Commentary by Siddha Yoga Meditation Teacher Maitreya Larios
One great thing about the divine virtues that Gurumayi encourages us to cultivate is that they are already within us. Take, for instance, the virtue of yearning. A yearning for long-lasting happiness and true connection is shared by all on this planet, and it drives every decision and action that we take. This yearning is often expressed in all kinds of desires, in the belief that our outer circumstances and possessions will make us happy: a new car, a more loving partner, higher titles, or more interesting places to visit. But in truth, such goals are transitory, and instead of making us genuinely happy, once fulfilled they make space for new desires to emerge. In this cycle, our hunger is never completely fulfilled; our true yearning remains unrecognized and unanswered.
Gurumayi defines yearning with the following words:
This is yearning: wanting to see that light inside, wanting the inner experience, wanting to see God, wanting to feel the Truth.1
Gurumayi teaches us that yearning, at its deepest form, is the desire to know the Truth within ourselves. In Sanskrit, the word “yearning” can be translated in many ways. Traditionally, the longing or yearning for liberation is called mumukshutva or “the state of intense desire for moksha, the ultimate freedom.” This Sanskrit noun comes from the verbal root muc, “to set free, to liberate, to release.” Release from what? The great Indian sage Shri Adi Shankaracharya gives us a hint with his definition of mumukshutva from the Viveka Chudamani:
Mumukshutva is the desire to free oneself from all bondages by realizing one’s true nature. These bondages—which extend from the ego to the physical body—result from [one’s] attachment to ignorance.2
What Shankara means by “free oneself from all bondages” is not that we should abandon our body or mind, or our positions or worldly pursuits, but rather that we should free ourselves of our illusory identification with these aspects of our limited individuality. Therefore, moksha is the release from ignorance of our own true nature. It is the state in which we fully restore our awareness of the freedom and bliss of our true Self. And yearning is like the nourishment that we need to grow and progress in our journey to the experience of innate freedom.
The great sages tell us that once we turn our awareness within and trace the source of our happiness, we become aware that what we are looking for is actually found within us.
Last night I prayed with deep longing for clarity and strength, while reciting the first verse of Prarthana, the Universal Prayer, which ends with the lines “May the peaceful be freed from bonds. May the freed set others free.” I woke this morning to see that today’s virtue is yearning, with the word accompanied by the image of Baba’s beautiful face. It brought tears to my eyes; I felt love and gratitude throughout my whole being. Through Gurumayi’s grace, I feel that I am being gently led, step by step, toward the threshold of what really matters.
Ludlow, United Kingdom
I began walking the Siddha Yoga path with the yearning to know the Truth. Sadhana has only intensified my yearning. In spite of that soulful yearning, I felt a lack inside. I was doing all the practices, but still I was bound by the perception that I did not have the virtues of a sincere seeker. I sincerely prayed to Gurumayi to show me a way forward.
Many life-changing events started unfolding during this month. And Gurumayi’s teachings on the Siddha Yoga path website were like light flooding my consciousness, dispelling the darkness of ignorance. Then a spontaneous recognition arose that indeed I am blessed with all the virtues within myself. I only need to acknowledge my virtues, which are ever shining within me, and put them into practice.
I truly feel that Birthday Bliss has been a liberating month for me; I feel like I have been reborn with all my inherent virtues shining forth.
Hosur, India
This commentary gives me the sublime meaning of yearning and clarifies my understanding.
I realize that when I turn my attention toward people, nature, and activities with a virtuous intention, I honor God’s creation. These objects of perception become channels of the divine energy that flows in my heart. With yearning, absorbed in a feeling of love, I draw my awareness inside myself and enter my heart.
Rodez, France
I am so grateful for this commentary and for the insight it has given me into my own emotional reactions.
Sometimes I am aware of a certain discontent or a lack of fulfillment in what I’m doing. My tendency has been to judge this discontent and see it as a weakness. This can drag me down further emotionally.
I now see that the essence of my discontent often arises from a deeper longing, the longing for the experience of the inner Self and the complete fulfillment that brings. Now, instead of berating myself for feeling discontent, I can view it as a sign of deep yearning. This awareness completely alters my state.
Havant, United Kingdom
This commentary expanded my understanding of this virtue, helping me see it from several new perspectives. When the writer described how “our true yearning” can sometimes remain “unrecognized and unanswered,” that was a good depiction of how my search for a spiritual home as a teenager did not bear any obvious fruit. I was looking for greater meaning and higher purpose in my life, but my horizons were too narrow to enable me to find my path just then.
It was only years later, after I first learned about the Siddha Yoga path and received shaktipat from Baba, that my inner yearning became more focused on discovering my connection to God. The more that Baba’s priceless gift of shaktipat freed me from my earlier limited vision and understandings, the more my yearnings for ever more insight, wisdom, and freedom grew.
In fact, Baba taught me not only what I had been yearning for all my life, but the astonishing fact that it was attainable—as my birthright.
