Day 61
The first step is to see Lord as different from you - Lord and me. Two are needed for surrender - when you feel that there is Lord of all virtues and that you are nobody. In this nobody-ness, the union takes place.
The realisation dawns that all is the Lord and then that all is me, me, I, I , that the universe is Lord's, your body is His, your mind with all its conflicts and your mind with all its beauty is also His.
This offering itself is a technique which brings you back home. Ishwara pranidhaana brings you samadhi, or ecstasy in that meditation. Offering candles, incense or flowers is not great.
You should offer every part of your body, offer every moment of life, offer every breath, offer every thought - good, bad, pleasant, unpleasant, anything. Offer all those vasanas or those things which you consider are your negative points.
Offer all your negativity and offer all your positivity. By offering all the negativity, you become free. Offering all the positive virtues you think you posses, you become free. You will not become arrogant. Your virtues make you arrogant.
They make you behave as if you are special. And your drawbacks pull you down and make you feel bad about yourself and unconnected to the Divine, there is nothing that can make you feel connected.
It is up to you to feel close to the Divine. It is up to you to feel close to anybody for that matter. Even if they do not feel close to you, you should start feeling close. It does not matter if they do not feel that you are close to them.
And how do you know this? You cannot know just by their behavior. It is not the right way to judge. This is because nothing else can convince you that you are close and dear to Divine other than your own mind and your own self.
You should stop comparing. This applies to the Master, too. You may feel that somebody is close to the Master because he smiles and talks more often to them. That, he does not smile at or talk to you. This is your illusion.
It does not matter if the Master does not talk to you. You should start feeling you are the only one and that you are the closest to him. Then you will see that what you want will start happening, that it will start blossoming.
Whatever seed you sow, that will grow. If you sow the seed that you are hopeless and no good, then that no good seed will grow. Often, weeds and other useless things grow without any cultivation. You do not need to cultivate weeds.
That's why they are called weeds. They just grow and thrive on their own. But a useful plant needs some attention. In your field many weeds are coming up every day - useless, unwanted and unnecessary doubts and thoughts. You don't need to sow them.
They just come up by themselves. By swaadhyaaya, you can weed them out and maintain only that, which is essential in life.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji
PATANJALI YOGA SUTRAS
