Vegetarian Cuisine

VYAVAHARA – worldly, material, practical relations, the empirical truth of things, the practical life. When all vitality is sapped by unnecessary worry, anxieties, troubles and other worldly Vyavaharas, one cannot do any spiritual practice.

The SAMADHI JNANI AND VYAVAHARA JNANI –
The way of living of Jivanmuktas or sages differs. One sage lives in a princely style. Bhagiratha lived this kind of life. Another sage lives in a beggarly manner. One sage is always in a meditative mood. He never works. He never talks. He lives always in seclusion. Jada Bharata lived this kind of life. Another sage lives in a busy crowded city. He plunges himself in service. He talks with the people. He delivers lectures, holds religious classes, and writes books, etc. Sri Sankara led this kind of life. This is due to Prarabdha. Every sage has his own Prarabdha. If all sages have the same kind of living and the same kind of Prarabdha, this world will be like a prison. Variety in manifestation is the nature of Prakriti. The Jnani who has desire for worldly activities or Vyavahara and works in the world is a Vyavahara Jnani. The Jnani who withdraws himself completely from the universe is a Samadhi Jnani.
Knowledge is the same in these two types of Jnanis. But the Samadhi Jnani enjoys more Ananda (Bliss) than the Vyavahara Jnani. The Samadhi Jnani is one who is ever absorbed in Brahman. He does not see names and forms. The world has entirely vanished for him. He is quite unable to work. He is a Muzub (a silent sage of the highest category). He is a Paramahamsa. Food has to be thrust forcibly in the case of a Samadhi Jnani.
A Vyavahara Jnani will experience pain when his finger is cut, but a Samadhi Jnani will not experience pain even a bit even if his leg is amputated. The case of Shams Tabriez of Multan would serve as an example to justify the truth of the above statement. When he was skinned out, he laughed and uttered Analhaq, Analhaq. ‘Analhaq’ means ‘I am He’, and corresponds to the Hindu ‘Soham’.

A Vyavahara Jnani sees names and forms. A Vyavahara Jnani knows that this is Vishta (faeces), this is Chandana (sandal paste); this is a fool, this is an intelligent man; this is an Adhikari (a qualified person), this is a rogue, this is an honest man. But, he is not affected in his feelings. He is neither exalted when he gets success nor depressed when he fails. He neither loves an honest man nor hates the rogue. In this sense, he has Sama Drishti or equal vision.
The desire for work in the case of the Vyavahara Jnani is due to his Prarabdha. He uses his body and mind as his instruments just as a carpenter uses his tools. While working, he has not lost his Brahmic consciousness even for a second. He is settled always in the Chaitanya Svarupa or pure consciousness.

The Vyavahara jnani sees the whole world within himself. He sees nothing outside, just as you do. He sees through his Divya Drishti (divine perception) or Jnana Chakshus (divine vision), and not through the physical eyes. A Jnani, with the help of the powerful lens, the eye of Atman (the Self, God), sees the whole world with all the details of creation. He sees the astral body, the causal body with its Samskaras, the Pranic aura, psychic aura, magnetic aura, etc., of a man. It is very difficult for a worldly man with practical Buddhi (intellect) to mentally visualize how a Jnani sees the physical universe while he is working.

Be in the world, but not of the world. Lead a simple life. Lead a regulated life. – Sri Swami Sivananda