The siddhas are yogic powers or abilities earned in previous births. They are a reward for meritorious conduct. They are conferred rather automatically, without special ceremony, much as Dharma is always operating, whether one recognizes or not.

As with any possession, any thing one has by right, the siddhas can be used or not, claimed or not. Since they are fruits of past labor, using them is what's called reaching for the fruits of one's labors, or in other words, negative un-mindfulness, or, ego.

When something is used, it is used up. Using siddhas is burning merit. The account is depleted to the extent the resource is drawn. Thus the reality of the feeling of martyrdom users of siddhas have. The siddhas dwindle, flicker and finally go out. Then the user, the individual, develops mental disease. With the merit burned up, the account empty, the individual is in a desperate condition. The mind becomes a loose cannon because there is no longer any merit available to train it. The intellect is cut off. The heart freezes. Popularly, the condition is called being crazy.

The error is, living off the fruits of the labor one did during previous births. The correction is renouncing ownership of the siddhas.

Any owner may renounce title to property they own outright. Viswamitra gave his siddhas back in Rama.

This is the course Swami Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is frequently quoting Ramakrishna Paramahamsa as recommending. Equating Sathya Sai with the sadhaka Ramakrishna sought to advise so is improper. Sai is not a sadhaka. He is God. When He does what He does, it is not siddhas at work. It is His Nature.

Adwaitha Hermitage
December 30, 1992