Gyan Yoga is not about understanding words merely.
Gyan Yoga is a three-step process.
Step one is where I listen to it and understand the words,
Understand it intellectually.
That's only Shravana.
Step one.
The next step is where I actually explore.
That is called Manana.
Where I actually explore what she is saying is that really what I experience.
Remember Gyan Yoga is not a path of belief.
Gyan Yoga is not saying you believe me.
Gyan Yoga is saying you experience it right now.
So the second step is of Manana where you are actually going to explore within and check what she is saying.
Yes,
I experience it.
Yes,
That is called Manana.
Does it stop there?
No.
Why it doesn't stop there?
Because it's not enough because of her past habit patterns.
In the past,
I have fed my habit pattern of getting angry,
Of being jealous,
Of being hateful and I have fed that so much that has become very strong.
And this little new knowledge is like a little sprout right now.
The big tree becomes so dominant that this little sprout is not visible.
And those habit patterns keep coming up and bombarding me.
So only understanding intellectually is not sufficient.
Even exploring and recognizing yes,
This is my experience.
She is right or he is right or the book is right.
This is also not sufficient.
Yes,
Shravana,
Manana are essential steps but it is not the end.
Third,
Nidhiryaasa where I start applying it again and again and again and again and I will stumble.
I will fumble.
I will fall.
Doesn't matter.
I dust my clothes.
I stand up,
Put back my hat and again I start working on myself.
Again I will walk a few steps.
Again I will fall.
It's okay.
Again I will stand up.
Again I will put back my hat.
Why?
Because now I know through my intellect I have understood,
Through my experience of self-exploration which we did in Advaita level 1 and we reached the witness,
Yes,
It is completely true.
I am the witness.
I can recognize it.
Yes?
So I have reached here.
Now only the last part Nidhiryaasa is left and Nidhiryaasa will be a short practice for some people and for some people it's long.
I don't know how ripe you are,
Correct?
On the mango tree there are ripe mangoes and there are raw mangoes.
Yes?
The absolutely ripe mango is hanging off that tree on a very delicate little twig almost.
Yes?
One little gust of the wind and plop it gets off the tree.
It falls off the tree of Maya.
It was ripe.
For that ripe mango the process was instant.
But for a raw mango it will take some time.
Yes?
Now I have to wait.
I have to wait till I become nice and ripe.
I will stumble,
Fumble and fall.
Doesn't matter.
I will stand up and again I will make an effort.
Again I will fall.
Again I will make an effort.
Okay?
Yes?
So Advaita says there is no need to feel bad or sad.
We don't know how many lifetimes worth of karma we are carrying,
Right?
Even Ekta cannot tell you that oh it's going to take that much time.
Nobody external to you can tell you.
No astrologer,
No psychic,
No guru,
No teacher.
Nobody can tell you.
Yeah?
Anyway there is no control over it.
Why worry about it?
Relax.
It's okay.
We will get there step by step.
