The topic for the Hindi Satsang on Sunday, 21st April, 2013 was ‘Gunas.’
Following is the transcript of the speech made by Smt. Hansaji Yogendra on the topic.
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Listen to the Audio:
“This topic’s main purpose is that we should understand our own existence. And what we understand and experience is ‘Atma’ / ‘Purusa’ / ‘Chaitanyata’ or in English, ‘Consciousness’ or ‘Life.’ The second thing in us is Prakriti, the material world. This encompasses our body, mind, sense organs, energy – ‘prana,’ our ego and intellect. Prakriti is material, whereas Purusa is not. Both theses things are very different from each other and cannot be looked at from the same point of view.
We cannot understand the Purusa through the Prakriti. But what we can do is make the Prakriti in us completely pure, like a mirror or crystal. Then we will see the reflection of the Purusa. Prakriti is made up of three gunas – Sattva, Rajas and Tamas and because of these gunas, there is continuous change in Prakriti. So we must observe Prakriti and understand its changeful nature and realize, ‘Why should I remain attached to anything when everything is changeful and nothing is permanent?’
Then we understand that we should got get stuck in the rut. I remember a real incident. A child is born, it has a body, which is Prakriti. Without ‘Atma’ or ‘Purusa’ it will not have life. It is born with a complete personality. His’s parents die in a car crash when he is just eight months old and his grandmother takes care of him. When he is three years old, his grandmother also dies and he is left with no one and nothing. He is on the road but still survives because the vegetable vendors give him little food. Like this, he grows up and gets interested in machines and becomes a mechanic. A man from a foreign land comes with some car trouble. This boy works very efficiently and it impresses the foreigner who takes him to his country to work with him. This boy does very well for himself, returns to Mumbai at age 27 and meets all the people who were responsible for his survival. He finally gets married and has two children. I know this man very well, his name is Mr. More. He owns some land now. His son’s name is Sagar, daughters name is Laxmi. He comes to the Institute to learn yoga.
I am narrating this story in such detail because this is how Prakriti functions. We often wonder, how would the boy survive? But he does somehow. We think we are raising a child, but that’s not the case. We are just doing our duty, our bit. The result is not in our hands. When anything can happen, why do we think that we are the doers? We have a very small role to play in a large design.
This thinking should come. We feel that we are doing everything but that is not the case. Many great people have come and gone. Except for reading about them in History books, we hardly remember them. Material things keep changing and have no value. So we should not get disturbed by changes in the world. Just concentrate on changing our own Prakriti. As Dr. Jayadeva says, keep the mind balanced. The moment we start becoming sad, or anxious or egoistic, the problem arises.
Do not get stuck in the material world. Life as long as life is in the body. All philosophies talk of this but we do not apply it into our lives. We think something is right or wrong because we think we are in control. We don’t know the larger picture. You must have heard of many incidents where someone reached somewhere late and did not get a ticket and later finds that the train burnt or the boat sank and they thank God for their luck. But they must have got angry or upset when at first they could not go. Look at your life and you will find that whatever happens, happens for the good. There is no need to become tense, sad and negative. Just live and experience it.
Keep the mind steady and observe your body change. Everything has its own beauty but the moment we get disturbed, everything goes wrong. Our strong opinions create disruption. When the thoughts will reduce and the mind will become peaceful, you will experience the real power of the mind. So keep a peaceful mind and just do your duty.
With such a mind, the real understanding of consciousness comes. So live with this understanding. You are the creator of your own world, only you can uplift yourself. Because you have everything in you – consciousness and experience of the material world. So use your strengths and work on yourself.”