Shiva Bala Yogi Virtual^* Darshan
* (Virtual: non physical, but being such in essence or in having the power or practical effect)

Shivabalayogi: TAPAS

What is tapas?

“If you close your eyes and concentrate between the eyes, you will get a wonderful bliss. Slowly you will lose yourself in that bliss and you get in the state of samadhi. If you remain in samadhi for twenty-three hours a day, or for days, months or years at a time, that is called tapas.”

“After continuous meditation, samadhi comes, then God realization [sakshatkara]. This is tapas. If you are in samadhi it is called tapas. If you are conscious of your body then it is called dhyana, meditation. That is the difference.”

There are so many meditation techniques. I want to know which is the best.

“What is your aim? What do you want to achieve with sadhana?”

Self realization.

“For Self realization you have to do tapas.”

When does meditation become tapas? Is that just more meditation?

“If the duration of meditation increases to about twelve hours then it becomes tapas. You will get into a state of samadhi. Tapas begins when you get into the state of samadhi. One has to do a minimum of twelve hours a day. Swamiji would then bless the person. Swamiji would give darshan. From time to time he will appear and give instructions how to continue tapas. So if you do your tapas well, as directed by the guru, you can have the vision of God very soon.”

Can I get enlightened, say through the blessings of a yogi, without having done tapas?

“When you become enlightened you will do tapas. There is a difference between enlightenment and Self realization. What Swamiji has achieved is Self realization. A yogi is a Self realized person. He is not just an enlightened person. When a person gets enlightened that person starts doing tapas to realize the Self.”

“If you sit in tapas you will get into samadhi. When this samadhi stays for an extended period, something like twenty-four hours a day, then God will come down to awaken you. That will be God realization. When God appears to you in front of your eyes, that is the mastery [siddhi] that is the indication that you have finished your tapas successfully. You should not fail in that. Some people fail in the final stages.”

Do you have the power to grant enlightenment?

“Swamiji guarantees it but you must meditate very well for one hour a day.”

If I want to do tapas, are there any requirements other than the one hour daily meditation?

“There is no other requirement to do tapas. What you have to do is meditate. After some time you will get into samadhi. Once you attain samadhi then the tapas automatically begins.”

Will everybody become God realized? Is that the goal?

“No, God realization is not our aim. First you have to reduce your tensions and keep your path right. Then people can understand each other.”

“If you do meditation, tensions will come down and you will be able to have good relations with the people around you. You can be an example to other people to control their minds properly.”

If a person decides to meditate a lot and becomes Self realized, as Swamiji did, how does that help the world? Swamiji decided to come out and teach people, but other people simply want to become realized just to be happy themselves. Is that useful for the world?

“There are different kinds of Self realization. There are some who realize themselves, and there are some who realize themselves and teach a lot of other people.”

What makes that different?

“It depends on what they ask when they see God. That decides whether they are going to come out into the world and serve the people or whether they are just going to remain by themselves.”