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To the
Reader
To the Reader
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We are today right in the vortex of a
crisis in human history. Fear stalks mankind, from one end of the
world to the other. Anxiety rules the heart of man and deprives
him everywhere of sleep and rest and joy and laughter. Virtue has
become rare and wickedness puts on respectable robes. In the
family, in society, in the nation and in the comity of man, there
is a pathetic cry for peace, Santhi! But, we need not despair; we
have a Prashaanthi Nilayam, the Abode of Supreme Peace, where
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has inaugurated the process of
re-establishing Prashanthi! His Miraculous Powers proclaim Him a
God; His Omniscience astounds the pundits of science; His
Omnipresence is felt even across the seven seas; His Grace is
available to all who cleanse their hearts with the tears of
repentance. He is thirty six years of age now and He has promised
to wear this human habiliment for well nigh sixty years more
(1962). He teaches us the secret of Prashanthi, in conversation,
by speeches, and through his letters, and writings. These last are
to be found in the monthly magazine, published from the Prashanthi
Nilayam, and this book is the English Translation of a series he
wrote, on the subject, "Prashanthi". Study it with devotion, dear
reader, and practise its lessons, for they are from the Avatar of
the Lord Himself, come to retell the ancient wisdom, to men who
have lost the way.
N. Kasturi
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Readers! May this stream of Prema put down
the burning fires of disquiet, ignorance, injustice, and
irreligion that is consuming you and may it slake your thirst. May
it shower on you Peace, Joy and Happiness.
There are many people who are not aware of
even the meaning of the word, Prashanthi. It is as the backbone,
to each individual, and, for the Sadhaka it is as the very breath.
The work is taken by each to mean something different; many feel
that they have Peace; when some worldly desire that was vexing
them is satisfied! But, that is not Real Peace; it is but a
temporary short-lived interval between one worry and another. The
Syllable 'Pra' in Pra-shanthi means, expanding, enlarging, vikasa;
and so Prashanthi means that type of Santhi. That is to say, the
absence of Desire and Anger Greed and Hatred.
Prashaanthi means success in the
elimination of these qualities, grouped under Kama and Krodha.
This process called Sama is very essential for all. The Sadhaka
must be constantly engaged in practising it. What does the Sadhaka
strive for? Fulfillment, is it not? In other words, he strives for
Santhi. Now this Santhi is the innate nature of Man. Santhi is the
force, which comes to the aid of those who try to develop Viveka,
Vairagya and Vichakshana (Discrimination, Renunciation and
Keenness of Intellect). It is but a phase of the Atma itself. Just
as the Atma, it too has no beginning or end; no blemish can mar
it; it is equaled only by itself; it cannot be compared with any
other.
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Santhi must be manifested in feeling,
word, posture and deed; Manas, Vak, Kaya and Karma in the same
uniform equal measure. Then, Santhi becomes Prashanthi, the Real
Santhi. Bereft of such Peace, one cannot hope to get either
worldly, other-worldly, or trans-worldly bliss. Santhi is the
nursery of all happiness and all joy. Thyagaraja knew this, for,
he sang, "No Santhi, no Soukhya". All men need it, whoever they
are, be they Daanthins or Vedaanthins, ascetics or scholars, pious
men or philosophers.
But, man is unable to stand still even for
a moment! Absence of mere anger cannot be taken as peace. The
winning of a desired object and the satisfaction one gets then,
should not be confused with Santhi. The Santhi that has pervaded
the heart must not be shaken subsequently for any reason; that
type of Santhi alone deserves to be called Prashanthi. Prashanthi
has no ups and downs; it cannot be partial in adversity and
complete in prosperity. It cannot be one thing today and another
tomorrow. Maintaining the same even flow of Ananda, always, that
is Prashanthi.
"Prashanthivahini" tells you and makes you
understand how to earn it, how it can be utilised, and what its
attributes are. Every single Sadhaka has the legitimate Right to
earn this Prashanthi; so he must learn the path by which it can be
earned. The World today is suffering from selfish politics,
nihilistic religion and heartless competition; this is indeed a
disgraceful state of affairs. Man has completely forgotten his
fundamental divine nature. At such a crisis, the thing that is
most urgent is Santhi, Prema.
There are the drugs, which will cure this
dreaded disease. No other specific can ameliorate the illness. To
get Santhi, Prema is the only means. The fuel Prema yields the
divine flame of Santhi. Prema brings about unity of all mankind
and this unity combined with spiritual knowledge will bring about
world peace.
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The discipline of the self is the basic
foundation for successful living. Through that alone can man
attain real and lasting Peace. And, without peace, there can be no
happiness. Santhi is the very nature of the Atman. It co-exists
only with a pure heart; it is never associated with a greedy heart
full of desires. Santhi is the distinguishing mark of Yogis,
Rishis, and Sathpurushas. It does not depend on external
conditions. It will flee away from the selfish, and the sensual.
It hates the company of such persons. It is the characteristic of
the Inner Atma, wonderful, unshakable, and permanent.
Santhi is full of spiritual uplift and the
wisdom that is the natural accompaniment of bliss. Genuine Santhi
is won by the control of the senses only. Then it can be called
Prashanthi. The experience of that stage is as the Stream of
Peace. Calming the mental agitation that surges like waves
leveling the swirls and whirls of likes, dislikes, love, hate,
sorrow, joy, hope, despair, Santhi is earned and maintained,
without disturbance. Santhi is of the nature of the Atman. The
Atma is imperishable. It does not die like the body and mind. It
is universal, it is subtle and its very nature is knowledge. So,
Santhi also partakes of these characteristics. Knowledge of the
Atman destroys illusion, doubt and sorrow. Hence, Atmajnana
confers the steadiest Santhi, and with it Holiness and Happiness.
The Atma is not the Object of Knowledge;
it is the very source and spring of knowledge. Jnana is that which
shows the way to the ripening, the fruition, the freedom, the
immortality, the eternal happiness, and the eternal peace. He who
is carried away by the vagaries of the senses cannot attain the
Atman. Brahman is the one, Unchanging, in this changing world. The
Atman is not tarnished by the external transformation or changes,
or modifications. Glory of the body is not the Atman; the Atman
is, really speaking, nothing positable. It is neither this nor
that. It can be said to be only It, the Atman, the Brahman.
Brahman itself has become Sathya, Prema, Light, Santhi, Jnana and
Paramananda. Through any of these paths, you can attain Brahman;
have no doubt about that. It is the Truth.
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The Atman is not these five senses, nor
buddhi, nor the Pranas nor the life-force; it can only be
described as what it is not, not by what it is. No one can say It
is thus etc. If any one says it is thus and thus or it is this or
it is that, we can take it that he does not know a wee bit of it
at all. About something unknown, much can be said; anything, any
name can be ascribed to it. In short, the Atman cannot be
communicated by words; it is impossible to describe it whoever may
try.
Ananda is the innate nature of Man. But,
the pity is, he is searching for it everywhere except where it is
available. Ananda is not something lifeless and inactive. It is
another name for purposeful living. Santhi is the authority under
which the rule of Ananda prevails. It lays down the limits and
laws for all activities. It must be made so stable that it is
unaffected by the ever-wandering mind or the outward-bound senses.
It can only be experienced, personally, through the natural state
of Jnana. It is the most precious treasure. He who grasps that
which is deathless, that which can not be destroyed, that which is
not modified, he is the enjoyer of Santhi. He too has no death.
Santhi is a shoreless ocean: It is the
Light that illumines the world. Having it, is having all. It
confers knowledge of both this world and that. It leads to the
understanding of Brahman, the very fulfillment of human life,
which Vedantha tries to teach.
Pure love can emanate only from a heart
immersed in Santhi, for it is an atmosphere that pervades and
purifies. Santhi is not a conviction arrived at by means of logic.
It is the Discipline of all disciplined lives. The mind of man is
as a blank sheet of white paper when he is born. As soon as
thinking, feeling and acting starts, the process of tarnishing the
mind also starts, the body depends on Prana; it depends on the
mind and the desires that agitate the mind. Right and Truth are
befogged by the needs of manners, fashion, convention, custom etc
and the individual is thrown into a crowd. His solitariness is
invaded and taken away.
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Therefore, the mind must first be calmed
and quietened. Then only can the body be healthy and the intellect
sharp. The mind is projected at one time only on a single object,
not on many. But, it is still a conglomeration of thoughts,
desires, fancies, imaginings and the rest; in fact, the mind has
inside it, in a nutshell, the entire history of creation. That is
the Maya Mould of man. The mind is the Kurukshetra where good and
bad, right and wrong contest for supremacy. Iron has to be beaten
flat by iron alone. So too, the inferior, low mind has to be
shaped better by the superior mind itself. One has to make his
mind superior and stronger for the task of personal uplift.
That is the purpose of this
Prashanthivahini. Drink deep the waters of this Stream, the waters
of discipline indicated therein; immerse yourself in it and become
cleansed; may its coolness refresh your sorrows and your pains,
and quench the fires of sin.
Another disease has now begun to spread in
the world to weaken and lessen Santhi. There are plenty who,
parrot-like, purvey wholesome advice on morals, religion and
discipline: They do not practise even a single bit of it
themselves. The so-called elders know only how to speak, not how
to act. How can those who teach how to act, know to speak about
it? Words devoid of experience - that is the illness which
afflicts the world today.
This must first be treated and removed,
for Peace is warped thereby for mankind. To speak is easy for all.
The real Sadhaka, however, is he who acts and then speaks from
experience. He who merely speaks but does not act is the person
who brings about disaster. Such dangerous Sadhakas and Sadhus have
multiplied and they have confused the true path. Innocent and
simple-minded devotees who attach themselves to such are also
being led astray and duped. Let the readers and the Sadhakas watch
first the conduct, and then choose. If there is no observance of
the advice given, treat them with the respect due to a phonograph
record; nothing more. The record is to be treated as a record
only, not as Godhead, until you reach the stage when the truth of
"Everything is God" becomes patent to you. It is a greater mistake
and sin to say, "All is God" in mere words only and, while doing
so, treat some as unholy in actual practice.
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Many take sweet diction and elocution as
important. Of course, they are, to some extent; but, the sweetness
of the words must be there, whenever the speech is recalled to
memory. It should not turn bitter with the passage of time. Then
only are those words Amritha. Now, the sweetness does not persist;
it turns bitter soon. The reason is there is no co-ordination
between the speaker, the subject and conduct. Therefore, instead
of Amritha, the words now become Anritha. The impression will be
changeless and permanent when a good subject is clothed in a
fitting style and presented with appropriate feeling on the basis
of actual experience.
What Sadhakas have to do now is this:
- First Viveka is to be developed; that
is to say, the capacity to distinguish the eternal from the
transitory, and to decide which is worthy.
- Second, a sincere attempt has to be
made to experience what is so chosen as worthy and true.
- Third, that attempt should not be given
up; whatever comes in the way.
These three can be called genuine tapas.
From this Tapas alone is born real Santhi and Joy.
Now, everything from Ant to Almighty is
undergoing some change or other, every minute. There is no object,
no live thing that is an exception to this law. Creation is ever
changing. But this change is of two kinds; external and internal.
The external change can be easily cognised; the internal is not so
patent, not so easy to understand. That is why it is necessary to
first train oneself to understand the external changes which are
clearer, and then, gradually approach the problem of controlling
the changing interior. Of these two, which ever you are at, do it
with a full heart, to the satisfaction of your own conscience, not
to earn the esteem of others, or to please them, or to get praised
by them as a great Bhaktha. Such an attitude is treason to the
Self, Atmadroha.
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The Lord loves the Inner, not the Outer.
But, you should not neglect the outer; even in the outward
behaviour and act you should manifest the inner feeling; that
gives a chance for experiencing the feeling of Quietitude and
Santhi in fuller measure, for the taste of that Santhi must be
enjoyed through thought, word, gesture and deed. It is only when
Santhi is enjoyed in all these four, that it becomes Paripoorna,
or Complete; in other words, then the Manas fades away and the
stage designated as genuine Santhi or Yoga is reached.
Philosophy that cannot be understood,
scriptures that are not practised - the present world is full of
such - it is a waste to talk of these. Real change must be made in
the daily conduct and behaviour of man, for these are within the
experience of all, they can be easily practised, and their purpose
can be clearly grasped. It is only when these are transformed that
the inner Atma, deeper, more mysterious and more essential, can be
understood. In every little act, activity and word, one should
discriminate and adopt the best; that is the sign of the genuine
Sadhaka.
Neither Santhi, nor the Bhakthi that gives
it, can be got through another; it has to be created and
developed, each one for himself. Still, one should have also the
grace of the Lord, which is fundamental. As said in the Upanishad,
"Yameva vrunuthe thena labhyah", "He whom He chooses, He gets it."
But the Sadhaka may doubt, "What then is the need for Sadhana?" He
who thinks of the Lord with devotion can overcome any type of
Prarabdha or Sanchitha, inherited or accumulated Karma. With His
Grace, he can experience even unattainable Ananda. Do not doubt
the usefulness of Sadhana; it can never be fruitless, no, for any
one. Hold firm to that conviction. Unshaken Bhakthi will win the
grace of the Lord. Gajendra is an example of this.
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Each is born for some task, but, all can
exist only on the self-same food and drink, Santhi; for without it
there is no Ananda. Santhi embellishes every act; it softens the
hardest core of man; it takes you to the footstool of the Lord and
wins for you the vision of God. It knows no distinction; it is a
force that establishes equality. It is the honey of Prema in the
enchanting flower of Life. It is a prime need for the Yogi and the
Sadhaka. Having acquired it, they can realise the Reality,
tomorrow, if not today. They should put up with all the obstacles
in the way and Santhi will give them the strength needed for it.
Through Santhi alone can Bhakthi expand and Jnanam strike root.
Jnanam, born of Santhi is the one and only means of living the
full life or the life that knows no death; for, the inquiry, "Who
am I?" clears the path for Realisation. So, man must wait
patiently and quietly, placing his faith on the Grace and Wisdom
of the Lord. Such an inquirer will be ever earnest and penitent.
Man becomes fearless and therefore full of Santhi through another
conviction also that the Lord is everywhere, visibly present.
To earn Santhi, its inveterate enemy Anger
must be laid low. Anger is the harvest of the tantalising mind; it
enslaves man and fogs his understanding. Understanding becomes
easy when you are full of Bhakthi, and your devotion is
deep-rooted. The form of Bhakthi called Santha-Bhakthi - is the
best path for attaining eternal, everlasting Ananda. Become the
messengers of the Santhi that has no beginning or end. Hold forth
for humanity the Light of Santhi. Live the ideal life, ever
contented, ever joyous, and ever happy.
The Sadhakas and Bhakthas of old reached
their goal through Santhi only. Santhi gave Ramdas, Tukaram,
Kabir, Thyagaraja, Nandanar etc., the fortitude needed to bear all
the calumny, torture and travail that was their lot. If Sadhakas
base their efforts on these examples, they will be free of anger,
despair or doubt. The accounts of their struggles and successes,
if contemplated upon, are more useful to the Sadhaka than the
contemplation of the powers and accomplishments of the Lord. They
will help him to try out in their own experience the methods,
which these others developed. One can attain Santhi by recalling
how they overcame handicaps, bore troubles, and what paths they
trod to cross over to the other bank.
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It will be found that Santhi was the main
instrument which saved them from the coils of anger, pain,
conceit, doubt and despair. Therefore listen, O Sudhakas! Acquire
the instrument, Santhi, by the Grace of the Lord. Direct all
efforts to that end.
Whatever the trouble, however great the
travail, persist and win, by means of Smarana. Remember Bhishma!
Though prostrate on a bed of arrows, he bore the pain patiently,
awaiting the dawn of the auspicious moment: He never called out to
God in his agony, asking Him to put an end to his suffering. "I
shall bear everything, whatever the pain, however long the agony.
I shall be silent until the moment comes. Take me when it dawns",
he said. For Bhishma was the chief among the Santha-Bhakthas. He
lay firm and unshakeable.
Santhi is essential for every one; having
it is having all; not having it, takes away the joy of everything.
Though Santhi is the very nature of Man, anger and greed succeed
in suppressing it. When they are removed, Santhi shines, in its
own effulgence.
Man must always have calm thoughts. Then
only can his mind have equanimity. It is just a question of the
discipline of the mind, difficult in the beginning, but once
mastered, capable of conquering all troubles and worries. An
unruffled mind is very necessary for every aspirant who is
marching forward; it is one of his beneficial qualities. Such a
mind gives real strength and happiness. Strive to gain it, though
you may fail even in seven attempts. You are sure to succeed in
the eighth, if you refuse to be dispirited. The story of Bruce who
drew inspiration from a spider, and won the honours of victory at
the eighth attempt is worth remembering. What is it that gave him
the victory? Santhi, the unruffled mind. He did not yield to
despair, cowardice or helplessness; he was calm throughout, and he
secured success. Even if calamity befalls, the Sadhaka should not
lose heart. The mind must ever be pure, untarnished and calm, full
of courage. No weeping for the past, no faltering in the
performance of the task at hand, that is the mark of a Sadhaka. Be
prepared to have gladly any obstacle in the path. Only such can
realise the goal.
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Elation at profit, joy and cheer;
dejection at loss and misery, these are the natural
characteristics common to all mortals. What, then, is the
excellence of the Sadhaka? He should not forget the principle: Be
vigilant and suffer the inevitable, gladly. When difficulties and
losses overwhelm you, do not lose heart and precipitate some
action; but meditate calmly on how they ever came to be. Try to
discover some simple means of overcoming them or avoiding them, in
an atmosphere of Santhi.
When the blow is directed to the head, see
that the turban alone gets it, this is the mark of keen
intelligence. Santhi is essential for this sharpness of intellect.
Haste and worry will confuse the intelligence. Santhi develops all
the beneficial characteristics of man. Even farsightedness grows
through Santhi. Through that, obstacles and dangers can be
anticipated and averted. Sadhakas have to pay attention to some
subtle points here. He has some special problems, viz., his
failings, mistakes, drawbacks etc. The Ichchasakthi, or the Will
to Feel can be so purified and strengthened that these failings
will never more be recollected. If thoughts run after the failings
and begin to dwell on how they came about, when they came about
etc., you are prone to commit a few more. Once they have been
recognised as failings, why worry about their birth and ancestry?
Allow your mind to dwell on good things, instead. Of what profit
is it to spend time on things that are no longer necessary? Do not
think of them any more. The Sadhaka will find this attitude
useful.
If the Sadhka is unsuccessful in following
one discipline, he has to seek and know the cause of his defeat.
This analysis is necessary. He must then see that, in the second
stage, the trait is not repeated. He should try his best to guard
himself against it. In such matters one must be quick and active,
like the squirrel. Agility and vigilance must be combined with
sharpness of intelligence, too. All this can be earned only
through Santhi.
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Steady and undeviating earnestness is very
important for avoiding conflicts in the mind and for overcoming
them. One has to be calm and unruffled. Courage, wise counsel and
steadiness, these will make the Will, the Ichchasakthi, strong and
sturdy. Lustre in the face, splendour in the eye, a determined
look, a noble voice, large-hearted charity of feeling, unwavering
goodness, these are the sign-posts of a developing and progressing
Will-Force. A mind without agitations, a joyous and unblemished
outlook, these are the marks of a person in whom Santhi has taken
root.
The Bhaktha can well pray for and ask from
the Lord, the gift of such a Santhi, and also the Sadgunas
necessary for its growth. Why, the Sadhaka has as his capital for
earning any of his goals, only this one thing, Prayer.
Some people may have some doubts related
to this. Of what avail is Prayer? Will the Lord gratify all that
we ask for, in our prayers? He can give us only what, according to
Him, we need, or what we deserve. Is it not? Will the Lord like to
give us all that we ask for, in our prayers to Him? Under such
circumstances, what is the use of prayer? Of course all these
doubts can be resolved.
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If the Bhaktha has dedicated his all,
body, mind and existence, to the Lord, He will Himself look after
everything, for He will always be with him. Under such conditions,
there is no need for prayer. But, have you so dedicated yourself
and surrendered everything to the Lord? No. When losses occur, or
calamities come, or plans go away, the Bhaktha blames the Lord.
Some, on the other hand, pray to Him to save them. Avoiding both
these, as well as the reliance on others, if complete faith is
placed on the Lord at all times, why should He deny you His Grace?
Why should He desist from helping you? Men do not rely fully and
unswervingly on the Lord; therefore, though you have to be the
agent and the instrument doing everything, keep on praying with
devotion and faith. Faith is the product of Santhi, not of haste
and hurry. For the acquisition of the Grace of the Lord and the
resulting Awareness of the Reality the quality of Santhi is the
prime need. Every Sadhaka is aware how Draupadi deserved the Grace
of the Lord, through her Dharma and her Santhi. Though her
husbands were mighty heroes, and far-famed monarchs, she sought
refuge in Lord Krishna, feeling that all others are of no use. But
Prahlada did not seek refuge, under similar circumstances. He had
surrendered all at birth to the Lord; he knew that the Lord
was ever by his side and that he was ever by the side of the Lord;
so he had no need to call out to Him, for protection. Prahlada was
unaware of anything except the Lord; he could not distinguish
between one function of the Lord, and another. So, how could he
pray for protection, he who did not know that, He punished? For
all such God-intoxicated and dedicated souls, prayer is
unnecessary.
But, until that stage is reached, prayer
in an attitude of Santhi is essential for Sadhakas. Prayer of this
type will promote equanimity, or Samarasa. The Lord can be prayed
to by means of Kirthana, Japa, Dhyana or Bhajana. In every one of
these, the chief item is the Divine Name. That is why Krishna
spoke in the Githa of Japayajna. When Japa is done, it is better
to recite aloud, and make it Bhajana. This will inspire the
gathering. If Bhajana is sung in a sweet voice, people will be
drawn towards the Lord. Gradually, it will develop into the Love
for God, and his Grace will follow in due course. One should
patiently wait for that Grace.
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Even for being blessed by the Lord's
Grace, one must have Santhi and await patiently. Serenity alone
succeeds in bringing about the result of Sadhana. Add this lesson
to the practices you are engaged in, night and day, and to the
Santhi Manthra.
"Asatho maa sadgamaya;
thamaso maa jyothirgamaya;
mrityor maa amritham gamaya,"
this is the Santhimanthra. The meaning of
this mantra is given variously by various people, some
elaborately, some succulently.
- "O, Lord, when I am deriving happiness
through the objects of this world, make me forget the unreal
objects and show me the way to permanent happiness," this is the
first prayer.
- "O Lord, when the objects of the World
attract me, remove the darkness which hides the all-pervading
Atma, which every such object really is." This is the second
prayer.
- "O Lord, bless me through Your Grace
with Immortality or Paramananda, resulting from the awareness of
the Effulgence of the Atma, immanent in every object." This is
the third prayer. This is the real meaning of the Mantra.
The true Bhaktha will always be dwelling
in God. He has no time to know or feel his welfare or worries.
Attaining the Lord, is the one and only idea in his mind. It is
hard to understand this nature, except by examples. A small child
runs about in fear shouting, "Amma, Amma", searching for its
missing mother. The mother takes it up in her arms and places it
on her lap. The child stops crying and is free from all fear. But,
can the child calculate and find out the difference between its
previous state and its present relief? No. Nor is it necessary to
do so.
So too, he who seek ever to serve the Lord
will immerse himself in it when the glorious chance comes; in that
Presence, no anxiety or trouble can disturb him. Anxiety and
trouble pester only until the moment of attainment; then, all
attention is diverted to the Experience. The past struggle and
travail are forgotten.
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Therefore, Sadhakas and Bhakthas must
ignore and forget all the thousand troubles that have gone before,
and be engaged in the thoughts of the Lord only. Immerse
yourselves in them and derive joy therefrom. Bhakthi has no other
reward. It is the cause and it is also the effect - there are no
two. Bhakthi is itself the Realisation. Through the Jnana Path
also, when the veil of Ajnana is removed, the self-same
Realisation occurs. In the Bhakthi Path, one derives no jot of joy
from any source, except the Lord. Every obstacle in this Path can
be overcome by Chithsakthi. The Chith-sakthi is weakened by
Ahamkara and Mamakara: the feeling "I am the enjoyer." "These
things are mine" etc. So long as one has this consciousness one
can have no real contentment. One will be driven to seek for
things which will give even more joy.
Every Bhaktha hopes ultimately to
experience the joy of Supreme Bliss, as a result of his Sadhana.
But, that Bliss is not something newly earned or acquired, some
new experience to be won by Sadhana. It is always with him, in
him; only he is not able to taste it now, due to the obstacles of
the Ego, which acts as a screen hiding it from view. One has to
rend that veil asunder. Sadhana, that is all that the Sadhaka has
to do. Then the ever-existing Bliss can be cognised. It does not
arise anew; it is there always. What comes and goes is the screen
of 'I' and 'mine' which covers the Bliss.
While trying to remove the screen of
Ahamkara and Mamakara, the Sadhaka should not hasten frantically
and worry overmuch if he does not discover the Bliss expected. At
such times, Santhi is an unfailing help. If Santhi is cultivated
well at first, then you can succeed in any task, however
difficult. Every one is entitled to acquire and benefit by Santhi
such as this. All are children of Santhi; however many the progeny
she is 'mother' to each of them; for every of them, old or young,
great or small, she is 'mother' in an equal measure; when they
call her, each one has to address her as 'mother'. Children
brought up by Santhi avoid all pain and sorrows, bear all
varieties of happiness and, at last, lay their heads on the lap of
the 'mother' in perfect security.
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To win such perfect security, one has to
follow the path of full Bhakthi, dedicating oneself to the Lord.
It cannot be got by any other means. The path of Jnana is possible
only for one in a million, it is beyond the reach of all. Is it
possible to negate the body and the objective world, so patent to
the senses, by repeating, 'Nethi', 'Nethi', 'Not this', 'Not
this'? And unless this is possible, how can the 'Nethi', 'Nethi'
argument be applied? Under present conditions, Jnanamarga is
indeed very difficult. Then, the Karmamarga too is not quite so
feasible. It is also full of difficulties. To do work in the
proper spirit, Love and Devotion, Bhakthi and Prema are essential
for success. So too the Yogamarga; it also bristles with
obstacles. Therefore, the Bhakthimarga is the smoothest, the most
conducive to success and the most bliss-yielding.
Even this Bhakthi marga, no one can define
and demarcate, as such and such. Since it has many forms, many
roads, and many types of experience, it is impossible for any one
to describe it accurately and fully. Each Bhaktha gets Ananda only
through his individual experience; through the experience of other
Bhakthas, he can get at best only encouragement and guidance. The
experience changes from one Person to another and so, it eludes
comparison, and even description. If anyone is able to describe it
by examples and limits, then one can be sure that his experience
is not real. The limited soul is immersed in the limitless Love of
the Lord, and how can words describe that experience called by the
Upanishads as "Akhandaikarasa", the Unbroken Uniflow of Sweetness?
Man cannot express in human language that state of Unbounded
Bhakthi. By outward signs which can be cognised by the senses, one
can feel that the Bhaktha is in a high state of Bliss but, who can
gauge the depth of that Joy? That has no relation with the senses
at all. Bhakthi has to be realised in your own experience, though
great souls can illumine the path a little for you by their
examples. You can grasp something of the Path, with their help.
But, always remember that words fail, when they approach the
Beyond. They are useful only for purposes of the objective world.
They are instruments of no value in regions of experience where
comparisons are impossible.
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Still
consider a few such illustrations. Maitreyi, one of the foremost
Bhakthas among women, compared the mind of a Bhaktha to a still
lake, that is to say, all agitation is stopped, the mind becomes
Jada, inactive, ineffective so to say, worn out into nothing.
Kapilamaharshi, speaking of the same Bhakthi, compares it to a
flowing stream. Streams and rivers like Ganga and Godavari, flow
uninterruptedly without rest or any other thought towards the sea;
so too from the very moment of birth, the Bhaktha yearns to reach
the sea of the grace of the Lord. Bhakthi is that unbroken
relationship. Whatever the task on hand, whichever road is trod,
the mind dwells on the goal alone, the goal of attaining the Lord.
Again in the Devibhagavatham, it is said that Bhakthi is as the
flow of oil, from one vessel to another, thailadharavath. This is
more or less like the image of the river. Sankara characterises
Bhakthi differently, in the Sivanandalahari. Like the piece of
iron that is drawn towards the magnet, the Jivi is drawn towards
the Lord and it attaches itself firmly to the Lord. All
modifications of the mind get merged in the Feet of the Lord.
Ramanuja explained that Bhakthi as well as Dhyana done through
Prema are essentially the same. Though each interprets it
differently, all interpretations are correct, for they are all
based on actual experience, which cannot be negated. These
statements do not exhaust the types; there are many more, for
Bhakthi is of thousand forms; it flows along a thousand streams,
to reach the ocean of the Lord's Grace. The goal of all the forms
is the merger of Jiva and Brahma, an absorption which is an
experience.
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Many people are disheartened by the fear
that such merger is beyond their reach in this Kali age, however
much they may try. But, this is a type of weakness and nothing
more. It is not a question of the path of yoga adopted; whatever
the yoga path, if one has Faith in Oneself and Faith in the
sastras, the goal is bound to be won. Some pretend to have Faith
in both, all the while doubting them in the heart of hearts. Each
one can discover for himself the measure of his faith by the
results. If the experience of merger is absent, it is due to the
absence of these two. They must be in one, as the very breath of
existence. Then only can they succeed in Sadhana and attain the
Aikya. Of course, those without Faith are without anything. They
cannot benefit by advice. The present state of affairs is due to
men losing Faith in themselves and in the Sastras. Even those who
claim to have the Faith do not conduct themselves according to the
Sastras and nourish them. Consequently, Goodness and the Sathwic
quality have gone out of the world and wicked habits and
degradation have gained the upper hand. If this atmosphere is to
be transformed, and if the world must enjoy security and peace,
every Asthika, every pious God-fearing person, must cultivate
Faith in himself and in the Sastras and practise in one's own life
the disciplines enjoined in the Sastras. Naturally, some
modifications may have to be made out of consideration for the
place, time and individual, but, the fundamental outlook and
significant meaning should not be changed. The means by which
those ideals are to be reached may be changed, but not the ideals
themselves.
A child may refuse to swallow a pill, when
it is in bed suffering from fever; it may clamour for a plantain
instead. Do you know what to do at that time? Do not omit the
pill; insert the pill inside the plantain and offer it to the
child to be swallowed. Its desire is satisfied; the fever, too,
comes down. The fundamental has not been discarded; it has
remained unchanged; only the method of administering it has been
modified.
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So too, in the midst of the crazy habits
and behaviours of today, there is no use presenting the Sastras in
a language which most people are unfamiliar with. They can be
explained in easy understandable language. The Fundamentals of the
Sastra will not be affected by this. Then it can be practised,
understood and experienced and enjoyed. As a consequence, the
Faith in the Sastras will also be strengthened, and Peace too will
be stabilised upon the Faith. So, every Asthika must practise the
important direction of the Sastras and demonstrate in his life the
sweetness of such dedicated lives, so that all others might
appreciate the truth and value of the ideals and the disciplines.
Big personages, claiming to be great,
declaim about the Vedas, the Sastras and the Atma; They freely
quote the similes and metaphors contained in the books but, by
their conduct, they diminish their lustre. Of what use is it when
the eyes are closed, to fill the rest of the body with vital
consciousness? Not even a single step can be taken forward.
Similarly, with the eye of Faith in the Sastras closed, what can
one practise, if asked to carry on?
Therefore, from today onwards, readers who
are Sadhakas in the spiritual plane should try to grasp the basic
meaning of the Sastra. It is a sacred guide along the road. If it
is not believed in, the Reality will elude them. To understand it,
one must have peace and fortitude. Santhi is of great assistance
in this. If only the great personages explain it in simple easily
understandable language to the ignorant, then, discontent and
disquiet will disappear and belief in God will increase. Concord
will grow between man and man. The nourishing of the Sastra will
promote the nourishing of the welfare of the world.
To nourish the Sastra, "Sathyam Vada",
Speak the Truth, to nourish the world, "Priyam Vada", Speak
pleasantly. If these two are kept in view and practised, there is
no greater discipline needed. It is only in an atmosphere of
Santhi that such sacred maxims can be put in action.
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To earn that calmness, steady effort and
concord are essential, in the same manner as for the nourishing of
the Sastra and of the world. When Santhi is acquired, then, it is
all concord, Samarasa. Samarasa is the very nature of Santhi.
Everyone should be endowed with that Santhi and that Samarasa and
establish an Age of Belief or Asthikam devoid of un-Sastric
behaviour, attitude, conduct habits and character.
For this purpose, an army of Sadhakas has
to be trained in Ashramas and Centres of Asthikam, working in
various parts. This is the responsibility mainly, of those who run
the Ashramas for, they must have Faith in themselves in order to
train the army along sound lines. Otherwise, things will get more
confounded. The elders and the 'great', the so-called big
personages, they by their practices are responsible for the
evident loss of Faith in Sastras, in oneself and the consequent
discord and disquiet. Hence, they must all gird up their loins to
re-establish and restore Santhi.
Bhakthi is the very fountainhead of this
Santhi, and so, if every one plants it in his heart and nourishes
it with care and constant attention, a harvest of Goodness and
Concord can be reaped. The path of Bhakthi is the best, under
present conditions.
That is why the Bhagavatha is saturated
with Bhakthi. Without Bhakthi, the Lord cannot be understood.
Sakthi, however high and mighty, if it intends to protect and
foster the world, has to assume the human form itself. That form
alone will be suitable for all to listen to and learn from, honour
and serve; those who have no Bhakthi will take that form as merely
human, for they cannot grasp the Absolute Principle, the
Parathathwa. This is the reason why it is said in the Githa:
Avajaananthi maam moodha maanusheem thanumaasritham
Param bhaavamajaanantho mama bhoothamaheswaram.
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Men are failing to keep steady faith in
such invaluable declaration. This is the worst sacrilege. Judged
properly, Bharathadesa is of all countries, the holiest. The
meaningful Yajna and Yoga that originated in Bharathadesa, the way
of life followed by the people here are not found in any other
country or the history of any other people. Such intensive
cultivation of the spirit, such supremely useful spiritual
literature, arose out of the experiences of the people of this
country! It holds the very first place in this field. The Four
Vedas, the six Darsanas, the eighteen Purnas, the Bhashyas of the
Acharyas, and besides these, the Disciplines and Methods of
Sadhana expounded by the great souls, who have answered questions
like, What is meant by life? What is the meaning of God? What
transformations take place on death, in the Jivi? etc. No other
place is so congenial for Rishis and Mahatmas as this country.
Here, there are persons who have tasted the entire gamut of
spiritual bliss. This country played the chief role in spreading
the doctrine of Ahimsa taught in Buddhism. The land that gave
birth to Buddha is Bharathadesa. When the spiritual experience,
the essence of the Sastras of the Sanathana Dharma of this sacred
Land is being treasured by other countries, what about the fate of
those who do not realise its worth but are engaged in squeezing
the essence out and making it dry?
So, arise, all ye who aspire to take up
the Adhyatmic Sadhana! Immerse yourselves in actual practice!
Strengthen your Faith! Cultivate it! Make Santhi your secure
possession! Saturate your lives with Ananda! Enjoy the Vision of
Atmarama! Arise and delay not!
The mind should not be permitted to wander
as it fancies. It must be controlled without the least tenderness
of mercy. Why? If possible, one should aim even at its
destruction, that is to say, making the mind keep away from
contact with worldly objects. It is only when that is done that
man can grasp his real identity. The realisation of that Reality
is the state called Mukthi. Then all varieties of troubles and
travails, doubts and dilemmas, come to an end. Man then overcomes
sorrow, delusion and anxiety and is established in the holy
calmness of Santhi.
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First, give up all impure impulses and
cultivate the pure ones. Afterwards, try step by step to give up
even these and render the mind objectless. Nirvishaya. Santhi thus
attained in Effulgent, Blissful and associated with Wisdom; it is
indeed the experience of the Godhead, God Himself.
The Sadhaka who wants to attain this
Santhi has to constantly practise a virtuous life, overcoming all
the initial obstacles. Santhi is a mountain of rock. It can stand
up against the continuous floods of temptation from evil. This
Prashanthi need not be sought anywhere outside: It emanates in the
Anthah-Karana itself. It is the very basis of the urge towards
liberation; it is the root of deep-grounded Dhyana; it is the
pre-requisite for Nirvikalpa-Samadhi. Established in Santhi, the
Reality can be known and experienced, impulses and mental waves
can be stilled. Atmananda or the Bliss of Realisation of the Self
is proportional to the decline of I-ness and the identification
with the physical body.
Do not shape your conduct with an eye on
the opinion of others. Instead, follow bravely, gladly and
steadily, the sweet and pleasant promptings of your own Sathwic
Manas, your own Awakened Conscience, your own Inner Self.
Associate yourself with those who are richly endowed with Truth.
Spend every second of your life usefully and well. If you possibly
can, render service to others. Engage yourself in nursing the
sick, but when thus engaged in service, do not worry about either
the result, or the act of service, or the person to whom it is
rendered. The service is made holy and pure if you ignore both the
good and the bad, and keep on silently repeating in your heart of
hearts the Manthram that appeals to you. Do not enter upon a task
through momentary compulsion of some impulse, the impulse might
appear very respectable, but you should not let yourself be
dragged by it. You have to be always vigilant in this matter,
always steadfast and strong.
A joyful outlook helps Santhi to grow, it
should therefore be cultivated by the Sadhaka. His nature should
be free from pomp and show. He should understand the secret of
character, and strengthen his will for betterment. If he moves in
the world intelligently and with care, he can demonstrate the
truth of the statement, "Man is truly of the nature of Santhi".
For example, valuable time should not be wasted in worthless talk.
Conversation must be pleasant and to the point. Then, it can be
kept polite and simple, and Santhi will become firm.
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If everything is dedicated to the Lord,
there will be no room for worry or sorrow or even joy. If you rid
yourself thus of attachment, Santhi can never be disturbed. I, my,
mine, my own, your, yours... when these ideas take hold of the
mind Santhi suffers a set-back. To get the attitude of sincerely
offering all to Him, Prema is essential, Prema combined with faith
in oneself. That is what is called Bhakthi. Cultivate it steadily
every day and derive joy therefrom. Again, one should also have a
mind filled with Samarasa, a vision of equality, the conviction
that fundamentally all are the same. The spiritual life is not a
matter of meaningless talk; it is really life lived in the Atman;
it is the experience of pure Ananda; it is just another name for
the Full Life.
For a life of Santhi, you should keep your
promises and never forget them, you should be courteous and
well-mannered; you have to be impartial in your dealings. You
should be immersed in the ocean of Bhakthi, and as immovable as
the Himalayas. Remove from the garden of your heart the thorny
bushes of greed and anger, jealousy and selfishness, the evil
breed of 'I' and 'Mine'. Uproot them even when they emerge as
seedlings. All this discipline is truly discipline for earning
Santhi.
First, be convinced that you are the
Universal, Immortal Atma. That will make every subsequent Sadhana
easy. Instead, if you fondle the illusion that you are the body,
the senses, or only the jivi, this individual self, any Sadhana
that you do is just tender rot-ridden fruit; it will never grow
and become ripe, the sweet fruit of Santhi cannot be won even at
the end of many lives. To experience yourself as the embodiment of
Santhi, you must proceed from the faith that you are such an
embodiment. Give up the theory that you are the body and the
senses. This will lead to the receding of the Vasanas also. When
Vasanas recede, you acquire mastery and gain Santhi.
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Santhi can also be defined as true Prema
towards the Lord, towards Truth Itself and towards true Dharma.
Hence it makes realisation of the Lord possible. Have, therefore,
the Lord as your sole aim, hold fast to the desire to realise Him
in this very birth, remain unaffected by lust or greed, and by joy
and pain, praise and abuse or any such pair of opposites.
Fortitude such as this alone leads to Realisation.
Resolve that the purpose of human birth is
to reach the Lord through worship. All experience, all knowledge,
all actions are towards that end. All that is eaten, all that is
heard, must be dedicated towards that goal. The Lord's name is
like a mountain of sugar. Approach that mountain, have faith in
it, taste it anywhere and experience the Ananda. The highest
Bhaktha is he who ever revels in that Ananda. Others there are who
live beside the mountain, enjoying for some time the Bliss of the
constant remembrance of the Lord and at other times experiencing
the objects of the world. Such Bhakthas are of the middle class.
Some among the rest devote a quarter of their time to the Lord and
three quarters to the world. These are of the lower class of
Bhakthas. There are also others who take shelter at the foot of
the mountain (the Lord's name) when calamity hits them but move
far away from it when the crisis is over. Of these four grades,
the highest type of Bhakthas steadily cling to the path and enjoy
Bliss throughout their lives. To persist on that path, Santhi is
the best comrade; with its help you can render your life holy and
fulfil its purpose.
But, one point has to be carefully noted
here. When the body suffers from fever or when the mind is
otherwise distracted, you do not feel the taste of things you eat.
So too when the Lord's name is uttered, if the heart is tainted by
Thamoguna, or if the mind is otherwise distracted, you are not
aware of the sweetness of the name.
So long as the sugar is on the tongue, you
feel the sweetness in the taste. Similarly, so long as the heart
has Bhakthi, Santhi and Prema, you feel Ananda.
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Instead, if the bitter qualities of lust,
anger and envy germinate in the heart, fear, anxiety and sloth
will be the fruits thereof. You must have noticed the crane
walking silently or standing motionless, in order to catch fish.
If it plunges head-long or runs about helter-skelter, can it get
the fish? Similarly the Lord, in the fish-forms of Sathya, Dharma,
Santhi, and Prema can never be won, when the hullabaloo of lust,
anger, greed, egoism and envy is rampant in the heart.
The Ananda that transcends all ananda can
be achieved, if a single Sadhana, the constant remembrance of the
Lord's Name is practised and, if as a consequence, Santhi is
attained. By this, the evil tendencies of the lower nature can
also be conquered. Know that Paramatma is the goal of Man; direct
all attention on that goal; control the mind that wanders away
from it, this is the essence of the teaching of all the Sastras.
Practise this one discipline, and you have practised all the
Sastras.
Note this: the Kauravas enjoyed the
benefits of the Punya that they did in previous births, but while
so engaged, they revelled in evil deeds; the Pandavas, on the
other hand, while suffering from the evil deeds of their past
births, engaged themselves in Punya. This is the difference
between the wise and the unwise. When hardships overwhelm you,
know that it is the consequence of your own past deeds, do not lay
the blame on the Lord and develop a grouse against Him; do not pay
heed, to trouble or take it as such; but, engage yourself in the
service of others and in deeds of merit; continue relying on the
Name of the Lord as support; that is the sign of the wise; that is
acting Pandava-like. To strengthen this attitude, Santhi is a
great source of help. Basking in the happiness born of Punya, you
should not be tempted to commit deeds of evil. You should strive
to perform even more meritorious deeds. Then you can make your
lives holier and purer and reach the Divine Presence. Such
striving is the sign of the highest character. Establishing
oneself in Santhi through this type of character and attaining
Liberation or Moksha - this is the secret of a successful life,
the duty of every individual.
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For, what exactly is Moksha, Liberation?
It is the Samadhi (or Santhi) attained through the Sadhana of
Chittasuddhi, or cleansing of the Inner Man - the Sadhana of
negating the impressions that one gets through seeing, hearing,
reading, learning, doing and getting done. A person suffering
unbearable physical agony does not take any interest in an
entertainment, does he? Similarly, a sincere Seeker and Devotee
can have no interest in the world's theatre of objective pleasure,
and petty passion. These inferior desires have first to be
renounced and checked. They lie at the root of all misery. Passion
is the product of delusion; it dwells in the mansion of Raja.
Renunciation or Vairagya is resident in the Sathwic guna. Passion
is Asuric in nature. Passion, Ignorance, Egoism, all are born of
Delusion. Passion brings about Death, while Vairagya brings about
Liberation; it is Wisdom.
Stabilising oneself in Vairagya is itself
the highest Thapas, the most exacting Vow. One has to be ever
alert in that Thapas and strive again and again. Like a child
endeavouring to walk, you might toddle a few steps, falter and
fall, but like the child, you must lift yourself up with a smile
and start again. Santhi is essential for such persistence.
Failures are not boulders that block your way; remember, they are
stepping stones to victory.
Be bound to the Atma in you; take rest and
refuge in That; meditate on That, without interruption. Then, all
bonds will loosen of themselves, for the bond with which you
attach yourselves to the Lord or the Atma has the power of
unbinding all other bonds.
The 'unattached' has real love towards
all. Their love is not only pure, it is Divine as well. It is the
embodiment of Santhi. One can attain the Lord without doubt, if
one becomes devoid of all Raga or Passion or Attachment and if he
engages himself in the actions detailed above.
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Vairagya, of course, does not mean the
giving up of hearth and home, or of high estate and even kingdoms.
It is the understanding of the Divinity immanent in everything,
the fading away of all the distinct Names and Forms, the Ananda of
experiencing in everything and every place the Divine which is its
Reality, that is the true meaning of the Maha-vakya, Vairagya,
Raga-lessness. So long as one cognises the world of Name and of
Form, one is burdened with Raga. How can it be Raga-lessness when
the mind is immersed in thoughts, feelings and experience of the
objective world? One might have given up all but yet be full of
these. Such cannot be said to have Vairagya. Surely, even for the
acquisition of this pure spirit of Vairagya, Santhi is very
necessary.
The Ocean is one and indivisible; but, it
is called here, the North Sea and there, the South Sea! So too,
the Lord, the Ocean of Grace is one; but He is assigned various
names according to the Age or Era of Time. The holy rivers seeking
to reach the Ocean flow from all directions; so too, humanity
seeks the Lord through various spiritual disciplines and finally
merges themselves, all of them, in Krishna.
Mankind can win happiness only through
unity and not through diversity. If thoughts and feelings run
along the routes of distinction and division, happiness is beyond
reach, and Santhi cannot be experienced. Without Santhi, man has
no chance to be joyful. Consider the One Indivisible Ocean as the
goal; then, what does the direction of the flow matter? What does
the name matter? They merge in the self-same sea, is it not?
Sadhakas and Bhakthas, adopting the path of Yoga or Bhakthi, or
the path of Santhi, Dharma, Sathya and Prema, when they reach the
Ocean of Grace at last, Name and Form fade away; distinctions
disappear; they are blessed with the merger in the sea of Santhi.
So, Unity must ever be kept before the eye; never nourish ideas of
difference, of distinct names and forms of the Lord, of paths
which are divergent. Such ideas are obstacles for the attainment
of Ananda. Avoid these obstacles; develop the equal vision.
Remember, Santhi is the royal road to strengthen that vision and
reach the Ocean of Grace.
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To enjoy Santhi, mankind must be
controlled and directed by ideals of Dharma; this depends on
mutual tolerance in the family; that again is based on individual
conduct which is Sathwic: and aims at pleasing every one. Such
conduct has a charm, all its own. Avoid in your behaviour, your
actions, and your speech all trace of the desire to pain others,
to insult others, or to cause loss or misery to others. Find out
the best means of reforming yourself thus, practise this type of
living, desist from injury to yourself and your own good, and walk
always in the path of Truth. That is verily the path of Beauty,
that is conduct that is really charming.
For this, large heartedness is essential.
One can acquire it only if he has
- Inborn impulse or Samskara and
- Bhakthi in every act.
Through Bhakthi or devotion to the Lord
one gets humility, fear of sin, and faith in scripture. Through
these qualities, littleness of mind is wiped out and man becomes
large-hearted. Therefore, O ye Seekers! First direct your efforts
towards acquiring Faith in God and Fear of Sin. These two will
promote Meekness; and, remember Meekness is Santhi.
Some persons, the sort that have no
experience and that do not put their words into practice, go about
declaring that the way to Santhi is to keep Samsara at a distance.
That is no Santhi; it is just the opposite. If the seed is taken
far away from the tree, will it not grow into a tree again? If you
do not want it to, you will have to boil it or fry it over a fire.
So too, the impulses and vasanas that germinate have to be fried
over the fire of discrimination or vichara and then, real Santhi
can emerge. Instead, if one escapes only from the responsibilities
of Samsara or life in society, Santhi cannot be enjoyed: it will
never come. But, if vasanas are controlled and eliminated, there
is no need at all to run away. Content with what one has, refusing
to be worried by the absence of things which one has not got,
trying as far as possible to reduce and eliminate vasanas and
passions and hatreds, one should strive to cultivate Sathya and
Dharma, Prema and Sahana. Cultivate, and at the same time,
practise them systematically.
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This is the real duty of man, the real
purpose of human birth. If the above-mentioned four qualities are
cultivated and practised by each for himself, there will be no
envy between man and man; selfish grabbing will cease; the
interests of others will be respected; and, world peace can be
stablised. Instead, if you yourself have no peace, how can you
ensure world peace? Those enthusiastic about world peace must
first learn how to experience and enjoy that peace themselves.
Later, they can spread that Santhi to the world outside them, and
help to promote it.
Everywhere now, one can hear the cry,
"World Peace", "World Peace", but the number of persons who can
tell how it can be attained is very small! There is no one who can
even picture correctly what exactly is meant by Santhi or Peace.
For, if one has acquired true Santhi and experienced it, the
turmoils and confusions of the world will not be cognised at all.
You cannot be aware of its absence if you have it. Santhi means,
"the giving up of the activities of the senses". How can such
Santhi be spread and 'promoted', by any one who has gained it? It
can be experienced, but, it is incapable of being exchanged from
person to person. The best that can be done is to show the way to
others, to inform others of its sweetness. How can another's
hunger be appeased by your eating your food? The diner alone
derives satisfaction from the dinner. Santhi too is of such a
nature. Each has to earn and experience it for himself, so that
all may have it. Love and Fortitude are enough to confer Santhi.
But, you should not concentrate on mere outward show; let these
virtues saturate your thought, word and deed; that is the way to
establish world peace also.
Certain others declare that Prayer can
bring about world peace and they ask people to pray. Of course, it
is good to pray; but, Santhi can never be gained by that alone.
Prayer must be united with practice. You should not pray for one
thing and practice another. Such prayer is only a means of
deception. The words you utter, the deeds you do, the Prayers you
make must all be directed along the same path. While repeating
prayers for World Peace or Loka Santhi, if you cannot patiently
put up with others, if you slander others and look down upon them,
you yourself will have no Santhi; you will have turmoil, instead!
And, with the turmoil, all the attendant sorrow and pain!
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Through world peace, individual peace too
can be cultivated. When food is taken by the hand to the mouth,
chewed and swallowed, the essence spreads to every part of the
body, so also, if the hands are engaged in acts promoting peace,
and the tongue engaged in prayers for peace, by these two means,
the essence of Santhi will spread into all parts of the World,
which is but the body of the Lord. The Santhi of the World is the
basis for genuine Santhi.
Many do not know the meaning of the
statement, "Deho Devalayam". "The Body is the Temple". For what
reason did the temple arise? For the Lord worshipped within. If
there is no such Lord, it cannot be called temple. But, the
actions of man are now all against this plain fact. Now all
worship is being done to the temple, forgetting that the temple is
not God. The temple is to be preserved and cleaned and decorated
for the sake of God therein, it should be made a good means of
realising Him. That is all. Similarly, the body is the temple of
the Lord, the Atmaswarupa. Forgetting the need for faith in the
Atma, for the bliss derived from the Atma, for the worship of the
Atma, for dedication to the Atma, people are now immersed in faith
in the body, bliss of the body, decoration of the body and
dedication to the body. In spite of everything, the body is
evanescent; but through the temple, the Lord can be seen. Through
the body, the Atma who is within can be realised. That is the main
task of man; conscious of this, try always to keep watch over the
body and protect it. Do not neglect the Lord within; do not hold
fast to the unreal, temporary, outer building. Of course, you
should not ruin the temple, either; its maintenance is also
essential. Only, you should never forget that what gives value and
purpose to it, is the Atma within.
Similarly, with Lokasanthi and Atmasanthi,
world peace and individual peace. The temple is Lokasanthi; the
Lord within is Atmasanthi. World peace is a means to subserve the
Santhi of the individual. The World is the Lord's Mansion. Know it
as such. He is moving about in that mansion, in its many rooms.
God's worship can be done well only if the temple is clean and
pure. So, engage yourselves in winning the two, Santhi for the
world and Santhi for yourselves. Do not ignore the Lord whose
mansion is the world. Without Him, it is a tomb, not a temple,
Savam not Sivam. If you always remember Him, that is Joy and
Victory, that is Sarvamangala.
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Lokasanthi is the life-breath of all
beings; so, strive ever for that. The Lord can be won only when
the sacred motherland is immersed in Santhi. When Prakriti merges
in Paramatma, it is called Moksha. So, seekers of Moksha must
yearn for the Santhi and Prema of Prakrithi as much as they yearn
for the Prema and Grace of Paramatma. Without the Grace of both
Prakriti and Paramatma, the strong and subtle evil of the senses
cannot be conquered. That is, the destruction of the mind, the
stilling of the agitations of the mind cannot be done. Therefore,
everyone has to achieve Santhi, as his chief duty.
There are many who argue that Self-respect
is Santhi. But, they confuse Self-respect with the respect given
to the inferior vehicle, the body, or to one's status. That is,
respect to the person, not respect to the Self or Atma. The
respect given to the Lord within, the Atma, that is real
Self-respect, not anything else. Truth is Atma; pure Prema is
Atma; the Lord is Atma; self-less Service is Atma. Respect for
these is Self-respect; of this type is, of course, Santhi; not the
other types. Keeping the All-merciful Lord, the Personification of
Truth, the Lord whose very nature is Prema, always in the memory,
that is real, Self-respect. To earn this, one has to cast aside as
worthless, the respect that the world accords to wealth and
status, to ignore praise and blame, derision and flattery, and
engage in Sadhana with full faith in Truth and the Lord. That is
real Santhi, pure Santhi, eternal Santhi.
There is no status higher than that of the
Lord; no embodiment of His, higher than Truth; no beauty of His,
higher than Santhi, no, not even in all the fourteen Lokas and in
the entire Creation, now, in the past and for ever and ever. This
is the truth, and I repeat it. Truth enveloped in the darkest Maya
will still shine brilliantly; however strongly you may imprison it
in darkness, its effulgence cannot be suppressed.
Truth can never die; untruth can never
live. You must all get firmly established in this belief.
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Of what can man say, "This is permanent"?
Yes, how can he ever believe that anything is permanent? Truly,
when he sees from his birth all things changing around him, his
experience itself undergoing various transformations, and the
atmosphere in which he grows constantly being transformed, when he
grows up in an environment that has no permanency, how can that
belief arise? Observing all this, it can be declared without any
fear of contradiction that this is an unreal world. For, if this
is Real, how can it change? All that suffers change is unreal;
reality alone is changeless, stable, permanent. The changeless,
stable, permanent entity is the Atman alone; that alone is real,
that alone is permanent. The Atman is the Form of the Lord, it is
the Power of the Lord.
Man alone has the capacity, the
credentials for the realisation of that Power, for earning that
Shakti. It is indeed tragic that, even after achieving human
birth, persons do not realise that eternal Reality, nor even make
an attempt to understand It. If this chance is missed, when can
they attempt it?
Why, they do not concern themselves with
the very purpose for which they have come! Did they come only for
living like all other animals or birds or insects... eating,
wandering about, sleeping and seeking pleasure? If the answer is,
'No', then, for what else? Can we say that man is just another
animal, like the rest? He has three things that they have not, the
power to reason out, the power to renounce, and the power to
decide on right and wrong. These are special powers in man; but,
of what use are they, unless they are applied in actual practice?
If they are used, then the name 'Man' is apt, otherwise the name
'animal' has to be used.
The three powers mentioned above should be
applied not only in worldly matters by man, but, even in the
investigation of the Ultimate Truth. Really speaking, if
discrimination and renunciation and inquiry are carried out while
passing through the joys and sorrows of life, the conviction is
bound to dawn in a moment that all this is Unreal, that all this
has no basis in Truth. When such knowledge dawns, man is certain
to tread the path of religion and Sadhana and take up the inquiry
that will lead him to the Truth. This is the task which Man must
be engaged in.
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Well! If only every one asks the
questions, "Who are we? Whence did we come? Where have we come to?
How long will we be here?", the truth can be easily grasped. That
questioning is the sign of discrimination, or Viveka. When by
means of this Viveka, the idea that the world is impermanent gets
deeply rooted in the mind, all attachments cease automatically.
That is the stage of renunciation, or Vairagya. Is it worthwhile
to be caught up in this unreal world? one asks; this is false,
misleading, one tells himself; he then turns his efforts to the
realm of the Lord, the Sathyaloka; that is the right decision,
Vichakshana.
It is through Viveka and Vairagya that man
understands who he really is. Without them, it is impossible to
know it. The Lord has blessed only man with these two. He has
endowed him so that he might use them for that purpose. Hence man
is truly fortunate. But, alas, man has forgotten the task for
which he has come, ignored the question whence he came, closed his
eyes to where he is, diverted his intelligence towards amusement
and creature comfort, and wasted all his powers. What a tragedy,
this! If in this most propitious human birth itself the Godhead is
not sought after, when else are they to succeed?
"If today is squandered so
Will tomorrow help you to?"
If one's real nature is first understood,
the rest can all be easily grasped. One will thereafter know where
one is, whence one is going, how long one exists etc.
These four issues are dependant, one on
the other. If one is solved, all the rest can be known; but, not
one of these can be ignored. For example, suppose you write a
letter to somebody. Whatever be the contents of the letter, if it
is put into an envelope and posted, whom will it reach? It won't
be given to any one. Well, will it come back at least to the
person who wrote it? No. In the end, it will be neither here nor
there. Instead, if on the cover the address of the person to whom
it should reach and the address of the person who wrote it are
both written, one can even predict when the letter will reach its
destination, is it not? So, too, what do you do with your letter,
your life? To whom do you address it? Where do you write it? When
can it reach? Whom should it reach? Ignoring all these, not caring
even for the time, if you simply worry yourself, how can you ever
hope to know the Reality?
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First, you must know your own full
address. Who are you? The Atman. Whence did you come? From the
Atman. Where are you going? To the Atman, itself. How long can you
be here? Until you merge with the Atman. Where are you, now? In
the Unreal, the Ever-changing. In what form? As Anatma. What are
you engaged in? In evanescent tasks. Therefore, what should you
do, hereafter? Give up these three and try the other three - to
enter the Eternal, to engage in Never-changing tasks, and to enjoy
the Bliss of the Atman. This must be the chief effort of the Jivi,
its perpetual aim, the greatest adventure in this world. All other
tasks are humdrum and silly; they glitter a moment and vanish. You
will realise this truth if only you turn your back on them and
watch, wisely.
There is a short story, which illustrates
these points. There was once a Raja, who had transferred all
responsibility of ruling to his Manthri, and who was spending his
time in ease. He never worried about anything, be it big or small.
He had a personal companion, whom he had always by his side, more
or less as a bodyguard. This fellow was very wise, for he never
did anything without deep deliberation, about the how and the why
and the wherefore. The Raja took all this deliberation to be just
foolishness and he nicknamed the companion, "Avivekasikhamani" or
"The Crest-Jewel of Fools". He went to the length of actually
engraving the title on a plate of gold and compelling him to wear
it on his forehead for all to see! Many people were mislead by
this and they took him to be an ignoramus at court; they did not
heed his words.
Meanwhile, the Raja fell ill and took to
bed. The kingdom was combed for physicians who could heal the
king. Messengers went to the eight corners, seeking drugs and
doctors. Hundred were busy round the royal patient, but, all
efforts failed; the illness worsened day by day. The Raja was at
the very door of Death.
The Raja suspected that his end was near;
so he hurriedly made some dispositions, spoke to all those whom he
wanted to meet, and was immersed in sorrow. He had no thought of
God or any other auspicious Power. He was in terrible fear of
Death and could not think of anything else.
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One day, he called Avivekasikhamani to his
bedside and whispered feebly in his ear, "Well; I am going soon,
my friend!" Then, the Fool asked without any compunction, "What?
You are weak and cannot walk a few steps; I shall order a
palanquin, please wait till it is ready." "No palanquin can take
me there," said the Raja. "Then, I shall order a chariot,"
entreated the Fool. "The chariot too is of no use," replied the
Raja. "Of course, then, the horse is the only means of journey,"
wailed the companion, who seemed eager to come to the rescue of
his master, and spare him the toils of travel. The Raja said that
the horse too could not enter there. The Fool was at his wit's
end. Then suddenly an idea struck him, he said, "Come on master! I
shall carry you there." The Raja became sad; he said, "My dear
friend, one has to go alone to that place, when one's time has
come. No companion can be taken." The Fool was thrown in great
doubt; he asked the Raja, "It is curious, is it not? You say that
the palanquin won't reach there, that the chariot can't go there,
nor the horse; you say that no second person can join you! Well
can't you tell me at least where that place is?" The Raja replied,
"I do not know."
Immediately, the Fool unwound the Golden
Plate with the engraving of the title, 'Avivekasikhamani', and
tied it round the brow of the Raja, saying "Raja! You know so much
about the place, even, which things cannot go there, but, you do
not know where it is, and still you are going there soon.
O, you deserve this title much more." The Raja was overcome
with shame. "Alas," he said to himself, "I wasted my years in
eating and sleeping and pursuing pleasures, never caring to
inquire who I am, whence I came, what I am doing, whither I am
going, and why I came. The precious time allotted to me has come
very near its end. There is no time for me any more for all that
inquiry. Death is knocking at the door; children have started
weeping; my subjects are in great anxiety. Can I, under such
conditions immerse myself in inquiry? Can a thought that I never
entertained throughout my life suddenly arise now, during my last
moments? It is impossible. Yes, I deserve the title,
Avivekasikhamani more than anyone else, for I wasted my life in
useless pursuits; without any thought of the Reality." The Raja
let it be proclaimed that Inquiry is the best means of knowing the
Truth, that the inquiry must be directed to separating the true
from the untrue, the eternal from the temporary, that people
should arrive at the conclusion that, 'God is the only true and
eternal Entity' and that by their own independent investigation,
his subjects must not only grasp the entity intellectually but
must also attain the Grace of God, by their pure lives. Announcing
this lesson to his subjects, the Raja breathed his last.
Note how the Raja blinded by material
power and pleasures misdirected his energies towards the world,
away from God, and ended his days in agony.
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Every Sadhaka must enter on the path of
inquiry. Then only can the conviction dawn and grow, that nature
and all learning connected with nature are unreal; then only will
these be given a relative, not an absolute value. They are of
course to be learnt and experienced as necessary for existence, as
a kind of daily routine. They should not be mistaken to be the
Highest knowledge, the unchanging Eternal Truth. That mistake, if
committed, leads to Asanthi, an agitated mind. Agitation produces
worry and anxiety. They in turn destroy peace.
If you aspire for Santhi, Peace,
Equanimity, the basic thing is have faith in the temporary nature
of Nature, and be engaged in the uninterrupted contemplation of
the changeless Godhead.
Therefore, do not be bound by selfish
attachments; engage yourself in the discharge of your duties, do
not allow yourself to be gladdened by success or saddened by
failure; be ready to renounce all that is harmful; and, then,
through Discrimination, you can beat the Drum of Victory! Great
Declarations like these, reveal the Highest Truth and the Glory of
Godhead.
If the two paths, Jnana and Bhakthi, are
compared, it can be said that the Lord's Grace is won more easily
by Bhakthi, then by the other path. In Bhakthi sadhana, there is
the need to grasp the reality and its inner meaning, fully and
clearly. For this, the objective world is itself the proof and
argument, the effort and the means. To know this, spiritual
inquiry has to be pursued; such an inquiry will grant unshakeable
Santhi. Inquiry alone can reveal the Truth behind all the
objective world. It is your experience, is it not, that when you
do some task carefully for a long time, correcting your mistakes
as and when you discover them avoiding the repetition of the same
while continuing with the task, you invariably achieve even more
success than you hoped to get? What is wanted is just the
unflagging desire to achieve victory. That will lead you to
discover the means thereof, to develop earnestness and care in the
pursuit of those means, and to get success. The wish must be
strengthened by the will, and the will by the effort.
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Well; take the example of a person anxious
to become stronger. If the wish is powerful, he will first learn
the means of realising his aim - the exercises, the diet, the
disciplines etc. Then, when he practises them his will is changed
to steadiness in effort. But, one important thing must be noted.
There are many who say that the absence of wish and will is the
best. This is not so good as having one wish, more than all
others; or, rather 'one wish' and one alone, to the exclusion of
all else. Even more superior is the person who has steadiness of
effort, in realising that one wish. For he can promote not only
his own good, but even the world's good. Let your wish and will
and effort be directed to your own good; do not divert them to
worldly pleasures, for that will cause harm and destroy Santhi.
Man is a bundle of impulses and
intentions. He reduces his innate divinity and inner peace by
giving free vent to these two. The impulses are the fuel, the
intentions are the fire. The fire can be put out only by placing
the fuel aside. The dying down of the fire is the attainment of
peace. Dive deep into the ocean of peace and earn the invaluable
pearl Atmananda, the Bliss of the Atman. When that opportunity is
seized, man becomes the personification of the effulgent, holy
state of peace. That is why the Vedas declare that Man is the
embodiment of Santhi. Therefore, you should not delude yourself by
imagining that you are the seat of disquiet and untruth, know that
you are the embodiment of Santhi, that Prema is the blood that
flows in your veins, and that your very nature is Joy; realise
this by actual practise and experience.
Without Santhi, it is impossible to see
the Truth. As the rays of the Sun are for the blossoming flower
and the ripening fruit, so are the rays of Santhi necessary for
the full development of Man. Then only can he ripen into the
realisation of the true, the eternal, the blissful Brahman.
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Brahman is a shoreless bottomless ocean.
That ocean is the basis for the ever-shifting waves, the evidence
and result of its power. The wave emerges from the sea, leaps
forth from it, falls back into it and dissolves itself into it.
Though the power of the sea is thus manifested in ups and downs,
rise and fall, the sea is steady and fixed. But, the world is
concerned more with the temporary and the sifting, and thinks that
the waves are very important. So also, the sadhaka is more
concerned with attainments that are evanescent and changing and
not with the unchanging experience of the principle behind, the
Brahman. All the senses, all the impulses rise up in overpowering
strength like waves from the sea, roar in fury, and subside in the
waters; they do not confer peace. The wise thing is to forget
these waves, and to direct attention towards the sea beneath,
which is without change. Then only can you attain Santhi, swim
about happily in the deep undisturbed waters.
Why are those denizens of the deep sea so
happy? The reason is they have water all around them, - above,
below, on all sides.
They cannot survive even a second, outside
it. Even when they have perforced to come out of it, they struggle
frantically to reach water again, for the disaster will bring
about death itself. So too when man is immersed in Santhi, he will
experience the joy and exhilaration of that state, in all ways. A
person who has tasted that joy and exhilaration can never tolerate
even for a second the state of Asanthi, and he will never desert
the Santhi stage. If it ever happens that he is forced into
Asanthi, he will struggle furiously and desperately to return to
the state of Santhi and might even die in the attempt. But, why
should such a person ever be thrown on the shore of Asanthi and
ever risk his life in escaping back into Santhi? He can ever be in
a state of bliss, immersed in the Ocean of Santhi, isn't it? He
should not float on the upper waves of impulses and intentions of
Vasanas and Sankalpas. He must dive deeper and try to revel at the
calmer levels. This is the most urgent task. Then, you will not
endanger yourself by being thrown out and beyond, upon the dry
shore.
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This type of pure and holy Santhi alone
will remove the walls that now divide man from man. It will
transform all the absurd hatreds, misunderstandings, disgusts and
prejudices that warp human behaviour. Santhi is the manifestation
of the greatness of Prema. It will endow all who come under its
authority with tremendous power for good. It can place God within
man's grasp and man within God's grasp.
Sadhana can confer no higher power. It is
the very secret of the life-principle in creation. It is the
highest individualisation of the glory of the Atman. It is the
magic wand in the hands of the Bhaktha, with which he can master
the entire world. Besides, it confers the greatest degree of
contentment.
But, Santhi does not mean inactivity, the
mere inert life of eating and squatting. You should not spend your
time in eating and sleeping saying to yourself that the Lord will
come to your help, when the need arises. You must arise and work.
God helps those who help themselves, and He will help no other.
Learn from the life-history of Prahlada the lesson, that the Lord
alone is to be loved; learn also the technique of that process. Do
the work that has fallen to your lot, sincerely and efficiently.
Give up everything that is outside the service of the Lord. Follow
the footsteps of Prahlada. You can win, through the Grace of the
Lord the joy of Santhi, the thrill of Fullness and the Bliss of
Immortality.
Work has to be undertaken, in order that
time might not hang heavily on you and be a burden. Work is the
mission of Man. Without it, Man will get lost in the darkness of
ignorance and he will be overwhelmed by Thamas. Ignorance will
multiply his doubt; these have to be chopped off with the sword of
Jnana.
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On one occasion, when such mystic subjects
were taught to Arjuna, he got puzzled and asked Krishna, "At one
time You say that we should renounce all Karmas; at another time,
You say that Karma-yoga has to be adopted. Now, tell me which
among these two paths is the better? For this, Krishna answered
thus:
"Sanyasa and Karma Yoga both lead you to
the same goal of Liberation, O Arjuna! But, know this. There is
greater joy in doing work than in giving up work. Sanyasa and Work
are not contradictory; they are interdependent, complementary. By
giving up work, man will only decline, without the progress
derived from activity, and the training achieved through it. The
real Sanyasi is he who does not desire one thing or hate another.
The word Sanyasa can well be applied to work done without regard
to success or failure, profit or loss, honour or dishonour, to any
activity engaged in as offering to the Lord. Mere inactivity
announced by the gerua cloth and the shaved head is no Sanyasa at
all. He who has avoided the duality of joy and grief, of good and
bad, he alone deserves the name. So, better than the giving up of
Karma, is the renunciation of the fruits of actions; it also
yields greater joy. That is the best path. Therefore, of these
two, Sanyasa and Karma Yoga, whichever is followed, the fruit of
the other too, can be won. For there is Ananda in Karma: there is
Ananda too in Renunciation.
Sanyasa devoid of Karma Yoga will lead to
grief. For, how can anyone get away from Karma? However much you
may avoid Karma, is it not necessary at least to engage yourself
in the remembrance of the Lord, in Dhyana or Japa? That too is
Karma. If these are given up, there is no joy in life. Whoever he
be, man has to do some Karma, whatever the form of the work. He
who engages in Karma Yoga, renouncing all idea of action and
following the discipline of silence, can, within a short time,
realise Brahman. Karma will not stick to such. Karma for them is
akin to breathing. Life is impossible without the Karma of
breathing, so too for the Sadhaka, work is essential. Asanthi
comes only when the fruit of action is desired. If the fruit is
disregarded and joy is derived from the very Karma itself, than
one gets Prashanthi. No one thinks of the results and benefits of
the Karma of breathing, is it not? So too, when Karma is done,
never worry about its result; that gives real Santhi.
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Many and many an idea takes shape in the
human heart; they wander to the very ends of the eight directions.
Some of these are mutually supporting; some are mutually
destructive. But without leaving them free, they must all be
canalised and disciplined to subserve some high purpose. Then only
can you be established in Santhi. You must have the cleverness
needed for this canalisation. It is not merely cleverness in the
use of external things; it lies more in the control and
subjugation of the mental faculties: This is essential for the
blossoming of the Atma. For understanding the faculties of your
own mind, you must move with elders experienced in that line or in
the sublimation of the vagaries of the mind.
Until you intelligently fix upon a certain
direction for all your thoughts and activities, you will be only
building shadowy castles in the air and roaming about in them.
Why, even your senses will be pursuing contradictory paths and
distracting your attention to such an extent, that you cannot
easily come to a decision regarding the ideal. They make you feel
that their paths are the best; but, you should always strive to
change the course of the senses and the imagination, to subjects
and desires that are conducive to the ideal, whatever be the
difficulty, however serious the crisis. That is the sign of real
intelligence; that is the road to real Santhi.
Every one has, by virtue of human nature
itself, the discrimination needed to strive for the ideal. You
should not allow the slightest idea of neglect to hinder you, or
stand in your way. The Santhi based on Jnana can arise only out of
actual experience; the end and the consequence of each and every
act is and must be Jnana. The Progress of the individual consists
in activity, done with discrimination.
Take one small example: Even if a person
has all the means of comfortable travel through the grace of the
Lord, namely, cars, planes or other conveniences, he has perforce
to walk, in spite of everything, for the sake of his health! So
too, whoever he is, whatever the Sadhana he is engaged in, he has
perforce to experience the activity and learn the consequence
himself for the sake of his mental health! Otherwise, mental
weakness cannot be cured.
In order to achieve this, one must move
with experienced men and men who are basic supports of the good
life. One must grasp the Reality with their help and experience
the Reality oneself. Then only can Peace be established in the
personality.
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In this created world, wisdom is enveloped
in Ignorance, Jnana, in Ajnana. That is inevitable at all times.
So long as the lamp is burning, there will be a shadow beneath it;
so too when the flame of Illusion is burning, the shadow Ajnana is
inevitable. If the ignorance surrounding the Atman is destroyed by
Jnana, then everything will be illumined as at sunrise, and Santhi
will be the result.
If the above result has to be got, some
effort has to be made to provide the necessary conditions. The
mind is conditioned into good or bad, by the environment. Hence,
man has to create for himself, the environment he needs. The
reformers of today do not strive to transform the qualities of
man. They try to bring about equality, in economic matters, in
outer life. But, these can be lasting only when the qualities of
character are built on the basis of equality. If the quality of
equality is not developed, even if everything is divided and
shared equally, that state of equality cannot last. So, there is
need to reform the character by means of the knowledge of the
Atman. This reform alone will bear fruit, the fruit of Santhi.
Therefore, culture must be directed
towards the reform of character. Along with that reform and to the
extent it is gained, the outward standard of economic life too can
be adjusted. First, man must be trained in the technique of Santhi
and Santhosha, peace and happiness. These do not depend on the
outer, the external, the visible objective world. So there is no
profit in worrying about or debating about these matters. You must
take refuge in the Atman and the contemplation of the nature of
the Atman, that is to say, in the real I. All this objective world
shines, only through the glory of the Atman. The body does not
deserve to be identified with the immortal; it is inert matter,
and nothing better. You are not the thing connoted by the word,
"I". You are the One, without a second. The body is subject to
change, it is evanescent, liable to decline. How can it be the
Atman? No. Atman is One and Only. It cannot co-exist with another
entity. It is only when every Sadhaka, every man, is aware of
this, that Equality, Equanimity and the Exhilaration can be
established on earth.
Therefore, contemplate on the Thathwa.
Leaving aside the seen, concentrate on the seer. That will
illumine the Truth.
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The nature of Light is to reveal objects,
by illumining them. But Real Illumination is the property of the
Atman only. The Sun and Fire can only 'penetrate' Darkness: They
do not destroy it completely, because Darkness and their Light are
opposed to each other. But, the effulgence of the Atman has no
opposition at all; all objects, all natures are favourable to it.
It illumines all. Hence the statement: 'Tham Devaa Jyothishaam
Jyothih'. 'The Gods acclaim It as the Light of Lights'.
Its form is Jnana, Wisdom; not things,
like the physical body. The body is ever-changing; it is not
eternal. The Atman shines equally everywhere and illumines
everything without any distinction. It is of the nature of Ananda
and of Chaithanya. So, it becomes automatically Brahmam! This
conviction is the essence of Jnana.
He who sees a pot can know that it is a
pot clearly, by himself, is it not? But, how is it that one
identifies oneself with the body, simply because,
attachment makes one feel that it is one's own body? This is the
Ajnana; the My-ness, the I-consciousness. Jnana which is of the
nature of the Atman is indestructible; Ajnana of the nature of the
Body is destructible.
The Atman is Formless; hence, the
Three-fold Affliction, the 'Thaapathraya' does not affect It. The
Six-fold Mutation will not affect It, for, it is always Sath,
always It and It alone. It is a guest, distinct from the Body
which It inhabits. The Body is subject to illness, growth and
decay. The Atman is free from all mutations. The Atman has no
desires, impulses or intentions. It is above and beyond the
Thamasic, Rajasic, and Sathwic qualities. The Prakrithi is the
Doer: Purusha is as the lotus on the water, unaffected,
unattached; "Prakrithih karthaa, Purushasthu pushkara
palaasavannirlepah".
The Atman is misleadingly denoted by the
word, I, Aham. How can the seen be the seer, the eternal? How can
the body be the real I? When this mistake is made there can be no
peace and no joy. It is only when this truth is understood and
experienced that one can have Santhi.
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The Atman has to be realised, as distinct
from this drisya world, all this that is 'seen'. This is possible
only when one has the Viveka to be freed from the bondage to
Prakrithi, and to release oneself from the Avidya that tells him
that the 'seen' is indeed the real. Such Viveka has to be acquired
by the practice of the Ashtanga, the Eight-fold Discipline, which
cleanses the Avidya that darkens the Intellect. Then, the
Intellect becomes pure and sharp and it gets directed towards the
Atman. Ignorant people, to whom the understanding of the Atman is
beyond reach, delude themselves by the belief that they can derive
joy from the objective world which their senses can experience. If
only one reflects a little, even the little joy thus derived will
be found to be only the same Atmananda and not something separate!
For, everything everywhere is Ananda, is Amritha. All Ananda is
Atmananda.
But, when one can rest in the endless
coolness of the actual Full Moon sailing in the sky, who be
content with the painted moon and its painted light on a piece of
canvas? Who will care even to cast a glance at it? As the saying
goes, Will a honey-sucking bee ever drink the bitter juice?"
So too, the Sadhaka who has tasted the
nectar of self-knowledge, the knowledge of the Atman, can never
relish, thereafter, the sensory objective world. The person
engrossed in a painted moon can never know the real moon. So too,
men deluded by the attraction of Prakrithi grope about in their
ignorance of the Atman, and wallow in the unreal manifold world
shaped by the three gunas. On the other hand, the learned man who
seeks the reality gives up glittering falsehood and revels in the
Atman, deriving Santhi therefrom.
So, never mistake the Drisya the "seen",
to be permanent or true! You cannot exult in anything else except
the Ocean of the Ananda of the Indivisible Undivided Atma, or
Brahmam. You can get real and full contentment only in the
significant, sweet meaningful experience of the Parabrahmam
Itself; only that can give solace from this cycle of birth
and death. These unreal things can never afford contentment; the
present is without existence and significance. Nothing other than
the Atman can ever, at any time, in any manner confer any benefit,
or bring about any Santhi. It cannot put an end to sorrow and
shower Ananda.
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Everything other than the Atman is Asath,
like silver in the mother of pearl, a delusion, like water in the
mirage, a mistake, with no real silver which one can take or real
water to slake one's thirst. So too, when you base your life on
the sensory objective world, which is An-atma, and produced by
ignorance or Avidya, you can never derive happiness or joy. Such
pictorial products of fancy cannot appease hunger or slake thirst
or satisfy desire. Only the Real can produce those results.
So, too, the removal of the recurring
sorrow of Samsara can be effected only by the attainment of
Brahmam. Genuine Santhi cannot be earned by means of desires and
intentions, study and scholarship, pomp and publicity. It can come
only by experiencing the Atman, to however small an extent.
By mere force of intention, one can
imagine in an instant a scene in America, but can it also be
experienced in actuality, at that very instant? No. There is no
use in imagining and framing in the fancy; it must be experienced,
in mind and word and body. Then only can one claim to have genuine
Santhi. Therefore, merely knowing about Brahmam, or Santhi or
Sathyam or Saakshaathkaara leads nowhere; you may even know that
there is Ananda in these; but, all that is of no use. You have to
dedicate your life to win that Ananda and experience it and
enter upon the discipline needed to acquire it. Then only do you
deserve the Grace of the Lord and the attainment of Brahmam; then
only can you get the true Ananda.
It is this subject that the
"Vivekachudamani" also teaches in many ways. He who follows its
teaching, without deviation, can taste the nectar of Atmic Bliss,
can attain the goal of Life. Devoid of the sorrow that is
inevitable in dealing with sensory objects, having no intentions
and desires, one should be immersed in the Bliss of One's Own Real
Reality. Man alone, of all creation, has the qualification to
achieve this Supreme Joy. What a sad tragedy that he should
neglect his right and wander about seeking petty pleasures, empty
tinsel! Like children playing with dolls and sticks, calling them
elephants and horses, man plays; but does not make them real
elephants and horses. Ignorant men play in all seriousness,
imagining the objects of the world to be real, and they laugh and
weep, in joy and in sorrow, they blossom and droop while up or
down. But that does not make the Maya Jagath less unreal!
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When you are immersed in Sushupthi or deep
sleep, what happens to your joy and sorrow, your profits and
losses? They have no reality then; nor have they any reality,
later? At both times, they are but the creations of your fancy. He
who knows this secret, will always exult in the Joy of
Companionship with Oneself, the Contemplation of One's Own Inner
Reality. That is real permanent Joy.
Therefore, listen, all Sadhakas! You,
whose Real nature is Atmic! Seek to discover your true Self, your
genuine Reality; attain the knowledge that You are the Atman
itself; exult in the Atman alone; taste the Undiluted Incomparable
Unlimited Bliss of the Awareness of the Real Self. Let Time merge
in Him whose Form is Time; that is the legitimate task of Man. As
taught in the Viveka Chudamani,
'Jnaana rakshaam samaadrthyaa Jnanee sudrdhavaan bhaveth
Sa eva niratham svasmin svaanandamanu-bhunjathe'
'With the amulet of Jnana around his arm,
one can escape the evil influence of the vile stars called sensual
attractions'. But, one should not, out of the boldness born of the
consciousness of Jnana give free vent to the senses. One should be
always vigilant regarding the external world: One should always be
immersed in the contemplation of one's own Inner Reality. That is
the sign of the knower of the Higher Truth. When one is ever in
that stage, the self-illumining Truth will ever be before the
mind's eye and the drisya or the objective world will melt away.
If the seen or drisya world is superimposed on that undivided
indivisible Brahmam it will only be as real as the turrets and
bastions of a city among the clouds. Can anyone build castles on
the air and live in them? The Akasa, of course, is your basic
Form, or Rupa; but, for that reason, you cannot erect a city
hereon. The turrets and bastions you seem to see in the clouds are
unreal, baseless creations of your own fancy. So too, in the
akasa-like formless Parabrahmam all this superimposed Jagath is
false, baseless. Everything is but the Chaithanya of the Non-dual
un-equalled bliss-pervaded Parabrahmam.
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Always enjoy the Santhi that is the result
of the stoppage of all mental agitations. Do not allow the mind to
run after this and that. Train it to keep quiet. Keep away and
afar, the mental reactions caused by contact with the external
world. Then, you can become mere Existence, Sath; that is the
state of the Muni or the state beyond the realm of the senses,
where their fiat does not run. That is the real Saakshaathkaara,
that is the Goal of Life.
"Mounam bhajaswa" it is said. But, what is
mounam? Not the keeping of the mouth shut; it means, the getting
beyond the influence of all the senses and getting established
always in the consciousness of one's own Reality. Perpetual Ananda
is also perpetual Santhi. When the mind withdraws from the
external world, the tongue too becomes silent; all senses follow
suit, that is the genuine Mounam.
This stage cannot be described in words;
it cannot be communicated to others as 'such and such'. It belongs
to realm of experience. Mounam means "the Parabrahma swarupa that
is beyond all this". He who has reached it will be in the highest
Santhi and the highest Ananda. If the activities of the
intelligence are stilled, and if the Intelligence is harboured in
Brahmam, one will become suffused with Brahmam, "Parabrahmamayam".
One has to observe all this world as from afar, with an
uninterested attitude. Prakrithi can be overcome only by this
means. Such persons will escape the viles of the intellect, which
breed doubts, delusions, and dualistic diversions, away from the
Atmic reality.
The Buddhi or the intellect is the prime
instrument; it should be cleaned of the rust of the sensory world
or Prakrithi, and made to shine in its own pristine effulgence.
Buddhi should not be wavering, or agitated or even activated; for,
when it is so, the world appears manifold and multiformed. When
the Buddhi is tranquil, Santhi envelopes man; he is immersed in
Tejas, splendour; he is in the Akhanda paripurna ananda. This
stage is also called Nirvikalpa, the Nirvikalpa-mounam.
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Therefore, may all Sadhakas, by their
disciplined lives and ceaseless effort, establish themselves in
the knowledge of their own Swarupa, their own Reality. May they
keep their minds away from the Drisya world, contemplate on the
Paramatma always, acquire peace of mind, withdraw from all contact
with the sensory world, saturate themselves in Ananda, and know
themselves as the One, without a Second.
This is the Udaaseenabhava, the stage of
Disinterestedness, the condition of the person who has grasped the
Truth. There will never more be, another everything that
is, is himself. The holy Suka, Sanaka, Sananda and others
achieved the Bliss of this incomparable Santhi. They have no
affliction or doubt or distraction, because they have no need for
further thought or inquiry; they are not bothered by any change or
modification, for the Atman has no such! Once a person has tasted
this sweetness, he will never more give ear to any other word or
disturbing argument; he will never more entertain any distracting
thought; he will never more be drawn towards any diversionary
attachment. He will hold on, steadfastly, to his conviction.
The special characteristic of man among
all created beings is his Viveka; his power of discrimination. He
is therefore bound to act always, using his discriminating
capacity. But, there are two forces putting obstacles in his way:
one, the ignorant who prompt towards inaction and two, the
Teachers of Sankhya. The first set of people, though they may
desist from activity through their senses, are unable to withdraw
their minds and they continue to commit acts in their minds. So,
their Inactivity is meaningless and unreal; it is Mithya.
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The Sankhyans use a number of arguments
against Action or Karma. 'Karma causes both Punya and Papa, Good
and Evil,' and so, it is said, 'the wise must give up all Karma'.
In the Githa, Krishna has met this argument and shown the way to
get the good out of Karma and avoid the evil. They further say
that if Karma is engaged in, the results are a mixture of pain and
pleasure, of benefit and loss, and it leads the doer either to
heaven or hell or back again to the earth, that is to say, to
bondage of some sort. So, they ask people to give up Karma and
take no inaction. The Githa has a reply for this also. Karma will
bring about bondage, only when it is engaged in with a view to the
fruit thereof. When done without any thought of the fruit,
it leads, on the other hand, to Liberation, or Moksha itself! Why,
even liberated persons; engage in Karma, though they do not derive
any benefit therefrom, just for promoting the welfare of the
world! Or rather, whatever a liberated man does must automatically
be conducive to the welfare of the world. Karma has to be engaged
in; that is the means of securing the Santhi already won.
If there is anything sweeter than all
things sweet, more auspicious than all auspicious things, holier
than all holy objects, verily, it is the Name of the Lord... or
the Lord Himself. Give up the company of the worldly minded, the
association with those infected by Asuric qualities. Keep away
from every type of wrong doing. Seek always the company of the
wise, the Good. Take refuge in Narayana; He, the Pure one, is the
perfect Embodiment of Santhi, of Happiness and of Jnana. He, the
Sri Hari, is seated within every one. He stays constantly in the
place where devotees honour His Name, sincerely and with single
mindedness. Therefore, first, you have to practice intense Bhakthi
towards the Lord. Then, you can certainly attain real and
permanent Happiness and Wisdom.
Of what use is it to pursue the fleeting
pleasures of the senses? Worship the Hari who lives in the cavity
of your heart, nearer to you than your thickest friend, your
father, mother or guru, who is all these and more to you. The
physical body for whose sake you crave all this comfort and luxury
is subject to damage and decay. One day, it becomes food for dogs
and jackals. Hari, on the other hand, makes for Joy and the thrill
of Holy Love. Surrender your heart to Him; He desires naught else
from you. He can be won by no other means, neither by unlimited
scholarship, nor by pompous vows and colourful ritual.
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Of the span of human life, one half is
wasted in sleep; the other is frittered away in satisfying stupid
desires, in the inanity of old age, the helpless ignorance of
childhood and boyhood, in misery, travail, and illness. You can
devote to some worthwhile activity. Beware of misusing even these
for the silly pursuit of sensual pleasure. Use at least these
precious years for the contemplation of the glory of the Lord, for
fixing your mind on His Lotus Feet ever more firmly, and for thus
transporting yourself across the vast ocean of Birth and Death.
Therefore, practise at all times and under
all conditions the remembrance, with love and devotion, of the
Name of the Lord. That name is a thunderbolt which will pulverise
mountains of sin. It is the unfailing cure for the dread disease
of sheer worldliness. Surely that name will endow you with Santhi!
The name of Hari is as the effulgence of
the Rising Sun, which scatters the darkness of delusion; It is as
luminous, as universal, as sacred. Do not misuse that sacred Name
even for a second. Do not let pass even a second, without bringing
that Name to mind. Remember, the sweetness of that Name when
repeated by Prahlada overpowered the hearts of the Asuras who
heard him; the children of the Asuras repeated the Name along with
Prahlada, and led by him, they began to sing and dance with joy
arming themselves with axes to defend their leader!
The Name of the Lord that can transform
the Asuric character and purify it into nectar is verily the
heaven of santhi for all, for the world. To repeat that Name
without break, to love that Form and that Name with intensity,
that is what deserves to be called Bhakthi. Bhakthi means the
highest, purest Prema, directed towards the Lord. Any one can
attain this Bhakthi. The door of Bhakthiyoga is open to all. The
only passport needed is the desire for liberation, for Moksha.
That desire entitles Man to his heritage.
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Of course such Prema will dawn only after
knowing the glory and the splendour of the Lord as well as His
Innate Characteristics of Ominscience, Omnipotence, and Immanence
in all Creation. He who is endowed with Prema of this Nature, who
lives always with the Lord, he will certainly be liberated.
What does it mean, the expression "to know
God"? It means "to love God". Knowledge without devotion produces
hatred; such knowledge leads to power that is misused; it is not
knowledge worth the name; it is ignorance, mistaken for its
opposite. It is only through Bhakthi that Jnana becomes stabilised
and deep-rooted.
What is the sign of a Jnani? It is Prema,
the possession of everwidening Prema. When Bhakthi or, in other
words, love towards the Lord dawns, Ignorance will vanish, step by
step. Bhakthi and Hatred cannot co-exist; they are contradictory.
Bhakthi and Love, however, are of the same nature.
The worldly man is infected with love
towards material objects only; but, the same love when it assumes
the form of Bhakthi or Love of God leads one on to the realisation
of Godhead itself. The word, Rasa, indicates the attraction of
worldly objects as well as the longing for the joy of
God-realisation.
The consequences of Karma are diminished
by undergoing them and then, you are born again. But the fruits of
Bhakthi are never diminished at all. They last for ever.
Liberation lasts; it does not end. Verily, Bhakthi is the real
technique for human liberation. That is the Sadhana par
excellence. Every other technique is built upon that.
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Bhakthi and Jnana are like the pair of
bullocks for the cart both have to pull in unison. Each must keep
pace with the other and help the other to drag the weight quicker.
Jnana has to help the increase of Bhakthi; Bhakthi has to
contribute to the growth of Jnana.
It is on account of this mutual help, this
collaboration that the Gopis of Brindavan were able to attain
Moksha; their Bhakthi towards Lord Krishna endowed them with the
Highest Jnana also. Now, the essence of Bhakthi as well as Jnana
is... Santhi, the highest type of Santhi, Prashanthi. Prashanthi
leads one on to Prakanthi, the Glory of Spiritual Effulgence, and
thence to Paramjyothi, the Super-effulgence of the Highest
Revelation.
Jnana is a concomitant of Bhakthi; it is
its component part. Love fixed on God is most beneficent. It
produces the greatest Subha. It will not bind man to the earth. It
will take him by hand along the road to Moksha. It will release
one from all types of bonds and attachments, automatically; one
has to strive only to avoid evil company. Constant association in
good company will promote the feeling of detachment.
More than the adherent of the path of
Karma, Jnana or Yoga, the follower of the path of Bhakthi is
declared fortunate and superior. He is better than the Yogi, the
Sanyasi, the Jnani and the Sadhaka who takes up the discipline of
Karma.
This is the reason why Krishna directed
Arjuna in the Githa to become a great Yogi. He also said besides,
"Among Yogis, he who meditates on the Self as merged in Me,
steadfastly, is indeed with the highest Bhakthi." Then, Arjuna
asked Him, "Among these, those who worship Thee ever like that and
those who worship Thee as Indestructible, Imperceptible, etc,...
who among these, O Lord, have triumphed in Yoga more?" For this,
Krishna replied, "Whoever fixes his mind on Me, and worships Me,
whoever is steadfast and exulting in this, he has achieved greater
success". So Sraddha is ever essential, in matters spiritual,
related to God. Sraddha has no limitations and so, its results too
have no decline. The fruits of all acts done in the pursuit of
God-realisation depend upon Sadhanas, Jnana more on internal
Sadhana and Bhakthi more on external Sadhana.
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When Brahmam itself is the object, it
becomes Jnana. Sravanam, or listening to discourses on Sastra
etc., Mananam or calling to mind what has been heard and Niddhyasa
or ruminating on things thus recalled to memory... until Bhakthi
is fully developed, these have to be gone through without
interruption. Instead, bhakthas often deal God in a bargaining
spirit or in the spirit of a tradesman! This attitude should be
given up. Whoever he is, he should not ask from his God, or
Ishtadevatha, anything other than Bhakthi or Prema. If he does he
is no true Bhaktha. Uninterrupted flow of Prema towards the Feet
of the Lord, that is real Surrender. Such surrender alone
guarantees Santhi, and ensures Santhi, the genuine Santhi.
Teaching is of two kinds: Indirect and
direct. The teaching through the Vedas and the Vedangas, deduction
and induction, reasoning and inference, is, indirect. When this
understanding is experienced and realised, it becomes, Direct. The
Parabrahma which is Sathyam, Jnanam and Anandam is self-evident
and so, its understanding can at best be only, Indirect. Looked at
from one point of view, the Brahmam knows neither indirect nor
direct. It is unique, being beyond both. To obtain this direct
knowledge of the Absolute, the first requisite is Sadhana, and the
first step in this Sadhana is the service done to the Sadguru,
with full faith and full submission. The Sadguru too should be
instructing the Sadhaka always and in simple ways, the nature of
Brahmam. When the disciple grasps this instruction, it becomes
Parokshajnanam or Indirect Knowledge. This Parokshajnanam itself
can be transformed into Aparoksha or Direct Knowledge by constant
Manana, or Recapitulation, Turning over in the Manas or Mind. The
Indirect Knowledge is as shifting as letters drawn on water, while
the Knowledge gained in the Aparoksha way is indelible like
letters carved on rock.
When the sound 'horse' is heard, the form
of the 'horse' presents itself before the mind; so too, at the
word, 'Brahmam', the nature of Brahmam will come into the
consciousness. This is what is called Dhyana, by those versed in
the Sadhana Chathushtaya, or the First Principles of Sadhana. To
be stabilised in Dhyana, the aspirant should cultivate the control
of the senses and the passions, that is to say, Sama, and Dama and
also, the attitude of acting without any desire for the fruits of
action. Whoever is an adept in the Six Qualifications, Sama, Dama
etc., can easily see with the mind's eye the swarupa of Brahmam as
soon as he hears the exposition of Its nature. Phalabhogaviraga or
renunciation of the desire for the enjoyment of the fruits of
one's action is also essential. When this Vairagya is rooted deep,
the Chitta becomes pure and Uparathi or Withdrawal of the Senses
from the objective World is made possible.
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Yoga too is of two varieties: Rajayoga and
Jnanayoga. In Rajayoga, there are Eight Stages which have to be
well cultivated, and realised. Of these, some are external, some
internal. This is the Aryan path. In the Jnana Yoga, there is no
"external" at all. Both these yogas have as their goal, the
stilling of the agitations of all levels of Consciousness. For
those who have calmed all these agiations, everything is Brahmam.
Primary for this purpose is Jnanayoga more than Rajayoga; at least
that is the opinion of the Knowers of Brahmam: They say "that is
the thing to be known, to be reached".
But, according to the Wisdom of the
Upanishads the direct knowledge of the Brahmam can be got by the
Eightfold Yoga of Yama, Niyama, Aasana, Praanaayaama,
Prathyaashaara, Dhaarana, Dhyaana, and Samaadhi.
Yama: Yama includes Ahimsa (Non-violence),
Sathya (Truth), Astheya (Non-stealing), Brahmacharya (Celibacy),
and Aparigraha (Non-acceptance).
This is the usual meaning given to Yama,
but I would say instead, that it means the giving up of attachment
to the body and to the senses. The Brahma entity (Which is devoid
of Name and Form, and Qualities, which is without End, without Joy
or Sorrow, and without modifications, which is Eternal and of the
Nature, of Sat-Chith-Ananda) appears, as a result of Delusion, as
all this Creation (endowed with all Qualities and Modifications,
viz., Name, Form, Transformation of Rise and Decline, Joy and
Sorrow.) This Appearance has an End; it has various other
limitations; it appears to be ever-moving and so it is called
Samsaara. Thus, this Brahma entity appears in both the individual
form of Vyashti and the collective form of Samashti and deludes
even great Scholars and Pandits.
One single Chaithanya becomes manifest in
different ways as all this multiplicity. Therefore, we speak of
the particular and of the Collective i.e., a collection of
Particulars. Of course, the Particular (the Vyashti) is a
super-imposition on the Brahmam, a super-imposition, like seeing
the snake on the rope, the lake in the mirage; each of the three
bodies, the Sthoola, the Sookshma, and the Kaarana, is itself for
the knower of Brahmam, a super-imposition. To say that it is real
or unreal is not correct; it is neither, real or unreal, it is
Mithya. The ignorant man caught in the meshes of this Delusion
believes that Samsaara is ever lasting and a source of happiness.
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Falsely identifying themselves with the
body, men suffer in the coils of attachment towards their mother,
father, wife, children, relatives and friends. They do not realise
(through the constant contemplation of the Brahmam having the
characteristics of Sat-chith-ananda, through the never-ceasing
discrimination between the change-less and changing, through
association with the good, the service of the wise, and the
acquisition of purity of intelligence) that they have neither body
nor senses, that they are Brahmam (the sustenance and Support, the
Adhishtaana of the three-fold Body and everything else). The
establishment of one's intellect in this Consciousness is the real
renunciation or Vairagya of the body and the senses, implied in
the word, Yama, as defined by me earlier. This is what is called
Yama, in the Jnanayoga.
Joy in times of good fortune and sorrow in
times of bad, mistaking the pain of the body and the senses as
one's own, such dual attitude and feeling must be overcome. Step
by step, the identification with the body and the senses has to be
given up. This is the sign of one's acquiring the Anga of Yama.
This Anga is the very foundation of Jnanayoga.
Niyama: Niyama means purity, being always
full of joy, engaged in Thapas or Japam. That is what is mentioned
in Rajayoga; Soucha, Santhosha, Thapas, Swaadhyaaya.
Eswarapranidhaana, these are the Components of Niyama.
But, I would explain it in the following
manner. Niyama is the condition of steady Prema in the Paramatma
or Godhead, at all times and under all conditions. "Saa parama
prema roopaa", it is said in the Narada Bhakthi Sutra. "It is the
highest form of Prema". It is only when such steadfast Love
towards the Absolute is gained, that the Soucha or Purity, the
Santhosha or Joy, the Thapas, the Swaadhyaaya or Study, the
Easwarapranidhaana or Surrender to the Lord, mentioned in the
Rajayoga will also be got. When Yama is won, Ananda and Santhi
will become the possession of Man through the source of all Ananda
and Santhi, the Sat-Chith-Ananda Parabrahma Entity.
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For these two are not derived from the dry
worldly material objects. "Rasovai sah" He is Sweetness, "Ananda
vai brahma" Brahma is Ananda, says the Upanishads. It is in and
through Brahma that the material world is endowed with even the
tiniest modicum of joy. Without the basic Brahma, which is the
completest and the fullest Sweetness and Joy, this fleeting
evanescent Appearance thereon cannot be so sweet and joy-giving to
the worldly minded! It would have been, without that basic Rasa,
terribly bitter. For this little sweetness that material objects
give, that Ocean of Nectar is the cause. The association with the
knowers of Brahma, the discussion with them of the Nature of the
Absolute in a spirit of humility and earnestness, a thirst to
realise the Reality, unwavering Prema towards the Lord, these are
the characteristics of those established in Niyama. Such stalwarts
will not be affected by derision or praise, by wind or sun or
rain, by honour or dishonour; they will tread the path of
liberation free from all attachment to anything except the one
single aim of realising the Ananda of Unison with the basic
Brahma.
He who has realised the stage of Niyama
will be ready to sacrifice everything for the acquisition of
Jnana. He will run to any distance to listen to discussion of
Brahmam; he will obey every instruction of the wise; he will
attach himself to those who teach him the science of
Ultra-consciousness or Chinmayathathwa, as if they alone are his
most intimate friends; he will put up with any trouble in
fulfilling their wishes. These are the signs of the Niyamastha, or
person who has achieved Niyama.
Aasana: One should have a steady pose in
sitting, that is to say, one should not either shake or sway. But,
even if one sits like a rock, motionless and with all joints
locked, it can never be called Aasana. That is not the sign of
real Aasana. Aasana means both steadiness of the physical frame
and inner joy that blooms in the heart. So whatever the pose
adopted by the Sadhaka of Yoga, it must be both steady and
comfortable. That is why Pathanjali has advised,
Sthirasukham-aasanam. I am telling you the same thing, in another
way: Which is the best and most success-yielding Aasana? It is
that pose in which one is most un-affected by the external world.
It is that pose which comes of the practice of the moral life,
meritorious in the world and in accordance with the Vedic path. It
is absolute lack of interest in matters unconnected with
Paramatma. When some one whose ways you do not appreciate comes
near you, there is no need to find fault with him; there is no
need either to laugh at him or show him your contempt. It is
enough if you continue to do your work, unaffected by his arrival.
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Let those whose behaviour you do not
appreciate follow their path, leave them alone. That is the
Udaaseenabhava, the attitude of unaffectedness. After the dawn of
love to the Absolute, the aspirant gets this bhaava towards all
worldly things. To be more exact, one should constantly be turning
over in the mind, the Reality of Brahma and the Unreality of the
Jagath, Brahma Sathyam: Jaganmithya. One must avoid comradeship
with the bad and too much of friendship with the good, even!
Attachment of this nature will drag one down from the Centripetal
path, the Nivrittimarga to the Pravrittimarga. Give up attachment
with the momentary, the things clothed with the trappings of Name
and Form. Once you have achieved this Udaaseenatha, or attitude of
unaffectedness, you will have unshakeable Santhi, self control,
and purity of mind. You will have the steadiness and stability of
Aasana.
Pranayama means usually the control and
regulation of the inhaling and exhaling of the breath. In the
Yogasastras, this is explained as rechaka, pooraka, kumbhaka etc.
comprising the various stages of pranayama. But, I explain it this
way: The control of the pranas or pranasamyama is possible only
for those who consider this whole universe as 'unreal'. We are
seeing golden ornaments of various types and styles, all are made
of the same metal, gold but, still, one likes one ornament more,
another ornament less, not all the things equally. We have given
various names and forms ourselves to these articles according to
the needs and fashions, likes and desires; but, yet, we are bound
by a meaningless delusion which blinds us to the actuality. When
the ornaments were thought of, when they were being manufactured,
when they are in use, and when they are finally melted into a
lump, they are and remain 'gold', isn't it?
Likewise, so many names and forms appear
and reappear in this world, rise, grow and get destroyed, but that
which is the basic substratum, the eternal, persists in and
through all this change and remains eternal. Just as the multiple
forms create the illusion and arouse feelings of hatred and love,
so too these forms and names delude and create attachment. They
make us believe that they are themselves the source of joy. But,
do not Sruthis say, the Universe is nothing but Brahmam, the
Beginningless, the Endless, the Unblemished, the Ever-pure? They
declare that the ornaments are passing phases, that Gold alone is
eternal and real and true. Therefore, you must take everything to
be Brahmam and Brahmam alone. Convince yourselves that all
appearance are the product of Maya, practise always that type of
discrimination, evince great interest in knowing the reality and
be ever alert to recognise the truth that everything is Brahmam.
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Of course, in the deluded stage, the world
appears as real and Brahmam as a meaningless concoction. In the
stage of intelligent charity, the Jagath is grasped in its true
sense as unreal. The Fairy of Delusion overpowers you by her
charms and by her arrows of falsehood and gilt. It is only the
person possessed of the vision of universal Brahmam that can soon
escape her wiles. Such a person fully knows that names and forms
arose a little time ago and disappear a little time after. In the
Githa too it is said: "These, O Bharatha, appear in the middle
one." (II, 28) The world is subject to evolution and involution.
To understand this, one need not wait till the end of the world;
it is enough if the angle of vision is corrected. That is the
gateway to real knowledge. That is real control of Pranas, the
consciousness that the world is Unreal, or Mithya.
The genuine master of Pranayama will
picture the world like letters written in pencil many years ago,
indistinct, hazy, misty. Knowing that Brahmam alone is all this he
will never be drawn towards his environment however fascinating it
may be. Earnings, wealth, property, everything is unreal,
valueless, not worth while. This conviction is the best sign of
Pranayama.
The tongue tastes, the eye sees, the ear
hears, the skin feels and the nose smells, each sense acts thus
throughout life, is it not? The senses have to be withdrawn from
the external objective world and turned towards the internal
Mental Consciousness or Intelligence known as Chitta. This process
is called by Pathanjali in his Yoga Suthras as Prathyaharam.
However, I shall define it in another manner also.
The inward activity of the Chitta, that is
to say, the perpetual in-sight of the Chitta, the fundamental
directive force of all the senses, that is the real meaning of
Prathyaharam. It is only when the Chitta, or the Mind stuff
realises that this is all Maya-born and Maya-maintained that it
will draw back its feelers from the sensory world, and give up its
worldly selfish attitude. The general nature of the Chitta is to
waver and hesitate and flutter in its search for happiness and
peace. When it knows that the things it ran after are transitory
and meaningless, it grows suddenly ashamed and disillusioned.
Then, it begins to illumine the consciousness and to clarify it.
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The Sadhaka who has attained this stage
will be watching the outer world as a huge pantomime; his inward
look will give him such joy and contentment that he will repent
for all the time wasted in external activities and pursuit of
sensory joy. So, the straight, sharp, single-pointed vision of the
Chitta towards the Atma within, that, is the real Prathyaharam.
Pathanjali has explained that when the
Chitta is fixed in one place, it is named Dhaarana. I would say
that it means more the undeviating attitude of the Chitta, its
unwavering character. When the Chitta gives up the attachment to
external objects, when it is saturated with repentance for past
foolishness, when it is filled with remorse, renunciation and
understanding, when it directly fosters the development of
progressive qualities of head and heart, then truly it becomes fit
to join the Ideal. It contemplates only the Ideal. Such fixed
attention is what is meant by Dhaarana.
To whichever place the Chitta may wander,
instruct it to find only Brahmam there. Whatever ideas and
pictures it may form, instruct it to find only Brahmam, in those
creations of the mind-stuff.
Treat your Chitta as a little boy. Bring
up that boy, training it to become wiser and wiser, caress it into
good ways, make it aware that all objects that are 'seen' are just
products of one's own illusion, remove all its fears and foibles,
and focus its attention steadily on the goal only. Never deal
forcibly with the Chitta; it will yield easily to tenderness and
patient training. Correct its waywardness by means of the attitude
of renunciation. Destroy its Ajnana by means of the instruction in
the knowledge of the Atma. Strengthen the interest, it is already
endowed with, towards the realisation of Brahmam, let it give up
the attraction towards the evanescent and the false, the mirages
created by fancy and fantasy, turn its face inwards away from the
external world by these three methods, Dhaarana can be established
firmly.
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During both the waking and the dream
stages, as well as during all the process of mental spinning and
weaving of colourful pictures by the imagination, the Chitta has
to be watched and trained. It must be made to flow, single pointed
and steady, like water from a sluice, towards Brahmam and Brahmam
only. That is real Dhaarana.
Jnana that flows in a single direction is
Dhyana. I have already described its various characteristics in
previous articles. Dhyanam, in short, is the uninterrupted
dwelling of the consciousness in Jnana, the consciousness itself
becoming thereby Jnanaswarupa. All this is Brahmam. The ocean of
Amritha is everywhere Amritha. Whether in the well, or in the tank
or in the river, ocean, water is water. So too, when all is
Brahmam, all is the same substance appearing under a multiplicity
of names and forms. Akasa is there, inside the pot as well as
outside it, and it is the same Akasa, though it appears as two,
interior Akasa and the exterior Akasa! The Brahmam, too, appearing
as various bodies with their own individual characteristics, is
One and one Only. Like Akasa inside the pot as well as outside the
pot, it is One. Experiencing that One and only Brahmam, avoiding
all feelings of difference and distinction, that is the sign of
Dhyana, the essence of the Dhyana experience, however much
individuals may vary.
When Form is ignored and Meaning alone is
felt, that is Samadhi. This is the opinion of Pathanjali. This can
be explained in another manner also. When the person engaged in
Dhyana, forgets both himself and the fact that he is engaged in
Dhyana, then it becomes Samadhi. That is to say, when he is merged
in the thing he meditates on, he enters into the stage called
Samadhi. Dhyana fulfils itself, becomes complete, in Samadhi.
Dhyana strives, proceeds through effort, but, Samadhi comes
effortlessly. It is the culmination of the eight-fold discipline,
the Ash-tanga.
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When one knows that there is absolutely no
iota of distinction between the Jiva and the Atma, that they are
One and the Same, then it is the highest Samadhi. It is the fruit
of ripest Dhyana, the dearest moment of Yogis, the destroyer of
Ajnana, the signal of the Grace of God. Incessant thirst to know
the Atman as all, is worthy to be encouraged and welcomed, for, it
is the path through which all doubts can be eliminated.
Samadhi is of two types, Savikalpa,
Nirvikalpa. In Savikalpa, the Thriputi, or the Threefold nature of
Knower, Knowing and Knowee will still persist. When it is realised
that the Knower is Brahmam, Knowing too is Brahmam and the thing
to be known is also Brahmam, then there is no more Vikalpa or
Agitation or Activity; that is the Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
Samadhi is as the ocean to which all
Sadhana flows. The seven streams of Yama, Niyama, Asana,
Pranayama, Prathyahara, Dharana and Dhyana all find their
consummation in it. Every trace of Name and Form disappear in that
Ocean. He who serves and He who receives the service, he who
meditates and He who is meditated upon, all such duality is
dispelled and destroyed. One will not experience even the
experience, that is to say, one will not be aware that he is
experiencing! Oneself alone, nought else - that will be the
Samadhi. If there is aught else, it cannot be Samadhi. It is
something like a dream, a fantasy, a passing vision at best.
Samadhi can admit of nothing other than Brahmam.
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