Q: “Guruji, in the fight between viveka (discrimination) and mana (heart), does mana always win?”
Guruji: “You can say in the conflict of heart and mind, the heart always wins. Viveka is but a part of the mind.”
Q: “Isn’t mana (heart) a servant of the senses?”
Guruji: “No, it’s the commander.”
Q: “Then why do people say that it got entangled in senses?”
Guruji: “Those people now look like idiots to me. You are a computer specialist. Tell me this: There are so many buttons on a computer. Are they all useless? When god made senses, why did he make them? Truth is that people are not able to command the machinery of the body, or master it, that’s why they keep complaining. They are scared about what will happen if the wrong button gets pushed. That’s why should learn control of the entire body, how to use it. These are useless talks about senses and mana, etc. Ultimately it’s the mind which is working. When you wiggle your toes, does it wiggle by itself or is it by a command from your brain?
“Let me tell you an incident: A sadhu came to visit here. As soon as he entered, he saw dīdī [Guruji’s sister – Mataji] and covered his eyes. We later found out that doesn’t look at women. Everywhere he goes, women are first removed from his path, then only he proceeds further. I told him never to come back. Instead of removing women from your sight, why don’t you just gouge your eyes out.
“In this fervor to not ever look at any woman, he must have developed a negative attachment towards them. He must be careful all the time that he doesn’t accidently look at any woman. He will never be normal again. And it’s not like his father gave birth to him! And let’s say even if he did not see the face of a woman his entire life, what did he really accomplish with that? He wouldn’t even realize what he lost. It’s the height of stupidity. Now he’ll claim ‘I have controlled my senses since I haven’t seen any woman.’ So what? There are many blind people who don’t see them.
“I feel that all the later religions, which formed world over after the so-called dark period, they all somehow went into negation. Judeo-Christians say you are born in sin, so everybody is filled with guilt all the time. Or some say you should have non-attachment. If you are not attached to anything, then what’s the point of doing anything? The old vedic way of life was very natural. We should be totally down to earth.
“I have also seen some idiots – I was going to use a heavier curse word but there are people sitting here – some idiots who even quarreled with their mothers saying ‘You are
māyā (illusion). You’ve destroyed me by giving birth to me!’ This is all stupidity and nothing else. If there were no senses, man would go insane.
“It’s just a part of business. First create confusion among people, and then preach them their entire lives. If you don’t create confusion, nobody will ask how to get out of it. Eventually you’ll be in an important position, since you can teach people how to get out of confusion, and so on. Then will come saints and bishops and mahaṁtas (abbots). And the common man, who was leading a simple life, these people twist and bend and shred his life into a thousand pieces and drain it down the toilet. Generally people are happy before meeting sadhus and
sanyāsīs (renunciates).
“That’s why Lahiri Mahasaya used to advise people to stay away from sadhus. Also, as I’ve discussed this many times, sanyāsīs remain expelled from śmaśāna (cremation grounds). Śmaśāna is Shiva and Shakti’s place, and only a worldly man has entry. Sanyāsīs are either drowned in rivers or buried in earth. And those who are not allowed in śmaśāna, what’s the guarantee that they’ll achieve emancipation or not? Actually it’s a fact that they don’t. If Shiva-ji has refused them entry in His house, how can they be free? The become ghosts and wander around. I’ve seen hundreds of ghosts of sadhus in Rishikesh and Vrindavan. Those sadhus who are buried usually become ghosts.
“Always remember Ghalib’s words:
जन्नत का राज़ कुछ और है ग़ालिब, खुदा की बात कुछ अफवाह सी नज़र आती है |
(‘The secret of heaven is something else. The god concept now feels like made up.’)”
[20100711-2]