Faith (Satsang)

The topic for the Satsang on Sunday, 14th Octoberber, 2012 was Faith.

 Following is the transcript of the speech made by Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra and Smt. Hansaji Yogendra on the topic.

Smt. Hansaji and Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra
"You see, the trouble is that we listen to all this but basically we are very intelligent people. We are intellectual, egoistic and all this that we listen to has no meaning. We appreciate this when we are broken down and completely lost. We are at such a stage that a kind of belief, a kind of faith starts and once it has established, it stays also. But fortunately or unfortunately, God doesn't put us into that situation often. So we live on believing in our own intelligence egoistically, forcing our will for a very very long time. And during that time, wisdom doesn't dawn. We do all kinds of foolish things that are harmful. This is the story and it's not easy for one person to tell the others to have faith. It comes only when God slaps us and we are totally down. So we have to wait for that time."  
"We say that we have faith, but how will we prove that we have faith? Lots of Puja, going to temples, walking to the temple with bare feet, all these things make us think we have faith. But in the Bhagwad Gita it is said these things are not needed. Maintain balance in every situation. Then it will mean we have faith. Surrender completely to Him. He is the one who does everything. Nothing can happen if God does not will it, not even a leaf can move. We say these sentences but we don’t believe in these things. We want other things.

Bringing this faith into your life is important, not exhibiting it. There is no relation between the material world and faith. It is just an easy method we use – wearing a Tikka, Rudraksa, wearing orange clothes and considering ourselves Sadhus, etc.

Faith is when in every situation that God puts us in, we can remain happy and live in Ananda. It is not so easy. Sometimes we feel that some situation should not have occurred. But in yoga, it is said that unless a person suffers thoroughly well in life, only then does that person think of changing; and then only if the change is healthy and one learns to surrender to God, then he is walking on the spiritual path.

There are also people who are very sensitive who can feel others’ pain as their own. They don’t need to suffer themselves. They learn from others’ suffering and change. But we are not sensitive, we are touchy. We ask, why did this person talk to me like that, etc. Our intelligence works a lot. Yoga says the more Buddhi (intelligence) we have, the further we are from God. it becomes an obstruction in our path. Stop the mind – Citta Vriti Nirodha and then maintain your balance.

So we should believe that what happens, happens for the good. He is the doer through us. Always keep the mind humble. Feel that you are doing God’s work.

If we are worrying about something, it is clear that we do not have faith. Start this kind of thinking  - intelligence is limited. Faith is something larger than intelligence. ‘Faith moves the mountain.’ At least stop worrying, tension and stress, otherwise we are not on the spiritual path. There is no point in Puja and ceremonies if we are unhappy and crying all the time. Take faith seriously. Faith gives us energy. Because of faith, the mind and memory start working properly and Jnana is attained because the mind is one-pointed.

There is a sutra in the Patanjali Yoga Sutra that says: 'Sraddha Virya Smriti Samadhi Prajna Purvakah Itaresham'

So when faith goes, a person becomes weak, energy becomes zero, diseases come and there are problems. So the Bhagwad Gita says - whatever happens is good."

Q & A

Q. Which qualities are required to promote faith?
A. Dr. Jayadeva - Well if there were such a prescription, I think a good business could go on. Unfortunately, there is no prescription like that. Faith comes from within and unless the person is mentally peaceful, it does not come.    Smt. Hansaji - That is why it is necessary to sit peacefully whenever we get the opportunity and stop thinking and try to still the mind. Slowly, strength will come and faith will be felt.

Q. I lost my father when I was very young. In this case, how can I be positive that whatever happened happened for the best?
A. Dr. Jayadeva - Luckily you were very young at that time so no thinking occurs. This thinking that you are now having is at a grown up state so it doesn’t matter.
   Smt. Hansaji - Many people have a father but do not have much to do with him. Sometimes they do not listen to the father, refuse to take guidance, want to live life in their own way and are busy with their own lives. So somehow, this thinking that my father died so early, how can that be good… has no meaning. It is a theoretical hypothesis. Actually when a person goes, when there is a problem, a solution always comes. Keep that faith. If something is lost, there are many things that are also gained in its place which we are not able to see and that is where the problem comes.

Q.Is extra marital relation a sin or is society wrong?
A. Dr. Jayadeva - It depends on traditions. In the old tradition in India this was considered a sin and that is if you are an Indian. If you are not an Indian, you can believe what you like.
     Smt. Hansaji - The purpose of marriage is that both together move ahead and lead a spiritual life. marriage is required for spirituality, otherwise it is not required. Because, in marriage comes steadiness, discipline, clarity and restlessness goes away. Marriage is for our own growth. But if we keep extra marital relations, what is the point of a marriage? Then don’t marry, keep relations. But if you have married, discipline the mind.

Q. One can have faith in self, but in today’s world, how far can you have faith in others?
 A. Dr. Jayadeva - You see, the advantage of sitting in this seat is that what I say is correct. So I would say, yes, you can have faith in yourself and that is enough.
  Smt. Hansaji - Human mind has thousands of thoughts and keeps fluctuating. Sometimes it is happy, sad, right wrong. it is not possible for it to even concentrate on one work. So there are many changes of making mistakes. Now when we know this, and we say I have faith in you and what you are doing, it is wrong. A human should not have that kind of faith on another human. In fact, there should be vigilance. If there is faith, it should be on only one thing – God.

Q. How does a person who suffers from depression develop faith?
A. Dr. Jayadeva - Depression is a disease and in a way it is a serious disease so in such a case, because a person can carry on and function and sometimes behave very clever, that should not be given much importance. If you have been diagnosed with depression by a psychologist, psychiatric treatment is necessary.
    Smt. Hansaji - The main thing is to be involved with work for which you have a passion. Depression occurs when a person is free. An idle mind is a devil’s workshop. Sincerely be involved in work, learn yoga, do the teacher training course, then the depression can be managed or can even go. Only medicines will also not solve the problem. Along with them, yoga and involvement in work will help.



Satsang is an open meeting held every Sunday from 9:30 to 10:30 am at The Yoga Institute, Santacruz East, Mumbai. It involves an interesting presentation to the public, made by the students of the Teacher Training Course. Each week, a new presentation of a Yogic concept is made in a simple way through skits and decoration for the general public, followed by a short speech from our Gurus, Dr. Jayadeva and Smt. Hansaji Yogendra.