For Maya-constituted beings, there are two Maya gates; the
appetite for sex and the appetite of the tongue. These two have to
be conquered by every man; so long as they persist, they cause
sorrow. All worldly desires are comprehended by these two; so,
only those who have mastered these two can be said to have
successfully waded through the world. These are the causes of all
sins; and, sin is the manure on which Maya thrives. Really
speaking, this Maya-prapancha or world has to serve only the
purpose of just sustaining the body. Those aspiring for Liberation
have to subdue the senses. "Food for guarding the body, dress to
ward off the cold", says the Uttara Gita. If Man, however, gets
immersed in these pursuits, he will forget the purpose for which
he has come and the goal of activity and holy endeavour. Instead,
whatever activity a person may be engaged in, he must, as
automatically as he takes in breath, be contemplating on these
lines and should always be aware of this: "I am born to serve God
and to realise my true Self". All acts - wearing, eating, walking,
studying, serving, moving - should be performed in the belief that
they take one into the Presence. Everything should be done in a
spirit of dedication to the Lord.
A farmer clears and levels the land, removes the stones and
thorns, ploughs and prepares the field, manures and strengthens
the soil, waters and fertilises it, and by sowing, transplanting,
weeding, spraying and waiting, he reaps the crop; after winnowing
and threshing, he stacks the corn. All these various processes are
for the sake of the stomach; so too, one must feel that all the
hunger, thirst, joy and sorrow, grief and loss, suffering and
anger, food and appetite are but impulses helping us towards
attaining the Presence of the Lord. When one has this attitude,
sin will never tarnish these activities. The appetites too will
vanish, without a vestige of name or form.
The taste of food or of anything eaten cannot be grasped if the
person is ill or even if the mind is immersed in something else.
So also, even if one is engaged in Naamasmarana, Bhajana, Japa or
Dhyaana, if the heart is full of Thamas, or if it is wayward, no
joy can be experienced; joy can never well up under such
circumstances. The tongue will be sweet, so long as there is sugar
upon the tongue. If there is the pillar of light, Bhakthi, in the
corridor of the heart, so long as that lamp burns, there will be
no darkness. The heart will be illumined in Bliss. A bitter thing
on the tongue makes the whole tongue bitter; when qualities like
greed and anger enter the heart, the brightness disappears and
darkness dominates the scene and Man becomes the target of
countless grieves and losses. Therefore, those who aspire to
attain the holy Presence of the Lord must acquire certain habits,
disciplines and qualities. The usual, accustomed ways of life will
not lead to God. They have to be modified somewhat by means of
Sadhana. Look at the crane; it walks about pretty fast in water.
But, during that walk, it cannot catch any fish; it must, for that
purpose, become slow and quiet and stand motionless. So also, if
one proceeds with greed, anger and similar qualities, one cannot
secure the fish of Sathya, Dharma and Santhi. Whatever Sadhana a
person may or may not have, he must practise uninterrupted
Naamasmarana. Then only can he master the natural attributes of
greed, anger etc. All the Sastras teach but this one lesson: since
the Lord is the universal Goal and this Journey of Life has Him as
the Destination, keep Him constantly in view and subdue the mind
which makes you wander from the path. All the good qualities
automatically gather around the person who practises control of
speech and the constant contemplation of the Lord. See! In the
Dwaaparayuga the Kauravas, even while experiencing the fruits of
their previous Punya, were engaged in Papakarma; Pandavas, on the
other hand, even while undergoing the sufferings due to their
previous Papakarma, were thinking and doing only Punya! This is
the difference between the wise and the unwise. The Kauravas were
slaves of the appetites of hunger and sex and the Pandavas did
every act for the sake of the Lord, having Sathya and Dharma as
their Charioteer. Those who are overwhelmed in grief can never
feel interest in either a feast or a fight; similarly, the real
aspirant who is immersed in thoughts of God can never taste or
even think of worldly objects of enjoyment.