Real Selfishness: The Arrow of Sharabhanga and the Four Yogas
In the morning satsanga of September 27, 2026, Swami Jyotirmayananda taught that true swartha is to be established in the Self, read the demons of the Ramayana as the impurities of the mind, and showed how the four yogas blend as the seeker advances.
After an invocation to Lord Rama of the Raghu dynasty, whose complexion is like a blue lotus, very tender and delightful in appearance, bearing a powerful bow and arrow, and after the Hare Rama mantra, Swamiji read a short poem of expansion. A ray of the sun dissolves in the fullness of the radiant sun; a tiny wave grows into the fullness of the surging ocean; a tiny space within the eye of a needle breaks free into boundless space. And in deep meditation, the little "I" slips into the mystic depths of the heart, and the tiny flower of the soul blossoms, "wafting forever the fragrance of eternity."
Your heart is like a lotus, Swamiji explained. When you develop profound love of God and renounce body identity, the soul slips into the ocean of eternity, as a little drop slips into the water.
The Demons Are Within
The demons of the Ramayana, Swamiji taught, are allegorical. They are obstructive impurities that do not allow one to progress spiritually. When a demoniac force comes, one opposes it with spiritual strength, and it is that strength which neutralizes the attack of Ravana.
All that one does, Swamiji continued, should turn into worship: what you do with body, speech and mind is viewed as divine work. Then life is blessed with aradhana, worship, and all one's striving has one goal: enlightenment.
The Arrow of Sharabhanga
That goal is not heaven. People do good deeds and pray, "May I enjoy heaven?" Indra, Swamiji explained, represents that heavenly experience. In the story, Indra comes to the sage Sharabhanga with the temptation of going to heaven, but Sharabhanga is drawn to Ram Bhakti instead.
Spiritual movement, Swamiji said, is like an arrow. When it is blessed with spiritual strength, nothing can obstruct it. "It breaks down all obstructions," and leads the soul to realization.
What Swartha Really Means
Swamiji then took up the word swartha. Literally it means selfish, and that is how it is generally used. But ordinary selfishness brings nothing. All that one owns is transient. Ego-based identity follows the law of karma, gains prosperity, and yet none of it is real, because the ego itself is illusory. It is not your real identity.
If you want to be really selfish, he said, let the ego be effaced. "And when the ego is effaced, then the real I am shines." That is real selfishness. The true meaning of swartha is "to be established in the self," and that is the quality of the sage.
Satsanga Is Not a Shortcut
In the immature state, Swamiji observed, a person goes to an ashram expecting a miracle: the Guru is very powerful, he will put his hand on me, I will have great success, and I will not have to do any sadhana. Satsanga does not allow one to fall into that foolishness. Instead, one begins to discover: "You have amazing potentiality" for spiritual progress.
So the prayer to the Guru is not for success in business. It is: awaken in me the spiritual strength to follow the path. That, Swamiji said, is what Rama is.
The Heap of Skeletons
Swamiji called the next passage highly allegorical. A heap of skeletons is presented before Rama, and he is told they are the remains of great yogis and mahatmas. The episode relates to the attainment of riddhi and siddhi, psychic powers, which is not the spiritual goal. Many sadhakas practice mantra and japa and attain great powers. In the eyes of the masses they are great, but they come under the influence of ignorance and egoism, cannot go beyond the limited mind, and end up in the cycle of birth and death.
He gave the image of a medical student who needs a skeleton to study, finds one, and does not know it is his own from a previous life. That type of foolishness, he said, dominates the minds of people.
Therefore all pray to Rama to destroy the demonic movements, and Rama makes the vow to free them. For the one who follows Ram Bhakti, Rama's promise is that you will not be tormented by demons. "The demons are your anger, hate, greed." One's personality is a blend of human, demon and divine; moving away from mental impurity and ignorance, the personality becomes divine.
The Real Raja
The word raja, too, is used allegorically. Rama is the real Raja, the Divine Self. When you develop devotion to Rama, that Raja removes all your obstacles; he has taken the vow. And the more you help people remove their impurities, the more Rama shines through, until you are completely united. "Shiva and Ram are one and the same."
The Four Yogas Blend
Guided by satsanga, Swamiji taught, one gains insight into all four yogas: karma yoga, bhakti yoga, raja yoga and jnana yoga. That insight is given through the scriptures. But if the mind is drawn to mundane attainment, study becomes narrow. Real study means that no matter what god or goddess is being praised, "They all relate to one source. They are not contradictory." Then every aspect of the scripture, whether Rama's childhood days or his marriage, becomes a basis for immense delight.
The four brothers of the Ramayana, Swamiji explained, represent the four yogas. Each one's progress inspires the others. "Your karma becomes karma yoga," bringing graciousness into activity. Your sentiments become bhakti yoga; when God is behind them, you help others throw away their sorrows. In raja yoga, dhyana yoga, meditation and samadhi should not be limited to psychic powers. And in jnana yoga the personality becomes a real sage as you disseminate wisdom. So all four blend as one advances on the spiritual path.
The satsanga closed with a prayer for the grace of God over all, and a final word: when you develop that state, you are truly swartha. Otherwise, what you consider swartha is illusory.
Terms in This Satsanga
- swartha — literally selfishness; in its true sense, being established in the Self.
- aradhana — worship; the life in which every action is divine work.
- riddhi and siddhi — psychic powers, which Swamiji taught are not the spiritual goal.
- jnana yoga — the yoga of wisdom, in which the personality becomes a real sage.
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