Raja Yoga: The Path of Meditation (Part 6) | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Raja Yoga: The Path of Meditation (Part 6) | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Raja Yoga: The Path of Meditation (Part 6) | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Raja Yoga: The Path of Meditation (Part 6) | Swami Sarvapriyananda

whom Sol solitude is the highest state, in fact, the definition of moksha in the Yoga Sutras kaivalya aloneness that is moksha that's liberation nothing to be scared of aloneness with the capital a I think who said it probably gluttonous I think what is spirituality is the journey of the alone to the alone with small a capital e the alone journey of the alone to the alone solitude not loneliness our the journey is lonely spiritual person enjoys solitude I asked a sadhu who lived in the high Himalayas very happy Punjabi sadhu at all powerfully built long hair white dress up to his ankles and these little kids would come and play in the ashram and he would have this uproarious laughter and very nice now one day

Raja Yoga: The Path of Meditation (Part 6) | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Raja Yoga: The Path of Meditation (Part 6) | Swami Sarvapriyananda

I asked him how it's summertime and all these people are visiting and it's beautiful and there are snows in the higher peaks but that place there was no snow it was a very nice place to stay but what happens in winter when everybody goes away and you are alone for six months nobody is there and there is no remember this know if it's -15 outside is also - your bed is also -15 there's no internal heating and extension there is no difference between inside and outside unless you have a stove going or something 

Raja Yoga: The Path of Meditation (Part 6) | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Raja Yoga: The Path of Meditation (Part 6) | Swami Sarvapriyananda
so it's tough and it's absolutely you're helpless set to yourself there's nobody around and that's when the wolves and the Bears start crawling because of the higher mountains there is no prey for them so they come down lower looking for things to eat 

so how do you stay at that time when you are absolutely alone and his the answer was very beautiful I still remember he chuckled and he said Swami when now 
I am happy at that the time I am happier happiest he said in Hindi Mataji i'ma Jamie who a table or Bhima Jamie who come or Bhima Jumeirah Tahu but Jamie means in and real happiness I'm happy now and at that time I'm even happier that's the sign of a truly mature mind are you comfortable with your solitude then the next one Sonia show kanji says is the sixth point is asceticism that is some austere living in Sanskrit it is called Tapasya Tapasya means in matters of sleep comfort enjoyment food company entertainment don't be severe on yourself that's not sustainable the good rule which I have found is whatever you are comfortable within all these matters makes it a little less tighten it a little bit 

Raja Yoga: The Path of Meditation (Part 6) | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Raja Yoga: The Path of Meditation (Part 6) | Swami Sarvapriyananda
so there'll be some resistance from the body, there'll be some resistance from the mind and that's well don't immediately if you are used to getting up at 7 o'clock and then don't immediately say I'll get up at 3:40 because the Swami said 

so but that will last only for two days and then the next day it'll be 9 o'clock in the know but little better little more a little earlier than you are used to in at items of food wherever the mind relaxes and tries to let go loosen they tighten it up a little bit of fasting is good not too much a little bit of fasting and doesn't fast to the extent that you know the purpose of all this asceticism is to make the mind concentrated powerful 

so that you can think of God your mind and body comes under control but if you deprive it too much and too fast then the mind will keep thinking about what you have deprived it off one monk in Gangotri still, remember he told me he remembers when they talked about a city system and the posture that's pretty austere because they're already leaning a pretty austere life by our standard one monk said every day well I mean he used to live in a cave now he has an ashram but he's live in a cave when he was young he was also Punjabi he said 
I would go every day to get there was a place where they would give monks milk 

so I would go for a glass of milk but you have to go over Hill and Dale to get it maybe 45 minutes a walk on the mountains he said I am wasting 45 minutes for a glass of milk why not give it up and just use that 45 minutes or 1 hour 45 minutes going whatever means coming back used at one and a half hours for meditation and decided I will do that and he did it I mean in his humorous he says the anchoring it dude peanuts short they will give up that quite 

I don't need the glass of milk like I'll meditate then he said 

so, monks, we are sitting around I did exactly that I did that I meditated on milk is there the next day I sat down to milk to meditate

 I am meditating and whatever thinking good I have given up see how great I've got one and a half hours to meditate then perhaps it's not necessary to give up for all seven days of the week maybe one day I can go and one six days I can meditate then he said it's much better to go and may have the glass of milk and come back and meditate then think about that 

so far asceticism also that remember common sense so Shivaratri 

I remember fasting 

I never fasted earlier the first time I fasted it was when I became a monk on Shivaratri and 

so you had to get some fruits in the afternoon but otherwise no more no food in no breakfast no lunch no dinner whole night puja next in the morning you get food in but in the afternoon you get some fruits 

so I never ate so many fruits not because I was hungry in anticipation