The more one controls the senses, and renounces food, the more radiance comes to their soul. When God withdrew the eleven senses from food, turned them inward, and slept, this maiden was born. Maiden means power. Divine power was born. Not that other kind, not physical power. Divine power. To suppress the senses, to suppress the inner enemies, to suppress demonic tendencies, cannot be done without divine power. Murdanaav was a demon. And the maiden who was born killed the demon. This means power was generated. So, if one keeps the senses focused on God, or at least withdraws them from worldly pleasures, power is generated in them. The entire science of yoga is based on this. Yoga means to practice self-control. Yoga is self-control and... How to practice self-control is shown in it. First, to withdraw the senses from sinful paths is called Yama. Then, to guide them further on the path of dharma dharma 1) Universal law or principle that 'sustains' or 'upholds' the entire world. Righteousness, morality, religion, Tap to open in glossary → Then, Maharaj says, if the thoughts are as far as Kashi, bring them back to Gadhada, Vadtal, and Gadhada, then to the physical body, and then take them deeper inside. In this way, withdraw them. So, in the Yoga Sutras, that is called withdrawing the thoughts. Then comes Yama, Niyama, and Asana. To make the body still. Pranayama, then to make the breath still. Pratyahara, concentration, meditation, and Samadhi. What happens when one attains Samadhi? What happens? Peace of mind. That is true. Divine powers manifest. Divine powers manifest in those who attain Samadhi. Those who practice self-control, even if they control themselves regarding worldly objects in this world, gain divine powers and divine strength. And power, 'There is no strength equal to yoga.' That power is the strength to conquer demonic tendencies. Demonic tendencies are situated in our senses. What is the meaning of demon in the senses? 'Asu' means life force or senses, and those who revel in them are demons. Senses or life force. Yes, all senses are called life force. Along with the senses, it is called life force. So, if our senses and the soul's tendencies are situated there, it is demonic. When they withdraw from there, it becomes divine. Maharaj, how beautiful! The story from the Puranas is also very good. The story is very meaningful. God also withdrew all the senses and tendencies from their respective objects and sat sat 1) True. Real. 2) Permanent, imperishable and unchanging. Is unbound by the past, the present, and the future. Tap to open in glossary → And she killed Murdanaav. She killed Murdanaav. So, the more one controls the senses, and withdraws them from the world, a radiance and influence is generated in them. It cannot be suppressed by anyone. It cannot be suppressed by demonic tendencies. Then a battle ensued between Murdanaav and the maiden. Then the maiden cut off Murdanaav's head with a sword. God was pleased with the maiden and said, 'Ask for a boon.' Then the maiden asked for a boon, 'Let no one eat food on the day of my vow. And I am born from the radiance of your eleven senses, therefore my name is Ekadashi. And I am an ascetic. Therefore, on my...' Murdanaav told her, 'Marry me.' So what did Ekadashi say? Huh? What does that mean? How should we understand its meaning? Whom do the senses submit to? They submit to the one who conquers them, right? Who conquers the senses? Whom do the senses submit to? 'I will marry the one who defeats me in battle.' That means I will become their servant. And I will fulfill all their desires. Maharaj says that for the one who conquers the senses, their devotion is nourished through these senses and the mind. Are the senses and the mind only obstacles? Maharaj says, is Maya an obstacle or does it help? It helps. So, it nourishes the devotion of the one who conquers it. And if it wins, it destroys devotion. Its nature is like that. If it conquers that person, it destroys their devotion. And if someone conquers it, it nourishes their devotion. So, Murdanaav said, 'Marry me.' But she said, 'Your own senses are not under control, so how can I marry you?' 'I will marry the one who defeats me in battle.' 'That means I will help them.' 'And I will harm everyone else.' What a story! It is a story from the Puranas. Stories in the Puranas have a double meaning. Then the maiden asked for a boon, 'Let no one eat food on the day of my vow. And I am born from the radiance of your eleven senses, therefore my name is Ekadashi. And I am an ascetic. Therefore, on the day of my vow, let no one feed the eleven senses, including the mind.' Then God granted her the boon, so goes the story in the Puranas. This story is also very suggestive. God showed that when the worldly food of the senses is renounced and they are turned towards God, the more worldly food is renounced, the more radiance increases in them. It does not decrease. Their radiance increases with the renunciation of food. It is not just about food made of grain. The food of the eyes, the food of the ears... The more the connection with these is broken from within, the more sharp the senses become. The senses become that much sharper. That sharpness itself is the radiance in them. That itself is their strength. And radiance comes into them, and radiance and strength come into the soul. 'There is no knowledge equal to Sankhya, there is no strength equal to yoga.' No knowledge is like Sankhya, and no strength is like yoga. What does that mean? What does it want to say? What is the knowledge of Sankhya? What is the knowledge of Sankhya, brother? Sadguru Sadguru A great sant. Tap to open in glossary → It is the discrimination between body and soul. 'I am not this body.' 'I am not this body' is the knowledge of Sankhya. And to withdraw the senses and focus them on God is yoga. So Maharaj says that if one connects with God, there is no immediate strength like that to be found anywhere. There is no immediate strength like that anywhere. And if one sits to speak of knowledge, what is the first thing to do? What is the first lesson to learn? 'I am not this body.' There is no knowledge like that. There may be heaps of other knowledge, but when trouble comes, it gets scattered. When the time comes, when a cart of melons comes, the knowledge gets scattered. Whether a cart of gourds comes or a cart of melons comes, it goes somewhere or the other. And what if a cart of iPhones comes? Imagine a cart full of iPhones arriving. Even if a small rickshaw comes, it's fine. But how does that happen? If one wants one, and one is broken, would we take it or not? A cart of gourds—well, no one wants a cart of gourds nowadays. Suppose a cart of iPhones comes, or a cart of tablets comes. Let both come, one cart of tablets and one cart of iPhones. We don't have to pay for it. AI translation of the Gujarati transcript above, produced in the same pass that transcribed the audio, one English segment per Gujarati segment. Devotional and technical terms with no precise English equivalent (kirtan, satsang, vasana, samskara, and similar) are kept as their plain transliteration rather than force-translated. Not human-proofread., AI-translated, unverified · Source details