Category: Swami Rama

The knower, the known and the process of knowing comprise the three-fold nature of the drive to action. Instrument, activity and event are the three-fold components that accomplish action. Each of these three divisions is in accordance with the three qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas. The universe contains many beings. Each being is unique. Variety is the nature of the universe. In this diversity, one feels the presence of oneness; this is due to sattva-endued knowledge. The site of the undivided reality is known because of sattva. For example, the ocean has many waves and they are distinct from one another, yet they are all made from the same water. To see the same water in different waves is sattva-endued knowledge. Gold is made into various ornaments, but the presence of gold is common to them all. To see this oneness in different forms is sattva-endued knowledge. There exist in the world many religious faiths – Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, etc. Yet in spite of this multiplicity, one can see in them all a oneness of being and can accordingly relate in one way towards all of them. This results from sattva-endued knowledge. Human beings, birds, beasts, and insects are all different, yet they possess the one life principle in common. To regard them all as alike is due to sattva-endued knowledge alone.

Rajas-endued knowledge enables one to realize division and variety of forms. The variety of aspects in each object is seen by rajas-endued knowledge. This sort of disposition which fastens on diversity alone is due to rajas. It frustrates all efforts towards seeing unity in diversity.

Tamas-endued knowledge actually obscures the relation of causes and effect and is completely unable to reveal Truth. It is the cause of attachment to a part as if it were the whole. It is the cause of ignorance which confuses cause and effect. It is false knowledge, sheer ignorance, and impure ideas, and is contrary to enlightenment. This is the defect of tamas-endued knowledge. Tamas-endued people take a part for the whole and attach themselves to that part. They even lead themselves to destroy the whole. This level of knowledge leads to destruction and attachment.

Thus, sattva-endued knowledge sees unity in diversity, while tamas-endued knowledge sees diversity even in unity. Sattva-endued knowledge inspires one to perform actions with the goal of self-realization while tamas-endued knowledge leads to self-degradation. That action is called sattvic-endued which is done without attachment, without lust or hatred, and without a selfish desire to enjoy the fruit of one’s own actions. Lust and hatred make the mind waver, and pleasure leads to self-enjoyment. They all make the mind extremely agitated. They must be renounced if one is to pursue the tranquil mind.

An action that is done with a tranquil mind is a sattvic action. But an action that is done with the desire to selfishly enjoy the fruit, with a view always to keep it for one’s own enjoyment, ignoring its cost in labour and effort and with overwhelming confidence in one’s own ability, that action is rajasic. Sattvic actions are performed without egoism, without thought of enjoying the fruits, without attachment, lust or hatred. Rajasic actions are permeated with all of these negative qualities. Actions done without the desire to enjoy the fruits will undoubtedly lead to greater happiness. Rajasic actions can lead only to greater misery. Tamasic action leads only to degradation. It happens without thought to what damage or injury it might cause. Therefore, one should observe oneself carefully to guard against performing tamasic actions.

The type of actions a person commits is determined by his disposition. One whose steadiness of mind remains undisturbed in doing actions and duties, is indeed a balanced human. He who is not elated with success or disappointed with failure is a sattvic man. Such a man possesses courage. No anxieties about success or failure worry him. He is neither puffed up with success nor downhearted with failure.

The characteristic of a rajasic man is that he is given to enjoyment. He has a keen desire for pleasure. At the root of all his activities lies the drive for enjoyment. He naturally seeks enjoyment from the fruits of his own action. He who is attached to pleasure is bound to be greedy. Having gotten some pleasure, he yearns for more pleasure; having lost them, his grief is beyond description. Joy and grief swing his mind one way or the other. Thus, he is perpetually agitated. Such a restless man finds it difficult to really enjoy any pleasure. On the spur of the moment he can become violent, especially if he confronts any obstacle in the way of his enjoyment, he may even react and try to destroy it. This increases the hatred and violence in a rajasic man. Violence is always accompanied by uncleanliness of body and mind. Where enjoyment, greed, and violence dwell, it is impossible to maintain the body, speech, and mind in serenity.

The characteristics of a tamasic man are ignorance and delusion, for he has no competence to do anything skilfully. A tamasic man is devoid of good conduct because of his very ignorance; only a man of good conduct can become a good human being. A tamasic man is completely devoid of true knowledge. Filled with delusions, he cannot contribute in knowledgeable discussions, nor can he perform any activity with skill, nor propagate good ideas. He remains lazy and dull in all circumstances. In the absence of inspiration, there is no possibility of self-advancement through action, work, or duty. When unable to grow through one’s own actions, duties, and efforts, the mind begins to run in crooked avenues of tamas, and one always grieves over failure. Such a man begins to hate others; he never rejoices at other people’s success. He is always sad, gloomy, and hateful.

Of the various functions of the mind, buddhi, or intellect, is the highest. It is buddhi which decides, discriminates and judges. This buddhi can also be classified into three categories: sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic. Sattvic buddhi correctly and rightly shows what one should proceed to and what one should keep away from, what causes bondage and what dispels the bondage of the aspirant. The rajasic buddhi is involved with the selfish motivations only and runs through the avenues of pleasures. The tamasic buddhi cannot discriminate between duty and non-duty, bondage and freedom, independence and dependence, and always presents false pictures. This deludes the aspirant; he forms a perverse view of things and does not see anything in its true colors at all. A tamasic man cannot decide what to do and what not to do.

Pleasures can also be classified as sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic. The sattvic pleasures in the beginning seem to be painful, but their results are beneficial in the long run. They bring serenity of mind, knowledge, penance, control of the senses, and self-purification, which purify the way of the Soul. Sattvic pleasure finds joy everywhere, in all conditions in life, in the control of the mind and in self-realization, as well as in doing actions selflessly for the sake of humanity as a worship to God. Rajasic pleasure is produced by contact of the senses with their objects. It vanishes when the object vanishes. Rajasic pleasure ends painfully. Tamasic pleasure deludes the Soul from beginning to end. Tamasic pleasure is pain which produces misery. It increases sleep, laziness, and inactivity. A tamasic man does not feel like doing anything. He feels pleasure in laziness. A rajasic man feels pleasure in balanced, tranquil, and serene conditions.

All things that appear on the face of the earth and in the universe, are endued with the three qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas. The whole universe is a play of these three qualities. These qualities are found in the subtle traces of samskaras and determine the life course here and hereafter. If anyone wants to examine one’s own disposition, he can do so by examining the quality of his mind. If one starts observing himself impartially, he can find out whether his disposition is sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic, and thus determine the future course he has to take. He can also find out which rung of the spiritual ladder he stands on.

To attain freedom from the rounds of birth and death and from the bondage of karma, one should learn to do his duty whole-heartedly. A man attains perfection and achieves perfect eminence by devotion to this proper work and duty. If he gives up his own duty and does what is not his duty, he cannot rise. The question is: What is one’s duty?

One’s duty is that which is determined by one’s inborn qualities or samskaras. For instance, if man has the quality of sattva in a dormant state, he should practice tranquility, control of the senses, etc. If he has sattva-dominated rajas, his proper duty should by to follow the path of action and practice meditation in action. In this way a man can succeed in doing his duties by studying his inborn qualities or samskaras.

Karma is inevitable; work is worship. By worshipping that Absolute One from whom all beings have sprung and by whom all this universe is pervaded, a man attains right perfection.

Editor’s note

This is an excerpt from Freedom from (Bondage of) Karma by Swami Rama, Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science & Philosophy of USA, 1973.

Human beings are always disappointed in the external world, yet they have not turned inward to understand anything about the internal world. Those who begin to search the other dimensions of life come in contact with subtleties that are puzzling to them, and they do not know what to do next. People have been trained from childhood to observe, examine, and verify the things in the external world, but no one has taught them how to look within, how to verify within, and how to know within. The ancients contemplated on these issues for a long time, and they developed a method for studying the inner world. Just as modern scientists developed a method for analysing the nature of matter, so there is a positive and exact system that tells us how to analyse and understand inner life.

Many people ask, for example, “Is there anything like a soul within us?” Modern philosophers deny any such entity because they are influenced by materialistic science. But are we really sure what science is? A few years ago, a Midwestern university sent out thousands of letters asking various scientists for their definition of science. The responses did not establish any clear-cut definition of science, so even the meaning of science is not defined as yet. According to the ancient yogis, however, science means vijnanam, the systematized and organized study that leads one to attain all the states of jnana – knowledge. Science is a way of knowing through the intellect; science is an external expression of inner knowledge.

If anyone wants to be a student of the interior world, of the path of light, if he wants to do inner research, he will have to understand this point: one must have a purified, free and one-pointed mind to know and examine the interior Self. If the mind is not free, if one is prejudiced from the very beginning, influenced by a particular set of dogmas, doctrines, or formulas, then one can neither conduct nor complete any research. For conducting research within, one should be truthful, sincere, and free from prejudices. Research should not be shaded by social and cultural norms or religious fanaticism. It requires a totally independent and unbiased mind. One cannot lie to oneself. One should ask, “Am I really true to myself? Am I really a seeker?”

In doing research within, we have to completely forget our prejudices from the past, and we have to remain true to ourselves; otherwise our research will be incomplete. Second, we must start training the mind to be inward. But the mind does not want to be inward: it wants to focus outside, because it has been trained and educated to know the external world only. The mind does not want to go toward the more subtle world within; it does not understand the concept of thinking without an object. We can imagine things, but imagination depends on an image within. We must train the mind to go inside to our personal world, which is responsible for all our actions and speech in the external world, so that we can understand those needs, motivations, desires, those strong powers within us that move us to do something in the external world. We want to know their nature. We want to know why we act and feel the way we do.

We let the external world affect us more than it should. Many people remain very unhappy because others have suggested that they are not good people, and they have accepted these negative suggestions from others. Those suggestions have become a part of their lives, so they think of themselves as bad people. But when someone condemns himself, excludes himself, creates guilt feelings within himself, or when he thinks that he is good for nothing, he is committing a serious mistake. On the other hand, we also create miseries for ourselves when we remain indifferent to the external world and when, because of our habits, we do whatever we want without understanding the consequences.

If we are in the habit of creating miseries for ourselves, can we really blame God or anyone else? The ancient philosophy of the sages says, “O human being, you have the capacity to understand yourself, to understand both klishta and aklishta – that which is helpful for you, and that which creates obstacles for you.” Most of the miseries we suffer are created by ourselves, but we put the blame on others. Our miseries are not created by Providence, by the sun, moon, and stars, by our environment, nor by people – and never by God. We ourselves have created our miseries, and if we want to understand this truthfully, we will have to turn the mind inward.

The mind must be trained to go inward and examine itself because it is not accustomed to practicing a technique of inwardness. Just as one needs a specialist to find out what disease he has, one has to be a specialist in understanding himself because the mind is in the habit of playing tricks. The method of knowing mental life is called psychology. It is very easy to find out something about a person by watching his actions– how he moves, how he talks, how he looks at others, how he smiles, how he cries, how he eats, how he sits, and how he makes certain gestures. One can discover a great deal about the inner life by studying body language. So when we start turning within, we do not have to ignore the external world, nor do we have to make any radical change in our external life. Which language we speak and which garments we wear are not of much value as far as Self-realization is concerned. People wast much time and energy in getting attached to brands and labels and forming a sect or cult. Thus the whole purpose is lost, and one is caught by the diversity of rituals and the fanaticism of cultism. We simply have to be ourselves and create a strong desire to know ourselves from within. That desire is the first requirement. If one doesn’t understand the importance of spirituality and meditation, then he should not waste his time and energy with it. If one is not convinced that meditation is a technique that is helpful, if one is not prepared, then he should not apply that technique. Because if he does, there will be no result; there will only be disappointment. So first, to research the inner world, one needs a burning desire to know his inner potentials and states.

When we look within, we realize that the mind has two parts. The part that we already know is called the conscious part, and that which is unknown to us is called the unconscious part. The subconscious is a part of the unconscious. It means that which is submerged, that which is not visible. If the conscious part of mind does not function, the creative and dynamic aspect of human life will be crippled. And if it is destroyed, then there will be no coordination between body and mind. When this occurs, death is the result. But even after this separation, the unconscious mind remains intact. Let us now examine the unconscious mind. When we look at something, the sensation that we receive is carried through the optic nerve to the brain and then to the conscious mind. Then it settles down in the unconscious mind as a sensation that leaves an imprint there. Looking at something with interest will help us to remember it if we ever see it again. But if we look at something casually and don’t pay attention to it, then even though we are seeing it, we are not registering it. Registration happens because the mind has much interest in seeing something, and memory depends on interest. There is no camera that registers as fast as the brain. The fastest speed is not the speed of light, but the speed of mind. People can think so fast that no computer can register their thinking. And when we think, everything we are registering is stored in the unconscious mind.

Editor’s Note

From the book Choosing a Path, pp 31 – 35, by Swami Rama, published 2018 by the Himalayan Institute India.

For published works of Swami Rama and Swami Veda Bharati, kindly email hyptbooks@gmail.com.

You have to light your own lamp. No one will give you salvation. I am talking of enlightenment. All individuals have the responsibility to enlighten themselves. Do not think you cannot do it. You have that spark. You are fully equipped. You simply need to discipline yourself. Discipline is not a prison. It simply means practice.

Patanjali says that you have the capacity to unfold yourself and lead yourself to a state of tranquillity. Then you will understand things as they are. Otherwise, you create darkness for yourself and you are not able to see things clearly. The human mind remains clouded because the external world does not provide correct data. In the external world everything is fleeting. The moment you want to study something in the external world, that thing changes its name and form and you cannot study it. First, you will have to remove the clouds of ignorance from your mind. When you have clarity of mind, then you can study things as they are, and there will be no confusion.

Thus, when Patanjali says, Atha yoganush-asanam, he means that if you really want to unfold yourself, you first should learn to discipline yourself. People are afraid of the word discipline. Discipline is not a punishment. You will enjoy it once you know it. Discipline means self-commitment. When you commit yourself to your progress, then slowly you will find that the light is within you. These external lights—the sun, moon, stars, and electric lights—are superficial lights. The Upanishads say again and again, hiran-mayenapatrena satyasyapihitam mukham, tat tvam pushann apavrinu satya dharmaya drishtaye. (Isho-panishad15). “The face of Truth is hidden by the golden disc. Oh Lord, help me so that I can see the Truth within.” You keep trying to find Truth in the external world, but it is not there. Those who have found Truth within themselves can express that same Truth in the external world, and they are considered to be great people.

The discipline you need to learn this science, to follow the path for the inward journey, is not the discipline that you already have. You have to understand this subtle point. You had to have discipline in the colleges and universities to study things in the external world and to verify things in the external world. Learning in the external world is entirely different from yoga discipline. In the external world you move. However, when you want to go to the deeper levels of your being, stillness is important. In all other journeys you have to move. In this journey you do not have to move at all. The Bible says, “Be still and know that I am God.” It is a simple formula, but very difficult to apply. From your childhood onward you are taught to move. Nobody teaches you how to be still. You have to learn not to move. Anushasanam, the discipline that you have to follow, you have not yet learned. Since it is a completely new undertaking, it seems difficult. To learn yoga science, which leads you to the highest rungs of life, which takes you to the summum bonum of life, which leads you to the kingdom of wisdom, peace, and bliss, and which leads you to freedom from all pains and miseries, you first have to discipline yourself. In modern education there is enough knowledge, enough books, and enough freedom, but there is no training program for discipline. No one tells you how to study yourself or how to practice. Patanjali says this is not the way. That knowledge which you consider to be knowledge is not fruitful or helpful. First, learn to discipline yourself.

Editor’s note

This is an excerpt from the chapter “Discipline Means Self-Commitment” in the book Samadhi the Highest State of Wisdom: Yoga the Sacred Science by Swami Rama, Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, 2002, pp 18– 20.

When you study the emotions you find that there are seven main streams of negative emotions that arise from the four primitive fountains or appetites. Desire, or kama, which we have already discussed, is the first stream and the mother of them all.

Anger is the second stream. It is the expression of frustration for a desire that finds obstruction in its fulfilment. You should try and remember this whenever you get angry. Anger is different from what many modern therapists suggest. They say, “Come on, release your anger; let it out.” It is true that if you do not express your anger it will turn into another disastrous direction; so you can let it out momentarily for the sake of your health. However, when you become angry your nervous system is activated, and in a fit of anger you might start acting like a wild animal. If you were to get angry all the time, you would want to express this anger all the time, and there would be no end to it; you would be forming a very bad habit. Anger is such a blind emotion that at its peak one can commit suicide or kill others. If you allowed yourself to release all your angers, you would be behind bars in a day. All the negative emotions are blind, but anger is the most dangerous.

Therefore it is very important to know how to train yourself not to get angry. This can definitely be done; it will happen when you learn how to control your desires. You should decide which desires are helpful for your growth and which desires will create obstructions to your growth. Learning to train the intellect within (buddhi) will definitely help in doing this: when you get angry, you can arrive at the source of your frustration and anger by sitting down and analyzing why you got angry in the first place and examining which desires were not fulfilled.

The third stream of negative emotion which is harmful for unfoldment arises when your desire is fulfilled and you become proud. “I have fulfilled my desires and others could not fulfil theirs. Look at how great I am.” Pride happens when you have something that others do not have and you are constantly aware of this.

The fourth emotion occurs when someone else succeeds in attaining the object of your desire, and you do not. This called jealousy. You may have something – but someone else may have something you think is better. You find yourself incapable of fulfilling your own desires if the other person is fulfilling theirs. When you are jealous you are condemning yourself for being incompetent. You have lost the battle and accepted defeat.

The fifth emotion comes when you have something and you become attached it by identifying yourself with it. You don’t see its true nature: that it will go to decay, to destruction, to death; you become so attached that you don’t realize this. For instance, a man has a wife, and as long as she is fulfilling all his desires he remains pleased with her. But the moment she loses her beauty, he gets upset. This is called attachment. Nowadays people do not seem to know the distinction between attachment and love. Attachment is selfish; love is selfless. Attachment brings bondage; love gives freedom. Attachment contracts consciousness; love expand sit. Attachment becomes a source of torment; love becomes a source of liberation.

When two people meet, they should come together in grand liberation and joy, not in bondage and attachment. Misery comes because of attachment, because there is no giving in the relationship. The greatest happiness in life comes from giving, and greatest chaos comes when two people claim to love each other but are really attached. Such a relationship, which is built on expectation, can only bring misery. When you really learn to love somebody you will do things selflessly and spontaneously, for love is that concern in which you enjoy giving and don’t expect anything in return. That is the way to freedom.

The sixth emotion comes from attachment. It inspires you to want more and more. It is a perverted cultural desire which comes through competition and insecurity. It makes you narrow, selfish, self-centred, and petty-minded. It is called greed. Greedy people do not want to share the object of their attachment with others; they want to protect it.

The seventh emotion is the last and most powerful. It is egotism, which leads you to separate yourself from the whole by comparing yourself to others. Many times this is based on false pride: you are afraid because there may be somebody better than you. People who don’t have anything frequently become egotistical to compensate for their inferiority complexes.

By examining these seven streams of emotion – desire, anger, pride, attachment, greed, jealousy, and egotism – you can analyze yourself. By studying your thoughts, speech, and actions you can find out how emotionally mature you are. All control is emotional. If the emotions are not controlled, there is no control at all. Control does not mean suppression of expression – it means regulation and balance within your capacity. With the help of reason and observation you can remain beyond the sway of emotions.

You should learn to attain a state of emotional maturity in which you know how to use your emotions positively. Positive emotion leads you to self-reliance and self-confidence, and motivates your mind, action, and speech in a joyous and creative way.

Editor’s note

This is an excerpt from A Practical Guide to Holistic Health, Revised Edition, by Swami Rama. 1999. The Himalayan Institute Press.

A yogi does not measure his life by the years but by the breath he takes. To say that he is old is an impossibility and a joke. Old age is a mere reflection of the mind, and not of years. Weakness and decrepitude creep in for lack of trust in truth, in justice, in oneself, and in one’s kinsmen.

These are the signs of old age:

• • As soon as the freshness and interest is gone out of one’s life, he is old.
  • When one talks about killing time, he is becoming old.
  • He who is interested in nothing new is old.
  • He who is timid and afraid to take on new enterprises is old.
  • He who has no self-reliance is old.
  • He who repeatedly calls for help is old.
  • The habitual fault-finder and complainer is old.
  • He who values mundane wealth more than uplifting thoughts is old.
  • One who clings to life and does not let go is old.
  • One who does not enjoy humor and has lost his smile is old.
  • One who does not enjoy the song of the birds or the beauty of the flower is old.
  • One who has no control over his limbs and is horrified of death is old.
  • One who does not enjoy stillness, quietness, and silence is old.
  • One whose mind is like a crowded abode full of strife and misery is old.

But one who remains in the garden of delight and smiles perpetually is young. One whose heart is every fresh, ever green, is ever young.

Editor’s note

This is an excerpt from the entry “Perpetual Youth” by Swami Rama and is found in the book Love Whispers by Swami Rama, published by Himalayan Institute Press.

The mind stands like a wall between us and reality. When the student comes in touch with the finer forces called prana he can learn to control his mind, for it is tightly fastened to prana like a kite to a string. When the string is held skilfully, the kite, which wants to fly here and there, is controlled and flied in the direction desired. All yogic breathing exercises, advanced or basic, enable the student to control his mind by understanding prana. Thus, the science of breath helps the student to bring prana under control in order to attain the higher rungs of spirituality. He who has controlled his breath and prana has also controlled his mind. He who had controlled his mind has also controlled his breath.

All aspects and principles that constituted the universe, or macrocosm, are embodied in all the microcosmic forms that constitute the universe, just as the mighty ocean is completely represented in a single, small drop of water from that ocean. The human body is sustained by the same prana that sustains the universe, and it is through the manifestation of prana that all body functions are possible and coordinated.

According to the ancient manuals of yoga, the cosmic force of prana in the human body is recognized and subdivided on the basis of the ten functions it performs. Of the ten pranas, there are five major and five minor ones. The major pranas are
udana, prana, samana, apana and vyana. Although the word prana is applied to all ten pranas, one of the five major pranas has also been given the name prana for reasons which will soon become clear.

Udana rules the region of the body above the larynx and governs the use of our special senses. Prana rules the region between the larynx and the base of the heart. It governs speech and the vocal apparatus as well as the respiratory system and the muscles associated with it. Samana rules the region between the heart and the navel and governs all the metabolic activity involved indigestion. Apana has its abode below the navel and governs the functions of the kidneys, colon, rectum, bladder, and genitals. Vyana pervades the whole body and governs the relaxation and contraction of all muscles, voluntary and involuntary, as well as the movement of the joints and the structures around them.

The energy of prana is subtle in form. Its most external manifestation is the breath, and of the five major pranas in the human body, prana is the energy that governs the breath. It is through the control of respiration that the yogi proceeds to control the other subtle energies of prana, which may explain the use of the same word for the universal energy as well as for the specific prana governing respiration. The importance of this specific prana in allowing us to access the subtler energies of the cosmic prana is also seen in the fact that what we call death results from the cessation of respiration.

Editor’s note

This passage has been taken from the book Science of Breath, pp 72 – 73, by Swami Rama (Rama, S., 1979. Science of Breath. Himalayan Institute Press.)

The world of plants preaches a unique gospel. It expresses not only the beauty but the thoughts of God’s creation, with no intent of its own, and without deviation. Trees in particular are mysterious and seem to me to be direct embodiments of the incomprehensible meaning of life. In the woods I feel close to my inner self, and the deepest meaning is revealed with awe-inspiring workings.

Down below when I look at the rocks, they impose an impression and enforce upon me an idea of the infinity of the cosmos. They spontaneously permit me to peep into the secrets of the universe, which helps to reveal the secrets of the whole.

Whenever I cannot judge the meaning and meaninglessness of impersonal purpose and mechanical law, which are both wrapped in the kingdom of rocks, I dimly feel my kinship, and with a little bit of effort it gives me joy to know the divine nature in both the dead and living matter.

Sometimes I feel with all my being as though a breath of the infinite world of stars and endless space had touched me. When I bathe in sunlight with the winds and clouds moving over me, my being becomes exalted. When the gentle rain comes down with its rhythmic music, I feel as though thundering clouds were trumpeting the drums of delight. The soft green and fragrant winds are eagerly waiting to make an aristocrat of my life, forgetting that I am a traveller on the path of light. It is wonderful to be unsystematic with intention, to be an irresponsible boy jumping in joy, playing with toys, and then resting in the lap of mother nature, where there are no dreams.

Editor’s note

This is an excerpt from Love Whispers by Swami Rama, Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the U.S.A., 1986.

Karma is the expression of the rule of perfect justice within us. It is the law of the cosmos reflected in the microcosm. There is nothing arbitrary or punitive about it. It is universal law and inevitable fact. No success can be attained without understanding the law of karma, and most of the human beings in this world follow the path of karma consciously or unconsciously. Those who know that the path of karma is like worship of the Lord perform their duties skillfully, selflessly, and lovingly.

Many people are confused about the definition of karma. When something adverse happens, they say, “It’s my karma.” Actually karma cannot be classified as good or bad. The word karma comes from the Sanskrit root kri, meaning “to do.” Any movement one makes is called action or karma. One had done, one has been doing, one is doing, one will do; all the actions done in the past, present, and future are called karmas. No one disputes the law of karma: “As you sow, so shall you reap.” No religion in the world disputes this; neither do atheists. The law of action and reaction is accepted universally. Cause and effect, the twin laws of life, are inseparable, just like the two sides of a coin. One cannot escape from this inevitable law. No matter what happens, one has to follow it. There is no one who was ever born on this earth, no living creature, who has not followed this law. Karma is the universal law that cannot be avoided by anyone.

These karmas of past, present, and future can be described by the symbol of a bowman. The arrows a bowman has already sent toward the target are called past karmas, those arrows he is holding in his hand to  send are called present karmas, and those in the quiver on his back are called future karmas. One cannot do anything with past karmas unless he is fully enlightened. With knowledge of the Divine, the enlightened ones create the fire of knowledge that burns all the bondages created by past karmas. That is possible, but unless one has that ability, he has to reap the consequences of his past karmas. We cannot escape from that, but the present and future are in our hands.

Those who become aware of the law of karma do not miss this opportunity. They try to discipline themselves and direct their actions to the Divine only. The present shapes the future. They lead life from moment to moment, making it a beautiful poem and a joyous song. They enjoy life and create a new magnificent future for themselves by understanding the present life, rather than pondering over their past actions and brooding upon the deeds they have already performed. The force of the past definitely affects the present, but why should one waste the present in brooding on the past? Those who understand that what has happened in the past has happened, and decide to discipline themselves in the present, make the present glorious and create a better future. The past is the past, and the greatest of all filters in life is called time. Casting your eyes toward past actions while living in the present is a misuse of time and energy. The past can never be recalled, though the memories of the past remain stored in the unconscious. We are still here and we can make our future. Everyone can make good use of the present and the future regardless of what happened in the past.

Editor’s note

This is an excerpt from Choosing a Path by Sri Swami Rama, published by The Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the U.S.A., 1998.

During the rainy season swamis do not travel, but stay in one place for four months. People then come and learn the scriptures from them. Although I was still being trained as a swami, I too would teach every day. Students often create problems for a teacher. For instance, the first thing they do is place him high above them so that there is limited communication. My students built a high platform on which I was asked to sit. I was inordinately proud that I had a large following. That happens when you are a neophyte and hanker after name and fame. The more one’s followers increase, the more egotistical one becomes.

I remained under the notion that one particular swami among my students was not very knowledgeable. During my lectures he used to sit quietly in a corner. This swami was actually an advanced adept, although I was not at all aware of it. He came because I used to pray to the Lord, “Lord, enlighten me. Help me, Lord.” I sincerely cried and prayed, so the Lord sent that man to me. And what did I do? I used to give my loincloth to him for washing, and I would order him to do things for me all day. He was with me for two months before deciding to teach me a lesson.

One morning we were both sitting on a rock on a bank of the Ganges. While brushing my teeth, I ordered, “Go and fetch me some water.” He had had enough of my swollen ego. He said, “Go on brushing.” I lost awareness of what was happening to me after that.

Two days later some people found me lying there. My face was horribly swollen. I had dropped the brush but was still rubbing my finger in my mouth continuously. I was doing it unconsciously. My master appeared and said, “Get up!” I opened my eyes but could not lift my face, it was so heavy. My gums were swollen and I could not move my jaw.

Then my master told me, “That swami is a great sage. God sent him to you. You do not know to be humble and behave properly with the men of God. Now I hope you have learned a lesson. Do not commit this mistake again.” Then he said, “Get up; look at the sky and start walking.”

I protested, “If I keep on looking at the sky and continue walking, I will stumble and fall down.” He said, “Bow your head and then you will be able to walk without stumbling. For going through this hazardous journey of life, you should learn to be humble. Ego and pride are two stumbling blocks on this journey. If you are not humble, you cannot learn. Your growth will be stunted.”

When one begins to tread the path of spirituality it is essential to be humble. Ego creates barriers, and the faculty of discrimination is lost. If discrimination is not sharpened, reason does not function properly and there is no clarity of mind. A clouded mind is not a good instrument on the path of enlightenment.

“There must be renunciation, there must be action: in reconciliation of the two, the crown of life resides.” It is not action that ought to be renounced, but the fruit of action. Be sure that the ego has been annihilated in the ocean of consciousness. Be sure that it is not lurking somewhere in the inner dark chamber of your heart. Its ways are various and its forms are numerous. Action greased with love gives a glimpse of eternity and perpetual joy.

Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from the book – Living with the Himalayan Masters, pp. 115-116, by Swami Rama, published in 1999 by the Himalayan Institute India.

History reminds us that a particular society, community, or nation retards its growth when, out of rigidity or omission, it does not acknowledge its weaknesses. Fearing humiliation or suffering from inferiority complexes, such a society justifies its weakness, by either hiding it or pretending it is a great quality. Such a society or community moves towards its own doom. A human being or a society purifies itself, not by hiding its defects and weaknesses, but by removing them. For human mistakes and weaknesses, religions have offered a system of penances, but according to the Upanishads, there is no better penance than the resolution not to repeat the same mistake.

A penance should not be reduced to mere repentance. Repentance is the first step towards the correction of one’s mistake. It helps one of acknowledge the mistake and to convince the mind that it is not good to commit such mistakes over and over again. The second step is to confess the weakness in front of those who are loving, considerate, and compassionate. By taking this second step, a human being attains freedom from his guilt, fears, and self-condemnation, and thereby restores his power of will. He attains freedom from his own mood of dejection and re-establishes his cheerfulness. The third step is to recall his power of determination, resolve to withdraw his mind from such mistakes, and commit himself to positive actions. Psychology calls it re-education, whereas in the language of spirituality, it is called self-transformation.

A person walking on the path of self-transformation should be aware of his egoism. Even after practicing the great virtues of truthfulness, non-violence, and so on, he can feed his ego. The ego related to the realms of spirituality is more subtle and injurious than the ego related to one’s worldly success. By practicing diligently, one may attain concentration of mind, one may speak the truth, and one may serve others, but one cannot realize the Truth unless one surrenders one’s ego to the higher Self. A human being may be very close to his goal, but, because of a wall of egoism between him and the goal, remains alien to his own inner kingdom. After rising above his egocentric awareness, he finds the universe within himself and vice versa. It is only then that he loves all and excludes none. One who does not love his fellow beings cannot love God at all.

A human being is miserable if he fails to unfold and use his inner potentials. He is weak, and therefore, cannot help and serve others regardless of his desire to do so. In order to unfold his inner potentials, he must purify his ego or surrender it to the higher Reality. After renouncing slavery to the ego, he emerges from the confines of his body, senses, and mind. Through uninterrupted practice of meditation and contemplation, he one day attains illumination through discrimination. Illumined with the light of discrimination, he enters the kingdom of his eternal heart. He finds his whole life driven by the power of discrimination and faith, and performs his action under their guidance. Unless these two principles, discrimination and faith, are fully unfolded, a human being cannot rise above the spheres of the lower mind and ego. He cannot distinguish his right actions spontaneously, and he cannot perform his actions whole heartedly. Without perfect faith in the higher reality, he cannot attain freedom from his own anxiety and insecurity. Without discrimination and faith, he may perform his actions, but lives in a state of doubt. Therefore, the most important step towards self-transformation is to shred one’s ego, surrender it to the higher reality, and thereby attain the light of discrimination and pure faith. Once this step is completed, there will not be any conflicts in his thoughts, speech, and actions.

Humanity is suffering from its ego-born differences and inequality. Today, people discriminate against their own brothers and sisters simply on the basis of race, religion, caste, or complexion. In order to be free from these problems, a political settlement alone is not enough. When all human beings understand that their suffering has been brought on by ego, they will resolve all their differences. They will throw away the confinements of race, caste, religion, and sectarian feelings. Instead of identifying themselves with a particular group or community, they will identify themselves as human beings. Then, they will love all as their own family members. They will find a joy in renouncing their rights for the welfare of others. People will respect the feelings and rights of others more than their own. They will quickly resolve their external and internal conflicts.

Floating in the eternal stream of life, a human being has gone through countless life states. In his perennial journey, he has assumed numerous forms and names. He came and went while passing through the gates of death and birth and has gained the experience of various species. No one knows how long it has taken to be born in the human state, wherein one receives the powers of will, determination, thought, and so on. The stream of life is filled with experiences of, and reactions to, all his births and deaths. Death and birth seem to be an unending cycle. After a human being is born, he goes into the lap of death, and from death, he goes to the lap of birth. This process continues until he attains knowledge and realizes his true identity with the supreme Truth. Through the power of discrimination, he distinguishes himself from the non-self and, thereby, disidentifies himself from pain and miseries. A human being should be grateful to the One who has given him the power of discrimination. The self-shining, supreme Truth is the center of Consciousness. Intellect receives its discriminatory ability from the very center of Consciousness. By making the best use of one’s discrimination, a human being attains a state of fearlessness.

A human being can purify his mind and heart only after he has organized his external life properly. A mind scattered in the external world does not have time to contemplate the purpose of life. A heart distracted by conflicting emotions cannot have room for selfless love, compassion, and service. A human being should learn to adjust himself to his family, society, and community in such a way that he can create a peaceful environment for himself and others. All the social, moral, and ethical laws are meant to establish and maintain peace and harmony in society. A human being should respect those laws and adjust his personal goals without disturbing the goals of others. A human being can attain his personal goal without getting in the way of the welfare of others, if he keeps love as his central focus. By loving all, a human being practices all the other great principles such as non-violence, truthfulness, non-possessiveness, contentment, and so on. Love and negativity cannot coexist. Love for all human beings purifies one’s heart. As a result, one’s consciousness expands. One redefines one’s conception of love, and instead of loving human beings alone, all of creation falls within the range of one’s love. The thread of love unites all the diversities into one non-dual, unitary consciousness. By loving all, one loves the universal soul, God. As supreme love unfolds, conflicts, differences, hatred, jealousy, and selfishness disappear once and for all. One who loves all, considering this universe to be a divine manifestation of the supreme Divine Force, attains knowledge of the non-dual, absolute Reality. He realizes the universe as his own elaboration.

Human beings can attain the summum bonum of life, if they have a sound foundation in their family institution and society. Human beings cannot avoid the impact of their family or the community environment in which they were born and raised. The environment is created by all members of family and society. It requires collective effort and general awareness to restructure family and social values and bring a qualitative change conducive to human growth.

Non-stealing and non-possessiveness are the two great virtues that help us maintain a peaceful environment in both family and society. Human beings should learn to respect others’ thoughts and feelings. They should be more sensitive to the rights of others than to their own. People should strive to maintain the rights of their children, brothers, sisters, wife or husband, friends, and neighbours. They should be able to analyze their own rights and never trespass against the rights of others. A healthy society does not need to be guarded by police. Law and order should be accepted and maintained willingly, lovingly, and with full understanding. A healthy society does not need commandments, since it knows the value of commitment for its own sake. The people of such an evolved society care for and help one another. They have the courage to make others happy at the cost of their personal pleasures. They are the ones who enjoy the path of selfless service. Everyone receives the benefits of others’ generosity, love, compassion, and wisdom. Members of that evolved society attain the goal of life without facing too many distractions and disturbances. They find freedom and enlightenment as their birth right. Just by being born and raised in such a society, they are free from fear and insecurity. Unless we have such an evolved society, and unless we have an enlightening family environment, there is no hope for collective happiness.
Personal happiness can be attained, but only after prolonged and strenuous effort.

Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from “A Call to Humanity” by Swami Rama, Chapter “Self-Realization,” pages 106 – 109 in the 1988 edition.

Although this book is out of print, for all other Swami Rama’s and Swami Veda Bharati’s published works, please email hyptbooks@gmail.com