Divine Beloved Souls,

You are in Me, I am in Thee!

Doesn’t peace include power, bliss, knowledge, and liberation? Dear Soul, why not look for that peace which can bring you all the four? No doubt peace is incarnate in a solitary forest. Where there’s no-one to speak to one is compelled to embrace peace. But if noise and unrest abound and yet the mind is calm and peaceful, this is known as the “Peace Real.”

When a restless mind gains peace, an ignorant mind gains wisdom and a weak mind gains strength, then only is one able to recognize the immanence of God. In my opinion, peace and unrest are co-travelers and supplement each other. Weakness and strength are the two sides of human personality like the two sides of one coin. Ignorance is the first step on the path to the gate of knowledge. One who is ignorant today can become wise tomorrow.

These are the two aspects of the world. Is not the world full of dualism where everything exists in pairs viz. sun and moon, day and night, happiness and sorrow, height and death, right and left, progress and decay, light and dark, bright and dark fortnights, men and women, solid and liquid, earth and water, hot and cold, straight and crooked, in and out, standing and sitting, peace and unrest, weak and strong, ignorance and wisdom?

Knowing this fact, that the world is a combination of twos, O my Dear Disciples, set your feet is search of the THREE. There is a stage beyond the two! When you have known the Three, proceed further to know the FOUR. After having known the Four, you will know The FIVE.

There is a realm where there is neither light nor dark, neither man nor woman. This idea is represented in Gita by the following lines—

“Na tad bhasyate suryo, na shashanko na pavikah.” {Neither the sun shines there, nor the moon, nor the fire!}. You know very well that this is a mantra {secret advice} of Gita. Couldn’t there be a stage beyond the two which is unique, where there is neither knowledge nor ignorance, neither light nor darkness, neither turbulence nor quietude?

I will call this stage of consciousness “parashanti” the stage of supreme silence. Where there are innumerable words without speech, where nothing is audible yet the whole space is full of sound; where you lose your speech and merge yourself into the Soundless Sound.

How should I name this unique state of mind? A state of meditation or wisdom? Knowledge flows through meditation and meditation is acquired by knowledge. Therefore, embrace, O Disciple, this supreme state of silence!

There is infinite quietude in this silence. It is the infinite finite which is impregnated with immeasurable fullness and completeness. It has also infinite sensitivity and vision within itself. As long as one is aspiring, this third stage grants rest experiences of peace and bliss.

The fourth stage of consciousness is beyond even bliss–where the maya of the world cannot touch the soul. Soul is beyond reach. Neither peace can touch it nor can unrest disturb it. That one becomes “tregunateet”–beyond the reach of the three gunas. One is neither yogi nor non-yogi. He becomes desireless, unpossessive, independent and indifferent. This stage of the mind is Kailash,!the abode of Shankar, the residence of a self-renunciate who doesn’t belong to this world even a bit. This self is the supreme master of peace and the eternal trader of bliss. One neither wants peace nor bliss. This stage is known TURIYA–the Beyond!

The fourth state of the Self can be compared to an unclothed yogi living in a royal mansion. Air is the garment, floor is the soft bed, tastelessness is the food but one resides in a royal abode. All pleasures are accessible to hionem but keeps everything away.

Beloved Disciple of my Soul!

First be aware of ignorance. Know for yourself that ‘I am ignorant,’ ‘I am empty from within,’ ‘I am unqualified.’   

Thereafter, worship knowledge. Fill your empty mind and heart with love, devotion, meditation, knowledge, and service.

Thereafter, prepare yourself for the worship of the Beyond, remaining aloof from good and bad, knowledge and ignorance. Experience only bliss, knowledge, power, oneness, and peace which are beyond human understanding. A fountain of bliss will emerge in your heart. Immeasurable peace will radiate from your face. Your eyes will shine with the glory of the divine. People will sense the vibrations flowing through you as a result of your practice of meditation. Your behavior will be sublime but until the third stage, your mind will be closely associated with surrounding influences.

Your mind will be imprisoned within the four walls of worldly behavior. It will be influenced by the ups and downs of life. Your mind will float on the thought waves of the world, sometimes it will be above the water and sometimes below, but it will never be completely drowned or overtaken by the world.

In such a state you neither want to live in the world nor will you have courage enough to leave. A little self-control, a little ego, and a little self-reliance and confidence will be in you. In a way you will feel quite satisfied with your progress.

But O Divine Discipline! Do not stop or be contented here!

Proceed further to welcome the fourth. The fourth is beyond the three. This stage is beyond good and bad, beyond knowledge and meditation. Approach this ground where instead of being the son of Manu {the first human cosmic ruler of the world} you will become the divine son of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati.  Such a one is known as Shadanan–the six headed or Gajanan–the elephant headed. There are the two sons of Shiva and Parvati.  

Shadanan with six heads is the commander-in-chief of the divine militia {forces or virtues} while Gajanan with an elephant head and a long trunk {which has access to all directions} is the bestower of happiness.

Their respective carriers are a peacock {the embodiment of aesthetic beauty} and a rat {that which chews through all obstacles} 

One is the embodiment of bliss while the other with flabby body and big tummy symbolized material prosperity.

One is the leader of the divine forced and the other is the leader of obstacles and yet they are brothers.

These symbols of two divine forces reside in you and manifest in the fourth stage. At this stage, your mind will neither be disrupted nor will remain blocked. Dynamic peace feeling your heart will make it impossible for you to carry on your environmental duties. In the fourth state of consciousness, you will be blissful and non-attached, nor caring for worldly opinions.

Many will call you a saint and many call you fake. Your life will be like an open book for the qualified ones but impenetrable for the undeserving.

Some will be jealous and try to put obstacles in your way and some will help you. Some will torture and some appreciate, but you will be unaware of these happenings.  Your glory will be enhanced by God’s grace.

Dear One, don’t leave your path in spite of your troubles!

Don’t be frightened or disheartened!

Walk ahead on your path till you find your enchanting soul standing at the end.

The path leading to the forest of peace is full of prickly thorns and sharp stones. Put aside all obstacles. The road leading to the forest of peace, at the outskirts passes through a large village of unrest.

The village is your body and its relationship with the world. When mind rises above the world its feet are set in search of peace.

Therefore it is very essential for you to have a very clear conception of peace.

Though everyone is in search of peace, very few have the patience and the sincere desire to find it. Struck by temporary unhappiness one desires peace, but after acquiring a little one immediately returns to the village. Others stick to the search for some time because of their devotion, yet have no patience to pursue it till the end. They are also left behind on the path due to their lassitude or halfhearted desire.

A real desire for peace is that which is reinforced rejuvenated by each day and every moment. The bliss or joy attained by the search goes on growing continuously day and night. A real desire never regresses. Some people’s desire has the characteristic of water, which when put on the fire immediately becomes hot and as soon as it is removed from the fire becomes cool. Similarly, in many cases, the desire fanned by external reasons does not last long. It is slowly cooled or extinguished. It is better not to have desire then to have a half-heated one. Good tea cannot be prepared with half-boiled water. Similarly, you cannot expect to attain peace with your half-hearted efforts. Extreme thought vibrations materialize quickly. In the words of a great yogi named Patanjali—

“Teevra samvegaanamasannah”
{Sensations or thoughts of high frequency accomplish the desire quickly.}

By Ma Yoga Shakti India 1980