=281 8. 5:54–6:52: The jnani’s path begins with “Brahma is me,” evolves through “Aham Brahmasmi,” and culminates in deep meditation and silence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40UH1AcYXDg&t=354 9. 7:03–8:06: In nirvikalp samadhi, ego dissolves and the triad of knower, knowledge, and known vanishes — yet traces of maya remain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40UH1AcYXDg&t=423 10. 8:11–9:12: The jnani experiences immense bliss of the soul, but only through true yoga and union with God does one attain Brahma-sparsa — the infinite bliss of divine contact. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40UH1AcYXDg&t=491 Full Text
Intro 0:00 When the senses have become subdued, the 0:03 mind has got a little relaxed from the 0:05 passions 0:07 and some extent of virtue has started 0:10 developing kindness, compassion, 0:13 empathy, sympathy, caring, patience, 0:17 tolerance. So now a little bit of joy 0:21 starts coming. That's the sattvic 0:23 happiness. Bhagwan Gita and the Bhagwat 0:26 both are saying and that sattvic 0:29 happiness is also what the Gyani gets. 0:38 Bhagavat Gita Chapter 6 Dhyan Yog the 0:42 Yoga of meditation shloka chanting is 0:45 followed by translation and commentary 0:48 by Swami Mukundanandanda Though 0:51 [Music] Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 Sloka 28 Chanting 1:00 yogi 1:04 [Music] Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 Sloka 28 Translation 1:16 the self-controlled yogi 1:19 Thus uniting the self with God becomes 1:24 free from material contamination 1:28 and being in constant touch with the 1:31 supreme 1:32 achieves the highest state of perfect 1:37 happiness. Bhagavad Gita 6.28 Commentary by Swami Mukundananda 1:42 There are different levels of happiness 1:45 in the world. 1:47 [Music] 2:01 There is one tamasic happiness the 2:04 happiness you get from the mode of 2:07 ignorance. 2:09 So examples of it is the happiness you 2:12 get from narcotics. 2:16 Dum maro dum 2:18 the happiness you get from intoxicants 2:22 the happiness you get from anger 2:26 now you question Swami G there's 2:28 happiness and anger there's so much 2:30 happiness 2:32 people say you know he was troubling me 2:34 he had created hell for me I was so fed 2:37 up I taught him such a lesson he will 2:41 remember all his life 2:45 so That pent up anger was vented. It 2:49 gave a sense of relief. Ah 2:52 that is also happiness. It is tamasic 2:55 happiness. 2:57 Now are there people who run after 2:59 tamasic happiness? There are so many who 3:03 run after intoxicants. 3:06 I have got 3:08 well established devotees in the Satsang 3:11 very prestigious 3:14 and the teenage child becomes an addict 3:18 they try and put him in the rehab he 3:20 runs away from there put him in the 3:21 rehab runs away from there oh my god so 3:25 he has made the goal of his life tamasic 3:28 happiness 3:30 now beyond that is the rajasic happiness 3:34 the happiness ness we get from the 3:37 objects of the senses. 3:41 This is what the majority of humankind 3:44 is running after. The happiness of the 3:48 senses 3:50 and 4:00 There is no real satiation and still the 4:04 world is crazy after this. 4:16 If there was actual happiness in love in 4:21 worldly romance then what would have 4:24 been the situation? Without actual 4:27 happiness people are going crazy. So 4:30 this is the rajasic happiness. There is 4:33 it's bigger than tamasic 4:36 and then bigger than that is sattvic 4:39 happiness. 4:41 sattvic happiness you get when the senses 4:44 have become subdued their desires. 4:48 The mind has got a little relaxed from 4:50 the passions 4:52 and some extent of virtue has started 4:55 developing kindness, compassion, 4:58 empathy, sympathy, caring, patience, 5:02 tolerance. 5:04 So now a little bit of joy starts 5:07 coming. That's the sattvic happiness. 5:11 And that sattvic happiness is also what 5:14 the gyani gets. The gyani who makes it 5:19 the singular objective to meditate upon 5:22 the self. 5:24 The gyani says there is “advaith” there is no 5:27 separate god. I am god. So I'm 5:29 meditating on the self. 5:32 The gytani gets sattvic sukh. 5:43 The Bhagavan Gita and the Bhagwan both 5:45 are saying you get sattvic happiness from 5:49 Gyan Yog. So little bit of philosophy. 5:54 You see the Gyani sadhana goes like this. 5:58 They start off “tat tvam asi” 6:03 that Brahm is me. That Brahm is you. 6:07 He tells himself that Brahma is you. 6:12 And then he goes on meditating 6:18 and then reaches this point. Aham 6:21 brahmasmi 6:25 I am the Brahma. 6:29 Now there's a promotion in the sadhana. 6:31 So the “shravan manan nidhidhyasan” is Aham Brahmasmi 6:36 and that sadhana continues. Then this 6:38 gyani reaches the stage of brahasmi. 6:42 The aham is now going by way of Brahmasmi and 6:46 then he goes further further further 6:48 just “asmi” ! I am 6:52 and the sadhana rises even higher now 6:55 the gyani is quiet he has reached 6:59 nirvikalp samadhi 7:03 you heard the word right nirvikalp 7:05 samadhi for gyanis it's the supreme 7:09 desirable state to be achieved. 7:13 But even in the state of nirvikalp 7:16 samadhi 7:18 maya has not gone. 7:21 There are a few entities of maya that 7:24 are remaining. Through the gyan sadhana 7:27 the gyani said I'm not the body. I'm not 7:29 the mind, I'm not the intellect. 7:32 And then he said I'm not the ego as 7:35 well. So when the gyani cuts the ego now 7:39 the triputy (trichotomy) 7:43 gyata 7:45 gyey and gyan, knower, object to be known and 7:50 Knowledge, this trichotomy finished 7:52 because the ego of the knower finished 7:55 that is the stage of nirvikalp samadhi 7:59 now the gyani is situated in 8:01 self knowledge 8:03 true realized 8:06 But even in that state two entities of 8:11 maya have not gone Prakriti, Mahan. So that 8:16 gyani doesn't experience 8:20 “brahma sparsh” the bliss of God, he only 8:25 experiences the bliss of the soul and 8:28 ythe soul being a drop of the ocean, the guani gets 8:33 huge bliss. It is immensely bigger than 8:37 the tamasic happiness mode of ignorance, 8:41 rajasic mode of passion, sattvic mode of 8:44 goodness. It's even bigger than that. 8:47 The bliss of God is infinite. “यो वै भूमा तत्सुखे” (see note below) 8:54 So now Sri Krishna has said that when 8:57 somebody practices true yoga 9:02 & attaches the mind to God now the “Brahma sparsh”, 9:07 union with God and experience of that 9:12 ultimate bliss happens.  Note: “यो वै भूमा तत्सुखे” यह वाक्य छान्दोग्य उपनिषद (7.23.1) से लिया गया है, और इसका गहन अर्थ है: "That which is infinite — that alone is bliss." (yo vai bhūmā tat sukham) 🔍 भावार्थ: • भूमा का अर्थ है असीम, अनंत, अविभाज्य परमात्मा। • उपनिषद कहता है कि जो सीमित है, उसमें सुख नहीं है। • सच्चा सुख केवल उस परम सत्ता में है जो सीमाओं से परे, अखंड, और स्वरूपतः आनंदमय है