by Gurani Anjali
Every time you touch anything you find yourself in a state of absorption. The mind goes to the object of your attention as you take hold of it, even for a fraction of a moment. That fraction of a moment is dharana, holding. We are constantly in situations where we find ourselves holding objects. Now, in Yoga, the important thing for dharana (concentration, holding) is to realize that the whole universe, everything that is within us and outside of us is very, very sacred. Our minds must be in tune with that state of sacredness. We must preserve our minds in their original and sacred state. When we recognize everything as sacred, no matter how ugly it is, no matter how disgusting, we realize that it is only ugly or disgusting because of the intention with which we have imbued it.
There is such power in the human voice. There is such power in the animal voice. There is such power when we hear a cat meowing, or when a dog is barking. There is such power when a swarm of insects surrounds us. They are all saying something. When you open your mouth and praise your existence, and when you give expression to the power that is within you, expressing that power in a manner that communicates to all hearers, there is an opening, a becoming. You move in the direction of the fulfillment of your existence. Such power resides within us and outside of us. We are caught between two worlds.
We get caught looking at the expressions that come to us externally. With our ears, we hear the sounds that emerge from other bodies, be it a cat, a dog, a blue jay or any animal or other human, even the sea. We get caught in that external. If we don’t feel the power within ourselves to come out and express such a power in a loving and sacred manner, we tend to remain focused on what is outside of us, just waiting to hear and hear and hear more.
There is also a voice within us, a power within us, which is within everyone. This power is encased within your individual body. You tend to feel that it is your very own power. But that power is in every other body as well. The difference is that you do not allow yourself to let it out; even if you experience it as insignificant.
Even if you have nothing to say, do your sadhana (Yoga practice) and say Om. And in the saying of Om, everything will begin to flow. Just say Om. Feel the roaring of eternity inside of you coming out. You will feel it roaring inside of you, pushing itself up and becoming. Even if you have nothing to say about yourself, say Om. Begin with that. Everyone is saying something. It is not good enough to just talk or to keep confessing your sins, complaining or trying to tell other people about the state of the world. That is a tragedy of the modern person – full of confessions. People are always confessing or being critical, critiquing everything that flies by. We need to rise above confession and critique and feel the true power of speech, of language.
Through human language, which has been with us through the ages, we have created a fixed and immovable place for everything. But human beings, because of their universal nature, cannot be held, cannot be boxed in. Unfortunately, we do try to box in ourselves and others. We try to put this human sacredness in a box. This cannot be done. So each person must turn over from time to time and hold everything in creation in the hands and heart to realize that out of oneself came all of these worlds. Everything that came here was created by our words. We identify all things by their names: a wall, water, a map, a floor. But beyond our identification, there are no names from these things. What is this? What is that? It is all in the naming.
This handkerchief is a human creation. This is more than what you name, more than what you see. Think about all the work that went into creating this handkerchief. Where did it come from? It is actually non-existent, formless. But it came from beyond. We see it and we say, “it’s a handkerchief.” Actually, it is non-existent. There are so many things in front of you that are not really there. I’m not really here. You are not really there. Then what is here? What is over there? Who can say?
If people will realize that the movement continues and that non-existence is the actual state of reality, then all can be held sacred. Suppose this was the only handkerchief in the world. It will be held constantly. I would hold it by my wrist, making sure nothing happened to it, making sure it doesn’t go; because once it goes, it will never come back again, will never be seen again. You are also like that. Once you die, there will never be another one like you. Therefore, you are sacred, you are omnipresent. You are the alpha and the omega. So, if you have a passion to live and to create, do so with all the power you have. Hold your responsibilities sacred because they are only there as long as you put your attention to them. But the moment that intention shifts, they become non-existent. Then where is your life? What is your life? Dharana…
Dharana begins with holding every day, moment by moment; through holding, holding carefully. Observe the five fingers, see the two hands. One hand presents action and the other presents re-action, a taking and a giving. With these hands, you build your life, you hold everything sacred. All is sacred. Everything in this world is sacred. It is only with your holding that the world can be held. If you do not hold the world, it is not there. Whatever you have, whatever you are holding, that is all there is. That is your world. Om shanti.
This is the Kali Yuga Age and in the Kali Yuga Age there are many possibilities and many, many opportunities. There are also more bodies and more distractions, thousands upon thousands of distractions coming from humans, towards humans. Yet you are powerful and beyond the body. You must see yourself as part of this generation of the human family. There is a power within the human structure that has called you into life. There is also another power that is within you. You must use your intelligence and all your faculties. You must use your understanding and discriminate the real from the unreal. Take only what you need. Do not take all you want, only what you need. Work on what you need, not on what you want. When you will work on what you need, all your needs will be fulfilled. Om shanti.