61 - Experiencing Spiritual Unity | Swami Tattwamayananda

-6th chapter: verses 28, 29, 30, 31, 32<br />-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 20, 2020.<br />-28th verse: “Such a Yogi, free from all obstacles, experiences Atyantam Sukham – ultimate, infinite, spiritual bliss.”<br />-Atyantam Sukham is not the temporary absence of unhappiness. It is happiness itself. It is the feeling of permanently being settled in a state of contentment, even in the midst of obstacles and challenges.<br />-Antaraya means obstacles. Patanjali refers to the following obstacles, which cause the mind to wander - Disease, mental laziness, doubt, lack of interest, sloth, clinging to sense pleasures, false perception, lack of concentration, and unsteadiness in concentration.<br />-Spiritual life is about moving against our natural instinct, which is driven by the attraction of senses towards sense objects. In spiritual life, we turn the mind away from the pulls of nature. We turn it towards our true inner chamber, the Atman. In the process, we face obstacles.<br />-This Yogi, who experiences his unity with the transcendental reality in every moment and action, is Yoga-antaraya-varjitah – he has transcended all antarayas (obstacles) in his spiritual life. The Yogi gets the feeling of Atyantam Sukham, because these antarayas cannot distract his mind.<br />-29th verse: “Such a Yogi develops an equanimity of mind, an eye of evenness for all things, because he beholds the presence of Atman in all beings and he beholds the presence of all beings in his own Atman.”<br />-An ideal devotee may ready his holy books and go to the temple - but in his interactions with others, he sees all as children of the same God, whom he worships in his temple and whose instructions he reads in the holy book. Religion goes beyond the four walls of the temple – it reaches the hearts of everyone.<br />-In the Bhagavad Purana, there is a dialog between King Nimi and the Nava Yogis. In answer to the King’s question: “Who is an ideal devotee of God?”, one of the sages gives the following answer: “The on