Russian Media Interviews CUTuji

In the third week oj April, 2009, Guruji visited Russia. Here is an edited transcript oj Guruji's responses to a television interview.

n Russia and his Russian students

I

g come here once, having met lots of students who come to Pune to learn - I realised that there is a tremendous cultural background between

- and when I came here the first time when students asked me to teach a and Russia. d see that the behavioural pattern of the people in those days was almost cal to our orthodox people living in India in the early 20's and 30's. So I g
t

hat there is definitely a good connection in the emotional seat of the

a s are highly emotional and the westerners are highly intellectual. They a hey can solve the emotional problems through logic, with discussions
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3 200.

- e as (he emotional problems have to be solved by the emotional seat of • e i elligence which is known as the old brain. In my experience, I have found
o
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at the people of Russia have the heart of the east and the brain of the I do not know how these are coordinated

est. So it is a good combination. no

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and b ended. It is a good quality where the head and the heart meet. Probably, that you have lot of freedom to talk you can come out with your emotions mo e and more; I think this union between the east, west and the centre is a great value for the entire human race itself.
A5 I just said emotional

upheavals are identical to all human beings. This Yoga has become very, very popular so God

e orional intelligence is almost identical. There is no difference at all. There

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growth, there is development.

sent me to find out whether I can uplift them now that it has grown into a huge ealthy tree. On yoga lessons on television

"Yoga rs
emotional

subject \' hich stabilises the inrellig nee of e h individua

d

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Actually, to be honest 100% yoga can not be taught on the television. But, a class can be conducted by taking students on a platform. This can give the viewers some basic ideas as to how they can learn by seeing through the corrections oj: he teachers on the students. If you ask me, "please can you conduct the class?" I would definitely decline. I would say no.

Yoga is an emotional

art and subject. It deals more with emotions and 99% Yoga is a subject which stabilises

of people in the world live on emotions.

he emotional intelligence of each individual. I cannot present that emotional eellng on television. It is only intellectual gymnastic if I may say so. So therefore say I will be the last person to conduct a class on TV. I may give a demonstration out not conduct a class on lV.

Val

e confusion whether health and happiness is the only goal of yoga

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g help t sform th 111 me I -e (I" ._ cncc in te (1 igene become intui ti

II

Is just like an ocean. All the precious jewels are present in the ocean but
as the child what do you feel in the ocean the child will say it is salty. nd that the child does not know anything so the child will go and tell body en
In

he water is full of salt. But the entire jewels ot our progress are

the ocean. Similarly yoga is like an ocean. If you want to scratch just

he surface of the subject of yoga then it ends up only in that physical level . at's not the end and aim of yoga. ecious Jewels of the human being are hidden inside the skin. inside the and yoga is meant to penetrate to dive deep in the ocean of the body, to e jewel which cannot be seen but which can be felt. Yoga is meant to
IS

dark case which has covered the jewel what you call the individual

meant to start with concrete so that your outer body and your inner eo clean; so that the mind which acts as a dual part, one mind which as the outer mind always is closely in contact with the senses of

c epnon and the organs of actions. Hence the mind is drawn by these senses e passes outside to the world but when you are practicing yoga - does r s s :. lnd go inside or does your mind go outside? It automatically goes inside. goes inside the outer mind which is always in close contact with the skin

and r e senses of perception is drawn to move towards the inner caves known e inner mind, intelligence, consciousness, conscience and the divine seat e self. So later yoga, after cleansing the concrete contents of the body or

e concrete contents of man- the physical body, the joints which can act on
err own in maintaining good health, the mind is autornancallv drawn to enter

e inner caves through s 'r; ual practice.

intelligence,

consciousness. Then, the outer mind

d the Inner mind comes close in contact with the Self and that is known as

You are all mistaken. You use wrong words, "his is physical practice, his sadhana is spiritual, and the other is menta I exercise," This is all wrong terminology. All methods are all paths to open the gates of the soul. The soul is eternal. It is nothing but what we call the intuitive wisdom. Like animals have instinctive intelligence all humans have instinctive intelligence .. Yoga helps to transform the instinctive intelligence the mind. If the practitioners are only practicing with the frame of mind for health and to become intuitive intelligence. AH your actions start from the soul or the self and not from the agent of the selflike the body,

happiness - it is the defect of the frame of the mind and not the subject. The subject is pure, subject is dean, it is very dear. So break the frame of mind so the content automatically can spread more and make the outer body, the somatic body. to be one with the spiritual body. That is the essence of yoga- to connect the somatic and psychic body to be close with spiritual body. Some may achieve this soon, some may achieve it later. It all depends on the maturity of the individual inteHigence which guides you and leads you to where you have to go. Please do not mistake that It is only like a gym. That is a defective mind which says that I am doing it for my health.

"Health and happiness are only the by-products of yoga."

In a factory, there is a main product and there are some by-products. If the byproducts find a market immediately and they make a lot of money with that If the practitioner thinks then they forget the main product as the by-product gives them a lot of money the byproduct of yoga is only health and happiness. th at th at is yoga the n it is th e u nderdevel op me nt of th e practi tion er. Keep yo ur mind open. It gives me health, it gives me happiness, let me see what more it gives? So if you practice with that frame of mind I say what you expected as'the prasiida. I am a practical man ..I will give you two examples of Patafiiali who says that all

it will lead you beyond

ep e

ems- unhappiness, unhealthiness-arise

on account of the association

e e ents of nature with

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he soul. So just disassociate that and that's how

d renunciation came. The sanyasis say that they renounce but it is only
fcally, then the same Patafijaf a little later says that please understand

a d. If hey say honestly then they are not renunciate. Having, said this
e s conjunction of the elements of nature with the self is for the growth self and not for the destruction of the self. -jali also says tvatah dvondvobonobhiqiitaho. a
I . Tha

By practice and mastering

iisono he duality between nature and its soul disappears. So, there is no means the man who practices iisona and masters it, he, at that eeps the nature apart and the soul apart so it is a neutral state of d which comes through the iisano practice. From that neutral mind •""'........ ,..se
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ere is no connection to the past as it is neutral) the mind is fresh; as er aspects of yoga. And that's how yoga has been divided. There are

d's resh - from here it is the turning stone on how you have to proceed

ierarchies.
Co sciousness

"The 0 cen rated mind j [ike alking on a cliff. You ha e to ark c r fully - YOU m gai your life 0 lose your [ife.11
a
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that yoga means restraint of the consciousness but Patafiiali has

se en stages of consciousness which is an eye opener even to modern

ering mind is nothing but a bag which covers the content of the l-ness (de or the ambition whatever you may call it. The I-ness along With the ge ce and the mind, are in the consciousness. If the mind is active in the e intelligence and the 1- maker are compressed. If the Intelligence e mind and ego are compressed; if the ego is strong the mind and gence is compressed. So that is how these three contents are in this big

bag of consciousness. Yoga says bring all these three in equtdlstance in equal space. That is why practice the osana-s in order to understand the functions of the various elements, various organs of the body, various systems of the body, how they function so you unify them. That is known as the vyuthona wandering mind. Then comes the restraining mind or niroddha citta. As modern science says that in between each beat of the heart there is a pause, there is also a space, pause between the wandering mind and the restraining mind. In between these two there is a pause where no movement takes place and Patanjali says that you should study that carefully, observe that carefully. Through the practice of yoga, expand this tranquil state
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otto-

that the wandering mind

mind and the restraining mind are compressed and only the tranquil

is expanded. When the tranquil mind is expanded then there is no room for the mind to wander or to restraint. Then he says the mind is fit now for the practitioner to move towards the concentrated mind. He calls it the ekaqrota

citia. This concentrated mind is like walking on a cliff. You have to walk very
carefully otherwise you may lose your Ufe or gain your life. This state is a very crucial state for the practitioners careful. Patafijali says that of yoga. They have to be very watchful and is not watchful then it is like

if

the practitioner

walking carelessly on a cliff where you mayfall in the ocean. Here, you may have a downfall in your progress; your evolution may drop so ego comes in. These people get intoxicated though their intelligence because of the concentrated mind. Don't get intellectually intoxicated. If you get intellectually intoxicated, the ego comes in - asmita citia - pride comes in. I can concentrate well, my memory is strong, so you lose the path Do not pay attention. Continue on the path so that we develop that humbleness which he calls divyo citia. In the second chapter, Patafijall says there are seven states of awareness in
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the consciousness. These seven states are like seven states of hierarchies in the consciousness going from the grosser to the finest. Therefore takes a long time to understand the various functions of the consciousness from the wandering state to the divine state known as the divine state of consciousness. Till then people say, "I do this. I do that to maintain health to keep myself fit", As one proceeds then all these things disappear.

I eresnng to know that while explaining pronoyomo

we all speak of

- b ea h, out- brea h and restraining breath but Pata0Jah has used words care ery difficult for a common man to understand. He says inhalation of the brea h in mind. He calls It purako or Inhalation. It is means movements taking place inside Iso a movemen

h on ora of he mind. Abhyantaro

• e mind behaves, how it moves inside when you inhale Bahyantara is • e mind moves ou side as you exhale and in between he speaks abou on (after Inhalation wai
I

after exhalation wait). He uses the word very oughtless It is holding to remain thoughtless is known

'ngly. Not as a reten 'on of brea h. He calls it stambbo vrtti ( _ a • at momen ). Thoughtfully

am ha vrtti. So tha stombho vttti means non movement of thoughts

g but he tranqurl state in the philosophical language known as shonto

Iberefore, iisono and pronayamo are the stepping stone. I call it as he

o ledge in the Ield of yoga
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reach the divine state known as hich

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of ove. The path of love is rhat vhich has no Ius. One s is bhokti margo. love without ese

free

lust is bhokti or divine state of yoga.

. Ius can be called kama yoga Words also come like tha and people ords Realization is subject to emotions. You have to go on You els of the ocean. You have
0 swim

e deep to find he je

In yoga and

p n. Only then you are a libera ed person. a as a religion

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ot a religion but a science of religions. Pa aiijall Itg on

ns.
has used the

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ord
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aha, hat means yoga is here from time of the universe. So, yoga se in each re igron one wants
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hich has been given WIthout divisions. The dlvislons came show hat they are superior to

is a religion or not? Right practice is religion. Wrong practice a is dharma? It is the righ ... tal harmoruous,
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path. Keep yourself physically

ellectuallv benevolent and entirely in peace,

contentment

with yourself. That is religion. So yoga is a science which makes

each individual rise from the base of the physical body to reach the seventh state, the divine state, which is nothing but the purity of the self. So experiencing the purity of the self, can I keep that purity and enlightenment body. That is what religion is. Yoga is the base of all religion. Because it has come from India why do you call it a Hindu religion? Einstein has given us so many things why don't you call it western science? Eastern science? So the ideas are given for the growth of the individual to experience enlightenment, to experience the truth. Whether it is from the east or the west what does it matter? in the complete

nyoga 1S the base of all religions."

God has give n yo u a body. Thati 5 yo ur wea It h. Th at is you rem pi reoIf you negl ect your body what happens to you? Pains come, diseases come, and unhappiness come's. You become a religious person. You want to improve yourself. You want to do something good. The pains in you make you to become a religious person. If the body is healthy, somatically it can function without creating any problems to the mind. So psychically the mind can think of the higher aspects. Th at mea ns from the concrete it ta kes you towa rd s the abstract to the vastn ess. From the finite which is the body it takes you to experience the infinite which is within you. Therefore culturing of the body, culturing of the mind, culturing of the consciousness, culturing of the intelligence - all this belongs to the religious practice followed by the religious people ..You cannot brand yoga as a religion. It is a religious science but not a religion, It is a science of religion but not a religion,
Yoga Rahasya thanks Yoga Journal, Russia for providing

a video of this interview/or

transcription.