A person who is filled with the thoughts, ‘I am the body; I am the senses; this is my house; my wife; my children’ implies he/she is not totally pure. Ignorance (tamas) still rules. He/she has not even stepped into the path of purity (sattva). He has not put in even the application to step on to the right path.

How can a person who instantly loses his temper be addressed as sattvik? Therefore, during every action, in your attitude and at every moment one must practice self-control. Maintain your own dairy to identify where you are going wrong and how to correct yourself. Be your own guru, teacher and reform yourself.

A person who is eternally in the state of goodness and purity (sattva) will have no need for Pranayama as, irrespective of whether he is sitting, standing, talking or walking, he will be in meditation. Yasya brahmani ramate chittam nandati nandati nandati eva- It means as his focus is solely on Brahma he will not know any tastes; he will be unaware whether he is sleeping or walking. He will be in a state of eternal bliss. He will not know whether he is in yoga or bhoga (comfort). This is real meditation.

To reach this stage of meditation, regular diligent practice is must. Control the tongues, senses, actions, talking and thinking. All of them should be tuned to be pure (sattvik). Only then the intellect (buddhi) will remain at one place.

Yoga-sutras gives practical guidance to reach the final state of meditation. But without putting in the recommended efforts we want to directly jump to the final stage. ‘I have no time. My health is not good. So I will not practice. I have no faith in Sadguru. But I want to jump and reach the final state’. Remember there is no shortcut to attain the final stage. You have to go through these steps! If you say I can’t climb the steps in the ladder but I want to fly to the top is it possible?

Body is only a tool given for spiritual practices. It cannot ever experience the supreme bliss. Use this tool to enable the buddhi (intellect) to experience the ultimate bliss. We should seek that ultimate bliss, for, otherwise we will endlessly keep taking on one body after another and rotate within this world itself. We will not obtain liberation.

Gradually practice to detach from the body. Remember that relatives and children are all illusions.

These worldly bondages are akin to poison into which we are sunk and are striving to exit. Guru’s compassion prevents this poison from harming us. This is because we have the burning desire, ‘I want to know the real truth, I want to learn yoga’. With this faith in Sadguru we are striving for yoga.Had you thought, ‘How can I attain yoga? I am sinner,’ you will never learn Yoga. You will mix more with poison and will be a loser. Be positive. Be adamant about walking on this path. Just as the bad portion of the apple is discarded, discard your bad habits and utilize all your time for achieving Yoga.

We sub-consciously believe that we have attained dispassion (vairagya) however, when we see a small kitten, our mind undergoes changes. We feel like cuddling it. The person who begins to cuddle the kitten simultaneously explains Vedanta theories. This is because he seeks to justify his attachment to the kitten. “After all, God exists within this kitten, should we not care for it?’ he will say.

Here, remember that the kitten does not seek your attention. It has come to put you into illusion. If you walk away without noticing it, it is not bothered. The moment you feel like cuddling it, feeding it, you are entering the trap laid down for you. This is what happened to Maharishi Jadabharta (explained in Bhagavatam). When a Yogi as great as Jadabharata could be deluded, how can ordinary people escape this trap?

Be alert. Try not to get too much attached to things and situations. Do your work without getting attached considering it a duty. Only when the matter is taken to heart and mind, the problems begin. Remember that all these situations come in your life only to destabilize you, cheat you and put you into illusion. If you don’t get cheated they will go disappear.

Utilize all your free time for Sadhana. After your daily tasks, remaining time do not waste, else you will get sucked up in fulfilling your desires and wasteful pursuits.

Develop devotion (bhakti). Association with the noble, pious (satsang) paves the way for detachment (nissanga) and then towards liberation (jeevan mukti). Bhaja govindam is full of Vedanta and this knowledge is very useful for Datta Kriya Yoga students.

Do not waste time on irrelevant maters. Undue importance paid to how others live, works against you. Just as you do not check the quality of tyre, the manufacturer of the tyre, the wheel alignment or the quality of seats before boarding a bus, do not read too much into the scriptural dictates. Keep your focus on spiritual practices.

(Q&A Session, DKY class, 4 March 2016)