Yoga

If you want to seek that which is eternal, that which is all pervading and that which is all inclusive, then the normal energy that you have is not sufficient. If you want to seek God, the energy that you have - just to walk around, do something, and earn some money - this energy is not sufficient. You need a lot more. Even if you are giving yourself 100 per cent, that kind of energy is not simply sufficient. That is the whole purpose why all the sadhanas are done - to raise one’s energies, because, when you are seeking the unlimited, how much ever the energy that you will have, it seems to be insufficient.

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One fundamental requirement for anybody who wishes to grow on the spiritual path is to create an undeviated flow of energy towards one and only one goal in life - to attain to the highest and not settling for anything less than that. If there is a person who is capable of channelising himself without any break, he is a blessed one. But rarely do people come like that. Most people lead their lives only in jerks - few moments of running, then stopping or may be going backwards, then running and running backwards. This is how life goes waste for most people. There are a rare few who once they get started, there is no stopping, and they just go on.

So for those others who are start and stop people, they need somebody to keep them moving all the time. And that somebody’s job is to use the carrot and stick with some equanimity, as the need arises. Sometimes carrots don’t work, then the stick. Sometimes sticks don’t work, and then the carrot, it is like that. 

Ramakrishna has described the role of a guru in a very nice way. He describes three types of gurus who are like three different classes of doctors. There is one type of medical man who, when called upon, looks at the patient, feels his pulse, then prescribes the necessary medicine and asks him to take them. If the patient declines they just go away without troubling themselves further about the matter. This is the lowest class of doctors. In the same way there are some religious teachers who don’t care much whether their teachings are valued, acted upon or not. 

Doctors of the second type not only ask the patients to take their medicine but they go further. They leave no stone unturned to make other people walk the ways of righteousness and truth by means of gentle persuasion and can be said to belong to the next higher class. The third and the highest kind of doctors would proceed to use force with the patient, in case he shows any reluctance to take the medicine. Such an advisor would go to the extent of putting his knee on the chest of the patient and forcing the medicine down his throat. Similarly, there are some gurus who would use force if necessary on their disciples, with a view to making them walk on the path to the ultimate. These belong to the highest class. 

Now in every aspect of life these three kinds of people exist. Why Ramakrishna considers the last one as the highest is because he takes the risk of becoming unpopular. He takes the risk of being labelled cruel and takes the risk of being considered as not at all spiritual. Now why this kind of teachers exists or why this is needed is, because by your own nature you are like a frog. Whichever way he sees a mosquito, he goes in that direction. This way, you can’t reach anywhere. At the most you will fill your belly, that is all. If filling the belly is the only purpose of life, then that is OK. 

Once you are on the spiritual path, once you have seen what is the goal of your life, this sniffing around should stop because there are so many things that smell good on the way. Wherever something smells good if you turn, you are not going to get anywhere. Even a man who wants to make money, a man who pursues his pleasure, even he goes with 100 per cent involvement towards what he wants. 

If that is so, when you are seeking the highest, you know how you should be? Whatever I say will fall short of how you should be. It is not that if you can’t do anything else in your life, you can be spiritual, that is not so. If you can take up anything and do in this world then there is a possibility that you may be fit for spirituality. Not otherwise.

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
Isha Yoga Centre
New No.55, Moosa Street
T Nagar
Chennai - 600 017
Ph: 91-44- 24333185, 24348732

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Published on May 30^th, 2006