February 17th 2026

During COVID pandemic, our community engaged in the High five challenge. The challenge was to sleep early for the body, to wake early for the intellect, to study early for the mind, to walk early for the breath and to sink early for the ego.

This challenge was about knowing our limits and leaving our limits. The next challenge will be LIVE LIGHTER challenge. The genesis of this challenge can be divided into parts: 1. Look at nature and this relates to purification. We are way more natural when in nature. 2. To listen to positivity. This relates to inspiration/sravana. 3. Lay out screen time. This relates to reflection. When we are reflective, we are much more purposeful in how we relate to potential distractions. 4. Love helping others. This relates to contemplation. Literal meaning of contemplation in Samskrit is “Nitaram dhyaihi”, comprehensively keep in mind. So contemplation is really practicing oneness. 5. Live the oneness, Meditation. Meditation is no longer a verb, it is one’s nature.

When we don’t reflect on how deeply we need Advaita Vedanta, then we don’t continue with Advaita Vedanta. Only through deep reflection, utility of it is realized.

Recap:

In the last class, main teaching was on locus.

Verse 11: In this verse, Sw. Tejomayananda, lists out several frameworks of vices. In verse 12, the location of the vices are stated. Vices cannot flow in space, they have to be located in someone and somewhere. So in verse 12, Swamiji shares that the location of these vices is the mind, intellect, ego but the implication of this is that you are more than the equipment of mind and the intellect. You are more than that indescribable ego, you are EXISTENCE!

Another lovely teaching from Guruji is that a problem is one that you start seeing when you stop seeing your goal. For those only seeing vices, only problems are seen. But for the one seeing the goal, these problems relate to what I am not, so its not really a problem. We have to go through the process of letting go of these problems.

Verse 12: In the first quarter, the key teaching is Svadhyaya. When I become self-reflective, I do come to this understanding and acceptance that vices belong to the equipment and the equipment BELONG to me, I am not them. In the second quarter, it is stated that these vices come to be felt when the mind starts to modify in the form of thoughts. A wonderful way to bring the mind back and to settle the thoughts is to practice gratitude. In the third quarter, Swamiji is sharing when this mind becomes dormant, then the vices become dormant too. The waking state (avasthā) is where the mind dominates. But still all of this belongs to the equipment and the mind goes from full expression when we are awake and half expression when we are dreaming to no expression when we are sleeping and then back again to waking. In the last quarter, Guruji shares that for the one who is living carefully, the new normal goes from being stress to cheer, dedication and joy.

In the next verse, someone who has completely changed their normal is referenced.

This Class:

Verse 13:  

jāgratyapi cha vidwāmsam, peedayanti na te tathā;

avidvāmsam yathā lokam, dayāpātram cha sarvadā.

Theme= Beyond

Jagrat=waking state

Api=even

Vidwāmsam= one who is wise, one who is beyond

Implication of the first quarter is that when we are sleeping, there is no feeling of vices, when we are dreaming, there is limited feeling of vices, mostly nightmare. When we are awake, the vices rush back. The likes, dislikes, fear, greed, anger all rush back. The reason for this is that when we are sleeping, dreaming there is no intention and therefore can’t be any reffirmation of vices. You can’t be enlightened while sleeping or dreaming because you are not applying yourself, there is no transformation to my personality.

This is no different from Karma yoga, if I am not intending to be, for the divine, it is simply srama (labor). There is no spiritual growth in that. We have to be careful that intentionality leads to utility. In contrast, for the one who has gone from equipment and ego to existence, even in the waking state, He/She is beyond the vices. Vices do not afflict them.

peedayanti na te tathā= for such a wise person, they don’t feel suffering

In rishi Patanjali’s yoga sutra, he shares what yoga is, Chitta vritti nirodhaha, to go beyond vritti (thoughts). The thoughts are an expression of the mind/inner world. This is the design of the yoga/Mahabharata/Sanatana Dharma, for one to be beyond the relative, and to be established in their Infinite nature.

If this is not our experience thus far, its because we are not tired enough of being tired. We are still not flirting to the relative inspite of knowing the absolute.

avidvāmsam yathā lokam= the way that an ignorant person experiences the waking state, the wise man does not. The origin of our struggle is “I” ness. This is the sign of someone who is unwise. The I-ness gets expressed as deserver ship. This is what makes me ignorant, we should therefore live with less my-ness. This is something each of us needs to figure out for ourselves through self-reflection. During sleeping and dreaming, this my-ness is not experienced.

dayāpātram cha sarvadā= All of you are wise, therefore the unwise are recipients of daya (compassion and grace). The reason for this is that as we, as seekers, have evolved and become more cheerful and content, but we still remember what it is to be purposeless. We remember when we took everything personally and this is exactly why we should feel compassionate towards those who are identifying with vices. You know their past and you know their potential. We have to be gentle with those that are missing the grace that we have.