From the Archives of Swami Jyotirmayananda
In our modern lives, we are perpetually exhausted by the search for peace. We often treat happiness as a distant destination—a place we must travel to, or a goal we must achieve in the future. We become obsessed with the “movie” of our lives: the drama, the plot twists, the tragedies, and the comedies.
But the ancient wisdom of the Yoga Vasistha invites us to pause and look closer. What if the movement you are witnessing is merely an illusion? What if the peace you seek is not in the movie itself, but in the immutable screen that supports it?
In this profound discourse on the Sthiti Prakarana, Sri Swami Jyotirmayananda guides us from the state of perceived bondage to the realization of absolute liberation (Moksha), revealing that the “Internal Temple” has been with us all along.
We live in a world of constant flux. We age, relationships change, and fortunes rise and fall. However, Swamiji illuminates a radical non-dual truth: from the point of view of the Self, nothing ever truly happens.
Consider the metaphor of the cinema. On the screen, you may witness a raging fire or a torrential flood. You may weep at a tragedy or laugh at a comedy. But is the screen ever burned by the fire? Is it ever wet from the flood? No. The screen remains pristine, white, and utterly untouched.
You are that Screen (Brahman). The world is merely the movie projected upon you by the mind. Bondage is simply the error of identifying with the movie characters and their drama, instead of the unchanging screen that sustains them.
Kundalini and the Elemental Trap
Why do we get so easily trapped in the movie of life? Swamiji explains that our spiritual bondage is often rooted in how our vital energy (Prana) interacts with the five elements through the Chakras. When the Kundalini energy is “locked” in the lower centers, the elements manifest as distinct psychological hurdles:
- Earth Element (Muladhara): Manifests as inertia. We feel stuck, heavy, and pulled down by mundane values and attachments.
- Water Element (Svadhisthana): Manifests as Moha (delusion) and sentimental attachment. Like mist, it blurs our spiritual vision and understanding.
- Fire Element (Manipura): Manifests as an explosive temper, anger, and unchecked ambition.
- Air Element (Anahata): Manifests as “gusty winds” of uncontrollable emotion and scattered sentiments, leading to restlessness.
- Space Element (Vishuddhi): Manifests as being “spaced out” or disconnected from reality, a feeling of emptiness or aimlessness.
However, when spiritual knowledge awakens, these very same elements undergo a profound transformation. Earth becomes our solid ground in Sadhana (spiritual practice). Fire becomes the spiritual will (Kriya Shakti) that propels us forward. Air becomes the gentle, life-giving breath of compassion and universal love.
The Architecture of Karma: Vasanas vs. Samskaras
What keeps the projector of this cosmic movie running? It is the intricate mechanism of Vasanas (subtle desires). Every experience we have, every thought we entertain, leaves a sediment in our subconscious mind.
- Samskaras: These are the deep, dormant impressions stored in the unconscious mind, like grooves on a record.
- Vasanas: These are the subtle desires or tendencies that spontaneously rise from those impressions, constantly demanding the repetition of pleasure or the avoidance of pain.
Swamiji warns that suppressed desires do not disappear; instead, they weaken our willpower and fester. The true path to liberation isn’t about forcefully suppressing these desires, but about dissolving them through the profound insight that they are merely mirages. A mirage of water in the desert can never quench your thirst, no matter how fast or desperately you run toward it.
Deho Devalaya: The Body as Temple
We often exhaust our resources traveling to revered holy cities—Benares, Rameshvaram, or the majestic Himalayas—seeking a sacred vision (Darshan) of God. While these pilgrimages undoubtedly hold value, they are ultimately secondary to an even deeper truth.
The scriptures declare: “Deho devālayo prokto”—“This body itself is the temple.”
The pure consciousness that is witnessing your thoughts, feelings, and experiences right now is the very Deity installed in the sanctum sanctorum of your heart. To externalize your mind in a frantic search for peace is akin to leaving a treasure chest overflowing with jewels in your own home, only to go begging on the streets.
Conclusion: Be the Elephant
Swami Jyotirmayananda concludes this discourse with a powerful and inspiring image of spiritual strength. A mighty elephant, with its immense power and dignity, cannot be drowned in a small mud puddle. When you truly realize your magnitude as the infinite Brahman, the “world process”—which once seemed like a terrifying ocean of sorrow and struggle—shrinks into a tiny, insignificant puddle.
You can then step over it with the grace, dignity, and unwavering strength of the awakened Self, forever free from its grasp.
Scholar’s Corner
- Yoga Vasistha, Sthiti Prakarana: The specific section of the text focusing on the “Stay” or maintenance of the world illusion.
- Verse 36: The jumping-off point for this discourse, regarding the nature of the ocean and the waves.
- Purnamadah Purnamidam: The Peace Mantra from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, chanted at the beginning of the lecture, signifying the fullness of the Infinite.
- Maitreyi Upanishad: Source of the teaching Deho devālayo prokto (The body is the temple).
Glossary of Terms
- Avidya: Ignorance; the primal misunderstanding of one’s true nature.
- Ahankara: The ego-sense; the false identification of the Self with the body and mind.
- Jiva: The individual soul; the Self limited by ignorance and ego.
- Vasanas: Subtle desires or tendencies formed by past experiences and impressions.
- Samskaras: Deep mental impressions or grooves in the unconscious mind, from which Vasanas arise.
- Srishti, Palan, Samhar: Creation, Sustenance, and Dissolution—the three aspects of the cosmic illusion.
- Moha: Delusion; emotional attachment that clouds judgment and spiritual discernment.
Watch the full lecture here: https://youtu.be/6m-BbtXZ5H4
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