SHIVRATRI PUJA TALK, Pune, 23.02.1990(Translated from Hindi)

Today is Shivratri and today is the day we pray to Lord Shiva. On the outside, we can gain mastery on our body, its movements, the mind, ego and various functions. Whatever is there in the universe, we can know it and use it like whatever elements that there are in the earth, and what grows, we can use them. We can gain complete supremacy over all this. But this is all an outside manifestation.

What we are within is the Spirit. We are Shiva. What is on the outside is destructible. What is born will die. What is created will be destroyed. But what is within, is our Atma, who is our Shiva, who is a reflection as Sadashiva, is indestructible, desireless and free. It is not stuck to anything. It is stainless. By obtaining that Shiva, and getting the Light of that Shiva, we also slowly get renounced. The outside remains as it is, but within, is the atma -permanent and indestructible, always emitting its Light.

After Self-realization our life becomes Divine, auspicious and sacred. That is extremely important for human beings to attain. Without that, we cannot lead a balanced life and be truly collective. Nor can we have real love. Also, we cannot know the truth. The pure knowledge can be known only in the light of the Spirit. When one becomes enlightened by the Spirit, then his attention also becomes pure. He does not get involved in anything. Just by his attention, he gets the whole knowledge of that thing. But when a person is not fully Self-realized, then he always thinks of himself. He thinks: what he will eat today, when will he get good food, what kind of food should he cook. Or he thinks: “Where should I go today? Where will my importance be felt more? When will people give me respect? In what gathering will I gain prominence?”

The other style of person will think about how to make more money, gain the entire wealth of the worlds and put the world right. Another kind of person thinks, only about his children, grandchildren, relatives, etc.

These kinds of thoughts which are self-centred like: "What is my position? What great advantage I will get out of this? What clothes should I wear. How should I impress people so they think how clever I am, how great I am?" Another person is one who considers himself very humble and keeps bowing before everyone, to show how he respects everyone? How cultured I am? The third person says, I am so learned and will have a discussion with intellectuals and read many books to show off his knowledge. And another one thinks like this about his music or art. How best to impress others is what man thinks most.

People do lots of social work also or sacrifice for their country: "My country should be happy and prosperous." Some think that: "My art should spread all over the world so that my country gets a name." In this way man becomes happy seeing himself mixing in the collective. But in all this, there is the desire for victory, recognition and praise. He is always looking for something and that is why he gets stuck in the cycle of joy and sorrow. His attention remains stuck to this sense of “I”.But when he is one with his Spirit, then he thinks differently – like, he will think of how to use this thing so that humanity is benefited. People are suffering so much. What can be done to help them? His whole thinking shifts from self-interest. When he sees a tree, he thinks how beautifully God made it.

“If only I would be like this and give shade to others. But I am not like this and I must become like this tree.” If he sees the Himalayas then he will start singing praises of the Himalayas. But the one who does not know his Spirit will keep singing his own praises. “That I went to the Himalayas. I did this and that, make my grave on the Himalayas. Put the flag of my country there”.

So there are two levels of human beings. The first who are Realized souls and by the Light of the Spirit, they see everything. They never think that by doing this or that, they will get a great name, or people will praise them. They may even be killed, tortured or criticized, but they will never be deterred. Like Jesus Christ who was crucified. But while being crucified, he prayed that “O God, forgive them, for they do not know what they do”.A Realized soul is beyond any temptations and pulls – that this should happen, this should get made, he does not desire. If it gets done, it’s fine. If it does not get done, it’s alright. He does not seek praise or fame. So he does not get stuck into the cycle of joy and sorrow. They are alike for him. He can witness both sorrow and joy, as he understands that it is like day and night. He is himself drowned in the joy of the Spirit. He does not have to control his mind for his mind and senses are fully in control. There are such people who run after something or the other as if their whole life depends on it. When they attain it, then they start moving after something else. Supposing they cannot get it, then they feel so upset, that they think their entire life is finished.

But a Realized Soul’s attention is such that he moves through life knowing everything. There is so much power in his attention (Chita) that where his attention goes, it starts working.‘Chitta’ or attention is the gift of Shri Brahamdeva. When only the Brahma remains of Brahamdeva, then this attention becomes so powerful, so loving, so knowledgeable and so clever, that it does its work in a very easy way. Which means that such a person’s attention becomes one with the Param Chaitanya or Divine vibrations. When this happens, then the Param Chaitanya does all. So all the work of this world is done by the Brahma Shakti and Param Chaitanya. When such a person does anything he does not think that he is doing it. He does not ever feel the need to think like this. He just thinks that it is happening. It is being made.

It means to become Non-doer because Param Chaitanya does everything. So he is just a medium through which Param Chaitanya works. It is happening through the light of the Spirit. Otherwise, a person who thinks he does everything but says, leave it to God, is unable to leave it to God in reality.

The truth is that Param Chaitanya does everything, very simply and easily. So beautiful is its skill and commands, that man is left wonderstruck as to how it happened. We do not do anything. All deeds are performed by vibrations. We can only take some dead thing and make dead things from it – like from silver we make jewellery and then think what a great thing we have done. But all the living work is done by the Param Chaitanya and the experience of the Param Chaitanya is possible only through Self-realization. Because Param Chaitanya is the Adi Shakti who is the Power of the Desire of Shri Shiva. It is His light. By the grace’of this Param Chaitanya only, will you do everything and when this happens within you, you become unique people.

Whenever the idea comes “I” am doing this, “I” have done this, ”I” want to do this or any kind of aggressive behaviour, then you know that up till now, you have not got the light of the Spirit within you. When you come into the freedom from action and you do not do anything, like if this bulb says that I am giving electricity, so it is wrong. Within you, who are Realized souls, it is the Param Chaitanya that is doing everything, which has made you, every part of your body, and made you grow. And now after becoming human beings, you have become Realized souls, that is also the blessings of Param Chaitanya. So how can such a person be egotistical, when he knows that “I do nothing”.

The flute of Shri Krishna said that why do people say: “I am playing? Because I am hollow.” This hollowness means egolessness and which gets established within us fully then we think that what I thought that ‘I am doing this or that’ is so painful and so troublesome. Because I thought I was doing this work and failed to materialize. So now I am so unhappy and “I” did this and got such a great name and it went to my head. But a Realized Soul knows “I” have done nothing. It is the skill of the Param Chaitanya, so whatever happened is alright. Supposing we lose our way, one person will think that I have gone in a wrong way and now I made a mistake. But a Realized Soul thinks that perhaps I had to come this way, so he does not feel unhappy. You keep him in a palace and he can live like a king. You keep him in the forests and he will live there. How can he complain when he knows that Param Chaitanya places him in these various situations.

You can hit or garland such a person, it is the same for him because the Spirit does not get attached to anything. He can be, in any kind of crowd or meeting, he will never be affected as he is satisfied in his Spirit. If he needs to talk, he talks, otherwise he does not. If someone said something, he listens, whether it is words of knowledge and wisdom or folly. Others may talk about the good or bad qualities of people, but he will never say “I hate so and so”. Because to hate is a sin. Whatever he will do will be auspicious. For example, the Devi kills the Bhoots. It is not a sin. If she does not kill them, sin will spread. So he does not back out of doing his duty, because it is the Param Chaitanya that is killing and not him.

However, before talking about Param Chaitanya, he should at least be one with the Param Chaitanya. When you achieve oneness with the Param Chaitanya, then whatever you consider wrong, you can speak against it. Great sages and saints were forthright and spoke openly about the untruth. Socrates was poisoned for speaking the Truth because Param Chaitanya will make him speak the Truth. He will firmly adhere to the truth. His intelligence will be able to recognize truth and untruth because the light of the Spirit has come on to his brain and enlightened it. With a single glance, he can know who is at what level. Param Chaitanya informs him of everything, as the Param Chaitanya does everything.

We are not concerned with results. Its results only God enjoys.

We can only watch this play. The only thing we can enjoy is the play of the Spirit. It’s working, its play is a science of the Light of the Spirit. The one who can understand this, that the entire science of this universe comes from the Spirit. That till the knowledge of this science does not come within us, the outside science is absolutely useless, because there is very little of science in this outside science. No collectivity, no humanity, no love, no art, no poem, no respect. There is nothing alive in it. It becomes like a machine. To understand sciences also, man needs the Light of the Spirit. By this Light of Spirit, you can open many shores of Science, which up till now have not been revealed. But in a way, everything is known. And it is not necessary that the one who knows all may reveal it to all.

Because everyone must know how to understand it also. When the time comes, then only one should reveal. Even in Sahaja Yoga, many people get upset. My father is not in Sahaja yoga, my mother, sister, brother, etc. are not in Sahaja Yoga. Let it be. At least you are in Sahaja Yoga. You remain joyful with yourself. Because as much as a person remains joyful with himself, he cannot remain with anyone else, because everything is within you. To think he is not in it, he is not in that, to think like this means that doors of your heart are still not fully open. This question arises only with those people who are still half in darkness and half in light. They keep thinking about their families. Leave them alone. They will come into Sahaja Yoga by themselves. You cannot force anyone.

A Realized Soul does not think like this. He keeps watching everything and enjoys it. He even enjoys the madness of human beings and also enjoys their wisdom. If someone speaks foolishly, he also watches and enjoys that and if someone speaks sensibly, he also enjoys that. In everything, he sees only joy. If someone lives in a strange manner, then he says what a drama this is. When a Realized Soul sees an angry person, he thinks “O what anger” see how it has climbed. Now it’s above the Agnya, he does not worry. His sight is not an entangled vision but an unstained and pure sight, or a witness state. In such a state, he can explain society in a humorous way. When the compassion and anxiousness will come within us, then through Realized Souls, the Param Chaitanya will immediately know, and then those who are spreading terrorism will be finished. That compassion and anxiousness also in a way starts getting manifested. It’s alright if something is joy giving, but something which creates a grieved state where a person thinks why such terrible things happen, and immediately its solution will start working.

When I went to Russia, there was to be a Yoga Seminar. So in my home, it was said that why do you want to go there only for two days? I said: “I have to be there because I have to break the Eastern Block. People of the Eastern Block will come to that conference and when these people get Realisation and go back to their countries, then the Param Chaitanya will start doing its work there.” I spoke only for forty-five minutes there and in fifteen minutes, gave Realization, and then these people went to their countries, the work got done there. So for the work of Param Chaitanya, it is very necessary that the people should be Self-realized. Because the work of Param Chaitanya gets done through the desire of Self-realized people. The desire should be pure and unselfish because this work gets done on the strength of the Atma.

The Atma is our Shiva, who is absolutely free, perpetual, constant and eternal. These qualities will come into a person after Self-realization. If these qualities are in you, you may be a king or anything but from within, you are free and detached. From within, you do not curse anyone, nor do you crave for anything. The greatest Light of Spirit is that you do not have to try for anything, you do not have to control anybody. As you keep going deeper in the Self-realized state, the darkness keeps getting eliminated in that light. This is the real gain. The one who has not gained this should know that as yet his Self-realized state has not fully matured.If it has matured, then we should realize that in our lives, in the society around us, in our Sahaja Yoga community, a new type of person should be ready, who is a form of the Spirit, one who is overflowing with the Light of Spirit, in whom one can see Shiva. When Shiva got married, he went to his wedding in just the way he was. This means that when you have the Light of the Spirit within you, then you could be of any face, anybody, any type, but when you have that light, then Shiva will recognise you.

He has two forms, on the outside is the Vishnu form and within is Shiva form. We have to be like Shiva, free, independent and detached. Then outwardly, you may be Shiva, Krishna or anyone, but the Shiva within you shall remain steady and established. When you have become the Spirit form, then the outside part does not remain important anymore. Then your feelings for such things will completely change. When Shri Eknath went to Dwarka, he filled a pitcher with water. But then he saw a donkey almost dying of thirst and so he gave the water to him, which was meant to be offered in the temple. People said, what are doing? You have walked so far, barefoot to fill this water and now you have given it to this donkey? Eknath replied that my Krishna himself came down to drink this water. This subtle feeling of Shakti, only a Realized Soul can understand.

To see the outside that how “We” took the pitcher and “We” offered it to God. Who are this “We”? When this feeling of “We” is not there, the Param Chaitanya has done this work. When Eknath came on this earth, nobody understood him, people troubled him, but because he was the image of the Spirit and he was settled in Shiva, so he was of the form of Shiva. Such a person may be anything on the outside, but his Shiva State gives light even on the outside. The greatest thing is to be magnanimous. This magnanimity is the power of Shiva. Shiva is so generous hearted that he gives boons even to Rakshasas knowingly. In the same way, the one who is firm in Shiva is very deep and at peace with himself. He will not say, but he knows everything.

The greatest power of Shiva is love. It is a “nir vasana” love, that is, where there is no expectation. It is flowing. This power of compassion is so great that it surpasses everything. Similarly, in a Self-realized person, the power of compassion grows and it is so ecstatic that you do not enjoy alone. His very nature becomes like this, that he becomes extremely powerful. His fear, doubts, all vanish. He is able to do beautiful works in a very beautiful way. He also understands everything beautifully.

Some Sahaja Yogis will say on the face that: “You have a Bhoot.” It should not be said like that. If you have to break someone’s ego forever, you just think about it that he is full of ego, then the Param Chaitanya will itself break his ego.

But first of all, a Realized soul has to think that:“Now, I have taken refuge in Shiva. I have taken refuge in my Spirit. Through my Spirit only will the Param Chaitanya do all this work, that is why I am not worried about anything. Who is my enemy? Who can kill me? I am living in the Divine, he is doing everything, so what am I doing?”When one starts feeling this way, then one can say that we have recognized Shiva within. We understand the outer, our body, etc. but we should understand this Shiva which is within us, which is the support of our entire power and which we can call Sat-Chit-Ananda – we should believe in that Shiva.

May God Bless You.

H. H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi