Questions and Answers with Guruji
Questions on the guru and karma, time and subtle worlds, the Ganga, opportunity, love and life in society.
Guru, Karma and Teachers
Do the rules of yama also protect us from society?
They protect you from everything, not only from society. They protect you from yourself as well.
When a guru gives diksha, does the guru take on part of the disciple's karma? Many books say so.
No. I find that idea foolish. An explanation can always be found for everything. If a guru falls sick, people say he is bearing his disciple's karma. It is a religious belief, not yoga.
My school and university teachers charged fees. Did they give me part of their karma?
No. It was their job and they were paid to teach you. They did not give you their karma.
Should all four kinds of relationship with the guru be equally developed in a disciple?
No. It depends on the situation. Do not make them all equal.
Time, Space and Energy
Grant Morrison writes that beings outside time say time is needed for growth. How should we understand time?
We live inside many layers of time. First there is biological time, tied to the body. Then there is solar time, the Earth's year around the sun. Then there is the sun's own movement, and galactic time, measured in millions and billions of years. "Out of time" can only mean out of biological time, which is very limited. Time is everywhere. Only your perception of it changes. Someone truly outside time would stand frozen.
What does it mean to be out of space?
Everyone has personal space, and stepping out of another person's space is one meaning. Truly out of space means beyond the solar system, in the void between the worlds. Very few people have experienced that. Some advanced yogis experience Akash. Akash is not mere emptiness. It spreads through the ocean, the sky and the ground.
Can one hour in space equal a year on Earth, as in the film Interstellar?
Yes, it is in our books too. Astronauts who leave Earth still carry Earth's atmosphere and body, so they stay subject to Earth's time. In our books, the higher you go the longer the day. Brahma's one day is about 4.3 billion years, and the levels above him run on much longer scales still.
Does a bed or a house carry the energy of the people who lived there?
Yes. When you sleep in someone's bed you take in their energy and their negativity. Clothes and even wood absorb energy. It takes a long time to clean.
Human Birth, Subtle Worlds and the Ganga
Some pandits say human birth is a miracle, and that even the gods must take birth as humans. Is that true?
No, that is just an imagined idea. Nobody wants to come to Earth. Even many babas and so-called spiritual people are trying to leave it and attain nirvana.
Is the physical world the only prison? Does Kriya Yoga give a way through all the levels?
Even the physical world has many dimensions and layers that we are not aware of. Other teachers spoke of God or religion. Kriya teaches you to make the subconscious conscious. The physical world is only the tip of the iceberg. Your body is a data bank, and the real battle is in the space beyond it.
At the Ganga I felt she taught me not to fear letting go, because her essence stays the same however people treat her. What is the teaching of the Ganga?
She is like a flower of wisdom, coming from the vegetative world and other worlds. Society tries to pollute that wisdom, but it keeps flowing to whoever can receive it. Listen to the song by Bhupen Hazarika, the great poet of Assam. It asks the Ganga why she flows on without any reaction, hearing the cries of thousands and seeing humanity suffer. Listen to its words. The wisdom is still available to those who can listen.
Opportunity, Love, Society and Ancient Wisdom
Why do young men chase women more than older men do?
It is a very hormonal matter.
Can yoga help us see more opportunities?
Yoga develops your mind and consciousness, so it may help you see more opportunities. It also depends on the path you take.
Can we create opportunities collectively?
Collectively, every opportunity is being created. Society provides countless opportunities for each person.
Is friction and clash a good thing for growth?
Yes. Growth happens only with friction.
Is yoga a way to create more business in life, or a tool to step out of life's busyness?
Your observation becomes extremely deep. You begin to see the positive where a normal person cannot. Then everything comes.
How do you define real service?
Service done from the heart, with self-respect for yourself and respect for the other person. Never, ever compromise with yourself.
How can kindness be real? People say they practise kindness and compassion.
Kindness that is directed only at some people is not kindness at all. You cannot cultivate it. It becomes hypocrisy.
How can we call it love when we get angry with someone we love?
Love is a very rare commodity. Husband and wife develop the habit of living with each other. The habit becomes an addiction, and you begin to love the addiction. Real love takes 30 to 40 years to grow. It is not easy.
What is the dark side we all carry? In the West they call it the shadow.
It is part of your personality. There are many social things we keep under control, and from time to time it comes out. It is not the lizard brain.
Then should we simply be ourselves?
No. You must consider other people when you live in society. Ultimately it is also a power game.
Is there any way of living other than wearing a mask in society?
Persona means a mask. Personality is carrying a mask. If you are strong enough, you can leave society.
Do you consider yourself part of society?
I am part of society, but only to the degree that I want to be.
Can a person sustain a non-hormonal, spiritual love?
It is possible, though rare. If you truly love someone, you are that person's well-wisher.
Which chillies are Ayurvedic? Are nightshades, garlic and onion bad?
All of them are Ayurvedic. Everything is useful. Ayurveda is full of garlic and onion.
Is there any link between the Maya civilisation and India?
Maya Danava was the greatest architect of the asuras. He was asked to leave and went to South America, and the Maya civilisation followed.
The Maya linked Venus (Shukra) to war, but Shukra normally means pleasure and art. Why?
Shukra is also a strong force. Only Shukra knows how to bring the dead back to life. He received that from Shiva after a very long worship. He is also the guru of the asuras.
Is there an ancient text from Shukra?
Shukracharya himself wrote the Shukraniti, thousands of years ago. It describes democracy, relationships and equal rights for all religions.
Does practising yoga change our surroundings?
Yes. Practise yoga and the surroundings will change. Nature begins to support you.
What is Manu's role if the Saptarishis are the main ones?
The Saptarishis are like the directors of a big company. Manu is like the CEO who carries out their orders.