Datta Vedaantah - Yoga Parva: Chapter-11: Yoga Kaushala Jnaanam

(Knowledge of Precautions of Yoga)

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O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

1. We have already established that Yoga means the attainment of grace of God. The Gita says that Yoga means practical talent (Yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam). This means that yoga does not mean simply practice, but, it means the practice with which lot of points of care is associated. The care, if not taken, spoils the attainment of grace of God. Hence, not only the practical efforts, but also, the theoretical points of care shall be taken in every step so that we will not miss Yoga or attainment of grace of God.
2. If you are serving a beggar with sacrifice of fruit of your work, mere practice is sufficient to please the beggar because the beggar is aiming only at your physical service and materialistic sacrifice. This means that even if you neglect the beggar theoretically, he will not mind it at all and there is no change in his pleasure. The reason is that the beggar is simply in need of your practical service and practical sacrifice only irrespective of your theoretical intensions. But, the case of God is totally different. He is not at all in need of anything from you. Apart from physical service and physical sacrifice done by you while you are tested by God, your intensions are also very important for Him.
3. This means that your theoretical knowledge and theoretical devotion are also very important apart from your practice. The theoretical knowledge and devotion shall not have any trace of impurity apart from the perfect purity in practice. Your analysis about the personality of God is very important so that it shall be very sharp to find out the correct point in His actions. Most of the divine actions are misunderstood very easily resulting in negligence towards God. Intentional negligence makes the devotion and practice also impure. Once knowledge becomes wrong, the subsequent devotion and practice are also diverted into wrong direction only resulting in missing the goal, which is attainment of grace of God.
4. Knowledge is the root source of both devotion and practical service-sacrifice. Shankara is the root source of Ramanuja and Madhva. If you have misunderstood Shankara, you have not understood Ramanuja and Madhva in right direction. After finishing spiritual knowledge, you must come to a firm decision that God is never wrong and God has no necessity to cheat anybody in His actions. His actions are always tests for the devotees, by which your correct understanding of God is tested by Him. Unless the perfect understanding of God through deep spiritual knowledge is attained, one can’t develop immense perfect devotion and can’t be able to serve and sacrifice to God with full faith.
5. One shall never think that he/she has earned knowledge, money and love from others due to his/her meritorious qualities and great deeds. Such feeling is the most convenient road for the ego to travel fast and enter the soul. The soul shall always feel that it is responsible for all its defects and defeats whereas God is responsible for its merits and successful achievements. Such constant and continuous attitude makes the ego to get repelled from its effort to enter the soul. Ego will always spoil even the trace of possibility to get the God’s grace.
6. You must keep the fan as your constant guide, which draws zeros in space by rotations below the hanging rod that represents ‘I’ (basic ego) and the result is that the fan is feeling that it is always zero and that the current-God is the real hero making it to rotate. The merit of rotation in giving cool air to public praising it is passed on to current-God. If there is a defect like bad sound due to spoiled bearings in it, the fan owns it. Similarly, the soul should always avoid the ego of merit and should always own the defect. Such constant and continuous attitude will protect the attainment of grace of God. Every devotee must keep constant attention about the entry of ego into mind like cat entering the house through back door for drinking the milk.
7. The devotee shall avoid ego and jealousy because God Datta is obtained by Atri, who lacked ego and Anasuya, who lacked jealousy. Generally, people like ego through others praising them. Most of the people praise themselves and don’t like to hear the praise of others and they never praise others by their mouth! Even if they praise others, they do it only for some self benefit only. This policy applies in Nivrutti also if devotees praise God in prayers for some selfish benefits only. Pravrutti (worldly life) is the training centre for any soul before entering Nivrutti. Hence, without passing in Pravrutti one can’t enter Nivrutti (spiritual life).
8. It is said by scholars that the soul shall be uniform in mind, words and actions and such a soul is great (Mahaatmaa) and the soul, which is not uniform in these three is worst (Duraatmaa). Some people act externally as if they are silent to their praise and feel happy internally! They also express happiness externally when they hear the praise of others, but, feel very bad internally. They praise anybody including God for the sake of their self benefit only. God is always pleased with external and internal uniformity.
9. One must be very careful about the points in pravrutti as well as in Nivrutti by which God is not pleased and the points by which God become furious, must be strictly avoided. One shall always try to please God, at least not to displease God and finally not to make God become furious under any circumstances. A good action pleases God (like the case of Pandavas) and not doing a good action even though you are capable of it displeases God (like Bhishma and Drona keeping silent in the court while Draupadi is insulted). A bad action makes God to become furious (like the case of Kauravas). You must note that even Bhishma and Drona were punished by God through severe deaths. The whole problem lies between the behaviour in Pravrutti and behaviour in Nivrutti. In Pravrutti, you meet good and bad people and hence, you have to show both peace and anger respectively. In the case of Nivrutti, God is always the best and hence, you have to show only peace towards God (Nivrutti). In Pravrutti, you have to maintain both anger and peace as per the context whereas in Nivrutti you have to maintain only peace towards God avoiding misunderstanding Him on any occasion.
10. If you are angry (not peaceful) towards a good person and not angry (peaceful) towards a bad person, God is furious with you! God is pleased with you if you are peaceful (not angry) with good person and if you are angry (not peaceful) towards a bad person. You have to maintain both swords to punish bad person in one hand and flowers to worship good person in another hand in Pravrutti whereas you have to keep only flowers in both hands towards God. Hence, you have to be very careful about this difference between Pravrutti and Nivrutti.
11. The similarity between Pravrutti and Nivrutti is that whatever behaviour you exhibit towards a good person in Pravrutti, the same behaviour raised to climax level shall be exhibited before God since God is the best due to the climax of His goodness. You must try to imitate God in Pravrutti as far as possible within the limits of your capabilities, which means that you shall try to follow the behaviour of incarnation of God in this world by protecting good people and punishing bad people. In Nivrutti also, you shall imitate God, who is in the world of His devotees by preaching, serving and doing sacrifice to good people within the limits of your efficiency. In both, if the case is beyond your limits, you shall pray God to interfere in that case for protection of good people and punishment of bad people. If you have efficiency to do good and control bad, prayer to God is not appreciated by Him.
12. Even if you are trying to please the king to get some benefits from him, what will you do with him? You will behave in such a way so that the king is pleased with you, not displeased with you and at least not to make the king to become furious with you. For this purpose, you will thoroughly study the psychology of king so that you can follow the above procedure to please him and get some benefit from him. Similarly, you shall study the psychology or internal personality of God thoroughly with the help of sharp analytical spiritual knowledge (Jnaanayoga) and then express both theoretical and practical devotion in accordance with His psychology. Jnaanayoga is the first and foremost step either in the worldly life or in the spiritual life. Without this first step, if you are devoted theoretically and practically, it is only blind journey by which you may or may not reach the true goal.
13. The biggest difference between king and God is that in the case of king you can hide your desire for some benefit from him and act externally as if you are loving him without aspiration for any fruit in return from him. This is possible because the king is not omniscient. But, God is omniscient to know your internal hidden desire and hence, such acting is not only useless, but also becomes the cause for His anger! Hence, the first fundamental step that you have to learn in Nivrutti is that you shall be always uniform internally as well as externally before God. If you are in need of some help from God, ask frankly with your mouth in loud voice! Don’t act as if your love to God is real since you are not asking anything from Him orally. If you are not asking orally, you shall not ask mentally also since God is omniscient.
14. The devotee must gradually do spiritual effort to come to the final stage in which the devotee is devoid of aspiration for any fruit from God for his/her service and sacrifice done to God. Not only aspiration for any fruit, but also, the devotee shall continue the same theoretical devotion, practical service and practical sacrifice to God even if the devotee is harmed by God. In fact, the truth is totally different. As per your cycle of deeds and fruits, let us say that you are to be hit by ten arrows for your sin done. Only one arrow hits you and God undergoes the pain of hit of nine arrows because God will reduce the force of your punishment, but, will not cancel the fruit totally, which is against the basic justice. Since you are not seeing the escaping nine arrows you think that you are hit by the punishment of sin and that your love, service and sacrifice to God became waste and sometimes even you scold God! If you are in the state of not aspiring for any fruit in return, you will think that the hit of one arrow is due to your sin for which God is not responsible at all. Then, you will win the test of God and God becomes much pleased with you.
15. The psychology of any soul is to like, which is far from eyes and to dislike, which is before eyes (Parokṣa priyāḥ... Veda). Even angels are not exception to this fact. The top most level of spiritual knowledge is to find God and devotees in this world itself. Since God is not inert item, one must find God in human form only, which is relevant to humanity. For developing theoretical devotion, worship of statues and photos of energetic incarnations and past human incarnations can be used in the beginning stage, but, the contemporary human incarnation alone is useful for direct worship, service and sacrifice to prove the real devotion. When Hinranyakashipu (demon) scolded God Vishnu, God did not respond at all. But, when the demon scolded and harmed Prahlaada, God became very furious. Hence, one must be more careful about devotees.
16. Hence, one can reach the ultimate goal of Nivrutti (far from eyes) through Pravrutti (before eyes) only since even the ultimate unimaginable God is before our eyes through contemporary human incarnation. God is pleased very much if you recognize and respect Him when He is before your eyes than worshipping His photos and statues in which He is not present, which are His representative models only. The top most devotees like Hanuman and Gopikas worshipped God in human form present before their eyes only and God was extremely pleased with them. Knowledge says about the path to reach God, but, when God is before your eyes there is no need of search for path to reach Him! For this, one has to overcome ego and jealousy to co-human beings that mislead soul. The essence of the Ramayanam, the Bhagavatam and the Gita is only recognition of contemporary human incarnation. This is the entire essence of spiritual knowledge relevant to humanity, which is nothing but to overcome the repulsion between common human media.
17. Gopikas told that a foolish chaste lady is immersed in the worship of the photo of her husband while he is knocking the door! Knowledge helps not only in identifying the God before your eyes, but also, helps to know the real devotion (theoretical knowledge and devotion with practical service and sacrifice without aspiration for any fruit in return), which is the second step after recognition of God. Hanuman, as saint, worshipped God through practical service. Gopikas, as house-holders, worshipped God through practical sacrifice (by giving butter) and through practical service (by dance) to please God Krishna. In the case of Arjuna, the practical service was to do war against injustice. In the case of divine preachers, the practical service is propagation of divine knowledge in this world.
18. Dance of Gopikas with God Krishna shall not be mistaken as illegal sex to say that we have to keep silent because God Krishna is omnipotent! You can’t blame Krishna, who preached them that it is greatest sin, but, Gopikas threatened that they will commit suicide if Krishna rejects them. While testing them for their detachment from the three strongest worldly bonds (money, issues and life partner), this dance is done, which is one (life partner) of the three tests. After this, Krishna never returned and never repeated this elsewhere in His entire life. From the side of Gopikas, this is the proof for their detachment from one worldly bond apart from detachment of the other two worldly bonds tested by stealing butter preserved for their issues. An unchaste lady is detached from this only one worldly bond (life partner) and not detached at all from all the other two worldly bonds. Even this detachment is for the sake of God only and not for the sake of other human being in the case of Gopikas.
19. God gives theoretical boons like knowledge and devotion for theoretical worship and gives practical boons like materialistic benefits for practical worship (Ye yathā... Gita). Aspiration for practical boons through theoretical worship like prayers etc., (even though capable of doing practical worship) is the devotion of a prostitute. Aspiration for practical boons through practical worship (service and sacrifice of fruit of work) is the devotion of a businessman. Theoretical and practical worship without aspiration for any fruit is the real love (devotion) of parents towards their issues. Prostitute is worst, businessman is neither good nor bad and love (theoretical and practical) to issues without aspiration for any fruit in return is the best. One shall always try to ascend from worst to middle to the best. Especially, in the case of God, who is not in need of your any type of devotion, both theoretical and practical worships are important. Love not based on gratitude and sympathy is the real love, which is to be given to the real God. The cases of a poor prostitute, a poor business man and poor issues need not be considered here based on sympathy, but, a rich prostitute, a rich businessman and rich issues (assuming that their grandfather made the issues as direct heirs of his immense property) stand as proper examples for this concept.
20. God is very much pleased if you do the social service to remove sins and to bring peace in society since God is the creator of this world. An establisher of a factory is very much pleased if somebody helps the workers to run the factory on smooth lines with peace. But, you must do the social service not due to your love to workers, but, due to your love on the establisher (God) of the factory (world). The social service must be a part of God’s work, which is propagation of spiritual knowledge and devotion to God. Mere isolated social service as done by a politician for votes to get fame, power and wealth is not related to God in anyway. For any type of worship to God, your attitude (false love due to aspiration for fruit or real love without aspiration for any fruit) is very very important factor. Based on this attitude, you will get Guru (guide) for your false love or Sadguru (guide and goal) for your real love to God!
21. One must understand that the knowledge is more important than the language through which the knowledge is expressed. Practical implementation of the knowledge is still more important than mere knowing the knowledge. The priests are fanatic towards the Sanskrit language and recite the Veda without knowing its meaning even though the word Veda means knowledge! The scholars know the meaning of the scripture, but, do not practice it and are also fanatic to Sanskrit language. The Sanskrit language is the mother tongue of angels and not the mother tongue of God! God is pleased if you get the knowledge irrespective of the medium (language) and is more pleased if you practice it. There are several devotees, who are not aware of Sanskrit language and followed the divine knowledge learnt from elders through their mother tongue only. Of course, Sanskrit is the divine language and if you learn it, angels are pleased with you, but not God, the real authority. God does not require language to understand your feelings because He grasps your feelings directly (Bhāvagrāhī Janārdanaḥ).
22. Language is only the vehicle for communication. A donkey carrying on a bag of gold coins is more valuable than a horse carrying on a bag of gravel stones. Hence, the meaning communicated by the language decides the total value and not mere external value of the vehicle. If one accepts the existence of God, the soul must express its gratefulness to God always even if the soul does not need any favour from God in this world. The reason is that God has done favour already to a human soul. The gratitude towards God is for the past favours done and not for any future favour. Even if God is not helping you with any fresh favour, you are indebted to God for the past favour, which is that the soul is given human body, which is suitable for spiritual development in this life. Actually, as per the file, the soul deserves only birth in animals, birds, worms etc., but, God overlooked the file and favoured the soul with human birth to give last chance for reformation. This is mentioned by other religions according to which this is the last and final human birth. Hence, every human soul is indebted to God from birth due to this favour.
23. The main activity of God is to establish justice condemning the injustice in this world. If you practically participate in His work, He will be very much pleased with you. Hence, you must try always to participate in the protection of justice from injustice. When two parties are quarrelling with each other, you shall not pass over without caring for it, thinking that it is unnecessary for you. This is your selfishness and God is displeased with this. Hence, you must enquire the quarrel and control injustice if you are capable of it. If you are not capable, advise the wrong side saying that the unimaginable God through unimaginable power will always punish the injustice and protect the justice. You also must pray God to interfere in that case. This brings your attitude to treat the whole world as your own family (Vasudhaikakutumbakam) and this is the nature of God. This means that you are trying to acquire the practical nature of God to become practically God unlike the theoretical assumption that you are already God (Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi)!
24. One must take precautions to attain the pleasure of God (Yoga) at the psychological level itself, in which qualities exist in theoretical phase. With the help of sharp analysis of intelligence, the mind shall be controlled like the driver (intelligence) controlling the car (body with senses) by controlling the steering rod (mind) as told in the Gita (Indriyānāṃ hi..., Yastvindriyāṇi...). Of course, at this theoretical level if the soul is spoiled, God is displeased with the soul, who gives a strong warning in the hell and the soul will be shown various punishments implemented in the hell. But, these qualities, if not controlled, convert into practical deeds very shortly by which one will be punished in hell headed by God Yama. The deeds damage other souls whereas the qualities damage the soul itself. But, care must be taken in the level of qualities itself since theory is the mother of practice. The strengthened qualities convert into practice and the strengthened practice converts into non-rectifiable sin, which is punished in horrible hells only headed by God Kaalabhairava.

॥ Iti Datta Vedānte Yogaparvaṇi
Yoga Kauśala Jñānaṃ nāma Ekādaśādhyaāyaḥ ॥

The Eleventh chapter of Yogaparva of Datta Vedanta, which is the Knowledge of Precautions of Yoga, is completed.

Datta Vedaantah

Part-1: Brahmaparva: Chapter-1: Anuyogajnanam

Part-1: Brahmaparva: Chapter-2: Anuhya Parabrahma Jnanam

Part-1: Brahmaparva: Chapter-3: Ishvaraavataara Jnanam

Part-1: Brahmaparva: Chapter-4: Datta Vaishishtya Jnanam

Part-2: Jiiva Parva: Chapter-5: Jagattattva Jnaanam

Part-2: Jiiva Parva: Chapter-6: Jiivaatma Tattva Jnaanam

Part-2: Jiiva Parva: Chapter-7: Avidyaa Guna Karma Tattva Jnaanam

Part-3: Yoga Parva: Chapter-8: Yoga Vicaara Jnaanam

Part-3: Yoga Parva: Chapter-9: Nishkaama Yoga Jnaanam

Part-3: Yoga Parva: Chapter-10: Yoga Saadhana Jnaanam

Part-3: Yoga Parva: Chapter-11: Yoga Kaushala Jnaanam

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