Let me enter into the verses.  Today, I will be expanding on Upanishad, Ishavasya Upanishad, fourth verse.  Please recite along with me.

अनेजदेकं मनसो जवीयो नैनधेवा आप्नुवन्पुर्वमर्षत् |

तद्धावतोऽन्यानत्येत तिष्ठत् तस्मिन्नपो मातरिश्वा दधाति ||

Anejadhekam Manaso Javeeyo Nainadhdheva Aapnuvanpurvamarshath |

ThadhDhaavathonyanathyetha Thishttath Thasminnapo Maatharishva dhadhDhaathi ||

Listen!  The Upanishad, the ultimate book, “Book of the Books”, declares the definition, the qualities of the Cosmos.  Please understand, the most important instruction human-beings need to be given is about the goal, path, purpose of their life, and setting the context, setting the context for their life.  I tell you, in this fourth verse, Upanishads are trying to set the context for life.

Whatever you think constantly, you will become that.  Please understand, whatever you think constantly, you will become that.  So, Upanishads are setting the context – what you are expected to think, the direction in which your mind needs to move.  Please understand, mind, by its very nature, goes through the senses, means, to the outer perception, because, that is the least resistant path.  Cognizing the external information is easy for the mind.  So, naturally, it moves in that direction.  If mind is forcibly turned towards the Source by the Hard Power…..  Please understand, “Hard Power” means, by the rules, regulations, it becomes suppression and depression.  That is why, mind hates rules.  But, if the mind can be made to understand with the right context to turn towards the Source, that is what I call “Soft Power”, understand?  Soft Power is not that soft really, you need to know!  Soft Power is not that soft!

Just the other day, one of my disciples was telling.  She is from Croatia.  She said, in their country, in churches, they ban drugs, alcohol, and…..YOGA!!!  It seems, they tell in their churches, ‘We don’t allow drugs, we don’t allow alcohol, we don’t allow Yoga.’  See how they connect Yoga with drugs!!  Because, Yoga is Soft Power!  All the religions based on Hard Power are afraid of Yoga!  I used to wonder, ‘Why should you be afraid of Yoga?’  Because, if you see me, whenever I see something great, unique, in any religion, I immediately try to follow it, try to take it.  Some of the great books that inspired me – “Imitation of Christ” by a very saintly being, Thomas Kempis, and same way, some of the books of St. Francis of Assisi – still I have them and I read them!  Egyptian Catholic Church’s publications.  Actually, when they went and settled in Egypt, they assimilated a lot of the mystical sciences of Egypt into Catholicism.  So, there is so much to learn from them.  So, whenever I see, I only try to learn and raise myself.  God, I thank you, you put me in a religion where it teaches me to learn from all the sources, never to deny!  I thank you just for that!  Only when I listen from my disciples here and there how Yoga is banned, this is banned, that is banned, I understand, Oh God, what a freedom we have!  What an amazing freedom we have!

If you see my first book, “Guaranteed Solutions” – which is our first programme, Nithya Dhyan Yoga – I have taken meditation techniques from various religions.  I have taken meditation from Christian traditions, Islamic traditions, Buddhist traditions, the Hindu Advaithic tradition, and Shaiva Aagamaas.  I was wondering, ‘Why are they banning Yoga?  Why are they afraid of Yoga?’  Now I understand!  It is Soft Power, and Soft Power is not that soft!

See, the authority your dad has over you is Hard Power.  The authority your uncle has over you is Soft Power.  Because, these uncles always give you candies!  See, they don’t have responsibility about you.  They just fulfil some of the wishes you have.  That is why all the time you run behind uncle, not behind father, and you fulfil whatever the uncle says.  Because, it is Soft Power, please understand.  And, Soft Power is not that soft!

Setting the right context and turning the mind towards the Source through Soft Power is what Upanishads are trying to achieve in this verse.  Through Hard Power it is not possible.  Please understand, just because you have huge buildings and religious infrastructure, don’t expect people will follow you.  No!  I know how many Hindu ashrams, monasteries, vast structures, lying empty!  And I also feel, other than a few exemptions, all big structures remain unused.  All huge structures remain unused.  That is the reason, here I have not put up any big structures.  I want first the people who will use it; then let us put the structures.  People who will use it; then we can put the structure.  Without people to use, putting the structure is stupid!

I tell you, Truth has authority, but authority does not mean Truth.  Through Hard Power, trying to push the mind towards the Source from the senses is only going to lead to suppression and depression.  But, the good news is: Soft Power is enough to push your mind to the Source and realize its divinity.

Please understand, the tiredness and boredom cannot be entertained when you are trying to go towards the Source.  See, your mind was always pushed towards the Source by the Hard Power; means, whenever you see failure, rules, regulations, laws outside, your mind, out of powerlessness, turns towards the Source.  That is why, turning inside, you hate it.  You hate turning inside.

One of my sannyasinis, she has this big fear of injections.  When she fell sick, she went to hospital.  The moment they picked up some injection, she started crying!  When I heard this, I started laughing – ‘What is this?’  But, finally, when I spoke to her, she said, the young age experience, as a child her experience with the injection.  See, as a child, parents will actually threaten the kids, ‘If you don’t listen, I will take you to the doctor and he will put you injection!’  Injection itself is so small and designed to cause very less pain for you, but it will appear in your mind like a crowbar!  Because, constantly repeated!

Understand, whenever, out of powerlessness you turn inside, the turning inside becomes such impossible job.  See, for her, the first experiences about injection was so difficult, or made to believe so difficult, or she started believing it as so difficult.  So, even now, it remains.  ‘Injection means, doctor is going to take a crowbar and hit at you!’

Many times in your life, when you were young, only when you were powerless you turned inside.  When you didn’t get the mark which you expected in the examination, you sit with you.  When your friend says “No” to you, you sit with you.  When you don’t get what you want, you sit with you.  When you propose your love, he or she if they reject, only then you sit with you.  If they accept, the next scene is duet!  See the mind, it is always….the moment acceptance happens, it is only extrovert, going externally.  Only when it is a failure, the hero will be sitting like this (in a pensive mood).  Going inside to the Source, intranalyzing, was always described as some act done only when you are powerless.  Please understand, that is why, even when the Soft Power tries to turn you inside by setting the right context, the first thing that will come up is boredom, tiredness.  ‘Why am I doing what I am doing?  Am I wasting my time?’  As if he is going to go and change the whole Universe and everyone is going to listen!

First thing you need to know, when you turn inside the Source to achieve meditation or Completion through this Upanishad verse using Soft Power, means, setting the right context and turning towards your Source…..  Please understand, your mind can be turned towards Consciousness through two ways: Hard Power and Soft Power.  “Hard Power” means, with the rules, laws, regulations, you can be pushed; but that will always be suppression and depression.  You will hate it.  One of the biggest successes of Sanatana Hindu Dharma is, it is VOLUNTARY!  Nothing is forced!  VOLUNTARY!  Come….come!  Don’t come….don’t come!  Come….come!  Don’t come….don’t come!  It is voluntary, understand?  That retains its beauty.  This voluntariness retains its beauty and its glory.  Without using the Hard Power of rules, regulations, just using the Soft Power, turning your mind towards the Source, Completion, Consciousness, is the job of this verse.