This is the age of scepticism and materialism. Wealth tempts people like a deceptive mirage. It hardens the heart of man and causes pride in him and makes him forget God.

Materialistic civilisation has made man insincere and untruthful. Rudderless, the ship of human civilisation is heading fast towards the rock of self-aggrandisement, hatred, aimless living, and eventually, self-destruction.

The present world is full of fear, suspicion, crimes, conflicts, quarrels and struggles. The philosophy of flesh substitutes licence for discipline and self-indulgence for self-sacrifice. The real ideal of religion is forgotten, the spirit of religion is lost, and only a poor external structure remains.

Scientists have conquered the air and the atom. Sputniks circle around the world. But alas! Men have not realised the mysteries of the Atman, their inner Self. They have conquered nature, and outer space, but they have not conquered their arch enemy, mind.

Mere intelligence, without morality and spirituality, is not helpful. It is dangerous. It will lead to disaster.

Today, in the world convulsed by wars and revolutions, there is a great necessity to revive the moral and spiritual value of ancient Indian culture and its everlasting idealism. If the human mind is to be weaned from materialism, if humanity is to be brought together, the only way is the practice of Yoga and Vedanta.

Yoga and Vedanta are basically the same. Vedanta is the sublime philosophy that gives a directive to the Yoga way of life.

Unconscious movement is called natural evolution. Conscious evolution is Yoga or the practice of religion.

Religion is not a matter of belonging to a church or of professing a creed. It is a matter of evolving a deeper insight and understanding and expressing it through life.

It is this insight and this understanding which the great Master Sivananda seeks to impart in the pages of BLISS DIVINE.

BLISS DIVINE is an immortal work, a legacy for ages to come. It is a spiritual classic. It is a Bible for the Christians, a Bhagavad-Gita for the Hindus, a Koran for the Muslims, a Zend-Avesta for the Parsis. It sums up the teachings of all scriptures of all ages.

Not only that; it offers comfort and consolation, enlightenment and elucidation, in a manner which makes a direct appeal to the modern mind. No line is vague. No explanation is hidden.

Optimism is the keynote of the book. Its pages abound in constructive suggestions for a fuller, happier life, right now, here on earth.

Each essay is self-contained and can be read apart from the rest of the book. The author has prefaced the book with a beautiful introduction, unsurpassed for depth of meaning and lucidity of presentation.

—THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY

Shivanandanagar,

1st March 1974.

A Word About “BLISS DIVINE”

This valuable and excellent anthology of a sage’s Wisdom Teachings is in the nature of a devout disciple’s votive offering at the feet of his spiritual preceptor or Guru. This book comprises an act of Guruseva and dedication. By this work the compiler, my Guru-Bandhu SRI ANANTHANARAYANAN, fulfilled an ardent wish of the holy Master SWAMI SIVANANDAJI MAHARAJ for such a collection and as such he has given concrete form to a pure Sankalpa of a saint who sought to serve mankind by helping it see light in the midst of darkness and guide it along the Path of Goodness. Unable to fulfil Gurudev’s desire during His lifetime due to His sudden and unexpected demise, Sri Ananthanarayanan laboured hard night and day to posthumously offer this work at the altar of his Master’s sacred and hallowed memory. This embodies an earnest and unsparing labour of Love.

The worthy compiler’s association with Swami Sivanandaji was over a period of more than a decade. Sri Ananthanarayanan was an officer in the Planning Commission in the Central Government at Delhi when he first visited Rishikesh to meet the Sage of Ananda Kutir. He was enthused by Gurudev’s idea of Jnana Yajna and inspired by His personality of indubitable spiritual eminence. He was charmed by the saint’s spontaneous and motiveless love. Back at Delhi, he set to work and brought out a beautiful little collection of Gurudev’s teachings under the caption “Pearls on the Shore of Wisdom”. Perhaps this first booklet actually anticipated and proved a precursor to this present “BLISS DIVINE”. Eminently qualified for this work more than anyone else, due to his high academic attainment, Ananthanarayanan has been happily endowed by providence with keen intelligence and literary ability. Hence the high quality of this present volume which is being acclaimed by numerous readers as the best publication so far brought out by the Divine Life Society. Born at Kodaikanal in 1927, Ananthanarayanan grew up as an idealistic youth with a sensitive disposition appreciative of higher values in life. It was natural, therefore, that he found scant satisfaction in his secular college education even when he secured a triple First-class in the B.Sc. examination in 1946 at the young age of 19. Going on to pass a higher degree examination, he took a Master of Arts degree in Economics, but felt that the entire period of his education was “wasted” since he saw no substantial benefit therefrom in the shape of inner spiritual evolution or uplift of his higher being.

This discontent made him turn to spiritual literature and he avidly absorbed the wise and lofty teachings of Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Rama Tirtha and other luminaries of recent times. Inevitably he soon came into contact with Swami Sivananda’s spiritual teachings which were at that time flooding this land like the very waters of Life to the seeking souls everywhere. He felt now that Gurudev’s writings were showing him the path. At last the right path had been shown to him in clear and unambiguous terms in a most practical manner and inspiringly too. This drew him to Swamiji when he got appointed at Delhi and thus came near to Rishikesh. Gurudev showered gifts of books upon Ananthanarayananji and won his heart for His divine mission of Dissemination of Spiritual Knowledge. Not much later the power and the influence of His sublime teachings decided the future course of this ardent young seeker. He resolved his step and unhesitatingly threw to the winds all prospects of worldly prosperity and advancement, and renouncing his covetable post in the Central Government, turned his back to secular life and joined Swami Sivananda. Since that day he has done and is still doing yeoman service to the great Guru’s holy Mission with deep sincerity and earnestness.

Through this present volume “BLISS DIVINE” Sri Ananthanarayanan has presented to modern India a rare compendium of spiritual wisdom and brought to the educated classes a comprehensive yet choicest collection of Sivanandaji’s teachings to present-day humanity. The essence of our country’s culture and ideals is contained in this beautiful compilation of his. He has put us all into a deep debt of gratitude which we can only repay by making this “BLISS DIVINE” our life’s Guide and Companion! May God bless him and may Gurudev’s Grace be with him always!

Shivanandanagar, Swami Chidananda

Vijaya Dasami, President

5-10-1965. THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY

INTRODUCTION

The Atman

Bliss is the essential nature of man. The central fact of man's being is his inherent divinity.

Man's essential nature is divine, the awareness of which he has lost because of his animal propensities and the veil of ignorance. Man, in his ignorance, identifies himself with the body, mind, Prana, and the senses. Transcending these, he becomes one with Brahman or the Absolute who is pure bliss.

Brahman or the Absolute is the fullest reality, the completest consciousness. That beyond which there is nothing, that which is the innermost Self of all is Atman or Brahman. The Atman is the common Consciousness in all beings. A thief, a prostitute, a scavenger, a king, a rogue, a saint, a dog, a cat, a rat—all have the same common Atman.

There is apparent, fictitious difference in bodies and minds only. There are differences in colours and opinions. But, the Atman is the same in all.

If you are very rich, you can have a steamer, a train. And worship of your own for your own selfish interests. But. You cannot have an Atman of your own. The Atman is common to all. It is not an individual's sole registered property.

The Atman is the one amidst the many. It is constant amidst the forms which come and go. It is the pure, absolute, essential Consciousness of all the conscious beings.

The source of all life, the source of all knowledge is the Atman, thy innermost Sell. This Atman or Supreme Soul is transcendent, inexpressible, uninferable, unthinkable, indescribable, the ever-peaceful, all-blissful.

There is no difference between the Atman and bliss. The Atman is bliss itself. God, perfection, peace, immortality, bliss are one. The goal of life is to attain perfection, immortality or God. The nearer one approaches the Truth, the happier one becomes. For, the essential nature of Truth is positive, absolute bliss.

There is no bliss in the finite. Bliss is only in the Infinite. Eternal bliss can be had only from the eternal Self.

To know the Self is to enjoy eternal bliss and everlasting peace. Self-realisation bestows eternal existence, absolute knowledge, and perennial bliss.

None can be saved without Self-realisation. The quest for the Absolute should be undertaken even sacrificing the dearest object, even life, even courting all pain.

Study philosophical books as much as you like, deliver lectures and lectures throughout your global tour, remain in a Himalayan cave for one hundred years, practise Pranayama for fifty years, you cannot attain emancipation without the realisation of the oneness of the Self.

What Moksha Implies

Oneness of Self or oneness of Existence is Reality, and the realisation of this Reality is Moksha.

Moksha is the breaking down of the barriers that constitute separate existence. Moksha is the absolute state of being, where the unity of all-pervading and all-permeating consciousness is realised with certainty, like that of an orange which we see in our palm.

Moksha is not an attainment of liberation from an actual state of bondage, but is the realisation of the liberation which already exists. It is freedom from the false notion of bondage.

The individual soul feels itself to be in bondage on account of ignorance caused by the power of Avidya. When the false belief caused by delusion is removed by Knowledge of Atman, the state of Moksha is realised then and there, in this very life. It is not to follow after death. The cause of delusion is the desire in man. The desires generate the thought-waves, and the thought-waves veil the real nature of the Soul which is blissful, immortal, and eternal. When the desires are annihilated, Knowledge of Brahman dawns on the individual.

Knowledge of Brahman is not an action. You cannot reach Brahman even as you cannot reach yourself except by knowing yourself Knowledge of Brahman is absolute and direct. It is intuitive experience.

Reason and Intuition

Intuition dawns like a flash. It does not grow bit by bit. The immediate knowledge through intuition unites the individual soul with the Supreme Soul. Intuition merges the subject and the object of knowledge, together with the process of knowing, into the Absolute where there is no duality. In intuition, time becomes eternity, space becomes infinity.

Intuitive knowledge alone is the highest knowledge. It is the imperishable, infinite knowledge of Truth. Sense-knowledge is a knowledge of appearance, and not of Truth.

Sensing is false knowledge and intuition is right knowledge. You can attain Atma-jnana or Knowledge of the Self through intuition and intuition alone.

Without developing intuition, the intellectual man remains imperfect. Intellect has not got that power to get into the inner chamber of Truth. Intellect functions in the realm of duality, but is powerless in the realm of non-duality.

Mind and intellect are finite instruments. Reason is finite. It cannot penetrate the Infinite. Intuition alone can penetrate the Infinite.

The scientific attempts to prove the Infinite are futile. The only scientific method here is the intuitional.

Meditation' leads to intuition. Meditation is the key to unfold the divinity or Atman hidden in all names and forms.

The Meditational Process

There is no knowledge without meditation. The aspirant churns his own soul. Truth becomes manifest.

Through regular meditation, you gradually grow in spirituality. The divine flame grows brighter and brighter. Meditation gradually offers you the eternal light and intuition. By constant practice of concentration and meditation, the mind becomes as transparent and pure as a crystal. The din of the strife for things mundane becomes smaller and smaller as one recedes inside.

There are laws on the new plane. The music is different. The notes are very sweet. There is a perpetual pervading of something better.

The lustre of spiritual awakening changes the perspective and one seeks devotedly that which will bring him real lasting joy and peace in the long run. Therefore, the seeking of material and immediate advantages becomes less urgent.

Meditation leads you more and more inward, from the gross to the subtle, from the subtle to the subtler, from the subtler to the subtlest, the Supreme Spirit.

Going beyond the consciousness of the body by meditating on the Lord, one attains the universal lordship. All his desires are satisfied. Meditation is the only right royal way for attaining immortality and eternal bliss. Peace and bliss are not to be found in books, churches, or monasteries. It is realised when Knowledge of Atman dawns.

Why do you read many books? It is of no use. The great book is within your heart. Open the pages of this inexhaustible book, the source of all knowledge. You will know everything.

Close your eyes. Withdraw your senses. Still the mind. Silence the bubbling thoughts. Make the mind waveless. Merge deep into the Atman or the Self, the Supreme Soul, the Light of lights, the Sun of suns. All knowledge will be revealed to you. All doubts will now vanish. All mental torments will disappear. All hot discussions, heated debates will terminate. Peace and Jnana alone will remain.

All names and forms vanish in deep meditation. There is consciousness of infinite space. This also disappears. There is a state of nothingness. Suddenly dawn’s illumination, Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

The Bliss of Samadhi

Nirvikalpa Samadhi is the realisation of the highest value. During Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the Reality is intuited in all its wholeness. It is the experience of oneness with the Absolute. You have Brahmic superconsciousness, in place of the stilled Jiva-consciousness.

Experience of fullness is called Samadhi. it is freedom from misery. It is bliss absolute.

Samadhi is not the abolition of personality. It is the completion of personality. In that state of supreme illumination, you feel the oneness of subject and object. You see nothing else, hear nothing else, know nothing else.

The knowledge simply illumines. It does not require you to do something after that illumination.

To know is to be. Knowing and being cannot be separated. Chit and Sat are one and the same. Where absolute knowledge and absolute existence prevail, there is also absolute bliss.

The bliss of Self-realisation cannot be described in words. Tranquillity which nothing can touch, supreme peace without a ruffle, light and bliss unalloyed—such is the glimpse of Self-realisation.

Sensual pleasure is nothing when compared with the bliss of meditation and Samadhi. Rise from the sense-life. Awake and realise that you are the pure, immortal Atman. Behold the one Atman in all beings and attain immortality and bliss eternal.

Hear all about Atman or Soul. Then understand the Atman. Then reflect on the Atman. Then meditate on the Atman. Then realise the Atman. Tat Tvam Asi. That Thou Art.

Thou art Atman! Atman art Thou. Realise this and be free. Nothing can hinder thee from the realisation of thy essential nature.

Self-realisation is not an invention. It is only discovery of the Self. It is knowing one's Self. It is awareness.

Self-realisation is nothing to be attained afresh. You need not reach or attain the Atman or the Self. You are, indeed, the Atman or Supreme Self. Only, you will have to open your inner eyes.

The Vedanta philosophy summons the individual to his own freedom, glory, and dignity. Know this source of freedom, the root of bliss, and be free.

Bliss is, indeed, thy essential nature. Bliss is your birthright. You are a glorious heir to bliss infinite. Realise this bliss right now, in this very second.

Look not outside for light, peace, joy and bliss, but look within. Moksha or salvation is neither in heaven nor in Mt. Kailas. The inexhaustible, supreme divine treasure, the Atmic pearl, is locked up in the chambers of your own heart, in the casket of silence. Discover the true Reality in the very heart of your own subjectivity, in the very depth of your own being.

Maya and Mind

There is no duality in Reality. All modification is illusory. Multiplicity is an illusion.

Maya projects multiplicity. Maya creates division, division between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul.

Maya is a tremendous, delusive power of God. Maya is the material stuff of this world. Maya is the source of the physical universe. This world of names and forms is a false show kept up by the jugglery of Maya.

Just as a stick burning at one end, when waved round quickly, produces an illusion of a circle of fire, Alata Chakra, so is it with the multiplicity of the world. Maya deludes us.

Maya havocs through the mind. The things that we perceive all round us are only mind in form or substance. The world is a product of the mind. The whole world is an expansion of the mind. The entire universe arises and exists in the mind.

Nothing of the world is outside the mind. Earth, mountains, and rivers—all are fragments of the mind, appearing as it were to exist outside

The world does not exist by itself. It is not seen without the aid of the mind. It disappears when the mind ceases to function.

It is imagination alone that assumes the forms of time, space, and motion. Space and time have no independent status apart from Brahman or the Self, which is Awareness.

There is no space without time, and there is no time without space. Space and time go together. Space and time are interdependent. They are unreal.

Time and space are mental creations. Time and space are mental projections, unreal as dreams. However real they may seem to be, they are not ultimately real. Timeless, spaceless Brahman is the only Reality.

Brahman alone is. It is Brahman alone that shines as the world of variegated objects, like waves differentiating the water into many kinds of foam, bubbles, etc. Brahman appears as the world when cognised through the mind and the senses.

Matter and Spirit

This whole universe is the body of God. This entire world is God or Virat Svarupa. This world is not a world of dead matter, but a living Presence. This world is a manifestation of the Spirit.

The fundamental error of all ages is the belief that the spiritual world and the material are separate. Spirit and matter are neither different nor separable.

Matter is Spirit cognised through the senses. Matter is spirit in manifestation. Matter is Spirit in motion. Matter is power of the Lord. Matter is dynamic aspect of the static Lord. The world is an expression of Brahman, the Absolute.

This world is a shadow of Brahman. It is an overflow of the bliss of Brahman. It is an emanation of God. It is a manifestation of God. It is a reflection of God. The world is charged with the splendour, glory, and grandeur of God.

God is the one light that shines in various forms. He is the one voice that speaks in various languages. He is the one life that thrills through every atom in the universe.

God fills everywhere. God is equally and fully contained in all things.

The world is a play of God. God, the warp and the woof, is blended with the world.

As there is no difference between gold and ornaments, so there is no difference between God and the universe. God is the relisher. He Himself is the relish.

The world is not different from God. God is within and without everything. There is no place where God is not. Everything is God, and there is nothing but God.

Is the World Unreal?

In reality, there is no world. It is a mere appearance, like the snake in the rope. All names and forms are unreal like the shadow, like water in the mirage, blueness in the sky.

The unreality of the world is the truth in the ultimate analysis. But, in relative existence, one cannot deny it. It is quite real from the empirical standpoint.

This world is not absolutely unreal, because you experience it, you feel it. It is not absolutely real also, because it vanishes when you attain wisdom.

This world is unreal: for whom? And when? For a liberated sage alone, this world is unreal. It is a solid reality for a worldly man. When you wake up alone, the dream becomes unreal. When you are dreaming, the dream is quite real to you.

This world is unreal. But in what sense? Is it as unreal as the horn of a hair or a barren woman's son or the lotus in the sky? No. It is not as much solid or reality as Brahman is. When compared with Brahman, it is unreal. It is mere appearance.

Creation is the appearance of the Lord, who is one, as many. Atman, who is one and immutable by nature, seems to have assumed innumerable forms. Brahman or the Absolute manifests itself as the universe through forms.

The Riddle of Evil

This world is God's revelation of Himself. His bliss or joy assumes all these forms.

All life is alike. The universal heart beats in the minutest life. The Lord breathes in all life.

Just as one thread penetrates all flowers in a garland, so also, one Self penetrates all these living beings. Behold this one Self in all. Serve all. Love all. Be kind to all. Give up the idea of diversity.

The world is neither good nor bad. The mind creates good and evil. Thinking makes it so.

To the good, the world is full of good; but to the bad, the world is full of evil.

The evil is not in the world. It is in the mind. Man sees only the reflection of his mind. If you become perfect, the world will appear good.

Behold the Lord always, in everything. You will see no evil. You will see good everywhere.You will find peace.

Unity of Existence

One Soul abides in all. There is one humanity. There is one brotherhood. There is one Atmahood. None is high. None is low. All are equal. Vain are the distinctions. Man-made barriers should be ruthlessly broken down. Then alone there will be peace in this world.

There is only one caste, the caste of humanity. There is only one religion, the religion of love. There is only one commandment, the commandment of truthfulness. There is only one law, the law of cause and effect. There is only one God, the omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient Lord. There is only one language, the language of the heart or the language of silence.

All life is one. The world is one home. All are members of one human family. All creation is an organic whole. No man is independent of that whole. Man makes himself miserable by separating himself from others. Separation is death. Unity is eternal life. Cultivate cosmic love. Include all. Embrace all. Recognise the worth of others. Destroy all barriers, racial, religious and natural prejudices that separate man from man. Recognise the non-dual principles, the immortai essence within all creatures. Protect animals. Let all life be sacred. Then this world will be a paradise of beauty, a heaven of peace and tranquillity.

When one Atman dwells in all living beings, then why do you hate others? Why do you sneer and frown at others? Why do you use harsh words? Why do you try to rule and domineer over others? Why do you exploit others? Why are you intolerant? Is this not the height of your folly? Is this not sheer ignorance?

Learn to live as members of a single family. Champion the ideal of one humanity. Live in peace in one world. All are children of God. The whole world is one family of God. Feel this. Realise this. Be happy.

Behold the One-in-all and all-in-One. Feel: "I am the all" and "I am in all." Feel: "All bodies are mine. The whole world is my body, my sweet home." Feel: "I work in all hands. I eat in all mouths." Feel: "I am the immortal Self in all." Repeat these formulae mentally several times daily. Repeat Om mentally and feel oneness of life or unity of consciousness when you play football or tennis, when you drink and eat, when you talk and sing, when you sit and walk, when you bathe and dress, when you write a letter, when you do work in the office, when you answer calls of nature. Spiritualise every movement, action, thought, and feeling. Transmute them into Yoga.

Yoga and the Practice of Religion

Yoga is a conscious and sustained attempt towards self-perfection. The goal of Yoga is to calm the mind so that it may mirror without distortion the Atman that is behind the mind.

Restrain the senses. Control the mind. Meditate regularly. Be a Yogi, be a Yogi, be a Yogi. Live the Yogic life and spread the great doctrine. You have forgotten to look within, to gaze within, to introspect, concentrate and meditate, and so you are ignorant, you are lost in darkness. Introspect. Look within. Try to remove your defects. This is the real Sadhana. This is the most difficult Sadhana. You will have to do it at any cost. Intellectual development is nothing. It is more easy.

Sit at the Central Library, Baroda or Imperial Library, Calcutta for three to six years with a dictionary by your side. You can develop your intellect. But removal of defects needs a great deal of struggle for many years. Many vicious habits will have to be rent asunder.

There are big Mandaleswars who can deliver lectures for a week on one Sloka of the Gita or the Upanishads. They command respect, and yet they are disliked by the public, because they still have great defects. They have not done much introspection. They have not done drastic Sadhana to remove their defects. They have developed only their intellect. What a great pity!

True religion begins where intellect ends. An impure heart, a conceited intellect, cannot understand the spirit of religion.

Religion is a manifestation of the eternal glow of the Spirit within man. The main purpose of religion is the unfoldment of the divinity within man.

Prayer and meditation are the chief pillars of religion. A life of selfless service and sacrifice, with regular prayer and meditation, is the highest religion.

Practice of religion is the practice of righteousness, goodness, justice, truth, love, and purity. The righteous man is the truly religious man.

The ringing notes of religion are: Be good. Do good. Be pure. Be kind. Be compassionate. Serve all. Love all. See God in all.

The practice of these precepts alone will awaken man to the consciousness of the unity of existence and the realisation of the Divine Spirit within and without.

Religion is life. Life is sacrifice. One may meticulously perform religious devotion, and yet be very irreligious at heart and conduct. Religion should be a living experience in the life of man.

Religion is living, not speaking or showing. Real religion is the religion of the heart. The heart must be purified first.

The Path of Selfless Service

Practise the religion of the heart. Build on the edifice of love.

Selfless service purifies the heart and opens it for the receipt of divine light. Plunge in selfless service.

Cheer up a man who is in distress. Encourage a man when he is dispirited. Wipe the tears of the afflicted. Remove the sorrow in a man by kind, loving words. Make a man smile when he is in despair.

Be a lamp to those who have lost their way. Be a doctor and nurse to the ailing patients. Be a boat and bridge to those who want to reach the other shore of fearlessness and immortality.

Do your duty to the best of your ability and leave the rest to God. Do all your actions detachedly in a spirit of dedication to the Divine. Then actions will not bind you. Your heart will be purified.

Spirituahse all your activities. Let your eyes look with kindness, your tongue speak with sweetness, your hand touch with softness. Be thou as compassionate as Buddha, as pure as Bhishma, as truthful as Harischandra, as brave as Bhima.

Feed your mind with thoughts of God, your heart with purity, and your hands with selfless service. Remain soaked in the remembrance of God with one-pointed mind.

The Goal of Life

God has a Master plan. We have our parts to play.

Play out your part well in the worldly play. But, do not fetter yourself. Keep your mind steady on the lotus-feet of the Lord. You will swim in the ocean of divine bliss.

Have no attachment for this mortal body of flesh and bone. Cast it off like a slough anywhere, just as the snake throws away its skin. Make up your mind to give up the body at any moment. Become absolutely fearless.

As long as there is the least Deha-Adhyasa, identification with the body, so long you cannot expect Self-realisation. Exhibit undaunted spirit, intrepidity, and manliness. Make a strong resolve: "I will die or realise."

Birth and death, bondage and freedom, pleasure and pain, gain and loss, are mental creations. Transcend the pairs of opposites. You were never born. You will never die. Thou art the immortal Self always, O Prem! Thou art ever • free in the three periods of time. It is the physical body that goes and comes.

Recognise, O Prem, that you are the living Truth. Realise that you are always inseparable from the one essence that is the substratum of all these illusory names and forms, these false shadowy appearances. Get yourself firmly established in the Brahman, the Light of lights. Nothing can disturb you now. You have become invulnerable. Feel this. Feel this through intuition when you enter into deep Samadhi or supreme silence, my child!

The god of death will tremble before you now. By your command the sun shines, the fire burns, and the wind blows. By your command Indra, Prajapati, Agni, and Varuna do their respective functions. Thou art beyond time, space, and causation.

You must not be afraid of Maya now. She is under your perfect control now. Stand firm like the yonder rock. Be adamantine. Move about in the world now like a lion and lift up the young, struggling souls out of the mire of Samsara. Disseminate Knowledge of the Self. Share it with others. Be catholic, liberal, universal, all-inclusive. Love all. Be kind to all. Expand thy heart. Have space in thy heart for all, even for that man who is planning to poison you, who is drawing the dagger to cut your throat. Become a practical Vedantin. Become a Kriya-Advaitin.

Rely on your own Self, your own inner spiritual strength. Stand on your own feet. Do not depend on money, friends, or anyone. When the friends are put to the test, they will desert you. Lord Buddha never trusted even his disciples. When he was seriously ailing, he himself jumped like a frog to drink water from the river. Be not bound to anybody, any place, or thing. Do not desire to possess. Possessions bring pain. Become absolutely free by identifying with the inner Self, thy Inner Ruler, immortal. Challenge the whole world now.

Stand up, O Prem! Follow me. Enjoy the bliss of Atman. The river of Atmic joy is flowing all around. There is a deluge of Bliss of Self. Drink this nectar to your heart's content. Care not for the world. Go thy own way. Let others hoard up wealth and become multimillionaires and mill-owners. They are misers only. Let others become barristers, high court judges, and ministers. They are still ignorant men. Mind not a bit. The wealth of the three worlds is nothing, mere straw, before the spiritual wealth, the wealth of Atma-Jnana. The joy of the three worlds is a mere drop when compared to the ocean of bliss of the Self. The knowledge of all secular sciences is mere husk when compared to the Knowledge of the Self. Here are the priceless treasures of Atman for thee. Here is the inexhaustible wealth of Brahma-Jnana. Enjoy these riches. No dacoit or robber can rob thee of this imperishable wealth of Tattva-Jnana. No insolvency, no failure of bank, no bankruptcy here. Take possession of this spiritual treasure, the splendour of Brahman, and enjoy forever and ever. Thou art now a real King of kings, Shah of shahs. Emperor of emperors. Indra and Brahma will be jealous of thee now, O Prem! Go and distribute this imperishable wealth of Knowledge of Self far and wide. Glory unto thee! Peace be with thee for ever and ever!

1. AHIMSA

In the regeneration and divinisation of man, the first step is to eliminate the beastly nature. The predominant trait in beasts is cruelty. Therefore wise sages prescribed Ahimsa. This is a most effective master-method to counteract and eradicate completely the brutal, cruel Pasu-Svabhava in man. Practice of Ahimsa develops love. Ahimsa is another name for truth or love. Ahimsa is universal love. It is pure love. It is divine Prem. Where there is love, there is Ahimsa. Where there is Ahimsa, there is love and selfless service. They all go together.

The one message of all saints, prophets of all times and climes, is the message of love, of Ahimsa, of selfless service. Ahimsa is the noblest and best of traits that are found expressed in the daily life and activities of perfected souls. Ahimsa is the one means, not only to attain Salvation, but also to enjoy uninterrupted peace and bliss. Man attains peace by injuring no living creature.

There is one religion—the religion of love, of peace. There is one message, the message of Ahimsa. Ahimsa is a supreme duty of man.

Ahimsa, or refraining from causing pain to any living creature, is a distinctive quality emphasised by Indian ethics. Ahimsa or non-violence has been the central doctrine of Indian culture from the earliest days of its history. Ahimsa is a great spiritual force.

Meaning of Ahimsa

Ahimsa or non-injury, of course, implies non-killing. But, non-injury is not merely non-killing. In its comprehensive meaning, Ahimsa or non-injury means entire abstinence from causing any pain or harm whatsoever to any living creature, either by thought, word or deed. Non-injury needs a harmless mind, mouth and hand.

Ahimsa is not mere negative non-injuring. It is positive, cosmic love. It is development of the mental attitude. In which hatred is replaced by love. Ahimsa is true sacrifice. Ahimsa is forgiveness. Ahimsa is Sakti. Ahimsa is true strength.

Subtle Forms of Himsa

Only the ordinary people think that Ahimsa is not to hurt any living being physically. This is but the gross form of Ahimsa. The vow of Ahimsa is broken even by showing contempt towards another man, by entertaining unreasonable dislike for or prejudice towards anybody, by frowning at another man, by hating another man, by abusing another man, by speaking ill of others, by backbiting or vilifying, by harbouring thoughts of hatred, by uttering lies, or by ruining another man in any way whatsoever.

All harsh and rude speech is Himsa. Using harsh words to beggars, servants or inferiors is Himsa. Wounding the feelings of others by gesture, expression, tone of voice and unkind words is also Himsa. Slighting or showing deliberate discourtesy to a person before others is wanton Himsa. To approve of another's harsh actions is indirect Himsa. To fail to relieve another's pain or even to neglect to go to the person in distress is a sort of Himsa. It is the sin of omission. Avoid strictly all forms of harshness, direct or indirect, positive or negative, immediate or delayed. Practise Ahimsa in its purest form and become divine. Ahimsa and divinity are one.

Ahimsa, A Quality of the Strong

If you practise Ahimsa, you should put up with insults, rebukes, criticisms and assaults also. You should never retaliate nor wish to offend anybody even under extreme provocation. You should not entertain any evil thought against anybody. You should not curse. You should not harbour anger. You should be prepared to lose joyfully even your life in the cause of Truth. The Ultimate Truth can be attained only through Ahimsa.

Ahimsa is the acme of bravery. Ahimsa is not possible without fearlessness. Non-violence cannot be practised by weak persons. Ahimsa cannot be practised by a man who Is terribly afraid of death and has no power of endurance and resistance. It is a shield, not of the effeminate, but of the potent. Ahimsa is a quality of the behaviour of the strong. It is a weapon of the strong. When a man beats you with a stick, you should not entertain any thought of retaliation or any unkind feeling towards the tormentor. Ahimsa is the perfection of forgiveness.

Remember the actions of great sages of yore. Jayadeva, the author of Gita-Govinda, gave large and rich presents to his enemies who cut off his hands, and got Mukti for them by sincere prayers. He said, "O my Lord! Thou hast given Mukti to Thy enemies Ravana and Kamsa. Why canst Thou not give Mukti to my enemies now?" A saint or a sage possesses a magnanimous heart.

Pavahari Baba carried the bag of vessels and followed the thief and said, "O Thief Narayana! I never knew that You visited my cottage. Pray accept these things." The thief was quite astonished. He left off his evil habit from that very second and became a disciple of Pavahari Baba.

Remembering the noble actions of saints like Jayadeva and Pavahari Baba, you will have to follow their principles and ideals.

Gradational Practice of Ahimsa

When thoughts of revenge and hatred arise in the mind, try to control the physical body and speech first. Do not utter evil and harsh words. Do not censure. Do not try to injure others. If you succeed in this by practice for some months, the thoughts of revenge, having no scope for manifesting outside, will die by themselves. It is extremely difficult to control such thoughts from the very beginning without having recourse to control of body and speech first.

First control your physical body. When a man beats you, keep quiet. Suppress your feelings. Follow the instructions of Jesus Christ and his Sermon on the Mount. Says Jesus: "If a man beats you on one cheek, turn to him the other cheek also. If a man takes your coat, give him your shirt also." This is very difficult in the beginning. The old Samskaras of revenge, 'tooth for tooth', tit for tat', 'eye for eye', and 'paying in the same coin' will all force you to retaliate. But you will have to wait coolly. Reflect and meditate. Do Vichara. The mind will become calm. The opponent who was very furious will also become calm, because he does not get any opposition from your side. He gets astonished and terrified. Also, because you stand like a sage. By and by, you will gain. immense strength. Keep the ideal before you. Try to get at it, though with faltering steps at first. Have a clear-cut mental image of Ahimsa and its immeasurable advantages.

After controlling the body, control your speech. Make a strong determination, "I will not speak any harsh word to anybody from today." You may fail a hundred times. What does it matter? You will slowly gain strength. Check the impulses of speech. Observe Mouna. Practise Kshama or forgiveness. Say within yourself, "He is a baby soul. He is ignorant. So he has done it. Let me excuse him this time. What do I gain by abusing him in return? To err is human; to forgive is divine." Slowly give up Abhimana. Abhimana is the root cause of human sufferings.

Finally go to the thoughts and check the thought of injuring. Never think also of injuring anyone. One Self dwells in all. All are manifestations of the One God. By injuring another, you but injure your own Self By serving another; you serve your own Self Love all. Serve all Hate none. Insult none. Injure none in thought, word and deed. Try to behold your own Self in all beings. This will promote Ahimsa.

Benefits of the Practice of Ahimsa

If you are established in Ahimsa, you have attained all virtues. Ahimsa is the pivot. All virtues revolve round Ahimsa. Just as all footprints get accommodated in those of the elephant, so also do all religions and ethical rules become merged in the great vow of Ahimsa.

Ahimsa is soul-force. Hate melts in the presence of love. Hate dissolves in the presence of Ahimsa. There is no power greater than Ahimsa. The practice of Ahimsa develops will-power to a considerable degree. The practice of Ahimsa will make you fearless. He who practises Ahimsa with real faith can move the whole world, can tame wild animals, can win the hearts of all, and can subdue his enemies. He can do and undo things. The force of Ahimsa is infinitely more wonderful and subtle than that of electricity or magnetism.

The law of Ahimsa is as much exact and precise as the law of gravitation or cohesion. You must know the way to apply it intelligently with scientific accuracy. If you are able to apply it with exactitude and precision, you can work wonders. You can command the elements and Nature also.

The Power of Ahimsa

The power of Ahimsa is greater than the power of the intellect. It is easy to develop the intellect, but it is difficult to develop the heart. The practice of Ahimsa develops the heart in a wonderful manner.

He who practises Ahimsa develops a strong will-power. In his presence, enmity ceases. In his presence, cobra and frog, cow and tiger, mongoose and cobra, cat and rat, wolf and lamb, will all live together in terms of intimate friendship. In his presence, all hostilities are given up. The term 'hostilities are given up' means that all beings—men, animals, birds and poisonous creatures—would approach the practitioner without fear and would do no harm to him. Their hostile nature disappears in them in his presence. The rat and the cat, the snake and the mongoose, and other beings that are enemies to each other by nature, give up their hostile feelings in the presence of the Yogi who is established in Ahimsa. Lions and tigers can never do any harm to such a Yogi. Such a Yogi can give definite orders to lions and tigers. They will obey. This is Bhuta Siddhi obtainable by the practice of Ahimsa. The practice of Ahimsa will culminate eventually in realisation of unity and oneness of life, or Advaitic consciousness.

Limitations to the Practice of Ahimsa

Absolute Ahimsa is impossible. It is not possible for the most conscientious Sannyasin. To practise that, you must avoid killing countless creatures in walking, sitting, eating, breathing, sleeping and drinking. You cannot find a single non-injurer in the world. You have to destroy life in order to live. It is physically impossible for you to obey the law of non-destruction of life, because the phagocytes of your blood also are destroying millions of dangerous intrusive spirilla, bacteria and germs.

According to one school of thought, if by the murder of a dacoit thousands of lives can be saved, it is not considered as Himsa. Ahimsa and Himsa are relative terms. Some say that one can defend himself with instruments and use a little violence when he is in danger; and this also is not considered to be Himsa. English people generally shoot their dear horses and dogs when the animals are in acute agony, and when there is no way of relieving their sufferings. They wish that the soul should be immediately freed from the physical body. Motive is the chief factor. It underlies everything.

A Sannyasin should not defend himself and use violence even when his life is in jeopardy. To an ordinary man, Ahimsa should be the aim; but he will not fall from this principle if, out of sheer necessity and with no selfish aim, he has recourse to Himsa occasionally. One should not give leniency to the mind in this respect. If you are lenient, the mind will always take the best advantage of this and will goad you to do acts of violence. Give a rogue an inch, he will take an ell: the mind at once adopts this policy if you give a long rope for its movement.

Ahimsa is never a policy. It is a sublime virtue. It is the fundamental quality of seekers of Truth. No Self-realisation is possible without Ahimsa. It is through the practice of Ahimsa alone that you can cognise and reach the Supreme Self or Brahman. Those with whom Ahimsa is a policy may fail many a time. They will be tempted to do violent acts also. On the contrary, those who strictly adhere to the vow of Ahimsa as a sacred creed or fundamental canon of Yoga can never be duped into violence.

A Universal Vow

Ahimsa is a Mahavratam or great universal vow. It should be practised by all people of all countries. It does not concern the Hindus or Indians alone. Whoever wishes to realise the Truth must practise Ahimsa. You may encounter any amount of difficulties; you may sustain any amount of losses; but you must not give up the practice of Ahimsa. Trials and difficulties are bound to come in your way to test your strength. You should stand adamant. Then alone will your efforts be crowned with sanguine success.

There is a hidden power in Ahimsa which protects the practitioners. The invisible hand of God gives protection. There is no fear. What can pistols and swords do?

Even now there are people who do not give the least pain to flies or ants. They carry sugar and rice for distribution to the ants in their holes. They do not use lights at night for fear of killing the small insects. They are very careful in walking in the streets, as they do not want to trample down small insects. Blessed are these men. They will soon see God as they have soft hearts.

2. ANGER

A Bengalee used one word, Sala or Badmash, in anger against a Sikh, when they were crossing the Ganga in a boat. The Sikh became very furious, caught hold of the neck of the Bengalee, and threw him into the Ganga. The Bengalee died. How mentally weak was the Sikh though he was physically very strong! A little sound, a single word, upset his mind and threw him out of balance. He became a slave of anger.

Anger makes everybody its slave and victim. It breaks the friendship of even very intimate friends. It induces wives to quarrel with their husbands and makes them file suits. It excites all. It holds sway more or less over the whole world and over the Devatas also.

Anger destroys reason and makes man do things which cannot be dreamt of. An angry person can even kill the worshipful and vilify the pious with rude expressions. The angry man cannot decide what to speak and what not to utter. There is no sin that cannot be committed by him. Under the influence of anger, man abuses, insults and even murders his father, brother, wife, Guru or king and repents afterwards.

Anger is very powerful. It can destroy all Tapas. It subdued Durvasa. It conquered Yajnavalkya. It is the enemy of peace. It is the foe of knowledge. It makes the Jiva senseless. It makes him do all Adharmas. It makes him perfectly blind. It makes him its slave.

A Sign of Weakness

Anger is a strong emotion, excited by a real or a fancied injury, and involving a desire for retaliation. Anger arises from an idea of evil having been inflicted or threatened.

Anger resides in the astral body, but it percolates into the physical body just as water percolates through the pores to the outer surface of an earthen pot. The blood boils. The eyes are blood-shot. There is great heat in the body. Limbs tremble. Lips quiver. Fists are clenched. And the man stammers and fumbles for wards in great fury.

The fire you kindle for your enemy burns yourself. Anger acts as a boomerang, because it injures the man who becomes angry. It comes back to the angry man and does harm to him.

Anger is a sign of mental weakness. It always begins in folly or weakness, and ends in repentance or remorse. If you control anger, you will have limitless energy in your reserve. Anger, when controlled, will be transmuted into a spiritual power which can move the whole world.

How Anger Is Caused

It was Arjuna who asked Sri Krishna: "But what impels man to commit sin, O Krishna, in spite of himself and driven as it were by force?" The blessed Lord said: "It is desire; it is wrath, which springs from passion. Know that it is our enemy here, a monster of greed and sin."

The cause of sin or wrong action in this world is desire. Anger is only a modification or form of desire. Anger is desire itself.

You think of objects of senses. Attachment to these objects develops. From attachment, desire is born. When a desire arises, it generates Rajas and urges the man to work in order to possess the object of desire. When the desire is not gratified and when someone stands in the way of its fulfilment, the man becomes angry. The desire gets transformed into anger. Just as milk is changed into curd, so also, desire becomes changed into anger.

The root cause of anger is ignorance and egoism. Anger arises when one is insulted, abused, criticised, when his defects are pointed out. Anger comes when someone stands in the way of gratifying one's desire. Anger manifests from loving one's own opinion, from desiring to be honoured, from imagining that one is wiser than and superior to all others.

Anger arises in him who thinks of his enemy. Even if you have forgotten the feeling of annoyance, it lurks in the mind in a dormant form. The effect is there for some time. If you renew a number of times the same kind of thought of jealousy, envy or hatred about the same person, the effect lasts longer. Repetition of angry feeling intensifies hatred.

Mere ill-feeling develops into intense malice by repetition of anger.

Too much loss of semen is the chief cause of irritability and anger. A passionate man is more angry than others. A man who has wasted his seminal energy becomes irritated soon for little things even. A Brahmachari, who has preserved his Veerya, always keeps a balanced mind. He has a cool brain at all times.

Passion is the root, and anger the stem. You will have to destroy the root, passion, first. Then the stem, anger, will die by itself

Forms of Anger

Irritation, frowning, resentment, indignation, rage, fury, wrath are all varieties of anger, classified according to the degree of intensity. Anger is a sudden sentiment of displeasure. It is sharp, sudden and brief. Resentment is persistent. It is continued anger. It is the bitter brooding over injuries. Wrath is a heightened sentiment of anger. Rage drives one beyond the bounds of prudence or discretion. Fury is stronger still and sweeps one away into uncontrollable violence.

Irritability is a mild form, a subtle form, of anger. Still subtler is displeasure. It is pride mixed with anger. With a sharp word or a grunt, you dismiss the 'nuisance'. These are all forms of anger.

Anger and Righteous Indignation

Anger is personal and usually selfish. It is aroused by real or supposed wrong to oneself Indignation is impersonal and unselfish displeasure at unworthy acts. Pure indignation is not followed by regret and needs no repentance. It is also more self-controlled than anger. Anger is commonly a sin. Indignation is often a duty. We speak of "righteous indignation."

If a man wants to correct another man, and manifests slight anger unselfishly as a force to check and improve him, then it is called 'righteous indignation' or 'spiritual anger'. Suppose a man molests a woman and tries to outrage her modesty, and a bystander becomes angry with the criminal, it is called righteous indignation or noble anger. This is not bad. Only when the anger is the outcome of greed, of selfish motives, it is bad. Sometimes a religious teacher has to manifest a little anger outwardly to correct his disciples. This is not bad. He has to do it. But he should be cool within, and hot and impetuous without. He should not allow the anger to take deep root in his Antahkarane for a long time. It should pass off the next moment even as a wave subsides in the sea.

A good man's anger lasts for a second, a middling man's for three hours, a base man's for a day and a night, and a great sinner's until death.

III-effects of Anger

Anger spoils the brain, nervous system and blood. When a wave of anger arises in the mind, Prana begins to vibrate rapidly. You are agitated and excited. Blood becomes hot. Many poisonous ingredients are formed in the blood. When the blood is agitated, the semen also is affected. Even three minutes of violent hot temper may produce such deleterious effects in the nervous system that it will take weeks or months for repair of the injury. In the light of modern psychology, rheumatism, heart disease, and nervous disease are all due to anger.

Once a child sucked the breasts of his mother when she was in a fit of violent fury, and died immediately on account of poisoning by virulent chemical products that were thrown into the blood of the mother when she was in great excitement. Many such cases have been recorded. Such are the disastrous effects of anger.

When anger is on the throne, reason takes to its heels. He who is influenced by anger is like one intoxicated with a strong liquor. He loses his memory, his understanding becomes clouded and his intellect gets perverted.

Anger clouds understanding. When the mind is violently agitated, you cannot understand a passage of a book clearly. You cannot think properly and clearly. You cannot write a letter with a cool mind. When the lamp is flickering through wind, you do not see the objects clearly. Even so, when the Buddhi is flickering or agitated by anger, chaos arises in the Buddhi and you are not able to see and understand things properly.

All evil qualities and actions proceed from anger. If you can eradicate anger, all bad qualities will die by themselves. Anger begets injustice, rashness, persecution, jealousy, taking possession of others' property, killing, harsh words and cruelty. An angry man loses his normal consciousness for the time being. He falls a prey to anger.

A man who is a slave to anger may have washed himself well, anointed himself well, dressed his hair, and put on white garments; yet he is ugly, being overcome by anger. There are symptoms on the face to indicate the presence of anger in the mind. If you have an easily irritable mind, you will not be able to do your daily duties and business in an efficient manner. If you get anger, you will lose the battle of life.

Methods to Control Anger

Anger is a manifestation of Sakti. It is very difficult to fight against it directly. First try to reduce its force or Vega, its frequency and duration. Endeavour to attenuate or thin out this formidable modification or Vritti. Do not allow it to assume the form of a big wave in the surface of the conscious mind. Nip it in the bud when it is in the form of irritability in the subconscious mind. Divert the mind now Entertain divine thoughts. Do rigorous Japa or Kirtan. Repeat some prayers or Slokas of the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, or the Upanishads. Develop gradually the opposite positive divine virtues such as patience, love and forgiveness. The anger will gradually die by itself.

Food has a great deal to do with irritability. Take Sattvic food such as milk, fruits, Moong-ki-dal, curd, spinach, barley, groundnuts and buttermilk. Do not take carrots, onion, garlic cauliflower, Masoor-ki-dal, and drumstick. Give up hot curry and chutney, meat, alcohol and smoking. Smoking, meat-eating and drinking of liquors make the heart very irritable. Therefore they should be completely abandoned. Tobacco brings diseases of the heart. It gives rise to 'tobacco-heart' which gets easily irritated.

Whenever there is likelihood of a burst of anger during a conversation or debate, stop your speech. Do not argue. Do not enter into heated debates and discussions. Always try to speak sweet and soft words. The words must be soft and the arguments hard; but if the words are hard, it will bring discord. Speak sweetly. Speak little. Be mild. Be gentle. Be soft. Cultivate mildness, gentleness and softness again and again.

Control anger by pure reason. Why do you feel offended when a man calls you a dog or a donkey? Have you developed now four legs and tail like a dog? What is this abuse? Is it not mere vibration in the ether?

When you become angry with your servant when he fails to supply your usual milk on a day, raise a question within yourself: "Why should I be a slave to milk?" Then the wave of anger will at once naturally subside. It will not arise on other occasions also, if you are careful and thoughtful. It takes forty muscles to frown and only fifteen to smile. Why do you make the extra effort?

If you find it difficult to control anger, leave the place at once. Take a long walk. Drink cold water. Repeat om shanti a hundred and eight times. Do Japa of your Ishta Mantra or count from one to thirty. The anger will subside.

Self-restraint and Serenity

Good and bad are both in man. The human being is a mixture of both. All creatures contain forces of virtue and evil. It is the restraint of the evil and the active exercise of the good that raises man above other creatures. Anger makes the evil break out into harmful action. Self-restraint keeps the evil in check and affords scope for the exercise of virtues. Thus, when anger is controlled, evil is controlled. Good prevails. Anger is the outlet or channel through which emerge harshness, cruelty, pain and harm, vengeance, violence, war and destruction. When anger is overcome, your understanding becomes clear, and discrimination is active. You are enabled to choose between right and wrong. You proceed without confusion upon the straight, narrow path of moral rectitude.

Do not cause pain or suffering to any living being from greed, selfishness, irritability or annoyance. Give up anger or Give up the spirit of fighting. Try your level best to keep a serene mind always.

Be serene and tranquil under all circumstances. The divine light will descend on a calm mind only. An aspirant with a calm mind only can enter into deep meditation and Nirvikalpa Samadhi. He only can practise Nishkama Karma Yoga. Cultivate this virtue, serenity or Sama, again and again through constant and strenuous endeavour. Serenity is like a rock; waves of irritation may dash on it, but cannot affect it. Meditate daily on the ever-tranquil Atman or the Eternal which is unchanging. You will attain this sublime virtue gradually. It is easy to do evil for evil, to do good for good; but it is difficult and sublime to do good for evil. The downward path to evil is very easy, but the upward path to good is very difficult, thorny and precipitous. Those who are endowed with strength and wisdom in order to do good for evil are, indeed, blessed people. They are veritable gods on earth.

3. AVATARA

When Lord Jesus was born, the angels sang a beautiful song in praise of the Lord and, in so doing, revealed the purpose of His descent:

Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men.

Lord Jesus had come into this world of men in order to re-establish the true and the highest glory of God—peace on earth, and goodwill in the hearts of men towards all fellow-beings.

Law Governing the Lord's Descent

The law governing the Lord's descent upon earth is the same all times, everywhere. There is descent of God for the ascent of man. The aim of every Avatara is to save the world from some great danger, to destroy the wicked and protect the virtuous. Says Lord Krishna: "Whenever there is decay of righteousness, then I myself come forth. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the evil-doers, for the sake of firmly establishing righteousness, I am born from age to age."

When unrighteousness grows and righteousness is on the wane, when the forces of undivine seem to be stronger than the divine forces, when word of God or Command-ments of His Messengers is forgotten or disobeyed, when religious fanaticism follows the letter of the scriptures killing their spirit, it is then that Lord incarnates Himself on earth, to save man, to save righteousness. He takes human form when He comes down on the physical plane. He is called an Avatara.

Difference Between a Jivanmukta and an Avatara

A simple Jivanmukta is like a star that glitters at night. He throws a little light only. Somehow or the other, he has crossed to the other shore through some Tapas and Sadhana. He cannot elevate a large number of people. Just as the waters of a small spring can quench the thirst of a few pilgrims only, so also, this Kevala-jnani can bring peace to a few persons only. Whereas, an Avatara is a mighty person. He is like a big Manasarovar lake. He removes the veil of ignorance of thousands of men and women, and takes them to the land of eternal rest, bliss and sunshine.

The Avataras are one with the Supreme. They are not parts like the individual souls. Avataras or Incarnations are rays of the Lord. When the work of Loka-sangraha is over, they disappear from the world.

Kinds of Avataras

Avataras are of various kinds. There are Purna-avataras, with full Kalas or rays. There are Amsa-avataras or partial incarnations. There are Lila-avataras. Lord Krishna was a Purna-avatara. Sri Sankaracharya was an Amsa-avatara. Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Nara-simha, Vamana, Rama and others were Lila-avataras.

Krishna and Rama were the Avataras of Lord Vishnu. Dakshinamurthy was an incarnation of Lord Siva. Datta-treya was the Avatara of the Trimurtis—Brahma, Vishnu and Siva are three aspects of God. Brahma is the creative aspect; Vishnu is the preservative aspect; and Siva is the destructive aspect. There is no polytheism in the Hindu religion. Siva, Vishnu, Brahma and Sakti are different aspects of the one Lord.

The Ten Avataras of Vishnu

The Bhagavata Purana is a chronicle of the various Avataras of Lord Vishnu. There are ten Avataras of Lord Vishnu. They are: Matsya (the Fish), Kurma (Tortoise), Varaha (the Boar), Narasimha (the Man-loin), Vamana (the Dwarf), Prasurama (Rama with the Axe), Ramachandra (the hero of the Ramayana), Sri Krishna, Buddha (the prince-ascetic, Founder of Buddhism) and Kalki (the Hero on a white horse who is to come at the end of the Kali Yuga). The object of the Matsya Avatara was to save Vaivasvata Manu from destruction by a deluge. The object of the Kurma Avatara was to enable the world to recover some precious things which were lost in the deluge. The tortoise gave its back for keeping the churning-rod when the gods and the Asuras churned the Ocean of milk. The purpose of the Varaha Avatara was to rescue, from the waters, the earth which had been dragged down by a demon named Hiranyaksha. The purpose of Narasimha Avatara, half-lion and half-man, was to free the world from the oppression of Hiranyakasipu, a demon, the father of Bhakta Prahlada. The object of Vamana Avatara was to restore the power of the gods which had been eclipsed by the penance and devotion of King Bali. The object of Parasurama Avatara was to deliver the country from the oppression of the Kshatriya rulers. Parasurama destroyed the Kshatriya race twenty-one times. The object of Rama Avatara was to destroy the wicked Ravana. The object of Sri Krishna Avatara was to destroy Kamsa and other demons, to deliver His wonderful message of the Gita, and to become the centre of the Bhakti Schools of India. The object of Buddha Avatara was to prohibit animal sacrifices. The object of Kalki Avatara, who will appear before the end of the Kali Yuga, is the destruction of the wicked and the re-establishment of virtue.

Degree of the Lord's Manifestation in Different Avataras

The Rishis of yore have expounded the doctrine that Lord of the universe exists in sixteen expanding Kalas or digits of manifestation, that one digit of His life manifestation in the vegetable kingdom, two in the animal, and from five to eight in the human, according as we pass from the savage at one end of the scale to the highest evolved state at the other. The Lord's manifestation in His Avataras ranges from nine to sixteen digits or rays. The full or Purna Avataras are those in whom all sixteen rays are present. Lord Krishna was a Purna-Avatara, with sixteen rays. Lord Rama was an Avatara of fourteen rays. Theosophists also make mention of seven rays, twelve rays, and so on, when they describe the stage of spiritual development of their Masters and Adepts.

The Divine Form of an Avatara

Some people say: "How can we take Krishna as the Lord or Bhagavan? He took birth and died. He is only a man." This is a false statement. This is the utterance of an ignorant child. Lord Krishna only manifested himself, for the time being, to do Loka-sangraha work, to effect the solidarity or well-being of humanity, and then disappeared.

Lord Krishna is Lord Hari Himself. There is no doubt of this.

Lord Rama is the Supreme Soul, the Antaryamin, the protector of all beings. He is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. He is Lord Hari. He was never born. lie never died. Lord Hari simply manifested in the form of Rama to do Loka-sangraha and then vanished.

Lord Rama and Lord Krishna had no physical bodies. Their bodies were not made of five elements. They had divine forms. They had Chinmaya bodies, though to all appearance, it looked like flesh. They had no real birth and death like human beings. They appeared and disappeared, just as a Yogi does. Their bodies were not left in this world. There is no destruction for their bodies.

Just as a tailor who makes coats for others can make a coat for himself also, God who has created bodies for others can create a body for Himself as well. There is no difficulty. He is omnipotent and omniscient. As He has control over Maya, He is fully conscious of His divine nature though lie assumes a form. Still He is infinite and unconditioned.

Sometimes, the king visits the jail and enters the cell of a prisoner to see how matters are getting on in the prison. He does this for the good of the prisoners. He is quite independent, and yet, out of his own free will, he himself enters the cell. Even so, an Avatara puts on a body out of His own free will for the ascent of man. He is quite independent and has absolute control over Maya, like the king; while the Jiva is a slave of Avidya, so long as he has no Self-realisation.

Contact with Avataras

Some people want to have contact with Avataras without being endowed with proper qualifications. Even if an Avatara appears before you, you will not be able to find Him out. You have not got the eyes to see Him as such. You will take Him for an ordinary man only. How many were able to detect the divinity of Lord Krishna? Did Jarasandha, Sisupala and Duryodhana recognise Him as the Avatara of Lord Mari? Very few people, like Bhishma, recognised Lord Krishna as the Avatara. That is the reason why the Lord says: "The foolish disregard Me, when clad in human semblance, ignorant of My supreme nature, the great Lord of beings."

It is only a saint who can understand a saint. Only a Jesus can understand a Jesus. How can a patient know the merits of a doctor?

A neophyte or beginner in the spiritual path should prepare himself gradually. He must get spiritual instruc-tions from various Upa-gurus and follow them strictly. He should make himself fit to approach a Brahma-nishtha Guru to practise meditation, and to see the Lord in meditation.

If you are endowed with the Four Means of Salvation, if you have burning Vairagya like that of Lord Buddha or Raja Bharthrihari, if you possess forgiveness and patience like the Avanti Brahmin of Ujjain, if you have devotion to the preceptor like Trotaka or Padmapada, you can contact Avataras and sages now, in this very second.

Can you serve like Florence Nightingale? Can you obey like a soldier in the battlefield? Can you be generous like Ranti Deva? Can you spend sleepless nights in devotion to the Lord, like Mira? Can you do Tapas like Dhruva? Can you stick to your convictions like Mansoor and Shams Tabriez? Can you be fearless like the sage who met Alexander, the Great, on the banks of the Indus?

If you say Yes, you will have Self-realisation this very second. You will contact Avataras and full-blown Yogis this very second. First deserve, and then desire

God-realisation through Worship of Avataras

You can attain God-realisation through worship of Avataras like Lord Krishna and Lord Rama. Many have already attained God-realisation in this manner. Tukaram, Ramdas, Surdas, Mira Bai and Tulasidas have seen God face to face. Their powerful writings bespeak their high spiritual attainments.

Worship Lord Rama or Lord Krishna at all times, with all your heart and with all your mind. Glorify Him in your heart. He will soon reveal Himself to you and you will feel His Presence. You will attain immortality and eternal bliss.

God reveals Himself to His devotees in a variety of way. He assumes the very form which the devotee has chosen for his worship. If you worship Him as Lord Hari with four hands, He will come to you as Hari. If you adore Him as Siva He will give you Darshan as Siva. If you worship Him as Mother Durga or Kali, He will come to you as Durga or Kali. If you worship Him as Lord Rama, Lord Krishna or Lord Dattatreya, He will come to you as Rama, Krishna or Dattatreya. If you worship Him as Christ or Allah, He will come to you as Christ or Allah. All are aspects of one Isvara or Lord. Under whatever name and form, it is Isvara who is adored. Worship goes to the Indweller, the Lord in the form. It is ignorance to think that one form is superior to another. All forms are one and the same. All are adoring the same Lord. The differences are only differences of names due to differences in the worshippers, but not in the object of adoration.

The real Jesus or Krishna is in your own heart. He lives there for ever. He is your Indweller. He is your partner always. There is no friend like the Indweller. Resort to Him. Take refuge in Him. Realise Him and be free.

4. BHAGAVATA PURANA

The Puranas hold a unique place in the history of religious literature of the Hindus. They contain a mine of knowledge and information on all philosophical and religious topics. Srutis and Smritis cannot be easily understood by the common people. So the all-merciful Vedavyasa composed the eighteen Puranas for the benefit of mankind and explained in an easy way the subtle truths and deep problems of the Srutis. They are indeed an encyclopaedia of Hindu religion and ethics. The task of the Puranas is to popularise the Vedic truths by means of narratives, stories and anecdotes. The Puranas contain fables, fairy tales, philosophy, religion, myth and legend.

The Origin of the Bhagavata Purana

Sri Vyasa was meditating on the sacred banks of the river Sarasvati. His heart was in a disturbed condition. He had no satisfaction and peace. He reflected within Himself: "I have observed strict Brahmacharya. I have paid due regard to the study of the Vedas and to the worship of preceptors and sacred fires. I have obeyed the commands of my preceptors. I have explained the meaning of the Vedas in the form of Mahabharata wherefrom Dharmas and other things can be clearly understood even by women, Sudras and others. Still I think that my work is not fully done."

At this juncture, Narada appeared before Vyasa and said: "You have fully known all that is knowable. You have written the excellent Mahabharata which contains everything. How is it you feel uneasy and dissatisfied?"

Sri Vyasa replied: "I quite agree with what you say. Still I have no satisfaction. I want to know the cause of it from you. You are born of Brahma and you possess infinite knowledge."

Narada said: "O great Muni! Thou hast treated of Dharma and other things but thou hast not recited the glory of Vasudeva. For this reason, I think, the Lord is not satisfied. Therefore, O blessed one, write about the various glorious deeds of Lord Krishna so that all people may obtain the final emancipation by knowing them. This universe is also an aspect of Bhagavan, because its creation, preservation and dissolution proceed from Him. Thou knowest all this thyself but thou host shown to others only a portion of this truth. Therefore, O sage, sing the glory of the omnipresent Hari, by knowing which even the wise reach the end of their quest. The wise know this alone and no other to be the remedy for the miseries of beings that are repeatedly tossed into Samsara." Thereupon Sri Vyasa wrote Srimad Bhagavata consisting of eighteen thousand verses, three hundred and thirty-five sections and twelve chapters. The book is named Bhagavata because it speaks of the glory of Bhagavan or Vishnu. It is one of the most authoritative of Hindu scriptures. It is a work of great repute in India. It exercises a direct and powerful influence on the opinions and feelings of the people. It contains the essence of all the Puranas.

Avataras of the Lord

The Bhagavata Purana is a chronicle of the various Avataras of Lord Vishnu. The aim of every Avatara is to save the world from some great danger, to destroy the wicked and protect the virtuous. The ten important Avataras are: Matsya (the Fish, Kurma (the Tortoise), Varaha (the Boar), Narasimha (the Man-lion), Vamana (the Dwarf), Parasu-rama (Rama with axe, the destroyer of the Kshatriya race), Ramachandra (the hero of Ramayana—the son of Dasaratha and consort of Sita—who killed Ravana, the ten-headed Rakshasa or monster), Sri Krishna (the consort of Rukmini and teacher of the Gita), Buddha (the prince-ascetic, founder of Buddhism) and Kalki (the hero on a white horse who is to come at the end of the Kali-Yuga).

The object of the Matsya Avatara was to save Vaivasvata Manu from destruction by a deluge and that of Kurma Avatara was to enable the world to recover some precious things which were lost in the deluge. The Tortoise gave its back for keeping the churning rod. When the gods and Asuras churned the ocean of milk. The purpose of Varaha (Boar) Avatara was to rescue, from the waters, the earth which had been dragged down by a demon named Hiranyaksha and that of Narasimha Avatara, half-lion and half-man, was to free the world from the oppression of Hiranyakasipu, a demon, the father of Bhakta Prahlada. The Vamana Avatara was taken by the Lord to restore the power of gods which had been eclipsed by the penance and devotion of king Bali and Parasurama Avatara to deliver the country from the oppression of the Kshatriya rulers. Parasurama destroyed the Kshatriya race twenty-one times. In Rama Avatara the Lord destroyed the wicked Ravana. The object of Sri Krishna Avatara was to destroy Kamsa and other demons, to deliver His wonderful message of the Gita, and to become the centre of the Bhakti cult. The object of Buddha Avatara was to prohibit animal sacrifices. The object of the Kalki Avatara is the destruction of the wicked and the re-establishment of virtue.

The Unique Nature of the Bhagavata Purana

In the Bhagavata Purana alone the history of the universe is systematically dealt with. Lord Krishna is the central figure of this unique book. It is an authoritative book on devotion. The Bhagavata teaches devotion that is associated with Jnana (Bhaktiyukta-Jnana). It does not divorce knowledge from Bhakti. It teaches that Jnana is extremely helpful to the perfect attainment of Bhakti. In the Bhagavata the ambrosia of Bhakti is mixed with the elixir of Jnana.

The teachings given by Lord Krishna to Uddhava on the eve of His departure from this world are wonderful. These are contained in the eleventh Skandha (chapter). Sri Krishna clears all doubts of Uddhava, His friend, foremost disciple and the chief of the Yadavas. He gives instructions on a variety of subjects, but the one ringing note is: "See Me in everything. Surrender yourself to Me. Do all actions for My sake. Cut off all sorts of attachments. Have perfect unswerving devotion to Me. Sing My glories."

The Bhagavata Purana prescribes various kinds of meditation to suit different types of aspirants. A beginner is asked to meditate on the Virat Purusha. He must think that the whole universe is the body of the Lord. This is given in the second Skandha. In the same Skandha and in the third also, meditation on the form of the Lord in the heart, and on His various limbs, beginning from the feet, is described. In the eleventh Skandha meditation on the lotus of the heart with three layers, Agni as the first, Surya as the second and Moon as the third, one over the other, is prescribed. In the same Skandha one is asked to meditate on the form of Lord Krishna first, and then to fix the mind on ether or the supreme cause, and finally to merge it in the Para Brahman. The Bhagavata Dharma as taught by the nine sages to King Nimi in the beginning of this Skandha is thrilling and soul stirring. The tenth Skandha contains all the Lilas of the Lord. The youthful sports and pastimes, the fun and frolic of the divine child, Kumara Lilas, Brindavan Lilas, Mathura Lilas, Dvaraka Lilas, Kurukshetra Lilas and Prabhasa Lilas are described in this Skandha. It contains ninety sections. It is in this chapter we find the outpourings of the heart or expressions of rapturous love of the human soul when it is freed from the impurities of the mind. When the impurities of the mind are removed and the heart thoroughly purified, the human soul is naturally drawn or attracted towards the Lord and is finally absorbed in Him. The truths hidden in the tenth Skandha cannot be understood by those whose hearts are filled with worldliness.

Bhagavata Saptahas are held all throughout India, in which the whole Bhagavata is recited within seven days. This provides a good occasion for listening to and understanding the whole of the Bhagavata. The Bhagavata is the solace of life. It is unique in its beauty and charm, in its diction and philosophy. It is valuable treasure-house of knowledge. A study of this book inspires devotion, instils knowledge and creates real Vairagya. The glories of Lord Vasudeva are vividly described in this book.

5. BHAKTI

Bhakti is resting on God. Bhakti is flow of devotion like the flow of a river. Bhakti is continuity of devotion, just as there is continuity in the flow of oil from one vessel to another vessel. Bhakti is attraction of the Jiva to the Lord, just as there is attraction of the needle to the magnet.

Bhakti is love for love's sake. The devotee wants God and God alone. There is no selfish expectation here. There is no fear also. Is the son afraid of his father who is Sessions Judge? Is the wife afraid of her husband? So also, a devotee entertains the least fear of God. The fear of retribution vanishes in him. He feels, believes, conceives and imagines that his Ishtam is an ocean of love or Prema.

Bhakti transmutes man into Divinity. It intoxicates the devotee with divine Prema. It gives him eternal satisfaction. It makes him perfect. It weans the mind from the sensual objects. It makes him rejoice in God.

Emotional excitement is not devotion to God. Devotion is pure love. Fanaticism is not devotion. It is frenzy. It is mere excitement.

Bhakti is not emotionalism, but is the tuning of the will as well as the intellect towards the Divine. It is supreme love of God. It blossoms afterwards into Jnana. It leads to immortality or God-realisation.

Bhakti is the direct approach to the ideal through the heart. Love is natural to everybody.

Bhakti Is Open to All

Bhakti can be practised under all conditions and by all alike. Learning, austere penance, study of the Vedas, and brilliant intellect are not needed for the attainment of Bhakti or devotion. What is wanted is constant and living remembrance of God, coupled with faith. That is the reason why the path of Bhakti is available for everyone.

Nishada was born in a low caste; Sabari was a rustic woman; Dhruva was an uneducated boy; Vidura and Sudama were very poor; Vibhishana was an ugly Rakshasa; Hanuman was a monkey; Jatayu was a bird; Gajendra was an elephant; the Gopis of Brindavan were not initiated into Vedic rites; but all these attained God-realisation on account of their devotion and self-surrender.

The Easiest Approach to God

Bhakti is easier than any other way of approach to God. In Jnana and Yoga, there is the risk of a fall. In the path of devotion, there is no risk as the devotee receives full support and help from God.

Those who tread the path of Jnana and Yoga are liable to become proud of their powers and wisdom. Bhaktas are humble. Humility is the foundation of Bhakti Yoga.

Jnana Yoga is the Yoga of wisdom. It is the path of analysis and rejection. It is the path of endless negation. This is a very difficult path.

Raja Yoga also is difficult. It is like stilling the waves of the ocean. You will have to still all the thought-waves. Karma Yoga also is difficult. It is like climbing to the highest peak. You need tremendous will-power. Bhakti Yoga alone is easy. The Lord is stretching His hands to lift you up from the mire of Samsara. You will have to grasp His hand firmly. But, one thing is absolutely essential here. You should not have any other thought than that of God and God alone.

One-pointedness in Devotion

The child thinks of the mother and mother alone. A passionate husband thinks of his wife and wife alone. A greedy man thinks of his money and money alone. Even so, the devotee should entertain in his heart the picture of his Ishtam and Ishtam alone. Then he can have Darshan of God easily.

Objects are enemies of God. Sons, wife, property, cattle, houses, friends and relatives are enemies of God. You must cherish perfect indifference to these objects.

You must not think of the body and its wants too much. Thoughts of body, thoughts of food, thoughts of wife and children make you forget God. You cannot have thoughts of God if you have thoughts of Anatma things.

If the devotee loves God sometimes and his wife, son money, house, cattle, and property also at other times, it is, Vyabhicharini Bhakti. The love is divided. A small portion of the mind is given to God. The remaining portion is given to family and possessions.

The Lord becomes the slave of a Bhakta only when the latter has made absolute, ungrudging self-surrender. The Lord is very cruel and puts His devotees to severe tests and trails. He did not hear the words of Draupadi so long as she kept up her own strength and traces of egoism. When she cried aloud with perfect sincerity and total resignation, "Dvarakanath, my beloved! Come to my rescue," then He ran to the scene, and she had abundant cloth and her modesty was saved.

Generally the Aspirant, consciously or unconsciously, wittingly or unwittingly, keeps up some desires for his gratification. He does not wish to part completely with his desires. Therefore the self-surrender does not become perfect and unreserved. So the grace of the Lord does not descend. Even if there is an atom of desire or egoism, there is no possibility of divine grace.

Devotion and Desire

Desire obstructs the growth of devotion. Devotion to the Lord increases in intensity when mundane desires are renounced.

Renunciation is the very essence of devotional love. Divine love has no element of desire in it.

Devotion cannot coexist with desire of any kind, not even the desire for Liberation. The devotee wants God and God alone, and His service.

The devotee loves God and serves Him and His creation. He does not strive consciously for Mukti, but God confers Mukti on His devotee unsolicited.

How to Cultivate Devotion

People put a question: "How can we love God whom we have not seen?"

Live in the company of saints. Hear the Lilas of God. Study the sacred scriptures. Worship Him first in His several forms as manifested in the world. Worship any image or picture of the Lord or the Guru. Recite His Name. Sing His glories. Stay for one year in Ayodhya or Brindavan, Chitrakuta or Pandharpur, Benares or Ananda Kutir. You will develop love for God.

Every act must be done that awakens the emotion of Bhakti. Keep the Puja room clean. Decorate the room. Burn the incense. Light a lamp. Keep a clean seat. Bathe. Wear clean clothes. Apply Vibhuti or Bhasma and Kumkum on the forehead. Wear Rudraksha or Tulasi Mala. All these produce a benign influence on the mind and elevate the mind. They generate piety. They help to create the necessary Bhava or feeling to invoke the Deity that you want to worship. The mind will be easily concentrated.

Practice of right conduct, Satsanga, Japa, Smarana, Kirtan, prayer, worship, service of saints, residence in places of pilgrimage, service of the poor and the sick with divine Bhava, observance of Varnasrama duties, offering of all actions and their fruits to the Lord, feeling the presence of the Lord in all beings, prostrations before the image and saints, renunciation of earthly enjoyments and wealth, charity, austerities and vows, practice of Ahimsa, Satyam and Brahmacharya—all these will help you to develop Bhakti.

Bhavas in Bhakti Yoga

There are six kinds of Bhavas in Bhakti. In Shanta Bhava, the devotee is Shanta or peaceful. He does not jump and dance. He is not highly emotional. His heart is filled with love and joy. Bhishma was a Shanta Bhakta.

Sri Hanuman was a Dasya Bhakta. He had Dasya Bhava. He served Lord Rama wholeheartedly. He pleased his Master in all possible ways. He found joy and bliss in the service of his Master.

In Sakhya Bhava, God is a friend of the devotee. Arjuna had this Bhava towards Lord Krishna. The devotee moves with the Lord on equal terms. Arjuna and Krishna used to sit, eat, talk and walk together as intimate friends.

In Vatsalya Bhava, the devotee looks upon God as his child. Yasoda had this Bhava with Lord Krishna. There is no fear in this Bhava, because God is your pet child. The devotee serves, feeds, and looks upon God as a mother does in the case of her child.

The fifth Bhava is Sakhya Bhava. This is also known as Gopi Bhava. The Gopis united Radha and Krishna when they separated. They identified themselves with Radha and Krishna and enjoyed the bliss resulting from their reunion.

The last is Madhurya Bhava or Kanta Bhava. This is the highest form of Bhakti. This was the relation between Radha and Krishna. This is Atma-samarpana. The lover and the beloved become one. The devotee and God feel one with each other and still maintain a separateness in order to enjoy the bliss of the play of love between them. This is oneness in separation and separation in oneness. The relationship is that of husband and wife. Jayadeva, Mira and Andal had this Bhava.

Apara Bhakti and Para Bhakti

Bhakti is of two kinds, Apara Bhakti and Para Bhakti. Apara Bhakti is lower Bhakti. In Apara Bhakti, the devotee is a neophyte. He observes rituals and ceremonies. He has no expanded heart. He is a sectarian. He dislikes other kinds of Bhaktas who worship other Devatas.

A devotee of Para Bhakti type is all-embracing and all-inclusive. He has cosmic love or Visvaprema. The whole world is Brindavan for him. He does not visit temples for worship. He sees the Lord in everything. He feels that the world is a manifestation of the Lord, and all movements and actions are His Lila. He has no Ghrina or dislike for faecal matter or dirt, for the Chandala, the scavenger, the cobbler, the beggar, the prostitute or the thief. He says, "I see everywhere my sweet Lord. It is Hari who is playing the part of the prostitute, the thief, the dacoit, the scavenger!" He has an all-embracing, all-inclusive, exalted mental state. This cannot be adequately described in words. It has to be felt. Mira, Gouranga, Hafiz, Tulsidas, Kabir, Ramdas—all enjoyed this state.

Namdev said to the dog: "O Vittala, my dear, in the form of a dog, do not run away with the dry bread. It will affect your soft throat. Pray, let me apply ghee to the bread." He ran with ghee in a cup to the dog. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa prostrated before an outcaste girl: O Mother Kali! I see Thee in this girl." Eknath, a Maha-rashtrian Bhakta, gave his ring voluntarily to the thief when the latter entered the house: "O thief! Take this ring also. Your duty is to steal things. Thou art Krishna. Keep up this Lila." Have you understood the sublime state of these exalted Bhaktas who have a new angle of vision? A day will come to you also. Exert. Struggle.

Para Bhakti and Jnana

Para Bhakti is Jnana only. Para Bhakti and Jnana are one. Sri Sankara, a Kevala-advaita-jnani, was a great Bhakta of Lord Hari, Hara and Devi. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa worshipped Kali and got Jnana through Swami Totapuri, his Advaita Guru. Appayya Dikshitar, famous Jnani of South India, was a devout Bhakta of Lord Siva.

Para Bhakti and Jnana are one. The only slight difference is: A Bhakta uses his emotion; a Jnani uses his will and intellect. Bhakti begins with love and Jnana with thinking and self-analysis. The end of both is the same, union with the Divine.

A devotee contracts. A Vedantin expands. The former contracts and enters the Lord through self-surrender. The latter expands and becomes one with Brahman through assertion and identification.

The fruit of Bhakti is Jnana. Jnana intensifies Bhakti. Even Jnanis like Sankara, Madhusudana, and Suka Deva took to Bhakti after Realisation to enjoy the sweetness of loving relationship with God.

Knowledge or wisdom will dawn by itself when you practise Bhakti Yoga. Bhakti is the pleasant, smooth, direct road to God. Bhakti is sweet in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end. It gives the highest, undecaying bliss.

Kindle love divine in thy heart, for this is the immediate way to the Kingdom of God.

Pray to the Lord. Sing His glory. Recite His Name' Become a channel of His grace.

Seek His will. Do His will? Surrender to His will. You will become one with the cosmic will.

Surrender unto the Lord. He will become your charioteer on the field of life. He will drive your chariot well. You will reach the destination, the Abode of Immortal Bliss.

6. BRAHMACHARYA

Brahmacharya is a divine word. It is the sum and substance of Yoga.

Brahmacharya is the Achara or conduct by which you attain or reach Brahman. It is life in the Absolute. It is movement towards God or Atman.

Brahmacharya is purity in thought, word and deed. It is celibacy and continence.

Brahmacharya is not mere bachelorhood. Strict abstinence is not merely from sexual intercourse, but also from auto-erotic manifestations, from masturbation, from homo-sexual acts, and from all perverse sexual practices. It must further involve a permanent abstention from indulgence in erotic imagination and voluptuous reverie.

In a narrow sense, Brahmacharya is celibacy. In a broad sense, it is absolute control of all senses. The door of Nirvana or perfection is complete Brahmacharya. Brahmacharya is to the Yogi what electricity is to an electric bulb. Without Brahmacharya, no spiritual progress is possible.

There cannot be any language without vowels. You cannot draw a picture without a canvas. So also you cannot have health and spiritual life without Brahmacharya. A true Brahmachari will not feel any difference in touching a woman, a piece of paper, a log of wood, or a piece of stone. A true Brahmachari only can cultivate Bhakti. A true Brahmachari only can practise Yoga. A true Brahmachari only can acquire Jnana.

Brahmacharya is meant for both men and women. Bhishma, Hanuman, Lakshmana, Mirabai, Sulabha and Gargi were all Brahmacharins.

The Vital Energy

One of the students of Dhanvantari approached his teacher after finishing his full course of Ayurveda and asked him, "O Bhagavan, kindly let me know the secret of health now." Dhanvantari replied: "This seminal energy is verily Atman. The secret of health lies in the preservation of this vital force. He who wastes this energy cannot have physical, mental, moral and spiritual development."

Veerya is God in motion. Veerya is dynamic will. Veerya is soul-force. Veerya is the essence of life, thought, intelligence and consciousness.

The vital energy, Veerya, which supports your life, which is the Prana of Pranas, which shines in your sparkling eyes, which beams in your shining checks, is a great treasure for you. It is the quintessence of blood.

From food, chyle is manufactured. Out of chyle comes blood; out of blood comes flesh; out of flesh comes fat; out of fat comes marrow; out of marrow comes semen. Semen is the last essence. It is the Essence of essences.

Just as sugar is all-pervading in the sugar-cane, butter in milk, so also, semen is pervading the whole body. It exists in a subtle form throughout the body. It is withdrawn and elaborated into gross form in the sexual organs under the influence of the sexual will and sexual excitement.

Sexual Excitement and Its Evil Consequences

When a man is excited by passion, the Prana is set in motion. The vital air or Prana moves the internal sap or semen. The semen is put into motion. It falls downwards, just as the clouds burst into the rain water; just as the fruits, flowers and leaves of the tree drop down by the force of the blowing winds.

If the Veerya is lost, Prana gets unsteady. Prana is agitated. Man becomes nervous. Then the mind also cannot work properly. The man becomes fickle-minded. There is mental weakness.

Bad memory, premature old age, impotence, various sorts of eye-diseases and various nervous diseases are attributable to the heavy loss of this vital fluid.

When once lost, Veerya can never, never be recouped in your lifetime by your taking any amount of Badam, nervine tonics, milk, cream, cheese, Chyavanaprash, or Makaradhvaja.

Indulgence in the sexual act is exhausting to the female system and a drain upon the vitality as in man. The nervous strain it imposes is very great indeed. Their systems being more delicate and high-strung, females are often more affected than men.

Need for Brahmacharya

How can you expect to be strong and healthy, if the energy that is acquired through various means, with great difficulty, is wasted daily? It is impossible to be strong and healthy unless males and females, boys and girls, try their level best to keep up Brahmacharya or the vow of celibacy.

Pure air, pure water, wholesome food, physical exercise, outdoor games like tennis—all contribute to the maintenance of good health, strength and a high standard of vigour and vitality. There are, indeed, many ways to gain health and strength. These ways are, doubtless, indispensably requisite. But, Brahmacharya is the most important of all. It is the only specific that keeps up the true manliness.

Benefits of the Practice of Brahmacharya

The practice of celibacy is not attended with any danger or disease, or undesirable results such as the various sorts of 'complex' wrongly attributed by the Western psychologists. They have no practical knowledge of the subject on hand. They have a wrong and ill-founded imagination that the ungratified sex-energy assumes the various forms of 'complex' such as touch-phobia. The complex is due to some other causes. It is a morbid state of mind due to excessive jealousy, hatred, anger, worry and depression brought about by various causes.

On the contrary, even a little of self-restraint or a little practice of continence is an ideal 'pick-me-up'. It gives inner strength and peace of mind. It invigorates the mind and nerves. It helps to conserve physical and mental energy. It augments memory, will-force and brain-power. It bestows tremendous strength, vigour and vitality. It renovates the system or constitution, rebuilds the cells and tissues, energises digestion, and gives power to face the difficulties in the daily battle of life. One who has perfect control over sexual energy attains powers unobtainable by any other means.

If a man leads a life of celibacy even in his household life and has copulation occasionally for the sake of progeny only, he can bring forth healthy, intelligent, strong, beautiful, self-sacrificing sons. The ascetics and saviours of ancient India, when married, used to follow this excellent rule very carefully for this purpose, and also used to teach by example and practice how to lead a life of a Brahmacharin even as a householder.

The Importance of Right Diet

Diet plays a prominent part in keeping up Brahmacharya. There are different compartments in the brain and each food produces its own effect on each compartment and on the general system. A confection of sparrow produces aphrodisiac effect. It directly stimulates the reproductive organs. Garlic, onions, meat, fish and eggs stimulate the passion.

Give proper attention to food. Have moderation in diet. Take Sattvic food such as milk, fruits and wheat. Occasional fasting checks passion, calms the emotions, controls the Indriyas, and helps Brahmacharya.

Theory and Practice

People talk of Brahmacharya; but practical men are rare, indeed. A life of continence is really beset with difficulties.

It is easy to tame a tiger or a lion or an elephant. It is easy to play with a cobra. It is easy to walk over the fire. It is easy to uproot the Himalayas. It is easy to get victory in the battlefield. But, it is difficult to eradicate lust.

You need not despair even a bit, however. Have faith in God, in His Name and in His grace. You are bound to succeed if you have faith in Him.

Mere human effort alone will not suffice. The divine grace is needed. Lust cannot be completely uprooted from the mind except by the grace of the Lord. God helps those who help themselves.

Lack of spiritual Sadhana is the main cause for all sexual attractions. Mere theoretical abstention from sensuality will not bring you good results. You must mercilessly cut off all formalities in social life and lead a pious life. Leniency to internal lower tendencies will land you in the region of suffering. Excuse will not be of use in this respect, you must be sincere in your purpose for the sublime life of spirituality. Half-heartedness will leave you in your old state of misery.

How to Get Established in Celibacy

Do not think of women. Do not look at women. Looking at the opposite sex will create a desire to talk to them. Talking will create a desire to touch them. Eventually you will have an impure mind and will fall a victim. Therefore never look at the opposite sex. Never talk intimately with them. Do not be familiar with them.

Lustful look, lustful thinking, wet-dreams are all failures or breaks in celibacy. Be chaste in your look. Be chaste in your thought. Be chaste in your talk. See mother in all women. Cultivate sublime, divine thoughts. Repeat the Lord's Name and meditate regularly. You will be established in celibacy.

There are four processes in the practice of Brahmacharya. First control the sex-impulse and sex-Vasana. Then practise conservation of sex-energy. Shut out all holes through which energy leaks. Then divert the conserved energy into the proper spiritual channels through Japa, Kirtan, selfless service, Pranayama, study, vigilance, self-analysis, introspection and Vichara. Then have conversion or sublimation of the sex-energy. Let it be converted into Ojas or Brahmatejas through constant meditation or Brahma-chintana.

Danger of Reaction

You will have to be very careful of reaction. The senses that are put under restraint for some months, or for one or two years, become rebellious if you are not always vigilant and careful. They revolt and drag you out when opportunities arise. Some people, who observe Brahma-charya for one or two years, become more passionate and waste the energy considerably in the end, some become incorrigible, moral wrecks also.

You must not labour under the delusion that you have eradicated lust completely by adjusting the diet a bit, by practising Pranayama, and by doing a little Japa, and that you have nothing more to do. Temptation or Mara may overcome you at any moment. Eternal vigilance and rigorous Sadhana are very essential.

You may be able to stop copulation for months and years, but there should not be any sexual craving or attraction for ladies. Evil thoughts also should not arise when you look at a lady, when you are in the company of ladies.

The state of mental Brahmacharya must be kept up even amidst temptations and sickness. Then only you are safe. The senses begin to revolt during times of ailment and also when you come in contact with sense-objects.

You cannot attain perfect Brahmacharya by limited effort. Just as a machine-gun is necessary to kill a powerful enemy, so also, constant, rigorous and powerful Sadhana is necessary to annihilate this powerful enemy, lust. You must not be puffed up with pride for your little achievement in celibacy. If you are put to test, you will hopelessly fail. You must be ever conscious of your shortcomings and you must constantly strive to get rid of them. The highest effort is necessary. Then only you will have sanguine success in this direction.

7. BRAHMAN

Brahman is a great mystery; and yet He is the simple, easy truth.

Brahman is the Soul of our soul. He is our very Self. He is the inner ruler. He is the indwelling one.

Brahman is the governor of the world. He is the Supreme Self. He is the Lord. He is changeless. He is the cosmic i being. He is the Self of the universe. He is the great goal of knowledge. He is the supreme refuge.

The word Brahman is derived from the root brimh, which means to swell, to grow great, to pervade all space, to be complete and perfect.

There is an abiding reality in the midst of change. That abiding reality is Brahman or the Absolute. Brahman is the warp and woof of the web of this universe. The vast ocean has only one taste of salt. Even so, the whole world has only one flavour, the flavour of Atman.

All musical notations, whether they be played on a drum or on any stringed instrument, are no more than mere vibration of sound. Similarly, whatever is seen or felt during sleeping or waking is none other than conscious-ness; and consciousness is Atman or Brahman.

Brahman is infinite intelligence. He is a mass of bliss-consciousness. His name is Sat-Chit-Ananda. His abode is pure consciousness. His language is silence. Be silent. He speaks. Speak. He is dumb. You cannot get hold of Him.

Ocean can be compared to ocean alone. Akasa can be compared to Akasa alone. Even so, Brahman or the Absolute can be compared to Brahman alone.

An answer in words regarding the Absolute is delusion. The Absolute is beyond speech and mind.

Brahman Transcends Time, Space and Causation

Brahman cannot be proved. It exists before the act of proving. It is the basis of proof. It is self-proved.

Brahman or the Absolute is the cause of all, but Himself is causeless. He is the origin of the entire creation.

Brahman or the Eternal is beyond time, space and causation. Time is caused by the succession of events. This is mental creation. How can there be time in Eternity? Space is the distance between two objects. How can there be space when you feel and behold the Self everywhere? In this world, everything has a cause. The seed is the cause for the tree and so on. How can there be a cause for Brahman which is the causeless Cause, which is self-existent, which is not an effect of anything?

The Neti-neti Doctrine

Brahman cannot be really described. It can only be described by 'Neti, Neti', 'not this, not this'. That which is neither like this nor like that is Brahman or the Eternal.

You can sublate or negate all names and forms through the 'Neti, Neti' doctrine, but you cannot eliminate Brahman or the Absolute, the substratum. What is left behind or Sesha after negation or sublation is Brahman or the Eternal.

There is nothing in this world but the Self, the Atman. All is Brahman alone. 'I', 'thou', 'he', 'this', 'here', 'there', 'now', `then', have all no real meaning.

Atman Is the Essence of All

Atman or the Self is not elsewhere. It is your own innermost Self.

Smaller than the small, greater than the great, is the Atman that dwells in the heart. It is the Soul of the ant. It is the Soul of the elephant. It is the Soul of the universe. It is Over-soul too. It is the Soul of the sinner and also of the saint. It is the Soul of the soul; it is the Supreme Soul. It is the Supreme Purusha. It is Chaitanya.

The knower and the known are one. God and I are one in knowledge. The Jiva and Brahman are one in essence. The Soul of a cat and a rat is one. The essence in the sun and the moon is one. There is only one homogeneous essence in all forms. That essence is the Absolute or the Immortal. That essence is Atman, Brahman, or the Infinite.

Brahman is formless. Consciousness is formless. Bliss is formless. Peace is formless.

The Substratum behind Names and Forms

In the manifested world of names and forms, colour' shape, size and sounds are necessary to differentiate objects; but Brahman is one homogeneous essence of bliss peace and wisdom. He is partless and indivisible. He is the same everywhere. He is infinite and motionless; and so He is colourless, formless and shapeless.

Brahman is formless in the midst of all forms. He is bodiless in the midst of all bodies. He is nameless in the midst of all names.

The canvas is the substratum. Various pictures are drawn on the canvas. Pictures are nothing but colours. There are no pictures independent of the canvas. They are no pictures separate from the cinema screen. Brahman or the Eternal is the substratum. Names and forms are drawn on the canvas of Brahman. They are not independent of Brahman.

There is cloth in front of you. A cloth is nothing but threads. Cloth is only a mere name. There is no cloth independent of thread. If you remove the threads, the cloth disappears. Thread is nothing but cotton. If you burn the threads, all are reduced to ash. Cloth, thread, cotton and ash exist. Existence is the Sat aspect of Brahman. They all shine. This is the Chit aspect of Brahman. You love a cloth, thread and cotton. This is the Ananda or bliss aspect of Brahman. Sat-chit-ananda is the only reality. Cloth, thread and cotton are false appearances. Names and forms are illusory.

Brahman or the Absolute is one, perfect and all pervading. He circulates in all names and forms. He is all-comprehensive. He contains within Himself this entire universe. He is the inner light or pure consciousness.

The Nature of Pure Consciousness

Pure consciousness is pure awareness. There is neither thinking nor perception here. There is neither 'within' nor without' here. It is a homogeneous essence of wisdom bliss. The awareness of Tom and John cannot be different. It is one.

There is difference only in objects which exist in space. In pure awareness, there is neither space nor time. Pure consciousness is infinite, unchanging, beyond cause and effect, beyond good and evil. It is desireless, and so, perfect, pure and free. Pure consciousness exists forever.

Pure consciousness is neither physical nor mental consciousness. It is absolute consciousness on which depend physical and mental consciousness.

There is no thinking in pure consciousness. You can hardly conceive of this. There is no play of senses in pure consciousness. There is neither seeing nor hearing. There is no perception here. It is a mass of wisdom. It is Bhuma or the Infinite wherein there is neither seer nor knower. It is just the Thing-in-itself. It is pure self-awareness beyond the reach of sense, mind and intellect. The ego-sense is absolutely dead here. Brahmic consciousness shines by itself, in its own pristine glory.

Turiya or the Fourth State

There are three states of consciousness. They are waking, dreaming and deep sleep states. There is one common supreme consciousness that connects the three states of consciousness, that is the basis of these three states. That is the reason why the man who wakes up remembers the bliss of deep sleep. That connecting, permanent, eternal consciousness is Brahman or Turiya or the Fourth, which is pure or absolute consciousness. Otherwise, he who sleeps, he who dreams, and he who wakes up will be different individuals.

Waking state vanishes during dreaming state. When you wake up, there is no dreaming state. During the deep sleep, there is neither the waking nor the dreaming state. Hence these states are illusory. Sat or Brahman always exists: The one connecting state of all these three states, viz Turiya, ever exists as the substratum of these three. Turiya, state is the only reality. It is the silent witness of the three states. It is distinct from the three states. Turiya is Brahman or the Absolute.

Mind and Brahman

The Absolute is always the witnessing subject. It can never become the object of perception. If Atman becomes the object of perception, it will become a finite object. Atman is always the knower or the experiencer or the witness.

Mind can only know the external objects. How can mind know the knower? You cannot jump on your shoulders. Fire cannot burn itself.

Brahman is the cause. Mind is an effect. Brahman is infinite. Mind is finite. How can the effect know its cause? How can a part know the whole? How can the finite know the infinite?

Book-learning and Realisation

You cannot know Brahman or the Absolute through the finite instrument, intellect. The intellect draws its power and light from its source, Brahman, the Supreme Soul. Intellect can only know the nature and attributes, colour, form, etc., of sense-objects. But, it cannot know the knower. Intellectual understanding of the nature of Brahman, mere study of Upanishads or theoretical knowledge of Brahman, cannot give you Self-realisation or Freedom. The intellect and senses must cease functioning. The ego must merge in the ocean of bliss. The individual soul must fuse in the Supreme Soul. Then alone the aspirant attains Salvation.

Brahman or the Absolute cannot be reached just as one reaches a village. The village is outside oneself; but Brahman is omnipresent. He is everywhere. He is your own innermost Self or Atman. The mind melts in Brahman. The individual soul becomes one with the Supreme Soul or the Absolute, just as the drop becomes one with the ocean.

Identity of flea and Brahman

The individual soul and the Supreme Soul are essentially one and the same. This is the fundamental teaching of Vedanta. This conception is not easy to grasp at first sight. Maya, the veiling power of God, hides the real nature of the Supreme Self and makes a fragment of It appear as the individual soul, Jiva. But this condition is not real. No real change has taken place. It is only phenomenal. This is a great mystery.

A spark is only fire. A wave or bubble is only water. A ring or bracelet is only gold. The prince is only future king. Even so, Jiva or individual is only Para Brahman or the Absolute.

You are really a mass of Wisdom. But you think and feel, i "I am ignorant; I do not know? This is due to your Avidya. You are really Beauty of beauties. You give beauty to all forms. You illumine the sun, the moon and the stars, but you are attracted by a little colour. You have become a slave of physical form. What a sad, deplorable state! You are really an Emperor of emperors, but you have become a beggar on account of various desires. You are really the Infinite, but you feel, "I am five feet, five inches,” through identification with the body. You are really beyond time. You are Eternity, but you say, "I am thirty years old." You are really Deathless. Lord Yama is terribly afraid of you. He runs here and there to carry out your behest. But you are afraid of death. Rise above all limitations and realise: "I am Infinite Brahman."

Fill your mind with thoughts of Brahman. Think on Brahman. Reflect on Brahman. Meditate on Brahman. Be solely devoted to Brahman, Brahma-parayana. Take refuge in Brahman. Ever converse on Brahman with aspirants. Merge yourself in Brahman. Get established in Brahman. Let your mind and Prana be absorbed in Brahman. This is Brahmabhyasa or Jnanabhyasa or Brahma-chintana or Vedantic Sadhana.

8. BUDDHISM

Buddhism was founded by Gautama Sakya Muni, the rebel child of Hinduism. It sprang up directly from Hinduism. Buddha never thought of founding a new religion. He made no new discovery. He was proclaiming only the ancient and pure form of religion which had prevailed among the Hindus.

The pure and noble religion of the Vedas and the Upanishads had degenerated into dead forms, unmeaning rites and ceremonies. The Brahmins claimed honour merely by their birth. They neglected the study of the Vedas and the practice of virtue. The Brahmins were treated with undue leniency, and the Sudras with undue severity. In order that flesh-eating might have the sanction of religion, animals were slaughtered and sacrificed in Yajnas. Such was the state of society at the time when Buddha appeared. His tender and loving heart could not bear the shedding of so much innocent blood in the sacred name of religion. Buddha declared that merit, and not birth, determined the position of a man in society. The persecuted Sudras joined him in large numbers. He directed his energy and time. In removing the distinction of caste and stopping all sacrifices in which animals were slaughtered. If Buddha had been born in a period when these evils did not exist, he would have made little impression. There would have been no occasion for his reform. But, as he lived in a period in which the above two evils existed, he naturally attracted a large number of followers and unconsciously became the founder of a new faith.

Buddhism Is Not Agnosticism

Buddha came to the world to show the path of righteousness, to destroy the path of error and to break down sorrow. Buddhism is not agnosticism or atheism. Buddhism is not nihilism. Buddha did not deny God. He only said: "Do not bother about questions like 'Is there God?', 'Do I exist?', 'Is the world real or not?' Do not waste your time and energy in useless discussions. Become a practical religious man. Purify your heart. Control the mind. Lead a virtuous life. You will attain Nirvana or emancipation or eternal bliss."

To accuse Buddha as an atheist or agnostic is simply foolish. Buddha found no use in metaphysical wrangling. He declined to enter into metaphysics. Is there God or no God? Is life eternal or non-eternal? These questions were set aside as not requiring an answer for the attainment of Nirvana. The immediate great problem for Buddha was suffering and annihilation of suffering. He asked his followers not to bother about the transcendental questions. He set aside all those things which did not help towards the attainment of the goal. He thought it wise to give his followers a way, and not a creed. He thought that speculation about the nature of the ultimate reality was an unnecessary drag on the path of truth and spiritual attainment. The vital and fundamental thing is not to discuss about the ultimate truth, but to tread the path which takes man out of the world of pain and suffering into the supreme abode of eternal bliss and immortality. The nature of the ultimate truth is beyond the reach of mind and speech. If Buddha refused to define the nature of the Absolute, or if he contented himself with negative definitions, it is only to show that the Absolute or the Ultimate is above all definitions.

Way of Self-reliance

Buddhism is the religion of earnest, undaunted effort. Buddha demands from you faith in your own Self, in your own latent forces. Without this faith, nothing can be achieved. The first words of Buddha, after his Enlighten-ment, were: "Wide open are the gates of Immortality. Ye that have ears to hear, release your faith."

Buddha did not want his followers to believe in his words, but to understand them and take them for starting their own investigations and experience. He proclaimed that the experience was open only to one who trod the path of virtue, piety and self-discipline. He said to the Kalamas: "Accept not what you hear by report. Accept not tradition, because it is old and has been handed down through many generations. Do not hastily conclude that it must be so. Do not accept a statement on the ground that it is found in our books, or on the supposition that it is acceptable, or because it is the saying of your teacher or priests. Whatsoever according to your own experience, and after thorough investigation, agrees with your reason and is conducive to your welfare as well as to the good of other living beings, that accept as true, and mould your life in accordance with that."

This is the view of free-thinkers and rationalists also. But, this will not help the aspirants to attain the goal. Intellect is finite. It has its own limitations. The Upanishads boldly declare that one can attain Self-realisation through the help of a wonderful teacher, a Brahma-srotri and Brahmanishtha who has theoretical knowledge of the scriptures and who has direct knowledge of the ultimate truth or Brahman also.

Lord Buddha. The Apostle of Ahimsa and Love

Buddha was the greatest benevolent man or humanitarian which the world has ever produced. He is one without a second. Benevolence and humanitarianism are the keynotes of all religious movements of the world; but, the benevolence and humanitarian spirit and work of Lord Buddha stand unrivalled in the religious history of the world.

Buddha abandoned his kingdom and went about begging his bread through the streets of India, and preached for the good of men and animals. He had a heart as wide as the sky or the ocean. He did not want heaven. He did not want money or throne. What an exalted selfless Yogi he was! He was the only man who was ever ready to give up his life for animals to stop a sacrifice. He once said to a king: "If the sacrifice of a lamb helps you to go to heaven, sacrificing a man will help you better. Therefore, sacrifice me." He has left an indelible impression on this world by his extraordinary sacrifice, great renunciation and purity of life.

Many Rishis and prophets have preached the doctrine of love and Ahimsa, but there has never been, in the entire history of the world's ethical thought, a greater affirmation of the principle of Ahimsa and love than has been done by Lord Buddha. No one has disseminated so widely the doctrine of Ahimsa and universal love as Lord Buddha. No one has practised these two fundamental virtues of love and Ahinisa as Buddha. No one has possessed such a tender, kind and merciful heart as Buddha. Hence he is enshrined even now in the hearts of millions of people. His heart throbbed severely and melted when he saw a little suffering in an ant or a worm or a dog. He gave up his body as food for a hungry ferocious animal in his previous birth. Several acts of kindness done in several births made him a Buddha in his last birth.

Not a single drop of blood has ever been shed in the name of Buddhism. Religious persecution is unknown to Buddhism. At the present day, it is estimated that more than one-third of the population of the world is Buddhist. Buddhism spread by the spirit of strong grace. The history of Buddhism does not relate any great wars as having been waged, or countries vanquished, in its name. It has always adopted peaceful ways of disseminating its teachings. Tolerance and serenity characterise the Buddhistic faith.

The Noble Eightfold Path

The gospel of Buddha is simple and yet wonderfully profound. Buddha analysed all experiences and the world-process as it appears to all of us, with a scientific frame of mind. He finds out that everything is mutable, changing and impermanent or transitory. There is suffering, disharmony, discord and discontent everywhere in life, on account of the impermanence or transitoriness of things around. This universal experience of sorrow or Duhkha is the starting point in Buddha's thought. Buddha did not preach pessimism. He was wonderfully optimistic. He emphatically asserts that there is a way out of sorrow, and a heaven of eternal bliss, within the reach of every man. The four cardinal truths or principles which Buddha preached are: that there is suffering in the world; that the cause of suffering is Tanha or craving; that the extinction of craving leads to cessation of suffering; and that this extinction of craving can be achieved by the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Noble Eightfold Path consists of the practice of right belief; right understanding or right views; right aspiration; right speech, right conduct or right action; right living or right means of livelihood; right exertion; right mindfulness or attentiveness; and right concentration or meditation.

These are the eight steps in the Way of Life presented by Lord Buddha which annihilate suffering of all kinds and lead to the attainment of Nirvana or emancipation. The Noble Eightfold Path destroys lust, anger, greed, malice and other evils, and purifies the heart. Then dawns Bodhi or Enlightenment which bestows perfect everlasting peace, eternal bliss and immortality.

Nirvana-Its Meaning

The religion of Buddha is a pathway to the Nirvanic beatitude. It is a way and not a creed. It is a scheme of spiritual development and not a set of doctrines.

The word 'Nirvana' literally means 'going out'. It signifies a spiritual experience full of peace and bliss, which is characterised by the 'going out' from the heart of the three fires of lust, and dullness.

Nirvana is not utter annihilation. Nirvana is total extinction of all that is base in us.

The present-day world needs very badly the teachings of Lord Buddha. Everywhere we see preparations for the destruction of the human race and its culture. Fear of the atomic bomb is causing restlessness everywhere. Scientists and dictators have neither rest nor peace. There is mistrust amongst the leaders of the nations. Malice, hatred and prejudice have grown to such a large extent that the very structure of human civilisation seems to be crumbling. The one great ambition of every nation is to possess more atomic bombs. Scientists are working day and night in the laboratories to release as much atomic energy as possible to destroy people. What a horrible state of affairs! It is really shocking. The only way by which the world can be saved lies in a return to the great principles of Ahimsa and Maitri inculcated by Lord Buddha and Maharshi Patanjali. Hatred can never be cured by hatred. It can only be cured by love. This is a lesson which the world has to learn again and again. Take a solemn vow now to meet hatred with love, and malice with goodwill. This is the best way to pay our homage to the great sage Lord Buddha, the apostle of love and Ahimsa, the saviour of the world, the Avatara of Lord Vishnu.

9. CHARITY

Charity is the disposition to think favourably of others and do them good. Charity is universal love. It is liberality to the poor. It is benevolence. That which is given to relieve the needy is charity.

In a general sense, charity means love, benevolence and goodwill. In a theological sense, it is universal goodwill to men and supreme love to God.

True charity is the desire to be useful to others without thought of recompense or reward. Charity is love in action.

Charity begins at home, but it should go abroad. The whole world is your home. You are a citizen of the world. Cultivate a generous feeling for the welfare of the whole world.

It is a sin to hoard money. All wealth belongs to the Lord. He who lives only as a trustee of his property and spends his money in charity thinks that the property really belongs to the Lord and lives happily. He attains Moksha or eternal peace.

The water of the Ganga cannot decrease if thirsty people drink it. So also, your wealth cannot decrease if you do charity.

Give one-tenth of your income, or six Paise per rupee, in charity. Give cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation. Defer not charities till death. Do charity daily.

Prayer takes you half-way to God, fasting to the door of His Supreme Abode, and charity procures you admission.

What Is Charity

Every good act is charity. Giving water to the thirsty is charity. An encouraging word to a man in distress is charity. Giving a little medicine to the poor, sick man is charity. Removing a thorn or a glass-piece on the road is charity.

To be kind and loving is charity. To forget and forgive some harm done to you is charity. A kind word said to a suffering man is charity.

Charity is not confined to giving in terms of dollars, rupees, or shillings. Think well towards suffering people. Pray for their welfare. This will accomplish more good than much money.

Kinds of Charity

The best form of charity is Vidya-dana, imparting wisdom. If you give food to a poor man, he again wants food when he becomes hungry. Whereas wisdom removes ignorance, the cause for taking a body, and destroys in toto all sorts of miseries and suffering for ever.

The second best form of charity is giving medicine to the sick. The third best form of charity is Anna-dana or giving food to the hungry.

Do discriminate charity in the beginning. Later on, practise indiscriminate charity. When you feel that every being is a manifestation of the Lord, it is difficult to discriminate who is good and who is bad.

Give to the poor, the sick, the helpless and the forlorn. Give to the orphans, the decrepit, the blind, the helpless widows. Give to the Sadhus, Sannyasins, religious and social institutions. Thank the man who gives you an opportunity to serve him by doing charity. Give with the right mental attitude, and realise God through charitable acts. Glory to those who do charity with the right spirit.

The Glory of a Silent Gift

Some people do charity and are anxious to see their names published in the newspapers with their photos. This is a Tamasic form of charity. This is no charity at all. That charity which advertises ceases to be charity. It is only pride and ostentation.

You should not advertise your charity and charitable nature. There must not be any exaltation in your heart when people praise you for your charitable nature. Charity must be spontaneous and unrestrained. Giving must become habitual. You must experience extreme joy in giving. You must not think: "I have done a very charitable act. I will enjoy happiness in heaven. I will be born as a rich man in the next birth. The charitable act will wash away my sin. There is no charitable man like me in my town or district. People know that I am a very charitable man." Bragging is mean and deplorable.

Do charity silently. Do not advertise. Do not boast. What your right hand does, the left hand should not know.

it is easy to fight in the battle, but it is difficult to give a gift silently, without manifesting pride and self-glorification and without expressing to others.

Mean-minded Charity

Prof. XYZ, M.A., Ph.D., gave a blanket in charity to a poor man. He afterwards thought, ought not to have given him a blanket." His heart was in a state of agitation and agony._ He wanted to get the blanket back from the poor man. If you do such a kind of charity, you will not derive any benefit. You will not get purity of heart. Many worldly-minded people perform charitable acts of this description only. This world abounds in such charitable persons.

All are very generous for themselves. Many will take first-class milk or tea, and offer second-class milk to their friends and third-class milk to strangers. They will eat first-calss fruits and offer rotten ones to strangers, neighbours and servants. They will wait for three days for getting a good opportunity to use the old preparations of food, and then throw them to their servants with a painful heart. They do not like to part with these decaying things also. You will find such heart-rending instances in almost all the houses of rich persons. How crooked are such people! What a small, constricted heart they have! Their lot is, indeed, not only pitiable, but also highly deplorable. They do not know what they are exactly doing.

Always give the best things, best food, best fruits, best milk, best clothes to friends, neighbours, strangers, guests and servants. You will derive immense joy, strength and happiness. Put this into practice and realise the benefits yourself.

The Tragic Plight of Miserly People

The majority of householders are absolutely selfish in these days. Money is their blood. You will find cheer-lessness and ugliness in their face. Worry, greed, passion, jealousy, hatred, depression, and all other evil qualities stick to the man who has the miserly nature in him, and they consume the very core of his heart.

If a miserly man keeps fifty thousand rupees, he will not enjoy the money, but crave for a lakh more. A millionaire will be craving to become a multimillionaire. Such persons will not give even a pie in charity.

They are first-class misers. They hoard money in some way or the other. Their money goes away in medical bills. Their sons squander their money in drinking, gambling, licentious living. They die of broken heart on account of bank failures, failures in speculations. Their final fate is bankruptcy, starvation here; torture in hell hereafter. Pitiable and deplorable is their lot. They have not eaten good food even one day. They have not worn good clothes even one day. They are mere caretakers of money.

Some officers retire from service and live on the banks of the Ganga, Narmada and Yamuna. They do a little Japa and meditation, and study Yoga Vasishtha and the Upanishads, and imagine that they are Jivanmuktas. They entertain intense Moha for their children. They remit their pension to their sons and grandchildren. They will not spend even a pie in charity. They are the embodiment of miserliness. They are hopeless, self-deluded souls! A miser cannot dream of Self-realisation even in a thousand births. Lord Jesus says, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God."

Miserliness is a great curse. It is an enemy of oneness and a friend of selfishness.

Miserly persons are quite unfit for the spiritual path. Their very company is highly dangerous for spiritual-minded persons. They poison the whole atmosphere on account of their corrupted, contracted heart.

You should have a very large heart. You should throw money like stones to the poor people. Only then can you develop Advaitic feeling, Samadhi and cosmic love.

How to Do Charity

Share with others what you have. Keep a few pies in your pocket always and distribute them in charity daily to poor people. Practise this at once.

In sharing, there is joy and peace. Sharing generates cosmic love and destroys greed. Sharing removes selfishness and creates selflessness. Sharing purifies the heart. Sharing develops oneness.

Share with others whatever you possess, physical, mental, or spiritual. This is a real Yajna. You will expand. You will experience oneness and unity of life. This will lead you to Advaitic realisation.

You should be thirsty to do charitable acts daily. You should not lose any opportunity. You should create opportunities. There is no Yoga or Yajna greater than Sattvic charity of the spontaneous type. Karna, Raja Bhoja did countless charitable acts. So they still live in our hearts.

Charity should be given with faith. Charity should never be given without faith. Charity should be given in plenty. Charity should be given with modesty. Charity should be given with sympathy.

The food you are able to give a guest may be meagre fare, but if you offer it with love, it acquires great power, nutrition and taste. If you serve your guest with rich dishes and proudly say, "All right, now that you have come, go and fill your belly, " the food turns into poison. Whether he is a relation, friend, or beggar, whatever be the quality of the food you give, give it with love and affection. Hospitality is the essence of food.

Charity Purifies the Heart

Sins can be destroyed by charity. Lord Jesus says, "Charity covereth a multitude of sins." Charity is a great purifier of heart. In the Gita you will find: "Yajna, charity and austerity are the purifiers of the intelligent."

If one can destroy one's miserly nature, a great portion of Sadhana is over. One has then achieved something substantial.

Develop this Udara Vritti. Then you can become a King of kings. If you give, the whole wealth of the world is yours. Money will come to you. This is the immutable inexorable, unrelenting law of nature. Therefore, give. Give. You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give. Always give, give, give. This is the secret of abundance and divine life.

Many have achieved power, popularity, peace and happiness only through a generous heart. Miserly persons can never dream to have all these and get success in life. If you want wealth and children, do plenty of charity. If you want to become wise, serve old men and Mahatmas. If you want to get rid of sins, do Havan.

See God everywhere. Share with all. The major portion must be given to others. Destroy the ingrained miserliness. Your heart will expand. You will have a broad outlook on life. You will have a new, wide vision. You can feel the help you get from the Indweller of the heart. You can experience an indescribable thrill of divine ecstasy and spiritual bliss. This will give you tremendous inner strength.

O man! Give plenty in charity. You will enjoy peace, plenty and prosperity here. You will go to heaven hereafter. You will attain purity of heart, and Moksha too.

10. CHRISTIANITY

Christianity derives its name from Christ. Christianity speaks of a Personal God. There is not much deep philosophy or Yoga Sadhana in Christianity. There is reason for this. Jesus had to deal with the illiterate fishermen of Galilee. He gave them only moral precepts and showed them the way of righteous living.

Christianity is based chiefly on Judaism and partly on Buddhism. The doctrines of the Christian religion are all taken from Judaism. Jesus never professed to abolish Judaism and set up a new religion of his own. He says, "Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you: 'Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.' Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven." The Christian faith sprang from the wisdom of India and overspread the old trunk of Judaism. Buddhism prevailed in Palestine when Christ was born. Christ himself came in contact with it through John the Baptist. There is a striking resemblance between Buddhism and Christianity in their precepts, in their forms and ceremonies, in the architectural style of their temples, and even in the accounts of the lives of their founders.

The dogmas or metaphysical doctrines of Christianity are the same as those of Judaism but its moral precepts are much higher and nobler than those of the Jewish prophets. Christianity owes to Buddhism that higher morality which distinguishes it from Judaism. The moral precepts and teachings of Buddhism have much in common with those of Christianity. Christ himself taught no dogmas.

The teaching of Jesus which is chiefly ethical is embodied in the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord's Prayer and certain parables known as the parables of the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son and the Sheep and the Goats.

Philosophy and Teachings

Christianity is essentially a radiant way of life, a way of happy and victorious living in this world. Jesus astonished people by his insight when discussing religion with the religious leaders of his day. For three years he explained his claim as the "Only Son of God" and taught people about the nature of his "Father" God, and the true paths of human life in the shape of Sermon on the Mount, etc. Jesus Christ was called "The Great Exemplar." He explained the real nature of God, man and the world he lived in. He taught people to change their way of looking at things. He told them that if they would change their outlook on life from its materialistic to its spiritualistic aspect, they would realise that the world they were living in was God's Kingdom.

He has left no written records of his important teachings. He delivered all his teachings orally. Neither he, nor his followers ever wrote down even a single word which was spoken by him, in his lifetime.

His words have been misunderstood, wrongly annotated, mutilated, deformed and transformed and yet they have survived almost two thousand years as they were very powerful and came from the heart of a realised Yogi.

Here is the gist of Jesus' teachings: God is Spirit. He is Omnipresent. He loves His creatures with infinite love. He is the Father of all. God is imminent in the world. He is transcendental also. He sent His son Jesus Christ unto the world to show them the way to attain immortality.

The theological doctrine of Jesus is belief in the Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man. In Godhead there are three Persons, viz., Father, Son and the Holy Ghost or Spirit. This is the Trinity of Christianity. All men are brothers, because they are all members of the family of God. If the teaching of Christ is carried out there will be no war.

Here is a gist of his "Sermon on the Mount":

Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the sons of God.

Inward purity, meekness, forgiveness, returning good for evil—these are the distinctive features of Christianity. Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Jesus laid great stress on love of God, love of fellow-men and of Law. Faith in God is the central teaching of Jesus.

11. CIVILISATION

What is civilisation? Are you really civilised now? When you suffer from phthisis or asthma, septicaemia or malaria, doctors give you various sorts of injections. Can you call this civilisation? You can hear songs sung in Paris or Constantinople at the beach at Triplicane, Madras. Is this civilisation? The germs of phthisis and pyorrhoea are broadcast by motorcars, railways and soda-water shops. Millions of people are packed up in insanitary houses in lanes and gullies. Life has become entirely dependent. Freedom is unknown. When the switch fails, there is no light in the house. There is no water in the tap when you want it very badly. We never heard of blood pressure some fifteen years ago. Now, ninety per cent of the people suffer this terrible malady.

The Panorama of City Life

The dust raised by the running of motorcars and lorries in the roads and streets enters the eyes, nose, lungs, trachea and stomach, and produces various sorts of diseases of the eyes, lungs, stomach, etc. This is due to modern civilisation. Man wants money and money alone. He dies for money. He does not want religion. He says: "I want not only bread, but bread with butter and jam." To eat this buttered-bread, he has to swallow the dust of the roads and the smoke of the chimneys of the factories, and spend all his earnings in the treatment of pyorrhoea, blood-pressure, asthma and phthisis.

People take their food at 9 a.m. and immediately run to catch the first train to attend offices and courts at 10 a.m. There is no rest. The whole stomach and the intestines are shaken violently. Dyspepsia and a host of stomach troubles result. This is due to modern civilisation.

People have learnt intelligent ways to cheat others. They utilise mesmerism and hypnotism to rob others and to molest ladies. They have discovered various kinds of palatable dishes to satisfy the tongue. This is modem civilisation.

Hotels have become centres of Mayaic play. You will have all sorts of comforts—hot water tap, cold water tap, etc. 'There is dancing, band-playing during meals. There are all kinds of materials to excite all your senses to their climax, to make you forget God and Truth completely. There is beauty competition among males and females through votes. A Rich man presides. Males vote for the most beautiful woman. Females vote for the most handsome man. They get prizes too. The woman who gets the first prize is invited to dinners by rich men. She is ruined miserably here and there. This is modern civilisation.

One rich engineer says, "In my life, I have used thirty cars." One rich doctor says, "I have twenty servants in my house." One barrister says, "I have gone to Europe and America ten times." A big businessman says, "I have five hundred bungalows in different places. I cannot take food without Kheer and Rasogolla. I get fruits from Bombay and Calcutta." A fashionable judge says, "I have two hundred suits and three hundred shirts." Nobody says, "I have performed twenty-four lakhs of Gayatri Japa. I have studied Yoga-Vasishtha ten times, Gita a hundred times, Ramayana fifty times. I have fasted throughout Dusserah. I have meditated for twelve hours on Sunday. I do Pranayama for three hours daily, Asanas for two hours, Mantra-writing for two hours." This is modern civilisation.

To wear spectacles at the age of ten, to wear ring-watch, to buy a car by borrowing money, to wear fashionable dinner-uniform and Ellwood hat, health boots, to have a French crop or bobbed hair, to smoke Three Castles cigarettes or Navy Cut or Manila cigars, to constrict the neck with stiff collars, to take the food at tables with spoons, forks and table-knives, to walk along the seabeach with their wives in clasped hands, to have newspaper in their pocket, to have a trimmed or Kaiser moustache at the middle of the upper lip, to take meat and brandy, to play bridge, to gamble, to dance in ball-rooms, to borrow money, to go to talkies and in short, to lead a life of dissipation.... this is modern civilisation!

Fashion and Passion

People are dying for fashion. Gents and ladies have become slaves of fashion. If there is a slight error in the cutting of a gown or uniform, there are damage-suits in courts in London and Paris against tailors. You can see the multifarious fashions in the evening. Fashion consists in half-nudity. They will call this scientific, hygienic ventilation of the exposed parts. Half the chest, half the arms, half the legs must be exposed. This is fashion. They have full control of their hairs. This is their Siddhi or psychic power. They can cut it and dress it in any way they like in a hair dressing saloon. Fashion increases and excites passion.

The whole world can be clothed out of the cuttings of the vain, fashionable people. Money is wasted enormously in fashion. If this money that is wasted in fashion is utilised in virtuous actions, in charity and service of society, man will be transmuted into Divinity. He will be in the enjoyment of eternal peace and bliss. What do you see now instead in fashionable people? Restlessness, anxiety, worry, fear, depression and pallor of face. They may be dressed in silken gowns, or dinner suits in up-to-date fashion and style with stiff double collar ties and bows. But, you see in their faces cheerlessness and ugliness. The canker of worry, greed, passion, and hatred has eaten the very core of their hearts.

Why do ladies and gents put on fashionable dress? They want to appear as big people in the eyes of others. They think they will get respect and honour by putting on fashionable dress. The wife wants to appear beautiful in the eyes of her husband. She wants to attract him. The husband puts on fashionable dress to attract his wife. The sister of ill-fame wants to get more customers by putting on fashionable dress. This is all delusion. Can a fashionable dress give real beauty? This is all artificial decoration. Temporary, false glittering! Decaying, false beauty! If you possess good virtues such as mercy, sympathy, devotion and forbearance, you will be respected and really honoured. This will give everlasting beauty even though one is clad in rags. How simple was Mahatma Gandhi in his dress! He had a loin cloth only. How simple was Ramana Maharshi! He had a Kowpeen only.

Baneful Effects of Artificial Living

Life has become very artificial. There is physical, mental and moral degeneration. You do not find robust, sinewy, stalwart, healthy people. Longevity is unknown. People are short-lived. You see puny, stunted creatures with poor physique, dilapidated frame and sickly appearance. They cannot walk even a furlong. They want a rickshaw. Children beget children. People die like moths. They have become weaklings. They have become effeminate and impotent. How strong and healthy our forefathers were! They had a very long life. They could walk forty miles a day. They could swim across a big river during floods at the age of seventy. They could split fuel. They could carry heavy weights. They were strong and sinewy. They were living on simple fare. Even now, look at the Gurkha and Maharashtra labourers. They live on ordinary bread, salt and two chillies. Look at the tremendous work turned out by them! Look at their health and marvellous strength! Now, every one of you want Ovaltine, vitamin extracts, Allenbury Rusks, and oatmeal. The wife wants an exclusive servant and a cook. You want a servant to put on your shoes. The child wants an Ayah.

Science had added many comforts to man. Electricity does all sorts of work. It pumps water. It lifts us to the top storey. It cooks food. It carries us to London and Paris. Science has made our travel and communication easy and quick. There are some advantages. But the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. It has made living very costly and luxurious. Man is more restless now. A luxury of today becomes a want of tomorrow. Every man and woman want a pocket radio, a torch, a wristwatch, a car, a household cinema. The standard of living has become very high. Clerks and officers do not hesitate to tell lies and take bribes to make both ends meet. The cinema and fashion are devouring all their earnings.

Sense-gratification has become the goal of life. Intelligent people devise intelligent methods to take bribes and to earn money by various dishonest means. There is corruption everywhere. Honesty and candidness have taken to their heels. Double-dealing, crookedness, cheating and chicanery, have taken possession of all. All these are the products of luxurious living, consequent upon scientific inventions and Western civilisation.

A doctor or pleader, even if he is starving, must maintain a car. Otherwise he cannot get patients or clients. His wife wants silk saris, face powder, rouge, lipstick and scents. Seats have to be reserved for picture-houses. Where to go for money? He has to tap the poor people. He fills up a bottle with water and coloured tinctures, and charges heavily. He extorts money by charging too much for injection and visits. Mercy, sympathy, and honesty have fled away from his heart. When the mind is filled with greed, passion and dishonesty, conscience is destroyed.

In this age of the so-called modern civilisation, greed, passion and selfishness are increasing day by day—nay, hour by hour. Man has lost his manliness. The son drags his father to the courts for division of property. The wife divorces her husband and marries another if he happens to be more rich, more beautiful and younger. The younger brother poisons his elder brother to take possession of the estate. You see cruelty, dishonesty, injustice and atrocity everywhere. No one keeps his promise. The father has no faith in the son. The wife has no faith in the husband and the husband has no faith in the wife.

Life Divorced from God and Religion

This is Kali-Yuga. Dharma has become a decrepit. He is somewhere in a decrepit hospital. People are acting according to their own whims and fancies. There is no check. Every man is a Guru. He does not care for any religious instruction. Passion is swaying everyone. Discrimination, right thinking and Vichara have taken to their heels. Eating, drinking and procreation are the goal of life. Moksha has become a non-entity and a visionary dream. Evil habits of all sorts have cropped up in all.

A friend greets another friend not with the Names of God, Jai Sri Krishna or Jai Ramji Ki, but with a packet of cigarettes and a peg of whisky. He says, "Come along, Mr. Naidu. Have a smoke. Have a drink of gin-squash."

Money-The Modern Curse

Money is, doubtless, necessary for man.' but, money is not the goal of life. One should not worship mammon. The dollar cannot give peace and bliss. There are buildings in America one hundred and twenty-three storeys high. Each room in each storey is air-conditioned, and has up-to-date electric equipments. But tell me, brother, who is superior? He who lives in a hundred and twenty-three storeyed building in America with plenty of aeroplanes and cars, with plenty of money, rolling in dollars, with plenty of cares, worries, anxieties, with plenty of blood pressure and other diseases with a small constricted heart, with plenty of ignorance and its modifications such as lust, greed and wrath? Or, he who lives in a small grass-hut on the banks of the Ganga, in Rishikesh, Himalayas, with plenty of health, with a large magnanimous heart, with plenty of divine qualities, with plenty of divine bliss, perennial joy and peace, with plenty of knowledge of the Self, without any money, cares, worries and anxieties?

What is wanted is a spacious or large loving heart with high sublime thinking. You may live in a small thatched cottage. It does not matter much.

The other day, an Englishman, a military officer of Meerut, came to this Ashram. He was very much attracted by the quiet and calm atmosphere of Ananda Kutir. I told him that he could have the same quietude in some of the silent corners of England, in some parts of the hills. He replied, "No, there also aeroplanes ever move about above the heads. Quietude is unknown to England."

A Scene of Chaos and Bewilderment

You yourself have made your life complex and intricate. You have entangled yourself in this quagmire of Samsara. You have multiplied your wants and desires. Every day you are forging an additional link to the chain of bondage. Simplicity has vanished. Luxurious habits and ways of i living are embraced. No wonder there is unemployment everywhere. People are dying of starvation. There is depression in trade. There is unrest everywhere. Divorce courts are also multiplying. One nation is afraid of another nation. One nation suspects that the other nations are preparing for a big war. Life has thus become a matter of uncertainty. It has become a mass of confusion, chaos and bewilderment. It has become stormy and boisterous. It is full of undercurrents, crosscurrents, subterranean currents and mixed currents.

The Way of Escape

Now then, is there no way of escape from these troubles and difficulties? There is only one way. Lead a life of dispassion, self-control, purity, selfless service and cosmic love. Develop the habit of taking the right point of view, right thinking, right feeling, right acting with the right mental attitude or Bhava. Practise devotion and meditation.

To move in Rolls-Royce is not real civilisation. To have skyscrapers is not civilisation. To have helicopters is not civilisation. To have abundant wealth is not civilisation. To have titles and honours is not civilisation. To be honest, humble and pious is civilisation. To be saintly and compassionate is civilisation. To be endowed with devotion and wisdom is civilisation. To have the spirit of service and sacrifice is civilisation.

We will have to get back to nature and natural living. We will have to adopt the simple living and high thinking of our forefathers. Lead a simple, natural life. Wear simple clothing. Walk daily. Give up cinemas and novel-reading. Eat simple food. Lead a hard, laborious life. Be self-reliant. Do not engage servants. Reduce your wants. Be honest in your dealings. Earn at the sweat of your brow. Control the Indriyas and mind. Develop noble qualities. Take recourse to the company of wise men. Remember God. Sing His Name. Feel His presence. Speak truth. Learn to discriminate. Learn how to lead a divine life while remaining in the world. Serve society with Atma-bhava. Then the whole question is solved. You have regained your Godhead. You have regained your lost paradise. All miseries will come to an end. You will have success in every walk of life and undertaking. Keep this master key with you and open the chambers of elysian bliss.

12. CONCENTRATION

If you focus the rays of the sun through a lens, they can burn cotton or a piece of paper; but, the scattered rays cannot do this act. If you want to talk to a man at a distance, you make a funnel of your hand and speak. The sound-waves are collected at one point and then directed towards the man. He can hear your speech very clearly. The water is converted into steam and the steam is concentrated at a point. The railway engine moves. All these are instances of concentrated waves. Even so, if you collect the dissipated rays of the mind and focus them at a point, you will have wonderful concentration. The concen-trated mind will serve as a potent searchlight to find out the treasures of the soul and attain the supreme wealth of Atman, eternal bliss, immortality and perennial joy.

Real Raja Yoga starts from concentration. Concentration merges in meditation. Concentration is a portion of meditation.

Meditation follows concentration. Samadhi follows meditation. The Jivanmukti state follows the attainment of Nirvikalpa Samadhi which is free from all thoughts of duality. Jivanmukti leads to emancipation from the wheel of birth and death. Therefore, concentration is the first and foremost thing a Sadhaka or aspirant should acquire in the spiritual path.

You are born to concentrate the mind on God after collecting the mental rays that are dissipated on various objects. That is your important duty. You forget the duty on account of Moha for family, children, money, power, position, respect, name and fame.

Concentration of the mind on God after purification can give you real happiness and knowledge. You are born for this purpose only. You are carried away to external objects through attachment and infatuated love.

What Is Concentration?

Once a Sanskrit scholar approached Kabir and asked him, "O Kabir, what are you doing now?" Kabir replied, "O Pundit, I am detaching the mind from worldly objects and attaching it to the lotus-feet of the Lord." This is concentration.

Concentration or Dharana is centering the mind on one single thought. Vedantins try to fix the mind on the Atman. This is their Dharana. Hatha Yogins and Raja Yogins concentrate their mind on the six Chakras. Bhaktas concentrate on their Ishta Devata. Concentration is a great necessity for all aspirants.

During concentration, the various rays of the mind are collected and focussed on the object of concentration. There will be no tossing of the mind. One idea occupies the mind. The whole energy of the mind is concentrated on that one idea. The senses become still. They do not function. When there is deep concentration, there is no O consciousness of the body and surroundings.

When you study a book with profound interest, you do not hear if a man shouts and calls you by your name. You do not see a person when he stands in front of you. You do not smell the sweet fragrance of flowers that are placed on the table by your side. This is concentration or one-pointedness of mind. The mind is fixed firmly on one thing. You must have such a deep concentration when you think of God or the Atman.

Everybody possesses some ability to concentrate. Everybody does concentrate to a certain extent when he reads a book, when he writes a letter, when he plays tennis, and in fact, when he does any kind of work. But, for spiritual purposes, concentration should be developed to an infinite degree.

There is great concentration when you play cards or chess, but the mind is not filled with pure and divine thoughts. The mental contents are of an undesirable nature. You can hardly experience the divine thrill, ecstasy, and elevation when the mind is filled with impure thoughts. Every object has its own mental associations. You will have to fill up the mind with sublime spiritual thoughts. Then only the mind will be expurgated of all worldly thoughts. The picture of Lord Jesus or Buddha or Lord Krishna is associated with sublime, soul-stirring ideas; chess and cards are associated with ideas of gambling, cheating and so forth.

Objects of Concentration

Sit on any comfortable pose. Place a picture of your Ishta Devata in front of you. Look at the picture with a steady gaze. Then close your eyes and visualise the picture in the centre of your heart or in the space between the eyebrows. When the picture fades out in your mental vision, open the eyes and gaze at the picture again. Close your eyes after a few seconds and repeat the process.

It is easy to concentrate the mind on external objects. The mind has a natural tendency to go outwards. In the beginning stage of practice, you can concentrate on a black dot on the wall, a candle flame, a bright star, the moon, or any other object that is pleasing to the mind.

The mind should be trained to concentrate on gross objects in the beginning; and later on, you can successfully concentrate on subtle objects and abstract ideas.

There is no concentration without something to rest the mind upon. Concentrate on anything that appeals to you as good or anything which the mind likes best. It is very difficult to fix the mind, in the beginning, on any object which the mind dislikes.

Practise various sorts of concentration. This will train or discipline your mind wonderfully. Now concentrate on the Himalayas, a very great object. Then concentrate on a mustard or a pin-point. Now concentrate on a distant object. Then concentrate on a near object. Now concentrate on a colour, sound, touch, smell or taste. Then concentrate on the `tik-tik' of a watch. Now concentrate on the virtue `mercy'. Then concentrate on the virtue 'patience'. Now concentrate on the Sloka, "Jyotishamapi Tat Jyotih” Then concentrate on "Satyam Jnanam Anantam." Now concentrate on the image of Lord Siva. Then concentrate on the "Aham Brahmasmi" Mahavakya.

An Uphill Task for the Beginner

For a neophyte, the practice of concentration is disgusting and tiring in the beginning. He has to cut new grooves in the mind and brain. After some months, he will get great interest in concentration. He will enjoy a new kind of happiness, the concentration-Ananda. He will become restless if he fails to enjoy this new kind of happiness even for one day.

The vital point in concentration is to bring the mind to the same point or object again by limiting its movements in a small circle in the beginning. That is the main aim. A time will come when the mind will stick to one point alone. This is the fruit of your constant and protracted Sadhana. The joy is indescribable now.

Concentration will increase by lessening the number of thoughts. Certainly, it is an uphill work to reduce the number of thoughts. Just as you will have to take back with care your cloth that is fallen on a thorny plant by removing the thorns one by one slowly, so also, you will have to collect back with care and exertion the dissipated rays of the mind that are thrown over the sensual objects for very many years. In the beginning, it will tax you much. The task will be very unpleasant.

A Mental Process, Not a Muscular Exercise

Concentration is purely a mental process. It needs an inward turning of the mind. It is not a muscular exercise. There should be no undue strain on the brain. You should not fight and wrestle with the mind violently.

When you concentrate on any object, avoid tension anywhere in the body or mind. Think gently of the object in a continuous manner. Do not allow the mind to wander away.

How to Increase Your Power of Concentration

Concentration can be done only if you are free from all distractions. A man whose mind filled with passion and all sorts of fantastic desires can hardly concentrate on any object even for a second. His mind will be jumping like an old monkey. Japa of any Mantra and Pranayama w steady the mind, remove tossing, and increase the power concentration.

Too much physical exertion, too much talking, too mu eating, too much mixing with ladies and undesirable persons, too much walking, will cause distraction of mind Those who practise concentration must abandon these things.

Whatever work you do, do it with perfect concentration. Never leave the work without finishing it completely.

When you sit for prayers and meditation, never think of your office work. When you work in the office, never think of the child who is sick or of any other household work. When you take bath, do not think of games. When you sit for meals, do not think of the work that is pending in the office. You must train yourself to attend to the work on hand with perfect one-pointedness.

Celibacy, Pranayama, reduction of wants and activities, renunciation of objects, solitude, silence, discipline of the senses, annihilation of lust and greed, control of anger, non-mixing with undesirable persons, giving up of the newspaper habit and visiting cinemas, all these pave a long way in increasing the power of concentration.

You must try to be always cheerful and peaceful. Then only you will have concentration of mind. The practice of friendship with equals, compassion towards inferiors or distressed persons, complacency towards superiors or virtuous persons, and indifference towards sinners or wicked persons will produce cheerfulness or serenity and destroy hatred, jealousy, and dislike.

You should have real and intense thirst for God-realisation. Then all obstacles will be obviated. Concentration will be quite easy for you then. Mere emotional bubbling for the time being out of sheer curiosity, or for attaining psychic powers, cannot bring any tangible result.

Concentration and Pranayama

The practice of concentration and the practice of Pranayama are interdependent. If you practise Pranayama. You will get concentration. Natural Pranayama follows practice of concentration. A Hatha Yogi practises Pranayama and then controls mind. He rises upwards from below. A Raja Yogi practises concentration and thus controls his Prana. He comes downwards from above. They both meet on a common platform in the end. There are different practices according to the different capacities. tastes, and temperaments. To some, the practice of Pranayama will be easy to start with; to others, the practice of concentration will be easier. The latter had already practised Pranayama in their previous births. Therefore they take up, in this birth, the higher limb of Yoga, i.e., concentration.

Importance of an Ethical Basis

Purify the mind first through the practice of right conduct and then take to the practice of concentration. Concentration without purity of mind is of no avail.

Some foolish, impatient students take to concentration at once without undergoing any preliminary training in ethics. This is a serious blunder.

There are some occultists who have concentration. But, they have no good character. That is the reason why they do not make any progress in the spiritual line.

Concentration—The Master-key to Success

Those who practise concentration evolve quickly. They can do any work with scientific accuracy and great efficiency. What others do in six hours can be done, by one who has concentration, within half an hour. What others read in six hours can be read, by one who does concentration, within half an hour. Concentration purifies and calms the surging emotions, strengthens the current of thought, and clarifies the ideas.

Concentration helps a man in his material progress also. He will have a very good out-turn of work in his office or business house. He who practises concentration will possess very clear mental vision. What was cloudy and hazy before becomes clear and definite now. What was difficult before becomes easy now. And what was complex, bewildering, and confusing before comes easily within the mental grasp. You can achieve anything through concentration. Nothing is impossible to a man who practises regular concentration.

It helps the scientists and professors to do great research work. It helps the doctor and the lawyer to do much work and earn more money. It develops will-power and memory; it sharpens and brightens the intellect. Concentration bestows serenity or calmness of mind, inner spiritual strength, patience, great capacity to turn out tremendous work, alacrity, acumen, agility, beautiful complexion, sweet voice, brilliant eyes, powerful voice and speech, power to influence others and attract people, cheerfulness, joy, bliss of soul, supreme peace. It removes restlessness, agitation of mind, laziness. It makes you fearless and unattached. It helps you to attain God-realisation.

The more is the mind fixed on God the more is the strength you will acquire. More concentration means more energy. Concentration opens the inner chambers of love or the realm of eternity. Concentration is a source of spiritual strength.

Be slow and steady in concentration. By practice of concentration, you will become superhuman.

Those who practise concentration off and on will have a steady mind only occasionally. Sometimes the mind will begin to wander and will be quite unfit for application. You must have a mind that will obey you at all times sincerely and carry out all your commands in the best possible manner at any time. Steady and systematic practice of Raja Yoga will make the mind very obedient and faithful. You will be successful in every attempt. You will never meet with failure.

13. CONFUCIANISM

Confucius was born in 551 B.C. in the feudal State of Lu. a portion of what is now the province of Shangtung on north eastern seaboard of China. Confucius and Lao-Tze. founder of Taoism, were contemporaries. They were Sages and Philosophers. They are not regarded as Saviours.

Confucianism is not a religion in the customary sense. It has neither priesthood nor any monastic order. It existed in China long before the time of Confucius. In one of his recorded sayings he speaks of himself as a “transmitter" and not a "maker" or originator. He did not give a new religion to the world or a new ethical code. What he gave to the world was only a powerful restatement of the fundamental principles of human morality or ethics. He issued a new and improved edition of the old one. The moral code he framed was most admirable. It contained grand ethical truths.

Confucius devoted himself to the improvement of Society. He ever thought of the well-being of the Society. He tried his level best to contribute much to social welfare. 'The Analects' or collection of sayings treats mainly of social welfare, human peace and harmony in Society. He strained his every nerve in giving moral training to people. He laid very great emphasis on cultivation of ethical virtues. He tried to remove the disturbing elements in Society. He had a strong conviction that if superiors and elders had a blameless character, others would follow them and there would be love and universal peace everywhere. As this social thought ever occupied his mind, he had no time to discuss on God and life after death. Moreover, he did not find it necessary also to dwell on these subjects.

Many of the sayings of Confucius are admirable. He says: "The love or virtue should be like the love of beauty-from an inward constraint. Have sufficient self-control even to judge of others in comparison with yourself, and to towards them as you would wish them to act to you." what one may call the doctrine of humanity', and there nothing beyond this.

"The way to become a superior man is to set one's affection on what is right and to love learning, which is the source of knowledge and virtue, with which nothing else can be compared. When righteousness is pursued with sincerity and a mind free from self-deception, the heart becomes rectified.

"Upto a particular stage the individual is busy only with his own improvement; but the cultivation of the person influences primarily those around him, and ultimately the whole empire. Everyone, therefore, should carefully cultivate his person, having due regard for others besides himself. Each man must guard his words and watch his conduct. He must fly all that is base and disquieting, and must take benevolence as his dwelling place, righteousness as his road, propriety as his garment, wisdom as his lamp, and faithfulness as his charm. Dignity, reverence, loyalty and faithfulness make up the qualities of a cultivated man. His dignity separates him from the crowd; being reverent, he is beloved; being loyal, he is submitted to; and being faithful, he is trusted."

The various sayings of Confucius presented the attributes of the superior man. Confucius asked his disciples to admire the superior man and to emulate him. He said that every human being cherishes the aspiration to become a superior man—superior to his fellows, superior to his own past and present self.

Confucius speaks of the superior or the ideal man thus: "The superior man is catholic and not a partisan. He does what is proper to the position in which he is. He does not wish to go beyond it. He finds himself no position in which he is not himself.

"The scholar considers honesty and good faith to be his coat of mail and helmet, propriety, and righteousness to be his shield, and buckler. He walks along, bearing over his head benevolence; he dwells holding righteousness in his arms before him. The government may be violently oppressive, but he does not change his course—such is the way in which he maintains himself."

Teachings

His teaching was largely concerned with the problem of good government. He said: "The Ruler himself should be virtuous, just, honest, and dutiful." "A virtuous ruler is like the Pole-star which, by keeping its place, makes all other stars revolve round it. As is the ruler, so will be the subjects."

What was Confucius' idea of virtue? His word for it was `Zen'. The proper understanding of this ethical doctrine chiefly depends on the implication of Zen. There is no single English equivalent of Zen in all its shades of meaning. The essence of all his teachings may be summed up under this one word `Zen'. The nearest equivalent to this difficult word is `social virtue'. All those virtues which help to maintain social harmony and peace like benevolence, charity, magnanimity, sincerity, respectfulness, altruism, dili-gence, loving kindness, and goodness are included in Zen. A chief disciple of Confucius said: "The single principle that ran throughout the teachings of my Master is loyalty to oneself and charity to one's neighbour."

Confucius said: "A virtuous man has three awes:- (1) awe for Heaven's decree, (2) awe for great men, and (3) awe for saints' words. When worshipping God, one must feel as if He were visibly present."

The teaching of Confucius is that the entire world and every being are constantly changing and that the most essential aspect for human life is the present Reality. Confucius held that Society was made up of five relationships, viz., those of husband and wife, of parent and child, of elder and younger brother or generally of elders and youngsters, of ruler and minister or subject, and of friend and friend. A country would be well governed when all the parties performed their parts aright in these relationships. Confucius said: "There was Tao (a way or road of righteousness) only when fathers were fathers, when sons were sons, when rulers were rulers and when ministers were ministers."

Confucius laid great stress on the cultivation of character, purity of heart and conduct. He exhorted the people to develop a good character first which is a priceless jewel and which is the best of all virtues.

The nature of man, according to Confucius, is funda-mentally good inclined towards goodness. Perfection of goodness can be found in sages and saints. Every man should attempt to reach the ideal by leading a virtuous life, by possessing a very noble character, and by doing his duty unselfishly with sincerity and truthfulness. He who is endowed with a good character and divine virtue is a princely type of man. The princely man sticks to virtue, and the inferior man clings to material comfort. The princely man is just while the inferior man expects rewards and favours. The princely man is dignified, noble, magnani-mous, and humble while the inferior man is mean, proud, crooked, and arrogant

In the "Great Learning" Confucius revealed the process, step by step, by which self-development is attained and by which it flows over into the common life to serve the state and bless mankind. The order of development which Confucius set forth is as follows:

Investigation of phenomena,

Learning,

Sincerity,

Rectitude of purpose,

Self-development,

Family-discipline

Local self-government, and

Universal self-government.

"The ancients," he said, "when they wished to exemplify illustrious virtue throughout the empire, first ordered well their states. Desiring to maintain well their states, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families they first rectified their purposes. Wishing to rectify their purposes they first sought to think sincerely. Wishing to think sincerely, they first extended their knowledge as widely as possible. This they did by investigation of things.

"By investigation of things, their knowledge became extensive; their knowledge being extensive, their thoughts became sincere; their thoughts being sincere, their purposes were rectified; their purposes being rectified, they cultivated themselves; they being cultivated, their families were regulated; their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed; their states being rightly governed, the empire was thereby tranquil and prosperous."

Conclusion

Confucius has rendered immortal the sixth century B.C. He was a born ruler of men. He would have shown as one of the world's greatest monarchs, if circumstances had been favourable. He had a highly developed moral sense and a profound realisation of the supreme importance of morals in human life. His greatness has been universally recognised for many centuries. He is held in the highest reverence by hundreds of millions of the world's inhabitants.

Glory to Confucius, the great moralist, statesman and social reformer of China.

14. CONSCIENCE

Conscience is the light of the soul that is burning within the chambers of your heart. It is the little spark of celestial fire which makes known to you the presence of the Indweller, the author of the divine laws of truth and holiness. It raises the voice of protest whenever anything is thought of or done contrary to the interest of its Master.

Conscience is the voice of the Self which says yes' or 'no' when you are involved in a moral struggle. It is a call from within to do an act or to avoid it. Conscience is the internal monitor.

Conscience is a form of truth. It is the knowledge of our own acts and feelings as right or wrong. It is a sensitive balance to weigh actions. It is the faculty or principle by which we distinguish right from wrong. It is a guiding voice from within. Sense of duty is conscience. Scrupulousness is conscience. Conscience is like a silent teacher.

Conscience is a moral faculty. It is a delicate instrument or sense that tells you then and there what is right and what is wrong. It is the inner voice without sound, that shows you the path of virtue and godliness. It is indeed very, very delicate. It is very easy to stifle it. It is so very clear that it is impossible to mistake it.

Conscience is above reasoning and discussion. It is a sudden, dictatory command to plunge deep into the depths of virtue, or to rise high above the level of vice. The positive elements which adorn conscience are truth, courage, and justice.

Conscience is the consciousness of the moral goodness or badness of one's own conduct or motives, together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good. Conscience is a needle that points steadily to the Pole Star of God's Eternal Justice.

Conscience is your preceptor. It dictates to you: "Do this action. It is right." It warns you also. "This is wrong. Do not do this act."

Conscience is a great ledger-book. All your offences are written and registered in this ledger. It is a terrible witness

Conscience is the best Minister of Justice. It threatens, promises, rewards, and punishes, and keeps all under its control. If conscience stings you once, it is an admonition; if twice, it is a condemnation. To act against conscience is to act against reason and Divine Law.

How Conscience Operates

When you do a wrong action, the conscience pricks you. You experience pin-pricks. It says to you in a clear, small, shrill voice, "Do not do this wrong action, my friend. It will bring misery to you." A conscientious man at once ceases to act further, and becomes wise.

Conscience warns you like a teacher or a friend, before it punishes as a judge. It tells you to do the right.

Cowardice asks: "is it safe?" Avarice asks: "Is there any gain in it?" Vanity asks: "Can I become famous?" Lust asks: "Is there pleasure?" But Conscience asks: "Is it right?" Conscience prompts you to choose the right instead of the wrong, and tells you that you ought to do the right. The first impulse of conscience is apt to be right.

If there are pinpricks and twists in the conscience, if there is a sense of shame, depression in the heart, know you have done a wrong action. If there is exhilaration, cheerfulness, feel you have done a virtuous action.

When Conscience Can Be Relied Upon

Do not mistake the promptings of the lower mind for the voice of the soul. That mind which tends towards luxury and evil is the lower or Rajasa-tamasic mind. It is the impure mind, instinctive mind, or desire-mind. Voice from the instinctive mind will mislead you. This lower mind is the cause for one's downfall.

The higher mind which tends towards virtue is the Sattvic mind or Suddha Manas. This higher mind elevates man. It guides him. It acts as a true preceptor: You should try to hear the voice of the Sattvic mind. Annihilate Rajas and Tamas by increasing Sattva. You will be quite safe.

Conscience can act freely and fully only when one has abandoned self-interest in everything that he does.

The conscience of Mukherji will not allow him to do one thing, but the conscience of Chatterji may allow him to do that very thing. Therefore you cannot rely on conscience entirely, until you have cleared your mind and feeling from personal prejudice and predilections.

How Conscience Is Stifled and Destroyed

Conscience is obscured through human sin and weakness. The faint inner voice of the spirit is stifled by the rumbling of emotional conflicts, base impulses, and dictates of the flesh. It is awakened and sharpened to new clearness through purity of conduct and practice of ethical virtues.

Through misuse, conscience becomes blunt. Through abuse or misuse, it is even destroyed. Through wickedness, it becomes perverted. Uttering falsehood and taking bribes destroy the conscience altogether.

In the world, people think of one thing, say another thing, and do another thing. This is horrible. This is nothing but crookedness. You must carefully watch your thoughts, speeches, and actions. The little gain that you get by telling lies is no gain at all. You pollute your conscience, and infect your subconscious mind. The habit of telling lies is carried to your next birth also, and you undergo suffering from birth to birth.

You have become insincere on account of intoxication from selfishness and greed. You do not know what you are exactly doing. You have a clouded understanding. Your conscience will prick you severely at one time. Your heart will bleed when you come to your senses. Your heart must bleed through repentance with a contrite heart. Then only can you purify yourself.

The habit of taking bribes is very common. If you ask anybody working in any office, "What is your salary, Mr. Jayadev?", he will say, "Well, my salary is only Rs. 50/ -, but my income is about Rs. 75/ -." This income is nothing but bribe. People are ignorant. Even the so-called educated people have no idea of the law of action and reaction,

Samskaras and their force. If you take bribe, you will be punished for this wrong action, and the Samskara of taking bribes will force you to take bribes even in the next birth. You will be a dishonest man even in the next birth. Your thoughts and actions are registered in the subconscious mind. You carry your dishonesty from birth to birth, and undergo enormous sufferings.

Reduce your wants and live honestly within your means. You will have a clean conscience. You will be ever free from anxieties and worries. You will have a peaceful death. I suppose you now understand the gravity of the law. Become an honest man and be true from this very second you read these lines. Never, never join those offices which are amenable to corruption and temptations. You will be corrupted.

The Best Professions

Never wish to become a police officer. The whole play of Maya is here. You will become a slayer of Atman. You cannot have peace of mind even for a second

Advocates kill their conscience and soul by twisting truth and uttering deliberate falsehood.

The doctor's profession is noble, indeed; but, on account of greed, doctors become worldly-minded. The greedy doctors fill up a bottle with water and coloured tinctures and charges heavily. He extorts money by charging too much for injections and visits. Mercy, sympathy and honesty have fled from his heart. When the mind is filled with greed, passion and dishonesty, conscience is destroyed.

In business, there is much corruption. From morning till night, you will be telling lies only. God is very far from a businessman.

The educational line is very good. There are very few chances of taking bribes or committing sins. You can lead a quiet life.

The agricultural profession will make you quite independent. You will be free from the distractions of a modern city. You can lead a very peaceful life.

Therefore, become a teacher or a professor, or an agriculturist. You can remain virtuous.

The Subtle Mechanism of Conscience

A virtuous man alone can use the instrument of conscience. He alone can clearly hear the inner voice of the soul. In a wicked man, this faculty becomes dead. The sensitive nature of conscience is destroyed by sin or corruption. Hence he is not able to discriminate right from wrong.

If you do wrong actions and sinful deeds and treat them lightly today, you will not hesitate to do serious crimes the next day. If you allow one sin to enter and dwell in your conscience, you certainly pave the way for the entry of a thousand sins. Your conscience will become blunt. It will lose its sensitiveness. The habit of doing evil deeds will pervade the whole body like the poison of the scorpion and the cobra.

If an honest man begins to take bribe for the first time, he shudders. His conscience quivers and trembles. He feels a lot of uneasiness. If he repeats it again several times, his conscience becomes blunt. He does not feel any uneasiness at all. If a chaste man begins to visit for the first time a house of ill-fame, his conscience pricks; his conscience shudders. If he frequently visits, his conscience becomes blunt. He will not feel anything. The inner mechanism of conscience is very subtle. Keep it sensitive by doing virtuous needs only.

How to Cultivate a Pure Conscience

Keep the conscience always bright and sharp by adhering to truth, Dharma and virtue. It will be your constant, elevating companion.

Virtuous acts, charity, benevolence, nobility, generosity, acts of mercy, and practice of truthfulness, Brahmacharya and Ahimsa sharpen the conscience.

Food plays an important role in the development of a pure conscience. Sattvic food helps man to have a clean conscience. Animal food makes the conscience impure. It produces a hard crust on the surface of the conscience and blunts it totally.

The Clear Conscience and the Guilty Conscience

A man of clear conscience is ever pure, joyful and cheerful. A man of guilty conscience is morose, cheerless.

A man of pure and clean conscience sleeps happily, and wakes up happily, and moves about happily in this world. He attains happiness in this world and in the next world.A man of guilty conscience is ever restless and unhappy in this world and in the next world also.

A man of guilty conscience is dead even while living. A man of pure conscience is a veritable god on this earth.

Health of the Soul

A clean conscience discerns evil quickly and shuns it. A good conscience bestows on you ease, serenity, joy and happiness. It prevents calamities, troubles, afflictions and miseries.

That noble man who has a clean and pure conscience is not afraid of anybody in this world. He is not afraid of death even.

A good, clear conscience is the temple of God. It is the paradise of bliss. It helps the aspirant to reach the goal quickly.

What good health is to the body, so is good conscience to the soul. There is inward satisfaction of conscience when a good action is done, when virtue is practised, when you lead a virtuous life.

The most natural beauty in the world is honesty and moral truth. Be beautiful within. Have a clean conscience. Be virtuous. Physical beauty fades.

Conscience or the voice of wisdom speaketh in all Lord's creation, but the little, finite, impure human intellect does not comprehend it. Purify your mind, O arrogant self-willed man! Tune your mind-radio by brushing it, and hear His voice and become wise. The voice of the Soul will lead thee to safety, truth, peace, and immortal bliss.

15. CREATION

The universe is a mystery. No one can say how it came to be.

You will find in the Rig Veda: "Who knows here, who can here state whence came all this multifarious universe? Even the Devas are posterior to its creation; who then knows whence this came out?"

Some hold that the universe was created out of nothing by a fiat of God and that it will again lapse into nothing at the period of deluge. This dogma of creation ex nihilo is not endorsed by scientists. They say emphatically that what exists now should have existed always and will continue to exist always in some form or the other. In the Sankhya philosophy also you will find: "That which is cannot come out of that which is not." The Gita also states: "There can be no existence out of non-existence, nor can the existent cease to be. The truth about both has been perceived by seers."

Something cannot come out of nothing. Something can come out of something only.

The grass comes out of the earth and is absorbed into the earth. Even so, this universe comes out of Brahman, rests in Brahman, and dissolves in Brahman.

The Cause of This Universe

In the beginning, Brahman who is one without a second, alone exists. When darkness was rolling over darkness, there was existence alone.

In Brahman, there was a Spandana or vibration before the world was projected. This is the Sankalpa of Brahman. He thought or willed: "Ekoham bahu syam: I am one; may I become many." This vibration corresponds to the bulging of the seed within the ground when it is soaked with water. Then the whole world was projected.

When an ordinary, meagre juggler can bring forth mangoes, fruits, money, sweetmeats, an imaginary palace, etc., through Indrajala or Sammohana-vidya, can He—the omnipotent, omniscient Ruler—not create this insig-nificant world for His own play? When a mortal king adorns his palace with furniture, pictures, curios, garden, fountain, etc., can He not furnish this world with beautiful landscape, brilliant sun, moon and stars, mighty rivers and oceans?

Nature of the Creative Process

This visible world is God's jugglery. This world is not chaos. It is an organised, divine institution. The world is a shadow of God.

Brahman creates this unthinkable universe through His illusive power of Maya for His own Lila or sporting. The phenomenon of this universe is due to the power called Maya, by which the Absolute, without undergoing any change in or by itself, appears as an ever-changing succession of phenomena conditioned by time and space.

Brahman has projected this universe without being affected in any way. The Absolute is not affected by the world-process that is going on within It, just as the rains from a cloud do not wet the sky. The one Brahman, through His Sakti, can put on all these countless names and forms and appear as many. There is no change in Himself. The world is mere appearance.

Brahman does not require any instruments or hands for making these forms. He is Chaitanya, self-luminous intelligence. By mere willing, He can bring forth countless worlds.

Just as the potentiality of a seed brings forth a tree, so also, the Svabhava or potentiality of Brahman brings forth this universe. Projection coexists with existence.

God and the Universe

This whole universe is the body of God. This entire world is God or Virat Svarupa.

This world is not a world of dead matter, but a living Presence. Brahman or the Absolute manifests Itself as the universe through forms.

Creation is a joyous self-expression of the One.

A king played the part of a beggar for his own sporting. A sage played the part of a fool for his own sporting. Even so, this world is a sport or Lila of Brahman.

Brahman appears as the world. It is Brahman alone that shines as the world of variegated objects. Brahman Himself appears as stone, tree, stars, etc. The One Consciousness alone appears as the universe of plurality.

Just as one man alone becomes many in dream, so also the one God exists as many.

The whole universe is Brahman only in essence. All this is Brahman only, appearing in Brahman and through Brahman.

Earth, food, fire and sun are forms of Brahman. East, west, north and south are parts of the Lord. The sky, heaven, ocean are portions of Brahman.

Breath is a part of Brahman. Sight is a part of Brahman. Hearing is a part of Brahman. Mind is a part of Brahman. This life is Brahman. Brahman or Truth is the essence in which the universe has its being, from which it is born, and in which it dissolves at the end of each world-cycle.

An effect does not exist apart from its cause. A pot does not exist apart from clay. This universe does not exist apart from Brahman. It has no independent existence. It is one with Brahman.

If you have a candle light, and from it you light a thousand other candles, is not the first light in all the other candles? So it is with God. Creating all things, He is in all by spirit, breath and being.

The world is charged with the splendour, glory and grandeur of God. Just as sugar-cane juice pervades the sugar-cane, just as salt pervades the water when a lump of salt is dissolved in it, just as butter pervades milk, so also, Brahman pervades all the objects, animate or inanimate.

Brahman is one. Manifestation is many. One has become many.

As from a blazing fire, sparks all similar to one another, come forth in thousands, so also, from the one imper-ishable Brahman proceed all breathing animals, all worlds, all the gods, and all beings.

Evolution of the Elements

By dint of His will, the Lord, the undecaying substratum or reality of the universe, gave the first impetus to Nature to shake off her state of primal equipoise and to be gradually and successfully evolved into those categories and elements which were necessary for the formation of the present universe.

The first evolute is Akasa. Why should Akasa be the first evolute? Because, without space, nothing can exist. Prana acted on Akasa. There was Spandana or vibration. Wherever there is vibration, there must be motion. Motion is the quality of air. Therefore, air came out of Akasa. Motion produced heat. Therefore, fire was born of Vayu or air. When there is heat, water is produced. On a hot day, the body perspires. Hence, water was born of fire. Wherever there is water, there is food. Earth is Annam or food. Therefore, earth was born of water.

The subtler the element, the more powerful it is. Water is more powerful than earth, because it is more subtle than earth. Water removes away earth. Fire is more powerful than water, because it is more subtle than water. Fire dries up all water. Air is more powerful than fire, because it is more subtle than fire. Air blows up fire. Ether or Akasa is more powerful than air, because it is more subtle than air. Air rests in Akasa. Akasa is the support for air. Air is born of Akasa, fire is born of air, water is born of fire, earth is born of water. During cosmic Pralaya, earth is reduced or involved into water, water into fire, fire into air, and air into Akasa.

The whole world, the gross bodies of the four kinds of beings, viz., Udbhija or the seed-born, Svedaja or those born of sweat, oviparous or those born of egg, and viviparous or those born of placenta, and all objects of enjoyment are formed out of the five elements.

The Doctrine of Ajata-vada

As people with gross minds cannot grasp the theory of Ajata-vada or non-creation, this kind of Srishti-krama is given. If you study the doctrine of Ajata-vada, propounded by Gaudapada in his Karika, you will find that this world does not exist in the past, present and future. This doctrine can be understood only by high-class aspirants who lead a life of seclusion and meditation.

If you remain in Allahabad for six months, you forget all about your native place which is Madras. There is no Madras for you while you live in Allahabad, and there is no Allahabad for you while you live in Madras. This world is a mere collection of Samskaras created by the mind.

If you can consciously destroy the mind by Sadhana and Samadhi, the world vanishes. It is all Brahman only. You shut yourself in a room for a fortnight, give up reading newspapers, engage yourself in deep meditation, and see whether there is world or not.

World Is Mental Creation

It is only the waking state that brings before us this creation. This universe is nothing but a mode of the mind, self-evolved from Brahman, the cause of the universe.

The motion or vibration of Prana moves the mind. The movement of the mind generates the universe. The mind manifests itself as the external world. Names and forms arise owing to Vikshepa Sakti, one of the powers of Maya. The Vikshepa force operates both in the Jagrat and in the Svapna states. The whole world is projected on account of this power only. In sleep, it disappears.

In the deep sleep state you have no experience of the world, because there is no mind. This clearly shows that there will be world only if there is mind and that the mind alone creates this world.

World is mental creation. There is no world in sleep. There is no world in Samadhi. There is no world for a sage. That is the reason why the Srutis declare that this world is manomatra jagat, manah-kalpita jagat.

This ever-agitated Manas, having come into existence out of the ineffable Brahman, creates the world according to its own Sankalpa or thoughts. This legerdemain of the universe springs out of the Sankalpa of Manas. It is through the Sankalpa of your Manas that the universe appears to be and it is this Sankalpa that is asked to be given up by you if you wish to soar to the One Reality beyond the universe.

With the growth of a paltry Sankalpa, there will arise the universe; with the extinction of the former, the latter will also disappear. With the annihilation of Sankalpa, all conception of differences between the seer and the seen will vanish, and then the Reality of Brahman will begin to shine uninterruptedly. Then the shadow of all the universe, movable and fixed, will be found absorbed in It in a non-dual state.

When the mind ceases to think, the world vanishes, and there is bliss indescribable. When the mind begins to think, immediately the world reappears, and there is suffering.

With the contemplation of 'I', all the train of ideas of the universe will set in; otherwise all the universe will vanish as instantaneously as darkness before the sun. Mind and 'I' are one. Destroy the T; then the mind is destroyed. If the mind, which is the instrument of knowledge, perception and activity, vanishes, with it disappears this subjective world also.

The Cosmic Drama

This phenomenal universe is but an outcome of the Divine Will, seeming to be real through the workings of the mind.

Before you write out a drama, you have a vivid mental picture of the whole drama in your mind. Then you write it out in succession in four acts. When it is staged, it is acted in succession, part by part. Similarly, the universe and its movements are a vivid mental picture in the Cosmic Mind, in the mind of Isvara.

There is neither 'past' nor `future' for Him. Everything is `present' for Him. There is neither 'near' nor 'far' for Him. Every place is 'here'. Every time is 'now'. The events come out in succession on the stage of the long world-drama as Time rolls on.

Atoms rotate continuously. Old becomes new and new becomes old. In reality, there is no such thing as old; there is no such thing as new. The Jivas with individual minds are witnessing the events in succession. But the Isvara knows all events at one sweep. He is all-knowing. He is all-understanding also. He knows every detail of His creation.

This vast sense-universe shines as Atma-sankalpa. The Cosmic Mind creates the Maya. Individual minds receive things under delusion.

Why Has God Created This World?

The answers to the question, "Why has God created the world?", are very unsatisfactory. For His own glorification? We cannot attribute to Him so much vanity. By love of mankind? How may He love a thing before it exists and how may it be called love to create millions for misery and eternal pain? The creation of the world is a moral necessity. It is to give fruits for enjoyment to the souls and to help them attain God-realisation. God's desire for His creation is to provide all that is needed to bring His creation into an awareness of Himself.

The question, "Why has God created the world?", is an Ati-prasna or transcendental question. The finite mind cannot give a proper answer. The reason can give answers only to worldly questions. The question itself is wrong.

What is the cause for Avidya,. Maya, and Samsara? This is an Ati-prasna. In enquiring the cause, you abuse your innate mental organ of causality to penetrate into a region for which it is not made and where it is no more available. You are here in ignorance, pain and misery. You know the way out of them. The question of a cause for them is senseless.

A finite mind that is gross and conditioned by time, space and causation cannot comprehend the why and how of the universe, a question that is transcendental. The question has never been answered by anybody, by any Sastra, by any sage or Acharya. Do not rack your mind on this point. You can never get a solution for this problem. It is Mouja of Brahman to create this universe. It is His Lila-vilasa. It is His Maya. It is His Svabhava.

You simply waste your energy and time by entering into hot discussions regarding the question, "Why has God created this world? Is the world real or unreal?" It would matter nothing to you whether the world be real or not. You will not gain anything substantial by entering into such controversies. You will have to dive deep into the chamber of your heart by withdrawing the mind and the outgoing senses to rest in the Supreme Self. Give up, therefore, these useless discussions and proceed straightaway in the quest of the Self and Its realisation. Instead of counting the number of the leaves in a tree, try to eat the fruits directly. Try to enjoy the eternal bliss of the Self by realisation. This is wisdom.

God Only Is: the World Is Not

There is only the eternal Brahman in truth. Nothing else really exists. Only Brahman, the absolute, undifferentiated mass of Satchidananda, exists.

Creation is a dream. Waking also is a dream. The body is a dream.

The whole world is an utter untruth. This world is utterly non-existent. Sensual enjoyments are like fondling the son of a barren woman in dream.

Heaven, Moksha and world are mere words only, just like the son of a barren woman.

Everything is a great delusion. There is neither dream nor deep sleep, neither heaven nor emancipation. The truth is that everything is the Peace and Bliss of Eternity. Nothing here is ever born; nothing here ever dies. The subject of instruction, and the purpose, of all teachings is only a play of words or sounds.

The infinite which is both inside and outside appears as this world through space and time.

Brahman appears as the world. World is mere appearance. It is like snake in the rope, like water in the mirage, like blueness in the sky.

The snake appears because of the ignorance of the rope; when the rope is known, the snake disappears. The world appears because of the ignorance of the Self; it does not appear when there is Knowledge of Atman.

When one forgets Himself, Brahman appears to him as the universe. When one is established in one's own Self, the universe appears as the Brahman.

Know the Truth

If you attain Knowledge of the Self, the meaning of life will cease to be a mystery. You will clearly understand the why and how of this universe. The purpose and progress in the scheme of things will become clear to you. All transcendental things will be known to you like the apple in the palm of your hand.

Withdraw. Meditate. Dive deep into the recesses of your heart. You will have awareness of a Reality, very different from empirical reality, a timeless, spaceless, changeless Reality. You will feel and experience that whatever is outside of this only true Reality is mere appearance, is Maya, is a dream. .

Know the Truth, the Absolute. You are saved. You are liberated. You are enlightened. You are free.

You can know Brahman only by becoming Brahman. To become Brahman is to identify yourself with the divine element—the Supreme Soul—which constitutes your essential nature. The Knower of Brahman becomes Brahman. The river joins the ocean and becomes one with the ocean. The drop mixes with the sea and becomes one with the sea.

16. DEATH

Great scientists, the inventors of many marvellous things, mighty emperors who have done stupendous work inspired poets, wonderful artists, many Brahmas, Rishis, Yogins, have come and gone. You are all extremely anxious to know what has become of them. Do they still exist? What is there at the other side of death? Have they become non-existent or have they dwindled into an airy nothing? Such questions do arise spontaneously in the hearts of all. The same question arises today as it arose thousands of years ago. No one can stop it, because it is inseparably connected with our nature.

The idea of death has ever been the strongest motive power of religion and religious life. Death stirs a man to search for immortality.

Man is afraid of death. Man does not want to die. He wants to live forever. This is the starting point of philosophy. Philosophy enquires and investigates. It boldly proclaims, "O man, do not be afraid of death. There is an immortal abode. That is Brahman. That is your own Atman that dwells in the chambers of your heart. Purify your heart and meditate on this pure, immortal, changeless Self. You will attain immortality."

You cannot die, because you were never born. You are immortal Atman. Birth and death are two false scenes in the unreal drama of Maya. They concern the physical sheath only, a false product formed by the combination of the five elements. The ideas of birth and death are mere superstition.

Every soul is a circle. The circumference of this circle is nowhere, but its centre is in the body. Death means the change of this centre from body to body. Why, then, should you be afraid of death?

What Is Death?

Death is separation of the soul from the physical body): The entrance of a soul into a body is called birth. The soul's departure from the body is called death. A body is dead if the soul is absent.

Death is a door opening from one aspect of life to another. Death is cessation of bodily or physical activity, of physical and organic function, of physical consciousness. Death is a transition from one state of being to another, a change of the form of consciousness to another plane, astral or mental. Ice becomes water, and water becomes steam, vapour and invisible gas, according to the degree of vibration. So is life in the physical, astral and mental planes.

Death does not end your personality and self-consciousness. It merely opens the door to a higher form of life. Death is only the gateway to a fuller life.

Death is not extinction of personality. It is merely the cessation of an important individuality. It is only a change of form. Life flows on to achieve its conquest of the universal, life flows on till it merges in the Eternal.

Death is not the end of life. It is an aspect of life. It is a natural incident in the course of life. It is necessary for your evolution.

Death is not the opposite of life. It is only a phase of life. Life flows on ceaselessly. The fruit perishes, but the seed is full of life. The seed dies, but a huge tree grows out of the seed. The tree perishes, but it becomes coal which has a rich life. Water disappears, but it becomes the invisible steam which contains the seed of a new life. The stone disappears, but it becomes lime which is full of new life. The physical sheath only is thrown, but life persists.

Dissolution of the body is no more than sleep. Just as man sleeps and wakes up, so is death and birth. Death is like sleep. Birth is like waking up. Death brings promotion to new, better life. A man of discrimination and wisdom is not afraid of death. He knows that death is the gate of life. Death, to him, is no longer a skeleton bearing a sword to cut the thread of life, but rather an angel who has a golden key to unlock for him the door to a far wider, . Fuller and happier existence.

Birth follows death, just as waking follows sleep. You will again resume the work that was left off by you in your previous life. Therefore do not be afraid of death.

Birth and death are jugglery of Maya. He who is horn begins to die. He who dies begins to live. Life is death and death is life. Birth and death are merely doors of entry and exit on the stage of this world.

Just as you move from one house to another house, the soul passes from one body to another to gain experience. Just as a man, casting off worn out garments, takes new ones, so the dweller in this body casting off worn-out bodies, enters into others which are new.

O man, do not be afraid of death at all. Death is Maya's illusory phenomenon. Death is dissolution of the elements. Thou art immortal, Amara.

Signs of Death

It is very difficult to find out the real signs of death. Stoppage of the heart beat, stoppage of the pulse or breathing are not the actual signs of death. Stoppage of the heartbeat, pulse and respiration, cadaveric rigidity of the limbs, clammy sweat on the body, absence of warmth in the body, are the popular signs of death. The doctor tries to find out whether there is corneal reflex in the eye. He tries to bend the leg. These signs are not the real signs of death, because there have been several cases where there were cessation of breathing and beating of heart, and yet, the persons revived after some time.

Hatha Yogins are put in a box and buried underneath the earth for forty days. Afterwards they are taken out, and they revive. Respiration may stop for a long time. In cases of suspended animation, respiration stops for two days. Many cases have been recorded. The heartbeat may stop for many hours, even for days, and then it can be recovered. Hence it is extremely difficult to say what would be the actual or the final sign of death. The decomposition and putrefaction of the body may be the only final sign of death.

No one should be buried immediately after death, before decomposition sets in. One may think that a man is dead, whereas he may be in a state of trance, catalepsy, ecstasy, or Samadhi. Trance, Samadhi, catalepsy, and ecstasy are states which resembles death. The outward signs are similar.

Persons suffering from heart-failure should not be buried immediately, as breathing might commence once again after a particular time. Burial should take place only after the body begins to putrefy.

Soul's Journey after Death

When a man dies, he carries with him the permanent Linga Sarira which is made up of the five Jnana Indriyas, the five Karma Indriyas, the five Pranas, mind, Buddhi, Chitta, and Ahankara, and the changing Karmasaya which determines the formation of the next life.

The soul contracts and withdraws all the senses. The Physical senses become dimmer and dimmer, just as the flame in a lamp becomes dimmer and dimmer when the oil gets exhausted. The subtle body or Sukshma Sarira passes out of the physical body like a mist.

The soul, accompanied by the chief vital air or Mukhya Prana, the sense-organs, and the mind, and taking with itself Avidya, good and evil actions, and the impressions left by its previous existences, leaves its former body and obtains a new body. When it passes from one body to another, it is enveloped by the subtle parts of the elements which are the seeds of the new body.

The soul has a vision of the body to come. Just as a leech or a caterpillar takes hold of another object before it leaves its hold of one object, The soul visualises the body to come before it leaves the present body.

Dissolution of the Elements at Death

This physical body is composed of the five great elements or the Mahabhutas, viz., earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The Devas or gods are endowed with a divine or luminous body. The fire Tattva is predominant in them. In man, the earth Tattva is preponderating. In the case of acquatic animals, the element of water predominates. In the case of birds, the element of air predominates.

Hardness of the body is due to the portion of earth; the fluidity is due to the portion of water; The warmth that you feel in the body is due to fire; moving to and fro and such other activities are due to air; space is due to Akasa or ether. Jivatma or the individual soul is different from the five elements.

After death, these elements are dissolved. They reach their primordial sources in the inexhaustible storehouse of nature. The element of earth goes and joins its store of Prithvi Tattva. The other elements also go back to their sources.

The respective functions of the organs are blended with the presiding gods. Sight goes to the sun from where it had its power of vision, speech goes to fire, life-breath to air, the ear into the quarters, the body into the earth, hairs into annual herbs, hairs of the head into trees, and blood and semen into waters.

Death Pangs

There is no pain at the time of death. Ignorant people have created much horror and terror regarding death. In the Garuda Purana and the Atma Purana, it is described that the pangs of death are tantamount to the pain caused by the stings of 72,000 scorpions. This is mentioned only to induce fear in the hearers and readers, and force them to work for Moksha. In spiritualism, there is the unanimous report from the enlightened spirits that there is not even a bit of pain during death. They clearly describe their experiences at death and state that they are relieved of a great burden by the dropping of this physical body, and that they enjoy perfect composure at the time of separation from the Physical body. Maya creates vain fear in the onlookers by inducing convulsive twitchings in the body. That is her nature and habit. Do not be afraid of death pangs. You are immortal, Amara.

Prayer for the Dead

The departed souls remain in a state of swoon or unconsciousness immediately after death. They cannot feel that they are detached from their previous gross material bodies. Prayers, Kirtan, and good thoughts from relatives and friends can give real solace to the departed souls. They create a potent vibration and an awakening in their stupefied condition of mind, and bring back their veiled consciousness. The souls begin to realise that they are not really in their gross material bodies.

Then they endeavour to cross the borderland, a narrow river of ether, which is known as Vaitarani to the Hindus, as Chinnat-bridge to the Parsis, and Sirat to the Mohammedans.

When the departed souls are sinking peacefully and when they are ready to have a glorious awakening in heaven, they are aroused into vivid remembrance of the mundane life by weeping and wailing of their friends and relatives. The thoughts of the mourning people produce similar vibrations in their minds and bring about acute pain and discomfort. And the uncontrolled grief of their relatives drags them down from their astral planes. This may seriously retard them on their way to the heaven-world. This produces serious injury to them.

Last Thought-forms

The last thought of a man governs his future destiny. It determines his future birth.

The last thought of a licentious man will be the thought of his woman. The last thought of an inveterate drunkard will be that of his peg of liquor. The last thought of a greedy money-lender will be that of his money. The last thought of a fighting soldier will be that of shooting his enemy. The last thought of a mother who is intensely attached to her only son will be that of her son only.

Raja Bharata nursed a deer out of mercy and became attached to it. His last thought was the thought of that deer. Hence he had to take the birth of a deer. Man always desires to die a peaceful death with his mind fixed on God. That is the reason why Gita, Bhagavata, Vishnu Sahasranama, and other holy scriptures are recited at the deathbed of the sick man; even though he may not be able to speak, he may hear what is read out to him. This will help the sick man in forgetting the body-idea or his ailment and think of the Lord. When his memory fails, these sacred sentences of the scriptures will remind him of his real nature.

It is very difficult to keep up God-consciousness at the time of death when diseases torment the body, when consciousness fades away. But, for that man who has disciplined his mind all throughout his life who has tried to fix the mind on the Lord through constant practice, the last thought will be thought of God only. It cannot come by a stray practice in a day or two, in a week or month. It is a life-long endeavour and struggle.

Interval between Death and Rebirth

People wish to know the exact period that elapses between the time of leaving the body and being born again. Does the soul take a new body in one year? Does it take ten years? Flow long does one live upon the subtler planes before reappearing on the earth plane? These are some of the questions.

In main, two factors decide this issue, viz., the nature of the individual Karma, and the last impression before death. It may vary from hundreds of years to a few months even. Those that work out some of their Karmas in other planes in subtler regions take a considerable time before entering a fresh body. The interval is very long, for a year of the earth-period passes off as a single day on the celestial plane. There is an instance cited where, seeing the amazement and admiration of foreign tourists at the imposing ruins of certain ancient monuments, a saint present in the vicinity remarked that some of these very people had fashioned the monuments centuries ago.

Sometimes, a very sensual individual with strong craving, or one with intense attachment, is reborn quickly. Also in cases where life is cut short by a violent death, or by a sudden unexpected accident, the Jiva resumes the thread very soon. Usually, in such cases of immediate rebirth, the Jiva often remembers many of the events of its previous life. It recognises its former relatives and friends, and identifies old home and familiar objects.

This sometimes leads to very queer developments. There reborn, person, some instances where a murdered person being b reborn, has declared the manner of his death and revealed the identity the killer. A reincarnated individual had, at times, unerringly gone and uncovered the treasure that had been hidden away by him.

In the vast majority, this memory is not present. This is really a blessing conferred by the all-wise Being. Such recollection would greatly complicate our present lives. The past is veiled to you until such time as it is, good and helpful to remember it. When you attain perfection and reach the end of a cycle, all will be revealed and you will see a whole rosary of lives threaded upon the one personality.

But such cases of immediate rebirth are not common. Generally, for an average individual, the interval between death and rebirth happens to be a considerable period measured in terms of earth-time. Persons who have done much good Karma spend a great deal of time on the Daivic plane before being born again. Great souls, spiritually advanced persons, wait for a long time before re-incarnating.

In the intervening period between death and new birth, the departed spirit, especially if the person is physically and spiritually developed, can frequently materialise upon the earth plane if necessity arises. It takes human form, talks, and can even make itself felt by tangible touch. It is possible to photograph such an apparition.

Such materialised form is different from the astral body which is not visible to normal vision. It is an exact counterpart, a subtle 'double' to the physical body, and forms the vehicle in which the departed soul journeys after death.

Astral consciousness, however, cannot guarantee you freedom from birth and death. Occultism and spiritualism can never give ultimate emancipation; nor can they reveal the full secret of the beyond. Spiritual realisation and knowledge of the Self alone will reveal the mystery of life and death and the life beyond death.

Be Not Afraid of Death

Death is painful to worldly man. A Yogi or a sage, or even a real aspirant, has no fear of death. A desireless man never weeps when he dies. A full-blown Jnani never dies. His Prana never departs.

Your highest duty is to prepare for a peaceful life hereafter. Conquer the fear of death. Conquest of fl AL, fear of death, conquest of death, is the highest utility of all spiritual Sadhana. The one aim of all Yoga Sadhana is to meet death fearlessly and joyfully.

Man is afraid of death. In old age, he tries to think of God. If he remembers God even from his boyhood, he will reap a rich spiritual harvest in old age.

Bhishma had death at his command. Savitri brought back Satyavan, her husband, to life through her power of chastity. Markandeya conquered death through worship of Lord Siva. You also can conquer death through devotion, knowledge, and the power of Brahmacharya.

17. DEVI

Devi or Maheswari or Parasakti is the Supreme Sakti, or power of the Supreme Being. When Vishnu and Mahadeva destroyed various Asuras, the power of Devi was behind them. Devi took Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra and gave them necessary Sakti to proceed with the work of creation, preservation and destruction. Devi is the creatrix of the universe. She is the Universal Mother. Durga, Kali, Bhagavati, Bhavani, Ambal, Ambica, Jagadamba, Kamesvari, Ganga, Uma, Chandi, Chamundi, Lalita, Gauri, Kundalini, Tara, Rajesvari, Tripura-sundari, etc., are all Her forms. She is worshipped, during the nine days of Dusserah as Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvati.

Devi is the Mother of all. The pious and the wicked, the rich and the poor, the saint and the sinner—all are Her children.

Devi or Sakti is the Mother of Nature. She is Nature itself. The whole world is Her body. Mountains are Her bones. Rivers are Her veins. Ocean is Her bladder. Sun, moon are Her eyes. Wind is Her breath. Agni is Her mouth. She runs this world show.

Manifestation of Sakti

Sakti is symbolically female; but it is, in reality, neither male nor female. It is only a force which manifests itself in various forms.

The five elements and their combinations are the external manifestations of the Mother. Intelligence, discrimination, psychic power, and will are Her internal manifestations. Humanity is Her visible form.

She lies dormant in the Muladhara Chakra in the form of the serpentine power or coiled-up energy known as the Kundalini Sakti. She is at the centre of the life of the universe. She is the primal force of life that underlies all existence. She vitalises the body through the Sushumna Nadi and the nerves. She nourishes the body with chyle and blood. She vitalises the universe through Her energy. She is the energy in the sun, the fragrance in the flowers, the beauty in the landscape, the Gayatri or the Blessed Mother in the Vedas, colour in' rainbow, intelligence in the mind, potency in the homoeopathic pills, power in the Makaradhvaja and gold-oxide, will and Vichara Sakti in sages, devotion in Bhaktas, Samyama and Samadhi in Yogins. Vidya, Shanti, lust, anger, greed, egoism, pride are all Her forms. Her manifestations are countless.

Siva and Sakti

The Supreme Lord is represented as Siva, and His power is represented as His wife—Sakti, Durga, or Kali. Mother Durga is the energy aspect of the Lord. Without Durga, Siva has no expression; and without Siva, Durga has no existence. Siva is the soul of Durga. Durga is identical with Siva. Lord Siva is only a silent witness. He is motionless, absolutely changeless. He is not affected by the cosmic play. Durga does everything.

Siva is omnipotent, impersonal, inactive. He is pure consciousness. Sakti is dynamic. The power or active aspect of the immanent God is Sakti. Sakti is the embodiment of power.

Siva and Sakti are related as Prakasa and Vimarsa. Sakti or Vimarsa is the power that is latent in the pure consciousness. Vimarsa gives rise to the world of distinctions. In other words, Sakti is the very possibility of the Absolute's appearing as many, of God's causing this universe. God creates this world through Srishti-Sakti, preserves through Sthiti-sakti and destroys through Samhara-sakti.

There is no difference between God and His Sakti, just as there is no difference between fire and its burning power. Sakti is inherent in God. Just as you cannot separate heat from fire, so also you cannot separate Sakti from God, the possessor of Sakti. Sakti is Brahman Itself. Siva and Sakti are one. Siva is always with Sakti. They are inseparable. Worship of Durga or Parvati or Kali is worship of Lord Siva.

Matter, Energy and Spirit

Mother is the creative aspect of the Absolute. She is symbolised as Cosmic Energy. Energy is the physical ultimate of all forms of matter, and the sustaining force of the spirit. Energy and spirit are inseparable. They are essentially one.

Matter is reducible to energy. The Prasnopanishad says that Rayi and Prana—matter and energy—constitute the whole of creation. Matter is the outward index of the inward Power that is expressed by God. The Power that originates and sustains the universe is not the Jada Sakti or the electrical energy which is the ultimate reality of the scientists, but Chaitanya Sakti, the Power of the immutable consciousness of Brahman. In fact, it is not a Power which is of Brahman, but a Power which is Brahman.

The Divine Mother

Sakti may be termed as that by which we live and have our being in this universe. In this world, all the wants of the child are provided by the mother. The child's growth, development and sustenance are looked after by the mother. Even so, all the necessaries of life and its activities in this world, and the energy needed for it, depend upon Sakti or the Universal Mother. The human mother is a manifestation of the Universal Mother. All women are forms of the Divine Mother.

You are more free with your mother than with anybody else. You open your heart more freely to your mother than to your father. There is no God greater than the mother. It is the mother who protects you, nourishes you, consoles you, cheers you and nurses you. She is your first Guru. The first syllable which almost every quadruped or human being utters is the beloved name of the mother, Ma She sacrifices her all for the sake of her children.

A child is more familiar with the mother than with the father, because the former is very kind, loving, tender and affectionate, and looks after the wants of the child. Whenever the child wants anything, it runs with outstretched hands to the mother, rather than to the father. If she hears the cry of the child, she leaves her domestic work and runs immediately to attend to the child. In the spiritual field also, the aspirant or the devotee—the spiritual child—has more intimate relationship with Mother Durga than with the Father Siva. Lord Siva is quite indifferent to the external world. He is a Tyagi and a Virakta. He wears the garlands of the skulls of His devotees, rubs the whole body with Vibhuti or holy ash, and remains in the crematorium in an intoxicated state. He is absorbed in contemplation of the Self. He remains in a state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi. He has handed over the power of attorney to His consort, Durga. It is Mother Durga only who looks after the affairs of the world. Lord Siva gazes at Durga, His Sakti. She engages Herself in creation, preservation and destruction.

Durga—Lakshmi—Sarasvati

The Divine Mother is everywhere triple. She is endowed with the three Gunas, viz., Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. She manifests as Will or lccha-sakti, Action or Kriya-sakti, and Knowledge or Jnana-Sakti. She is Brahma-sakti (Sarasvati) in conjunction with Brahma, Vishnu-sakti ,Lakshmi) in conjunction with Lord Vishnu, Siva-sakti (Mahakali or Durga) in conjunction with Lord Siva.

Sarasvati is cosmic intelligence, cosmic consciousness, cosmic knowledge. Lakshmi does not mean mere material wealth like gold, cattle, etc. All kinds of prosperity, glory, magnificence, joy, exaltation, or greatness come under Lakshmi. Appaya Dikshitar calls even the final Liberation as Moksha-samrajya-lakshmi. Mahakali is the transformative power of Divinity, the power that dissolves multiplicity in unity.

The Devi assumes many aspects according to the tasks to be performed by Her—sometimes sweet and tender, and at others, terrible and devouring. But She is always kind and gracious to Her devotees. Arjuna, the Pandava hero, worshipped the Goddess before starting the fight against the evil-minded Kauravas. Sri Rama worshipped Durga at the time of the fight with Ravana, to invoke Her aid in the war. He fought and won through Her grace.

The Navaratri and Its Spiritual Significance

During Navaratri or The Nine Nights, the whole of India adores the Mother and worships Her with great devotion. Dusserah, Durga Puja and Navaratri are one and the same. On the first three nights, Durga or the destructive aspect of the Mother is worshipped. On the succeeding three nights, it is the creative aspect or Lakshmi that is adored. And on the last three nights, the knowledge aspect or Sarasvati is invoked. The tenth is the Vijaya Dasami day or the Day of Victory.

There is a special significance in this arrangement. When the Devi is worshipped by a devotee in this order, as Durga, She first destroys the evil propensities that lurk in his mind. Then, as Lakshmi, She implants therein the Daivi Sampat or the divine qualities conducive to spiritual unfoldment. Then as Sarasvati, She bestows true knowledge on him.

The tenth day commemorates the victory of knowledge over nescience, of goodness over evil. It is the day on which boys are put in the school. Aspirants are initiated on this day. On this memorable Vijaya Dasami day, the carpenter, the tailor, the mason, the artist, the songster, the typist and all technical workers do Puja for their instruments and implements. This is Ayudha Puja. They behold and recognise the Sakti or Power behind these instruments, and worship the Devi for their success, prosperity and peace.

Worship of the Divine Mother

Worship of Devi or the Universal Mother gives not only prosperity, but liberation from all bondages. It leads to the attainment of Knowledge of the Self. The story of the Kenopanishad, known as the Yaksha-prasna supports this view. Uma taught the Truth to the Devas.

Sakti is all. She can do anything. She can make or mar. She can mend or end. For the sake of the continuance of Her divine play here, She Herself, as Avidya Maya, has veiled the Truth from you and bound you to this Samsara. When She is propitiated through the practice of sincere devotion and unconditional self-surrender, She, as Vidya Maya, removes the veil and enables you to perceive the Truth.

No one can free himself from the thraldom of mind and matter without the Mother's grace. The fetters of Maya are too hard to break. If you worship Her as the great Mother, you can very easily go beyond Prakriti through Her benign grace and blessings. She will remove all obstacles in the path and lead you safely into the illimitable domain of eternal bliss and make you absolutely free.

May Parasakti or Devi—the Universal Mother Jagadamba—bless you all with wisdom, peace and immortal bliss.

18. DISCIPLE

A disciple is he who follows the instructions of the Guru to the letter and spirit, and who propagates the teachings of the Guru to less evolved souls in the path till the end of his life.

A true disciple is concerned only with the divine nature of the Guru. The Guru's action as man is not the disciple's concern. He is totally oblivious of it. To him, the Guru is Guru even if he acts unconventionally. Always remember that the nature of a saint is unfathomable. Judge him not. Measure not his divine nature with the inadequate yardstick of your ignorance. Criticise not your Guru's action which is done on universal vision.

True discipleship opens the vision. It kindles the spiritual fire. It awakens the dormant faculties. It is most necessary in one's journey along the spiritual path. Guru and disciple become one. The Guru blesses, guides and inspires the disciple. He transmits his spiritual power to him. He transforms and spiritualises him.

Who Is Qualified to Approach the Guru?

To approach a Guru, you must be a proper Adhikari. Correct understanding, non-attachment to worldly objects, serenity of mind, restraint of the senses, absence of base passions, faith in the Guru, and devotion to God are the necessary equipments with which the aspirant has to approach the Guru.

The Guru will impart spiritual instructions only to that aspirant who thirsts for liberation, who duly obeys the injunctions of the Shastras, who has subdued his passions and senses, who has a calm mind, and who possesses virtuous qualities like mercy, cosmic love, patience, humility, endurance, forbearance, etc. Initiation into the mysteries of Brahman will fructify only when the disciple's mind becomes desireless, and will produce Jnana in it.

Guru-Seva

Aspirants should direct their whole attention in the beginning towards the removal of selfishness by protracted service to the Guru. Serve your Guru with divine Bhava, The cancer of individuality will be dissolved.

The captain of a ship is ever alert. A fisherman is ever alert. A surgeon in the operation theatre is ever alert. Even so, a thirsting hungry disciple should be ever alert in the service of his Guru.

Live to serve the Guru. You must watch for opportunities. Do not wait for invitation. Volunteer yourself for the Guru's service.

Serve your Guru humbly, willingly, unquestioningly, unassumingly, ungrudgingly, untiringly and lovingly. The more your energy you spend in serving your Guru, the more the divine energy will flow into you.

He who serves the Guru serves the whole world. Serve the Guru without selfish ends. Scrutinise your inner motives while doing service to the Guru. Service must be done to the Guru without expectation of name, fame, power, wealth, etc.

Obedience to the Guru

Obedience to the Guru is better than reverence. Obedience is a precious virtue, because if you try to develop the virtue of obedience, the ego, the arch-enemy on the path of Self-realisation, slowly gets rooted out.

Only the disciple who obeys his Guru can have command over his lower self. Obedience should be very practical, wholehearted, and actively persevering. True obedience to Guru neither procrastinates nor questions. A hypocritical disciple obeys his Guru from fear. The true disciple obeys his Guru with pure love, for love's sake.

Learn how to obey. Then alone you can command. Learn how to be a disciple. Then alone you can become a Guru.

Give up the delusive notion that to submit to the preceptor, to obey him, and to carry out his instructions is slavish mentality. The ignorant man thinks that it is beneath his dignity and against his freedom to submit to another man's command. This is a grave blunder. If you reflect carefully, you will see that your individual freedom is, in reality, an absolutely abject slavery to your own ego and vanity. It is the vagaries of the sensual mind. He who attains victory over the mind and the ego is the truly free man. He is the hero. It is to attain this victory that man submits to the higher spiritualised personality of the Guru. By this submission, he vanquishes his lower ego and realises the bliss of infinite consciousness.

Happy-go-lucky Disciples

The spiritual path is not like writing a thesis for the Master of Arts degree. It is quite a different line altogether. The help of a teacher is necessary at every moment. Young aspirants become self-sufficient, arrogant and self-assertive in these days. They do not care to carry out the orders of a Guru. They do not wish to have a Guru. They want independence from the very beginning. They think they are in the Turiya Avastha when they do not know even the ABC of spirituality or truth. They mistake licentious-ness of "having their own ways and sweet will" for freedom. This is a serious, lamentable mistake. This is the reason why they do not grow. They lose their faith in the efficacy of Sadhana and in the existence of God. They wander about in a happy-go-lucky manner, without any aim, from Kashmir to Gangotri, and from Gangotri to Ramesvaram, talking some nonsense on the way, something from Vichara Sagara, something from Panchadasi, and posing as Jivanmuktas.

Surrender and Grace

If you want to drink water at the tap, you will have to bend yourself. Even so, if you want to drink the spiritual nectar of immortality which flows from the holy lips of the Guru, you will have to be an embodiment of humility and meekness.

The lower nature of the mind must be thoroughly regenerated. The aspirant says to his preceptor: "I want to practise Yoga. I want to enter into Nirvikalpa Samadhi. I want to sit at your feet. I have surrendered myself to you." But he does not want to change his lower nature and habits, old character, behaviour and conduct.

One's individual ego, preconceived notions, pet ideas and prejudices, and selfish interests should be given up. All these stand in 'tie way of carrying out the teachings and instructions of one's Guru.

Lay bare to your Guru the secrets of your heart. The more you do so, the greater the Guru's sympathy, which means an accession of strength to you in the struggle against sin and temptation.

The aspirant, before he desires the grace of the Master, should deserve it. The supply of divine grace comes only when there is a real thirst in the aspirant, when he is fit to receive it.

The Guru's grace descends upon those who feel utterly humble and faithful to him. Faith is confidence and trust in the Guru. Faith is firm conviction of the truth of what is declared by the preceptor by way either of testimony or authority, without any other evidence or proof. The disciple who has faith in the Guru argues not, thinks not, reasons not, and cogitates not. He simply obeys, obeys and obeys.

The disciple's self-surrender to the Guru and the Guru's grace are interrelated. Surrender draws down the Guru's grace, and the grace of the Guru makes the surrender complete.

The Guru's grace works in the form of Sadhana in the aspirant. If an aspirant sticks to the path tenaciously, this is the grace of the Guru. If he resists when temptation assails him, this is the grace of the Guru. If people receive him with love and reverence, this is the grace of the Guru. If he gets all bodily wants, this is the grace of the Guru. If he gets encouragement and strength when he is in despair and despondency, this is the grace of the Guru. If he gets over the body-consciousness and rests in his own Ananda Svarupa, this is the grace of the Guru. Feel his grace at every step, and be sincere and truthful to him

How the Guru Teaches

The Guru teaches through personal example. The day-to-day conduct of the Guru is a living ideal to the disciple who is observant. The life of the Guru is a living sermon to the sincere disciple. By constant contact, the disciple imbibes the virtues of his Guru. He is moulded gradually. Study the Chhandogya Upanishad. You will find that Indra stayed with Prajapati for a period of a hundred and one years and served him wholeheartedly.

The Guru alone knows the spiritual needs of his disciples. He will give Upadesa according to the disciple's temperament and evolution. This Upadesa should be kept a secret. Discussion among disciples will lead to criticism of the Guru and slackness in Sadhana. There will be no spiritual progress. Follow the Guru's Upadesa to the very letter. Remember it is meant for you only. The other disciples have received Guru-upadesa, too. Let them follow it. Do not impose the Upadesa you have received on others.

The student can imbibe or draw from his teacher in proportion to his degree of faith. When the Guru comes to the aspirant to give spiritual instructions, if the aspirant does not pay any attention, if he is self-sufficient and heedless, if he bolts the door of his heart, he is not benefited.

How the Guru Tests

The Sadguru communicates the secret knowledge of the Upanishads to his trusted disciples only after repeated entreaty and severe testing. Sometimes, the Guru may even tempt his disciple, but the later should overcome the temptation by firm faith in the Guru.

In days of yore, the tests were very severe. Once Gorakhnath asked some of his students to climb up a tall tree and throw themselves, head downwards, on a very sharp trident or Trisula. Many faithless students kept quiet. But one faithful student at once climbed up the tree with lightning speed and hurled himself downwards. He was protected by the invisible hand of Gorakhnath. He had immediate Self-realisation.

Once Guru Govind Singh tested his students. He said, "My dear disciples! If you have real devotion towards me, let five of you come forward and give me their heads. Then we can have success in our attempt." Five faithful disciples offered their heads. Guru Govind Singh took them inside the camp and cut off the heads of five goats instead.

The Guru tests the students in various ways. So students misunderstand him and lose their faith in him. Hence they are not benefited.

Four Classes of Disciples

The best disciple is like petrol or aviation spirit. Even from a great distance, he will instantly react to the spark of the Guru's Upadesa.

The second class disciple is like camphor. A touch awakens his inner spirit and kindles the fire of spirituality in him.

The third class of disciple is like coal. The Guru has to take great pains in order to awaken the spirit in him. The fourth class of disciple is like a plantain stem. No efforts will be of any avail over him. Whatever the Guru may do, he remains cold and inert.

Two things are necessary for a beautifully finished idol or image. One is a perfect, faultless, good piece of marble; the second is the expert sculptor. The piece of marble should but unconditionally remain in the hands of the sculptor in order to be carved and chiselled into the fine image. So too, the disciple has but to cleanse himself, purify himself, and make himself a perfectly faultless piece of marble, and placing himself under the expert guidance of his Master, allow to be carved out and chiselled into the image of God.

19. DREAM

Chuang Tze, a Chinese philosopher, once dreamt that he was a butterfly. On waking, he said to himself, "Nov, am I a man dreaming that I am a butterfly, or am I a butterfly that thinks, 'I am Chuang?"'

When you dream, you see the events of fifty years within an hour. You actually feel that fifty years have passed. Which is correct, the time of one hour of waking conscious-ness or the fifty years of dreaming consciousness? Both are correct.

Pascal is right when he asserts that if the same dream comes to us every night, we should be just as much occupied by it as by the things which we see every day. To quote his words: "If an artisan were certain that he would dream every night for fully twelve hours that he was a king, I believe that he would be just as happy as a king who dreams every night for twelve hours that he is an artisan."

A Change in Consciousness

Just as a large fish swims alternately to both the banks of the river, the right and the left one, or to the eastern and the western, so glides the Purusha between both the boundaries, the boundary of dream and the boundary of the waking state.

Consciousness changes. This change in consciousness brings about either the waking or the dream experience. The objects do not change in themselves. There is only change in the mind.

Waking, Dreaming and Deep Sleep

Dream is called Sandhya or the intermediate state, because it is midway between waking and the deep sleep state, between Jagrat and Sushupti.

The dream world is separate from the waking one. Deep sleep is separate from both the dream world and the world in the waking state.

The sun is the source and the temporary resting place of its rays. The rays emanate from the sun and spread in all direction at the time of sunrise. They enter into the sun at sunset, lose themselves there, and come out again at the sunrise. Even so, the states of wakefulness and dream core out from the state of deep sleep and re-enter it and lose themselves there to follow the same course again.

As soon as you wake up, the dream becomes unreal. The waking state does not exist in the dream. Both the dream and the waking states are not present in deep sleep. Deep sleep is not present in the dream and the waking states. Therefore, all the three states are unreal. They are caused by the three qualities, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Brahman or the is the silent witness of the three states. It transcends the three qualities also. It is pure bliss and pure consciousness. It is Existence Absolute.

The Mind in Dream

The mind is ever rotating like a wheel. It plays with the fire senses of perception and gets experiences in the waking state. It receives the different sense impressions through the avenue of the senses. The impressions are lodged in the causal body. Ajnana or the causal body is like a black sheet of cloth. In it are contained the Samskaras of all your previous births.

During dream, the mind creates various kinds of objects out of the impressions produced by the experience of the waking state. Sometimes, the experiences of the previous births which are lodged in the causal body flash out during the dreaming state.

The mind is the perceiver and the mind itself is the perceived in dream. The dream objects are not independent of the mind. They have no separate existence apart from the mind. So long as the dream lasts, the dream creatures will remain, just as the milkman remains so long as the milking goes on. Whereas, in the Jagrat state, the object exists independent of the mind. The objects of the waking experiences are common to us all, while those of dreams are the property of the dreamer.

The mind creates the bee, flower, mountain, horses, rivers, etc., in the dream, without the help of any external means. It creates various curious, fantastic mixtures. You may witness in the dream that your living father is dead, that you are flying in the air. You may see in the dream a lion with the head of an elephant, a cow with the head of a dog. The desires that are not satisfied during the waking state are gratified in dream. Dream is a mysterious phenomenon. It is more interesting than the waking state.

Desires are the rulers of all experiences in waking and also in dream. Waking is physical functioning of desires; dream is mental functioning of desires. The senses are moved by desires in waking; the mind is moved by desires in dreaming. In waking, the mind experiences through the senses; in dream, the mind alone experiences.

The dreamer creates the world of his own in the dreaming state. Mind alone works independently in this state. The senses are withdrawn into the mind. The senses are at rest. The mind is then like a furious elephant let loose.

Just as a man withdraws himself from the outside world, closes the door and windows of his room, and works within the room, so also, the mind withdraws itself from the outside world and plays in the dream world with the Vasanas and Samskaras and enjoys objects made up of fine or subtle ideas which are the products of desire. Dream is a mere play of the mind only.

Just as pictures are painted on the canvas, so also, the impressions of the waking state are painted on the canvas mind. The pictures on the canvas seem to possess various dimensions though it is all on a plane surface only. Even so, though the dream-experiences are really states of the mind only, the experiencer experiences internality and externality in the dream world. He feels, while dreaming, that the dream world is quite real.

The dreamer only appears to be doing things in dream, but actually there is no activity. The scripture, in describing our doings in dreams, qualifies them by an... 'as it were': "As it were rejoicing together with women, or laughing as it were,..." Ordinary people also describe dreams in the same manner: "I ascended, as it were, the summit of a mountain.... I saw a tree, as it were." Therefore, the dreaming self has no activity in dreams.

Dreams and Karma

The dreamer is not affected by any result whatever of the good and the evil he sees in the dream state. Because in dream the dreamer does not actually do what is holy or evil, he is not chained by either; for, good or evil actions and their consequences are not imputed to the mere spectator of them.

No one regards himself a sinner on account of the sins committed in dreams. Nor do people who have heard of them condemn or shun the person on that account. Hence he is not touched by them.

Dreams Are Created by the Lord

The dream objects are created by the Lord as fruition of the minor works of the Jiva. In order to reward the soul for very minor Karmas, the Lord creates the dreams.

The Universal Soul is the creator of dreams and not the individual soul; for, had it been possible for the latter to shape his dreams, he would never have dreamt a bad dream, but would always have dreamt only propitious ones.

Prophetic Dreams

Many riddles of life are solved through hints from dreams. Through dreams one may receive proper advice for self-correction. Through dreams one may know how to act in a particular situation. Saints and sages appear in dreams during times of difficulty and point out the way.

Works of genius like poems, etc., are found in dreams. Remedies for diseases are prescribed in dreams. Some times the exact object seen in dreams is seen afterwards in the waking state.

Dreams, an Index of One's Moral Condition

Dreams, though of a strange and illusory nature, are a good index of the high or the low spiritual and moral condition of the dreamer. He who has a pure heart and an untainted character will never get impure dreams. An aspirant who is ever meditating will dream of his Sadhana and his object of meditation. He will do worship of the Lord and recite His Name and Mantra even in dream through the force of Samskara. Brahma-jnanins or sages have no dreams.

Dreams reveal to us that aspect of our nature which transcends rational. knowledge. That in the most rational and moral man there is an aspect of his being which is absurd and immoral, one knows only through the study of one's dreams. All our pride of rationality and morality melts into nothingness as soon as we reflect upon our dreams.

Subjective Reality, Objective Reality and Absolute Reality

Waking experience is a perception. Dream experience is a memory. As perception precedes memory, waking precedes dream. Whereas waking experience is independent of dream experience and its effects, dream experience is the result of the impressions of waking experience.

There is a kind of order or system in the waking experiences, at least more than in dream. Every day, the same persons and things become the objects of waking experience. There is a definite remembrance of previous day's experiences and of survival and continuity of personality in waking experience. The consciousness of this continuity, regularity and unity is absent in dream. Dream is not well ordered, while waking is comparatively systematic.

Dream is less real than waking, in as much as the direct contact with the external world of waking experience is absent in dream. Though there is an external world in dream also, its value is less than that of the world in waking. Though the form of the dream world agrees with that of the waking world, in quality, the dream world is lower than the waking world.

Space, time, motion and objects, with the distinction of subject and object, are common to both waking and dreaming. Even the reality they present at the time of their being experienced is of a similar nature. But, the difference lies in the degree of reality manifested by them. The Jiva feels that it is in a higher order of truth in waking than in dreaming. .

That the waking world has relative reality does not prove that it is real in the absolute sense. From the standpoint of the highest reality, waking experience also is unreal. As dream is transcended in the state of waking, the world of waking too, is transcended in the state of Self-realisation.

Dream is apparent reality. Waking is relative reality. Turiya or Brahman is absolute reality.

Waking is the reality behind dream. Turiya is the reality behind waking.

From the point of view of Turiya, both waking and dreaming are unreal. But, waking, taken by itself in relation to dream experience, has greater reality than dream. To a certain extent, as Turiya is to waking, so waking is to dream.

Dream is no dream to the dreamer. Only by one who is awake, dream is known to be a dream. Similarly, waking appears to be real to one who is still in the waking state. Only to one who is in Turiya, waking is devoid of reality. Waking is Deerghasvapna, a long dream, as contrasted with the ordinary dream which is short.

There are degrees of reality in the experiences of the individual. The three main degrees are subjective, objective and absolute. Dream experience is subjective. Waking experience is objective. The realisation of Atman or Brahman is experience of the absolute reality. The individual is the subjective being in comparison with the objective world. The subject and the object have equal reality, though both these are negated in the Absolute.

Waking-A Long Dream

In both states, waking and dreaming, objects are perceived, are associated with the subject-object relationship. This is the similarity between the two. The only difference between the two states is that the objects in dream are perceived in the space within the body, whereas in the waking condition, they are seen in the space outside the body. The fact of their 'being seen' and their consequent illusoriness, are common to both states.

The perception of an object is unreal, because objects are creations of the mind. An object has got a particular form, because the mind believes it to be so. In fact, objects of both the dreaming and the waking states are unreal.

Anything that has got it form is unreal. Forma are special modes of cognition and perception. They are not ultimate. In waking, there are physical forms; in dreaming, there are mental forms. Anyhow, all are forms only, limited in space and time. A form lasts only so long as that particular mental condition lasts. When there is a different mental condition, the forms of experience also change. This is why the form of the world vanishes when Self-realisation is attained.

Dream relations are contradicted by waking relations. Waking relations are contradicted by supercimsciousness, whirls is uncontradieted. Non-contradiction is the test of reality.

The unreal world appears as real, whereas it is in reality a long dream arisen in our mind. As in dream, so in the waking state, the objects seen are unsubstantial, though the two conditions differ by the one being internal and subtle, and the other external, gross and long. This world is nothing but a long dream.

When, at sixty years of age, you take a retrospective view of your life in college, it is all a dream to you. Is it not so? The future also will turn out to be so.

The past is a dream. The future is a dream. The solid present is also a dream. The fact that in Self-realisation there is absolute cessation of phenomenal experience shows that all phenomena are unreal.

Objections Refuted

It may be said that objects in the waking state serve some definite purpose and those of dream do not serve a purpose. This argument is incorrect, because the objects used as means to some end or purpose in the waking state are contradicted in the dream state. A man in the waking state eats and drinks and appeases his hunger and is free from thirst. But, when he goes to sleep, he finds himself in dream again afflicted with hunger and thirst as if he has not taken food and drink for days together. And the contrary also happens and is found to be true. The utility and objective worth of things, etc., in waking are cancelled in the dream state, even as the conditions and experiences i in dream are invalidated in waking. Objects act as means to ends only in a particular condition, and not in all conditions. Things are real only in their realms, and not always, That which is not always real is an appearance, is unreal; for reality is everlasting. As the objects of the waking state do not work in dream, they are unreal. As the objects of the dream do not work in the waking state, they are unreal, hence, everything is unreal.

It may be contended that objects of dream are queer, fantastic and unnatural. And hence, waking cannot be like dream. But the experiences in dream, however grotesque or abnormal, are not abnormal to the dreamer. They appear fantastic only in a different state, viz., in waking. One cannot say what is really fantastic, and what is normal and real. The mind gives values to objects, and its conception of normality and abnormality changes according to the state in which it is. The dreamer has his own conception of space, time and causation, even as the waking one has his own notions. One state is absurd when compared to the other. This shows that both states are illogical, and therefore, absurd from the highest standpoint.

It may be said that objects seen in waking are not mere mental imaginations, because the objects of waking experience are seen by other people also, whether or not one's mind cognises them. But, it is seen in the dream state also, objects of experience are open to the perception of other people, though the people as well as the objects are all subjective imaginations.

It may be said that in waking we perceive through the sense-organs and not merely through ideas. But it is seen, that in dream also, we perceive through the sense-organs lt belonging to the dream state, which are not less real than those of the waking state. As dream is unreal, waking also must be unreal.

The Dreamless Atman

There is one pure Consciousness or Atman in all beings which is infinite, eternal, all-pervading, self-existent, self-luminous and self-contained; which is partless, timeless, spaceless, birthless and deathless. This is the real I This 'I' never wakes, dreams or sleeps. It is always the seer or the silent witness of the three states of waking, dreaming and sleeping. It is the Turiya or the fourth state. It is the state that transcends the three states.

It is the false or relative 'I' called Ahankara or ego or Jiva that wakes up, dreams and sleeps. The waker, the dreamer and the sleeper are all changing personalities and unreal.

The real Self, the real 'I', never wakes up, dreams and sleeps. From the viewpoint of the absolute truth or Paramarthika Satta, no one wakes up, dreams and sleeps.

Wake Up and Realise

Learn to be the witness of your thoughts in the waking state. You can be conscious in the dream state that you are dreaming. You can alter, stop or create your own thoughts in the dream state independently. You will be able to keep awake in the dream state. If the thoughts of the waking state are controlled, you can control the dream thoughts also.

Do not allow the mind to run into the sensual grooves. Fortify yourself by developing the intellect through enquiry of Brahman, reflection and contemplation. The intellect will serve the purpose of a strong fortress. It will not allow the sense-impressions to be lodged in the causal body. It will not allow the impressions of the causal body to come out. It will serve a double purpose.

Brahman alone is really existent. Jiva, world are false. Kill this illusory egoism. The world is unreal when compared to Brahman. It is a solid reality for a passionate worldly man, even as dreams are real to the childish. The world does not exist for a Jnani or a Mukta.

You dream that you are a king. You enjoy various kinds of royal pleasures. As soon as you wake up, everything vanishes. But you do not feel for the loss, because you know that the dream creatures are all false. When you know the real Tattva, Brahman, the waking consciousness also will become quite false like a dream. Even in the waking consciousness if you are well established in the idea that the world is a false illusion, you will not get any pain.

Wake up and realise, my child!

20. EDUCATION

Education is the root. Culture is the flower. Wisdom is the fruit.

Education is to effect the culture of man's higher nature. Real education is education of man as man. Education should stimulate intellectual virility and make the students pious, sincere, bold and self-controlled. There must be man-making and character-building education that will give full development to the latent powers of children in their ethical, intellectual, aesthetic-, physical and spiritual life.

Education is development of the whole man. Head, heart and hand—all three must be trained by artistic, scientific and practical education. The body, mind, intellect and spirit must have harmonious development. Only then will evolution be quick.

Education must be best calculated to promote plain living and high thinking. Education should enable the student to fit himself to his environments, and help him equip himself for the battle of life and the attainment of Self-realisation.

Education should teach the pupils to love God and man. Education should instruct the students to be truthful, moral, fearless, humble and merciful. Education should teach the students to practise right conduct, right thinking, right living, right action, self-sacrifice, and attain knowledge of the Self. That which develops character, initiative and a spirit of service to God and humanity is real education.

Ultimately, the aim of real education is drawing out the dormant divinity lying hidden within each human being. Spiritual enlightenment is the fruit of the real, inner education. The supreme state of blessedness or superconscious Samadhi is the culmination of all true education and culture.

You cannot have the right type of man by merely stuffing him with lectures. What is wanted is rigid and rigorous spiritual discipline in schools and colleges. Ideal souls are the product of ideal institutions which impart ideal education. The great responsibility of training children to grow into ideal men and women lies with the professors, teachers and parents.

Relationship between Teacher and Student

In ancient India, there was a very intimate relationship between the student and the teacher. It should be revived now. The relationship between the teacher and the student should be like that of a loving father and a devoted son. It should not be of a commercial nature. The teacher and the student should understand each other well. There should be a deep and profound spiritual bond between them.

The teacher should be a friendly guide of the student and never a superior, domineering master. The student should respect and love the teacher, rather than fear and hate him. It is a primary responsibility of the teacher to win the respect and love of the student. Only then will his teaching be effective.

A great, onerous duty rests with the teachers and professors of schools and colleges in training the students properly. They themselves should be strictly moral and pure. They should be endowed with ethical perfection. Their dealings with the students and others should be strictly ethical. Only then can they train the students in the right path. Before taking to the profession of a teacher, every teacher should feel the high responsibility of his position. Mere intellectual achievement in the art of delivering dry lectures alone will not adorn a professor.

The teachers and professors should be religious or spiritual-minded. They should practise spiritual Sadhana and regular meditation. They should lead the spiritual life. Teachers must be worthy ideals to be emulated by the students. The students should draw inspiration from the personal lives of their teachers.

Teachers must be imbued with a spirit of self-dedication in the great task of raising the citizens of tomorrow. They must be spiritual heroes with a missionary zeal. The State must provide the teachers with adequate means to keep themselves completely free from pecuniary difficulties.

The principals and professors of colleges, and the headmasters of high schools must be guided by learned and realised Sannyasins and Yogins. Then only re education can be imparted to students. If students who are equipped with real education come out of the universities every year, we will have a glorious new India, and a new era of peace, plenty and prosperity.

Studentship under Rishis

If you compare the present system of education with our ancient Gurukula system, there is a wide gulf between the two. Mark the difference between the secular education in universities and spiritual teachings of seers. Note how the Rishis had given instructions to their students when they had finished their course of study: "Speak truth. Do your duty. Do not neglect the study of the Vedas. Do not swerve from Truth. Do not swerve from duty. Do not neglect your welfare. Do not neglect your prosperity. Do not neglect the learning and teaching of the Vedas. Do not neglect the duties towards God and forefathers. May the mother be thy God. May the father be thy God. May the preceptor be thy God. May the guest be thy God. Do such actions as are blameless; not others. Those that are good works, they should be performed by thee; none else."

Every student in the Gurukula had a knowledge of Pranayama, Mantra, Yoga, Asana, the code of morals, the Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Upanishads. Every student possessed humility, self-restraint, obedience, spirit of service and self-sacrifice, good demeanour, politeness, courteous nature, and last but not the least, a desire for acquiring Atma Jnana.

Every student in the Gurukula was pure. Every student had perfect moral training. This was the predominating feature of ancient culture.

Students of the Present Day

The college students of the present day do not possess any of these virtues at all. Self-control is a thing unknown to them. Luxurious living and self-indulgence begin from their very boyhood. Arrogance, impertinence, disobedience are deep-rooted in them. They have become confirmed atheists and rank materialists. Many are ashamed to say that they believe in God. They have no knowledge of Brahmacharya and self-control. Fashionable dress, undesirable food, bad company, frequent attendance at theatres and cinemas, applying Western manners and customs have rendered them weak and passionate.

Our college students have become creatures of vile imitation. They imitate the West in smoking; putting on pants, hats, boots, neckties, collars; cropping of hair; applying scents to handkerchiefs, etc. But they have not imbibed various other virtuous qualities such as self-sacrifice, patriotism, spirit of service, punctuality, perseverance, tolerance, scholarly erudition, etc., that are the admirable, characteristic features in the Westerners. The condition of some of the boys belonging to some aristocratic families is highly lamentable and hopeless. They get monthly season-tickets for the cinema and spend their time in playing cards, leading a morbid unholy life when they are young. Religion and philosophy produce nausea and mental dyspepsia in them. They dislike religious-minded students. They are slaves to fashion and style.

Fashion, style, epicureanism, gluttony, luxury have occupied the minds of our college students. It is very pitiable to hear the life-history of some of the college students. Indeed, it has been detected that the health of the students has deteriorated throughout India. Moreover, the vices and bad practices which are ruining their health are on the increase. There is no ethical culture in modern schools and colleges. Modern civilisation has enfeebled our boys and girls. They lead an artificial life. The cinema has become a curse.

Professors of some colleges insist on the students putting on fashionable dress. They even dislike students who wear clean but simple clothing. A great pity! Cleanliness is one thing, and fashion is another thing. The so-called fashion takes root in worldliness and sensuality.

Call for a Spiritual Basis

Education must be based on a sound philosophy of life. If there is no right understanding of the ultimate aim of human life, if there is no clear idea of what man is meant to become through the process of life, no scheme of education will be satisfying and beneficial.

Education is training for life, in which ethics has the most dominant role. Education of the intellect, without moral discipline, is injurious to human progress. Intelligence without character is a source of danger, both to the individual concerned and to his fellow-men Development of the body and the intellect alone, without moral discipline, will produce selfish men and women who will have no feeling or sympathy for the poor, or reverence for the elders and the wise, or respect for life. Education must help to form a strong, pure and beautiful character. There is nothing in our present system of education that will teach our young boys and girls how to form a stable character.

No boy or girl can be counted as properly educated unless he or she gets a sound sense of spiritual evaluation. The young men and women in the universities must be given a sound training in practical spiritual life, which is vitai, fundamental and essential, and which they hopelessly lack at present. If spiritual training is excluded in schools and colleges, there will be irreligiousness and Godlessness among the future citizens.

Our present-day schools and colleges give secular education. There is neither ethical discipline nor spiritual instruction. Many of the students go through their academic education without a proper aim or ideal before them. Even if they have an aim, it is the worthless aim of getting a job to earn the daily bread! They learn something in order to eke out their livelihood. They study only to get emoluments. That is the reason why they turn out to be spiritual bankrupts in the end. Laxity of moral conduct in our younger generation is due to the absence of spiritual and moral education in the present curriculum. Educate the boys without religion and you make them wonderful rogues.

Secular State Is No Godless State

The secular state is not necessarily a Godless state. All the same, if they have a basis against introducing the teachings of a particular religion, it does not mean that broad-based religious teachings should be excluded from the curriculum. Religion should be the foundation for education. Do not mix bigotry with religion. If religion is cut off from education, you will die spiritually.

Morality cannot take the place of religion, but morality is an essential part of religion.

Common prayers, brief meditation, and recitation of universal hymns should be conducted at the beginning and at the close of the day's studies. Short passages from scriptures, which convey broadbased, universal spiritual teaching, should be read by the students every day. Stories which illustrate different virtues should be expounded. The incidents in the noble lives of saints, sages and prophets have a great moral significance. The students will breathe an atmosphere of sublime teachings and noble sentiments. The foundations of divine virtue will be deeply and firmly laid in their hearts. They will become good citizens of the land.

Need for Reorientation of Our Educational System

India's educational ideals are in a ferment today. Our schools and colleges have become shops of profit and loss. Our graduates run after money, power, comforts, honours and titles. The mind of the youth is corrupted by much undesirable literature.

Education has lost its value today. It is now becoming fragmentary. It is not integral, rich and full. The different intellectual sciences which are taught in the universities of today are a feeble apology for the integral education which is necessary for the attainment of Perfection. Degrees like Master of Arts' mean nothing. It is the wisdom that matters. Sri Sankara graduated himself, not at some foreign academy or university, but in the lore of Govindapada and his predecessors Vyasa, Vasishtha, Suka and Parasara.

The present system of education in India needs a thorough. drastic overhauling immediately. The ancient Gurukula system should be revived and adequately revised according to the needs of the time, so that the students might be able to derive the maximum benefit from it.

Education makes or mars civilisation. Universities are really the custodians of the character, culture and civilisation of nation. Universities should not be mere cramming institutions. Universities must be sanctuaries of light and wisdom.'

Much more can be achieved through proper education than by force of law. So long as the inner man is not educated, law will remain a dead letter. If the inner man is educated, then not only shall we be rendering a great service to the man himself and the nation, but also to the entire world at large.

21. ETHICS

Ethics is the science of morality. Morality is virtuous life. In a limited sense, it means sexual purity.

Without ethical perfection, there is no spiritual progress. Without spiritual progress, there is no emancipation.

All aspirants commit mistakes in jumping to Samadhi and Dhyana all at once as soon as they leave their houses without caring a bit for ethical perfection. The mind remains in the same condition although they have practised meditation for fifteen years. They have the same jealousy, hatred, idea of superiority, pride, egoism, etc. No meditation or Samadhi comes by itself when one has no ethical perfection.

Life without ethics is living death. A man who has no regard for ethics is more death-masked than the one actually dead. An ethical man is far better and nobler than a man of dry or perverted intellect. An ethical man is better than the one who is otherwise religious and possesses occult powers.

Ethics and Religion

Ethics and morality are the basis of spiritual life. Without ethics, philosophy is mere wishful thinking and religion quite meaningless. Spirituality, devoid of moral principles, is deceit. Spirituality, religion and ethics are synonymous terms. It is erroneous to separate them.

Morality is religion in practice, religion is morality in principle. Religion gives us ultimate data upon which ethical science may be built. There is no true and abiding morality that is not founded on religious fervour.

Morality without religion is a tree without roots, a house built on sand, a stream without any spring to feed it. Morality, without religion, has no roots. It becomes a thing of custom, changeable or transient, and optional. Put morality on its proper and right basis, namely, the love of God. Morality without God is like a rudderless boat.

Ethics-Eastern and Western

All religions have taught ethical precepts such as: "Do not kill. Do not injure others. Love your neighbour as yourself.” But they have not given the reason, Western ethics does not speak a word on Atman or Soul.

The ethics of Western philosophers is superficial. Their ethics is mere surface ethics. It speaks of a little social service, altruism, humanitarianism, philanthropy. It treats a little of 'good and evil', of 'right and wrong', of 'conduct and behaviour'. But the ethics of Hindus is subtle, sublime and profound. Hindu ethics is based on the sublime philosophy of Vedanta, which propounds the doctrine of oneness of life and unity of consciousness.

Atman or Self is one. One life vibrates in all beings. Life is common in animals, birds and human beings. Existence is common. There is one common consciousness. If you hurt any other creature, you hurt yourself. If you serve another man, you serve yourself. By serving others, you purify your heart, and purification of heart leads to descent of divine light and final emancipation or Mukti. This is Hindu ethics. This is the basic metaphysical truth that underlies all Hindu ethical codes.

Western ethics does not sufficiently treat of absolute self-control and Brahmacharya, cultivation of divine virtues, and eradication of vices. There is neither Tapas nor asceticism nor control of the senses. Eastern ethics is profound. Eastern ethics gives paramount importance to Dama or perfect restraint of all the senses. There is intense asceticism. There is perfect control of the outgoing senses.

Western ethics may make one a dry philosopher, but not a sage or a Yogi. Eastern ethics makes one a dynamic sage or a dynamic Yogi. It transforms man into Divinity.

The Guides of Right Conduct

The guides of right conduct are the Dharma Shastras or the scriptures, the examples of saints, the Inner Self or Conscience, and established usage.

Undeveloped persons cannot think for themselves. Selfishness clouds understanding. Therefore, if a man has got even a tinge of selfishness, he cannot detect what is right and what is wrong. A very pure, subtle, sharp intellect is needed for this purpose. Hence rules of conduct have been laid down by great sages or seers like Lord Manu, sage Yajnavalkya.

As you have got neither the power nor the time to think of the moral principles and rules given in the scriptures, you can get the moral precepts or instructions from sages and saints and follow them to the very letter.

The Universality of Ethics

Every religion has its ethics. The Sermon on the Mount by Lord Jesus and the Ten Commandments contain ethical teachings for the uplift of man. The Noble Eightfold Path of Lord Buddha is the essence of ethics. The Yama, Niyama of Patanjali Maharshi constitute ethics. Manu Smriti, Yajnavalkya Smriti and Parasara Smriti contain the code of conduct for man. The three kinds of austerity of the Gita are nothing but ethics.

Basic principles of morality are everywhere the same, because it all comes from God. The laws or the great commandments issue directly from God, the Most High.

Universality is the very root of all morality. Without universality, morality will die.

Do not do any act which brings no good to others or which will make you repent later on or ashamed. Do such acts which are praiseworthy and which bring good to you and to others. This is a brief description of right conduct. Moral precepts have been made to free one another from all injuries.

Why should a man lead a moral life? Why should he do this and not that? Because man will be no better than an animal if he does not lead a moral life. The aim of morality is to raise man to the level of Divinity by transforming his brutal nature.

Kinds of Morality

We have human morality, family morality, social morality, national morality, professional morality. A doctor has his own professional ethics. He should not divulge to others the secrets of his patients. He should be kind and sympathetic towards his patients. He should not give injections of water and charge highly as for best medicines Although the guardian of the patient did not pay the fees of his last visit, he should go voluntarily and attend the case. He should treat the poor cases freely.

An advocate also has his own ethics. He should not coach up false witnesses. He should not take up the weak cases only for the sake of fees. He should argue freely for the poor people. There is ethics for a businessman also. He should not expect much profit. He should do much charity. He should not speak falsehood even in his business.

Ethics Is a Relative Science

Ethics is a relative science. Right and wrong, Dharma and Adharma, are relative terms. It is very difficult to define these terms precisely. What is good for one man may not be good for another. What is good at one time may not be so at another time or on another occasion. Ethics is relative to the man and his surroundings.

Morality is a changing and relative term. That passionate man who molests his legally married wife frequently to gratify his passion is more immoral than the man who visits the house of his sister of ill-fame once in six months. That man who dwells constantly on immoral thoughts is most immoral man. Do you clearly note the subtle difference now? To kill an enemy is right for a Kshatriya king. A Brahmin or a Sannyasin should not kill anybody even for protecting himself during times of danger. He should practise strict forbearance and forgiveness. To speak an untruth to save the life of a Mahatma or one's Guru, who has been unjustly charged by the unjust officer of a state, is right. Untruth has become a truth in this particular case. To speak a truth which brings harm to many is untruth only. To kill a dacoit who murders the wayfarers daily is Ahimsa only. Himsa becomes Ahimsa under certain circumstances.

Forgiveness or Kshama befits an ascetic or a Sannyasin who leads the life of Nivritti Marga or renunciation. It cannot befit a ruler. The ruler may forgive one who has injured him, but he cannot forgive one who has done the greatest harm to the public.

Dharma-sankata

Sometimes one is puzzled as to what to do under certain circumstances. There is conflict of duty. One has to choose between alternatives both of which go against Dharma. Sometimes you will have to choose the lesser evil and you must be prepared to undergo the results of that Karma. One man's father was in a dying condition. He had no food. He was dying of starvation. The father would die if he was not given any food. Food could only be had by stealing. What is the Dharma of the son at this critical juncture? To save the life of his father is his Dharma. He stole some food and saved the life of his father. He must suffer for the evil act of stealing.

The Importance of Motive

It is the motive that counts in the performance of an action. Right and wrong are to be determined, not by the objective consequences, but by the nature of the subjective intention of the agent. God looks to the motive of the doer.

Lord Rama fought with Ravana. Ravana also engaged himself in battle. But the motives of both were different, though the action was the same.

Sri Rama fought in order to establish Dharma and protect the people from the trouble and havoc of wicked Ravana. He had no selfish interests. But Ravana had evil motive.

A Karma Yogi works in the society intensely, with more zeal than a worldly man. The action is the same, but the motives are different in each person. The Karma Yogi marches forward towards the Goal or summum bonum, but the worldly man entangles himself through his impure motive of self-interest.

The inner motives of a man form the seed and root of all his life's activities. If the inner motive is pure, all the subsequent consequences are pure and good. Else, only evil and unhappiness will accrue.

You must have purification of the motive. There must be an internal resolve or attitude of the will to be free from all impure feelings of pride, self-esteem, etc., in the discharge of duties. Only then you will have purity of motive.

Moral living starts through dedication to ideal principle and maxims. A man of right conduct has ideal principles and mottoes. He strictly follows them, removes his weaknesses and defects, develops good conduct, and becomes thus an ethically perfect man. First you must have righteous principles and then you will not fail to do virtuous actions.

The Active Practice of Virtue

Virtue survives only when it is kept in the perpetual practice. Virtue will develop and survive only when practised positively and actively. The mind and will must be exercised and disciplined through deliberate acts of self-denial and self-sacrifice in everyday life.

Rigidly observe truth and purity in your thoughts. Speech, actions, in your inner motive and general conduct. Be loving, tolerant and charitable in your opinion of men and things, in your dealings with others.

In every sphere, the individual should strive to adhere to these qualities and to manifest them. Thus, this ideal is to be practised between parents and children, elders and youngsters, teacher and pupil, friend and friend, Guru and disciple, leader and follower, subject and ruler, nation and nation.

God-realisation, the Highest Duty of Man

All duties-domestic, social and the like-are only relative. The ultimate and chief duty of every human being is the attainment of Truth, God-realisation. The discharge of all duties is, in reality, to qualify man to do this highest duty.

All ethics have, as their aim, the realisation of the Self. Ethics leads to restraint of the lower self and thereby the mind is calmed. Through calmness of the mind, discrimination dawns, and one knows the Self in a short time.

One cannot attain to perfection by mere goodness and practice of virtue. He has to meditate intensely on the ideal with the help of purity acquired virtue. Virtue and morality act as auxiliaries to meditation and final mergence of the individual in the Supreme.

Virtue Is the Gateway to Bliss

Ethics gives a sustaining stamina to life. A character without ethics is like a saltless dish. There can be no high civility, no courtesy, no politeness, no elegant manners, without a profound moral sense.

Practice of ethics will help you to live in harmony with your neighbours, friends, your own family members, fellow-beings, and all other people. It will confer on you lasting happiness and final liberation by invoking God's grace. Your heart will be purified. Your conscience will be cleansed.

There is no greater comfort than a righteous, virtuous life guided by a clear conscience. Acts of kindness, charitable services, and compassion for the distressed are the paths of righteousness.

Righteousness is essential. Do not leave the path of righteousness for any gain. Do not leave the path of morality even if your life is in danger.

The path of truth is narrow and precipitous, but its principles are as precise and exact as the law of gravitation. Do not leave the path, for it leads to immortality.

You must obey the laws, or the rules of conduct. The rules are given to you for your own betterment and spiritual uplift.

To stick to Sadachara is difficult, no doubt. Mockery, misunderstanding and persecution will have to be faced. Therefore, the cultivation of forbearance, meekness of spirit, calm endurance and spirit of forgiveness are of great importance. Uphold virtue at any cost; for its sake, bear any calumny. Return good for evil.

There is no religion higher than virtue. Virtue brings peace. Virtue is greater than life and prosperity. Virtue is the gateway to bliss. Therefore be virtuous always. Let virtue be your mainstay.

Consult the Shastras and Mahatmas whenever you are in doubt. Build up your character. Grow. Evolve. Keep up your ideal always before your mind. Stick to Sadachara or right conduct. Practise it. You will soon attain eternal bliss and immortality.

22. FEAR

Fear is an instinct common in every man. Fear is universal. It can happen at any place. It can come at any time.

The king is afraid of his enemy. The Pundit is afraid of his opponent. A beautiful lady is afraid of old age. A lawyer is afraid of the judge, and his clients. The wife is afraid of her husband. The student is afraid of the teacher. The police inspector is afraid of the superintendent. The frog is afraid of the snake. The cobra is afraid of the mongoose. No one is absolutely free from some sort of fear.

What Is Fear? Fear is a painful emotion excited by danger. It is apprehension of danger or pain. Fear is an emotion excited by threatening evil or impending pain, accompanied by a desire to avoid or escape it and to provide for one's security.

There are various degrees in fear. They are simply fright, timidity, shyness, alarm, terror and terrible fear. When there is terrible fear, the whole body perspires; urine and faecal matter are ejected involuntarily. The mind becomes like a log of wood. Sometimes shock and immediate collapse take place, and the man dies of sudden heart failure.

Fear assumes various forms. The Gurkha soldier is not afraid of knife or bullet; but he is afraid of scorpions. A hunter is not afraid of tigers in the forest, but is afraid of surgeon's knife. The man of the frontier is not afraid of knife; he can even allow the surgeon to open his intestines without chloroform; but he is terribly afraid of snakes. Some are afraid of ghosts. Some are afraid of diseases. The vast majority of persons are afraid of public criticism.

Normal Fear and Imaginary Fear

Fear is of two kinds, viz., normal fear and imaginary fear. The percentage of normal fear will be only five. Imaginary fear will come to ninety per cent.

Normal fear is healthy. It paves the way for one's progress. It preserves life. A headmaster is afraid of the inspector of schools. He takes a very keen interest in training the boys. All the boys get success in the examination. An engine-driver of the railways is afraid of his superior officer. He is very careful in the discharge of his duties.No collision occurs. A physician is afraid of getting a bad reputation. He takes great care of his patient. He makes researches. He saves many lives. He becomes a famous physician also.

Imaginary fears cause diseases, deplete all energies in man. And produce all sorts of feverish excitement, low vitality, uneasiness, discomfort, disharmony, etc. When there is an epidemic of cholera or typhoid, fear is the predisposing cause. Man is terribly afraid of cholera, worries himself, and imagines that the germs have entered his body. Imagination does serious havoc. He becomes a victim to the actual disease itself!

Illustrations of Imaginary Fear

A student prepares himself day and night for the ensuing examination. He has passed creditably in all the class-examinations. But he develops a kind of imaginary fear-examination fear—as soon as he enters the examination hall, becomes nervous, and gets confused. His hands tremble. He is not able to write. He fails in the examination.

Sri R.S. Banerjee was sleeping in a room in his friend's house at Dehra Dun. He and his friends were talking, on that night, about the mischievous actions done by evil spirits. These thoughts went deep into his subconscious mind. He dreamt that the room in which he was sleeping was a haunted room and some evil spirit had done some mischief on him. From that day he began to lose his health gradually. This was due to some kind of imaginary fear.

Every man has some imaginary fear. Some develop on imaginary fear that they will lose their job. Some imagine and think, “What will become of my fate if my wife dies now? I have to look after nine children." Some have the imaginary fear: "What can I do if my business fails?" or "What will become of Hinduism if the whole of India becomes Pakistan? If communism pervades the whole of India?” There is no end to such imaginary fears.

Phobias

Peculiar, private, irrational, unnatural fears are called phobias. Phobia is an unnatural form of fear. Phobias have no objective reality. There is nothing to frighten people. There is no threatening situation in their environment which should cause fear in them, and yet they cannot free themselves from fears and negative feelings.

Some are afraid of rats. This is rat-phobia. Some are afraid of thunder. Some are afraid of walking in the dark. Some are afraid of seeing great multitudes of people. This is plurophobia. Some Brahmacharins are afraid of seeing a bevy of ladies. Some are afraid to remain alone. Some are afraid to sleep in a room without lamp. Some are afraid of closed spaces such as tunnels, etc. This is claustrophobia. Some are afraid of open spaces. This is agoraphobia. Though the doctor has definitely said that there is nothing organically wrong with some patients, they still think that they have some heart trouble or kidney disease or liver complaint. These are all phobías of the body.

Some are afraid of anything and everything.

The Americans are afraid of the Russians. The Russians are afraid of the Americans. The frontier people of India are afraid of the tribal people. Phobias are endless.

The causes of phobias are nervousness, stupidity in a mild or intense form, and lack of right thinking and right understanding.

A Word to Parents and Teachers

The origin of most neurotic fears can be traced to childhood. The seeds of fear may lie dormant in childhood in the subconscious mind. They sprout forth after some time during some period of crisis or stress.

The minds of children are very impressionable. They are very plastic. Mothers and teachers should be very careful when they deal with children. They should not tell them anything that will frighten them. On the contrary, they should tell them stories of chivalrous persons which will make them bold and courageous. Even during the period of pregnancy, mothers should read inspiring books like the Ramayana, the Bhagavata and the Mahabharata, if they wish to bring forth intelligent and brave children.

Mothers, fathers and teachers should have at least an elementary knowledge of psychology. Then alone can they mould the children properly.

III Effects of Fear

Fear is the beginning of all evil. From fear proceeds misfortune. The fears of a coward expose him to dangers.

Constant fear saps your vitality, shakes confidence, and destroys your ability. It makes you powerless. It is an enemy of your success.

What paralysis is to the physical body, so is fear to the mind. It paralyses the mind and makes you powerless. Fear is the most destructive emotion. It breaks down the nervous system and undermines your health. It creates worry, and renders happiness and peace of mind impossible.

Fear, in all its different phases, is the greatest enemy of man. It has destroyed the happiness and efficiency of man. It has made more men cowards, more people failures. Fear kills effort and stultifies endeavour. Poverty and failure are due to thoughts of fear.

Fear is a great human curse. Fear blights many lives, makes people unhappy and unsuccessful. Fear is a negative thought. Fear is your worst enemy.

Cause of Fear

Raga or attachment is the long-standing associate of fear. Attachment is the cause of fear. You are attached to a fountain pen, walking stick, book, watch, towel, cloth. Fear slowly creeps in. There is fear of losing them.

Wherever there is Raga, there is fear. Fear and Raga coexist. Man is attached to his wife. The body of his wife is his greatest pleasure-centre. So there is fear for him, fear of losing her, fear of her death, fear of her running away with another man, fear of her divorcing him, fear of her being displeased with him, etc. As he is attached to his children, house and property, he has fear of losing his house, property and children. He is drowned in sorrow and gets terrible shock if these objects are destroyed or lost.

Attachment to objects causes fear. Attachment to name and fame causes fear. Attachment to money and women causes fear. Any attachment is the womb of terrible fear. One who possesses, fears. He does not fear who has renounced everything, who perceives the Atman in all.

If there is no Raga, there is no fear. The first link in the chain of Raga is man's attachment to his body. All kinds of Raga start from this Raga to the physical body. Clinging to life and body or love of earthly life is the main cause for all fears,

Worse than in waking, many undergo drastic, alarming abnormality in sleep. This is all due to loading the mind with stray thoughts while retiring. One should never go to bed in a state of worry or fear, nor with a heavy heart, nor when he broods over an impending evil. Before retiring, everyone must evacuate all such thoughts and meditate upon God till he is released from them. He must have perfect peace in mind and soul. If he is unable to meditate upon God, let him loudly recite some hymn or poem till he sinks in the bed. He is sure to have peaceful, deep sleep.

Drowning waves of fear may at times rush down upon us. We may lose mental balance for a while. We may be over-sensitive and agitated. A chain of evil happenings appear before us one after another in quick succession. Memory of the past gallops with winged speed. Imagination soars, and we picture disaster after disaster awaiting us. Yet, under all these circumstances, we must lay our fullest faith in God, take refuge in Him, and fully believe that He alone can deliver us.

Conquest of Fear

Overcoming in this way will not suffice. This must be brought into practice. We must first face only those which we are afraid of. If a man is afraid of facing an audience, it must be the first and foremost duty he should do until he is free from stage-fear and nervousness. If one trembles to approach his superior, or any other person who he thinks is endowed with superior powers, that must be taken up as his first duty every day till he gains sufficient moral strength. If you are afraid of something. Look at it in the face. Fear will vanish.

Sit for a while. Reflect well. Introspect. All imaginary fear will take to their heels. They will dwindle into an airy nothing. Mind deceives you through imaginary fears. Learn to discriminate, cogitate, reflect and meditate. The mind will lurk like a thief. You will feel now that you were duped all these years by this mischievous mind and that fear is a non-entity, a big zero.

Put the seeds of courage in your heart. Allow courage to grow. Fear will die by itself. The positive always overcomes the negative. This is an immutable psychological law. This is the Pratipaksha-bhavana method of Raja Yogins. Try this method again and again. You are bound to succeed.

Develop your will-power. Cultivate courage and fortitude. Develop mental power of endurance, firmness in meeting danger, and power of resistance. Be courageous and patient in sharp pains, on the occasion of loss of children or property, and in protracted illness. Have courage and manly character. Remember the saints and their virtuous deeds. Live in the company of sages and Yogins. Meditate on the fearless Atman. You will develop courage, a manly character, and other virtues. All phobias will disappear.

God bestows perfect security on His devotees and removes all sorts of fears. He transforms the sense of insecurity and fear into one of confidence and faith. He saves him from panic and despair. Take refuge in the Lord, in His Name and grace. All fears will vanish completely. He will instil strength, fortitude, courage, presence of mind, etc., in you.

Abandon attachment through practice of non-attachment or Vairagya, and attachment to the lotus feet of the Lord. All fears will vanish. Always entertain the thought: "All objects are illusory, perishable, and paingiving.” You will have no attachment. Even if there is attachment, it will be mild. You can drive it away with slight thinking and discrimination. Renunciation of everything and cultivation of Brahma-bhava is the best remedy to overcome all fears.

An Error of the Psychologists

Psychologists are of the opinion that there cannot be absolute fearlessness, and that only determined effort be made to conquer fear. This is incorrect. Psychologists have no transcendental experience. A perfect sage who had Knowledge of Brahman is absolutely fearless. The Upanishads declare in a thundering voice: "The Knower of fearless Brahman himself becomes absolutely fearless."

There can be fear only where there is duality. If one feels that there is a second object besides himself, at once fear is generated. He is afraid of the other man. How can there be fear for one who experiences non-duality? The perfect sage who is established in non-duality is the most courageous of men. The courage of a soldier in the battlefield, or of a dacoit, is only Tamasic courage. It is not courage at all. It is only brutal ferocity born of hatred or jealousy. That Sattvic courage born of Wisdom of the Self alone is real courage.

You should not have any dualism in the mind. You must always develop cosmic love and universal brotherhood. When there is love and brotherhood, there is no enmity. There is no superiority or inferiority of power. Of course, this is a partial stage. The final stage is feeling the oneness of all. All are Brahman. All merge in Brahman. There is Brahman alone pervading throughout the universe. There is no second thing in His creation at all. This knowledge entirely uproots fear and brings one into eternal peace.

23. FREEDOM

Freedom is man's birthright. Freedom is Sat-chit-ananda. Freedom is immortality. Freedom is knowledge, peace and bliss. Consciously or unconsciously, wittingly or unwittingly, all are attempting for this freedom. Nations are fighting in the battlefield for getting freedom. A robber robs for getting freedom from want--though his movement may be crooked and circuitous. Every movement of your foot is towards freedom or Sat-chit-ananda.

Everybody wants independence. A small cook working in a coffee hotel collects money, purchases vessels and opens a coffee hotel. He wants independence. He does not want to serve under anybody. A paid servant working in a cloth shop wants independence. He collects money and opens a cloth shop of his own. A professor wants independence. He wishes to become a principal. A disciple wants independence. He starts an Ashram of his own and becomes a Guru. There is an innate urge in everyone to become independent, not to serve under another.

Everybody wishes to be independent. Everybody wants to be a ruler. Everyone desires others to be guided by his wishes; no one likes to be guided by the wishes of others. Everybody, in his heart of hearts, really desires to rule over all others if only he could; nobody wishes to have a rival.

The real cause is that there is in you the immortal, self-effulgent Soul or Atman, which is one without a second, which has no rival, which is the inner ruler, which is the support for the whole universe. In reality, you are this Atman. That is the reason why you have such a feeling and desire.

In every heart, there is desire for freedom, this all consuming passion for liberty. Freedom is the birthright of man. Freedom is the very nature of Brahman or the Eternal Soul. Brahman is Nitya-mukta, eternally free. The desire for freedom is there even in the lowliest of God's creatures. Freedom is an attribute of the soul. It is born with you. No force, no known human device, can suppress that desire. Freedom's flame is ever burning bright. Freedom or Moksha is the ultimate goal of man. Freedom is liberation from the thraldom of mind and matter.

Freedom—True and False

Loose life is not perfect freedom. Eating anywhere from anybody's hands, sleeping anywhere you like, talking anything you like: these are not freedom. You have become a slave of body, senses, mind, creature-comforts, food and fashion.

Liberty of speech is not freedom. Liberty of thought is not freedom. To move about aimlessly is not freedom. To do just as one likes is not freedom. To be in a nude state is not freedom. To be a king or monarch is not freedom. To have Svarajya is not freedom. To have plenty is not freedom. To have a comfortable living is not freedom. To possess immense wealth is not freedom. To conquer nations is not freedom. To shirk responsibility is not freedom. To renounce the world is not freedom.

Material independence will not give you perfect happiness, cannot give you perfection. Bread and jam cannot give you real happiness. These little things of the world cannot give you eternal joy.

Real Freedom

Real Svarajya is not merely political or economic, though political and economic freedom is essential for the welfare of a people. Real Svarajya is lordship over oneself. It is Atma-Svarajya. It is immortality. It is perfection. It is attainable only by slow and painful stages.

From time, pass into eternity. This is freedom or emancipation. Still the mind. Herein lies freedom and bliss eternal.

Real freedom is freedom from birth and death. Real freedom is freedom from the trammels of flesh and mind. Real freedom is freedom from the bonds of Karma. Real freedom is freedom from attachment to body, etc.real Freedom is freedom from egoism and desires. Real freedom is freedom from thoughts and likes-dislikes. Real freedom is freedom from lust, anger, greed, etc. Real freedom is identification with the Supreme Self. Real freedom is merging in the Absolute.

Freedom is in detachment. Freedom is in desirelessness. Freedom is in mindlessness. Eradication and extinction of desires lead to the sublime state of supreme bliss and perfect freedom.

Cause of Bondage

You have created your own bondage through your desires, attachments, egoism and cravings, and you cry for emancipation.

Attachment is the most powerful weapon of Maya for binding the Jivas to the Samsaric wheel of births and deaths. You would never come into this world if you had no attachment for anything. The first attachment starts with the physical body. Then all other attachments crop up. The identification of the Self with the body is extended to those who are connected with the body, such as, wife, son, house, father, mother, sister, etc., and cares increase a hundredfold. You will have to take care of all these people. You will have to take care of the toys of your son also, because the toys are connected with your son. There is absolutely no end for these cares and worries. Man creates for himself all these cares. No one is to blame. Just as the silkworm and the spider create a web for their own destruction, out of their own saliva, so also man creates these cares and worries for his own destruction out of his own ignorance.

The Play of Mind

Mind is the cause of the bondage and salvation of man. The mind has two aspects: one is discriminative, and the other is imaginative. Mind, in its aspect of discriminatior. releases itself from the bondage and attains Moksha. In its aspect of imagination, it binds itself to the world.

It is the mind which binds a man to this world. Where there is no mind, there is no bondage. Mind imagines, through indiscrimination and ignorance, that the soul has been confined and located in this body, and hence it perceives the soul to be in bondage. Mind exactly identifies itself with the Jivatman and feels itself to be 'I', and hence thinks, "I am in bondage." The egoistic mind is the root of bondage. The non-egoistic mind is the root of Moksha.

When there is no l'or egoism, there is liberation, when there is l'or egoism, there is bondage, or birth and death. It is bondage when the mind is attached to any object or any sense-organ. It is liberation when the mind is not attached to any object or any sense-organ. It is bondage when the mind desires or grieves over anything, rejects or accepts anything, feels angry or happy at anything. It is liberation when the mind does not desire or reject or accept, or feel happy or angry. Emancipation is release from the bondage of the ego and its desires, of the ego and its propensities, its cravings for the sensuous.

Eradication of the Mind's Disease

The sovereign specific presented by the wise sages for the eradication of the mind's disease can be had easily through the mind alone. The intelligent cleanse a dirty cloth with the dirty earth only. A murderous Agni-astra or fire-missile is counteracted by Varuna-astra, another missile only. The venom of serpent-bite is removed by its antidote of an edible poison. So also is the case with the Jiva. Having developed discrimination, destroy the delusions of the heterogeneous mind through the one-pointed Manas, like an iron severing another iron.

Arsenic, when purified and administered in proper doses, is a blessing. It removes many diseases. It improves the blood. When it is not purified properly and given in overdoses, it brings about many ill effects. Even so, when the mind is rendered pure and Nirvishaya, it leads on to Moksha. When it is impure, and Vishayasakta or fond of sensual objects, it leads on to bondage.

On this side is matter. On the other side is pure Spirit or Atman or Brahman. Mind forms a bridge between the two. Cross the bridge. Control the mind. You will attain Brahman. You will gain liberation. You will be free from the trammels of births and deaths. The differentiations such as I. 'you', 'he' will vanish. All tribulations, annoyances, miseries, grief, will cease.

He is a real potentate and Maharaja who has conquered the mind. He can do anything. He can move about where he likes. He is as free as the atmospheric air. His happiness, freedom and peace are unbounded. The freedom and joy of such a Yogi cannot be imagined by the poor, petty-minded worldlings. Attachment and luxury have enfeebled them.

A Sad Mistake

Know your real, divine nature. Come out of this earthly rut. You are lions, not sheep. You are real emperors, not beggars. You are children of God, not weaklings tied to this perishable earth.

You think of your body, food, wife, son, friend, etc., but you do not turn your mind inward to find out what lies within yourself. You think that your body-this bundle of flesh and bones-is real, and on this basis, you build the whole citadel of life's ambition and activities. You have mistaken the shadow for the substance. You are contented with superficial things. Though you are endowed with the power of thought, you do not wish to utilise this power in quest of the Immortal Self. You have abandoned the precious jewel of Atman, and caught hold of a broken glass-piece. Is this not a foolish act?

Why do you bleat like a lamb? Assert. Recognise and realise your Brahmic nature. I will tell you a small story. Just hearken with rapt attention. There was once a lion-cub, left by its dying mother among some sheep. The sheep took care of the lion-cub. The lion-cub soon grew into a big lion, and bleated ba-a-a when the sheep bleated ba-a-a.

One day, another lion came and heard the sheep-lion bleating aloud with the other sheep. He was struck with amazement. He asked the sheep-lion, “Brother! What is the matter with you? Why are you here in such an abject state?” The sheep-lion replied, "I am a sheep. I am happy here amidst my brothers and sisters.” “Nonsense,” roared the other lion. “Come along with me. I will show you. You are under a false delusion.” He took the sheep-lion to the side of a river and showed him his reflection in the water. He said to the sheep-lion: "Look at your reflection now. You are a lion. I am a lion." The sheep-lion looked at the reflection and then said in joy, "What a terrible mistake I have committed! I am certainly a lion, indeed. I am not a sheep at all.” He made a terrible roar and went along with the other lion.

Brother! You are also bleating like the sheep-lion. You have forgotten your real, divine nature. Suzerainty is quite natural to you. Suzerainty is an attribute of Atman. On account of ignorance, you have mistaken the body for Atman, and you try to have no rivals in the physical body in business, in office, in college, in games, in dominions and in any field of activity. You can have absolute suzerainty only by realising the Atman. Atma-Svarajya only can make you absolutely independent. Atma-Svarajya only can make you the supreme ruler or absolute monarch of the whole universe. Therefore realise this wonderful Atman, and become a veritable, mighty potentate of the three worlds.

24.GANGA

The Ganga is the most sacred river of India. The origin of the Ganga is ascribed to celestial glory. Lord Krishna says in the Gita: “I am the Ganga among rivers."

For a Hindu, the word Ganga has its own sacred association. Every Hindu thirsts for a dip in the Ganga, and for a drop of its water at the time of his death. Aspirants and mendicants build their huts on the banks of the Ganga for practising penance and meditation. Bhishma spoke very highly of the glory of the Ganga in his parting instructions to the Pandavas from his bed of arrows.

In the Satya Yuga, all places were sacred. In the Treta Yuga, Pushkara was considered the most holy place. In the Dvapara Yuga, Kurukshetra was regarded as the most sacred place. In Kali Yuga, the Ganga has that glory. Devi Bhagavata says: "He who utters the name of Ganga even from hundreds of miles afar is freed from sins and attains the abode of Lord Hari.”

The Ganga Bath

Thousands of pilgrims visit Hardwar and Rishikesh every year and take a dip in the sacred river. They have immense faith in the glory of Mother Ganga. They believe that all their sins are washed away if they take a dip in the sacred waters of the Ganga. Really they are washed off. A dip in the Ganga instantly purifies. There is no doubt about this. Even confirmed atheists and rationalists come to Hardwar for a refreshing bath in the Ganga.

Wherever a pious Hindu goes to take his bath, he invokes first the Ganga and feels Her presence in the water before he takes a plunge in the river. If he lives in a place far away from the Ganga, he intensely yearns to see Her some day and bless his being by bathing in the holy waters. When he is blessed to have a Ganga bath, he carries some water to his house and carefully saves it in a vessel so that he may use it for purposes of purification.

Ganga-A Form of the Supreme Being

Ganga is the form of Vishnu. She came out of the Supreme Being. Her sight is soul-stirring and elevating. She flows in the valleys and lives by the side of Parvati, daughter of Himavan. How magnificent she is when she flows in the valley of Rishikesh! She has a blue colour like that of the ocean. The water is extremely clear and sweet. Rich people from the plains get water from Rishikesh. It is taken in big copper vessels to far-off places in India.

To have a look at the Ganga in Rishikesh is soul-elevating. To sit for a few minutes on a block of stone by the side of the Ganga is a blessing. To stay for some months in Rishikesh on the banks of the Ganga and do Anushthana or Purascharana is great Tapas which will take the aspirant to the abode of Lord Hari. To live forever on the banks of the Ganga and spend the life in meditation is Sivanandam.

Mother Ganga bestows seen and unseen powers on those who crave for Her grace. Sit alone on the banks of the Ganga. Concentrate. Meditate. Realise how spiritual vibrations accelerate your inner heart, even overriding your guilty conscience. Where has the supreme joy that fills you now all over, come from all on a sudden! How she does instantaneously withdraw your mind and conscience from the physical world to the regions of immortality, only to suckle you with bliss and blessedness!

Purity of the Ganga Water

The water of the Ganga is extremely pure and sanctifying. No germs can flourish in this. This has been tested by various scientists in the laboratory. Rich in minerals this water cures almost all kinds of diseases.

The Ganga is saturated with antiseptic minerals. Even in the West, doctors prescribe Ganga water for ``rubbing in the treatment of diseases of the skin. Ganga is not merely a river. It is a sacred Tirtha. It is possessed of mysterious powers which are not found in any other river of the word. Even scientists have admitted the efficacy of the Ganga water.

Dr. F.C. Harrison of McGill University Canada writes:"A peculiar fact which has never been satisfactorily explained is the quick death, in three or five hours, of the cholera vibrio in the waters of the Ganga. When one remembers sewage by numerous corpses of natives, often cholera casualties, and by the bathing of thousands of natives, it seems remarkable that the belief of the Hindus, that the water of this river is pure and cannot be defiled and that they can safely drink it and bathe in it, should he confirmed by means of modern bacteriological research."

A well-known French physician, Dr. D. Herelle, made similar investigations into the mystery of the Ganga. He observed some of the floating corpses of men dead of dysentery and cholera, and was surprised to find "that only a few feet blow the bodies where one would expect to find millions of these dysentery and cholera germs, there were no germs at all." He then grew germs from patients having the disease, and to these cultures added water from the Ganga. When he incubated the mixture for a period, much to his surprise, the germs were completely destroyed.

A British physician, Dr. C.E. Nelson, F.R.C.S., tells us of another striking fact. He says that "ships leaving Calcutta for England take their water from the Hooghly river which is one of the mouths of the filthy Ganga and this Ganga water will remain fresh all the way to England. On the other hand, ships leaving England for India find that the water they take on in London will not stay fresh till they reach Bombay, the nearest Indian port, which is a week closer to England than Calcutta. They must replenish their water-supply at Port Said, Suez or at Aden on the Read Sea." It is no wonder that the Indian people should hold that the Ganga is very sacred and possessed of mysterious powers.

A Silent Teacher

The Ganga starts from Gangotri in Himalayas. She encounters many obstacles on her way, but she finally reaches the goal—the ocean. Similarly, the Sadhaka should never give up his struggle, however insurmountable the obstacles in the path may appear to be. All difficulties and obstacles will be removed through the grace of the Lord if he is sincere in his Yogic practices, and he will reach the goal.

The Ganga gives you always cool, pure water. It does not expect anything from you in return. The sun sheds its light on all without anticipating any reward. Derive lessons from them. Always give, give. Ask nothing in return. Expect nothing in return. Do not expect even appreciation, approbation, or recognition.

A rogue and a saint can drink the water of the Ganga. The sun sheds its light on the wicked and the virtuous. The mango tree gives its fruits both for the caretaker and the man who cuts its branches. Develop equal vision like the Ganga, the sun and the mango tree.

I love Ganga and the Himalayas. Ganga is my Mother Divine. Himalayas is my Father Divine. They inspire and guide me. I take bath in Ganga. I swim in Ganga. I adore Ganga. I feed the fishes of Ganga.

I wave light to Mother Ganga. I pray to Ganga. I do salutations to Ganga. I sing the glory of Ganga. I write about the grandeur and glory of Ganga.

Ganga has nourished me. Ganga has comforted me. Ganga has taught me the truths of the Upanishads.

O friend! Follow the lines of Mother Ganga. Be pure. Be adaptable. Be tolerant. Be forgiving. Be sweet. Pour out your love on all. Share what you have—physical, moral, mental and spiritual—with the whole of humanity. The more you give the more you get. Give without any selfish motive, without expecting any reward. Embrace all. Cultivate equal vision.

All glory be unto Mother Ganga, the giver of life, light and love. Worship Her with faith, devotion and piety. Adore Her with flowers of purity, love, self-restraint and equal vision.Sing Her Names. Attain Brahman through Her Grace. May Mother Ganga bless you all! May she help you to live on Her banks and practise Yoga and Tapas.

25. GITA

Mahatma Gandhi once visited one of the biggest libraries in London and asked the librarian. "What spiritual book was issued frequently?" The librarian replied, “It was Gita." The greatest gift, the best blessing, that India has conferred upon the world, upon all humanity, is this sublime yet eminently practical, universal gospel of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. The great thinkers and philosophers of the Occident have vied with one another in paying their devout tribute at the shrine of the Gita. Wilhelm von Humbolt, the famous occidental scholar, says: "The Bhagavad Gita is the deepest and sublimest production the world possesses." Emerson, the great sage of America, had a copy of the Gita always on his table.

The Gita is the voice of God. It is the song of ancient wisdom. It is a great textbook of spiritual culture. It is a book of eternity. It has been my constant companion of life. It is a gospel for the whole world.

The Song Celestial

Srimad Bhagavad Gita is a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna narrated in the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata. It comprises eighteen chapters of seven hundred and one Sanskrit verses. Considerable matter is condensed and compressed within these Slokas. In the midst of the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna, During the course of His most interesting and instructive talk with Arjuna, revealed the profound, sublime and soul-stirring spiritual truths, and expounded to Arjuna the rare secrets of Yoga, Vedanta, Bhakti and Karma. All the teachings of Lord Krishna were subsequently recorded as the Song Celestial or the Srimad Bhagavad Gita by Sri Bhagavan Vyasa for the benefit of the humanity at large.

There are countless commentaries on the Gita at the present day. A volume can be written for each Sloka. A busy man with Karmic tendencies will be benefited by “Gita Rahasya', the commentary of Sri Bal Gangadhar Tilak; a man of devotion by studying Sridhara's commentary; and a man of reason by Sri Sankara's commentary.

Need for a Teacher

As the Gita contains subtle and profound teachings, You should study it under a qualified teacher, a Brahma-nishtha guru with great faith, single- minded devotion and purity. Then only the truths of the Gita will be revealed unto you like the Amalaka fruit in the hand. Good commen-taries like Swami Madhusudana's Gita, Sri Swami San_ karananda's Gita, Sri Sankara's commentary, etc., written by realised sages, will be of immense help to you.

Lord Krishna speaks from different levels of conscious-ness. Therefore, the help of a teacher is necessary if you wish to know the right significance Of the Slokas. You cannot rightly comprehend the meaning of the verses of the Gita without the help of a teacher. Otherwise, you will be like the man who brought a horse before one who asked for 'Saindhava' when he was taking his food. Saindhava' means 'salt' as well as a horse'.

A Scripture for All

Gita is a universal gospel which appeals to all, irrespective of age, race, or religion. It has a universality which embraces every aspect of human action, which suits and elevates every stage of human development. That is the reason why tributes have been paid to the Gita by eminent scholars of the world.

The Bhagavad Gita deals with Yoga. And Yoga is neither Eastern nor Western; it is of the world, of humanity in general. Yoga is the science of right living. It has nothing to do with any religious belief, traditional faith, colour, vocation, or clime.

Krishna is not merely a Hindu god; He is the representative of the Inner Reality which is in all without difference. He gave His Gita not merely to Arjuna, but through Arjuna, to the whole world at large. The problems that faced Arjuna face mankind in general. The Gita is the answer to the universal question of life as a whole.

To live means to fight for all life is a battle wherein the forces of good and evil, the divine and the demoniacal, purity and passion, are ceaselessly at war. The battle of mahabharata is still raging within you. Ignorance or Avidya is Dhritarashtra. The individual soul is Arjuna. The indweller who dwells in your heart is Lord Krishna, the Charioteer. The body is your chariot. Indriyas are the horses. Mind, egoism, senses, Samskaras, Vasanas, crav-ings, Raga-dvesha, lust, jealousy, greed, pride, hypocrisy are your dire enemies.

The Gita symbolises the solution of this eternal struggle between the spiritual and the material in every human being. It does not exclude any being from receiving its message and becoming blessed. It is entirely non-sectarian, and is pre-eminently a practical gospel. It has a workable message for you, for me, and for every man and woman living their ordinary life in the busy, everyday world.

A Practical Guide to Regulate Daily Life and Conduct

The Gita embodies in itself a solution, more than an exposition or a revelation. It embodies in itself a solution to the immediately pressing problems of man, and carries a wonderful message of encouragement, hope, cheer and consolation. It is a direct appeal to divinise the entire nature of man.

The Gita is at once a rousing and inspiring gospel that throws a flood of light upon the most vexing problems of life, lights up with bright rays of hope and assurance the dark corners of gloom, despondency and despair, raising the reader at once from weakness to strength, from diffidence to robust confidence in his own infinite powers and imperishable nature.

It has the heartening message, that to realise his immortal nature, man is not required to become a recluse breaking off from family and friends and holding far from the society; that union with the Divine Self may be achieved and maintained even in the midst of worldly work and activities. The obstacles to this blissful union lie within us, and not in external environment. This is the central lesson of this unique and blessed book.

The Gita gives you practical lessons to regulate your daily life and conduct. It tells you to resist Adharma, to develop the divine virtues which will help to attain God Consciousness. The message of the Gita is the message of sacrifice, love and duty. Love all. Share what you have with others. Do your duties well. Rise above petty likes and dislikes. Keep open the portals of your heart by removing selfishness, greed, lust, so that the Supreme Lord Himself may come and dwell therein. These are the lessons of the Gita.

The Gita does not ask man to do anything which will be impossible for anyone of average capacity to do. The Lord says: "I do not want you to undertake gigantic processes. I want Bhava; I want the heart. Whatever is easily possible for you, find out, and do that. I shall fulfil it; fulfilment is in my hands." The Gita gives man a positive promise of Salvation and makes him fearless. Therein lies the supreme value of the Gita.

Harmony in the Gita

Srimad Bhagavad Gita formulates the theory of the three Margas or paths, viz., the Jnana Marga, the Bhakti Marga, and the Karma Marga. According to the teaching of the Gita, there is no conflict between the three. The Gita wonderfully harmonises the philosophies of action, devotion and knowledge.

Love is knowledge in diffusive expression. Knowledge is love in concentrated essence. Service is love expressed through action. Love, knowledge and service are equally necessary in the complete setting up of divine life. Heart, head and hand must be harmoniously developed. Then only you will attain perfection.

You should have the head of Sri Sankara, the heart of Lord Buddha, and the hand of Sri Janaka. The three horses of this body-chariot-action, emotion and intellect--should work in perfect harmony. Then only this body-chariot will move smoothly and you can reach the destination safely and quickly. Then only you can rejoice in the Self within. Then only you can sing the song of Soham. Then only you can be in tune with the Infinite. Then only you can hear the soundless voice of the Soul and enjoy the sweet intern music of the Atman.

Precept and Practice

Some thoughtless people begin to entertain doubt and say, "How can the Gita be taught to Arjuna in the battlefield in such a short time? It could not be." This is wrong. It was all a revelation to Arjuna. Lord Krishna gave Arjuna the divine eye of intuition. The omniscient, omnipotent Lord can do anything. His grace can make the dumb man eloquent, and the cripple a climber of mountains.

Gita-Jayanti or the Birthday of Srimad Bhagavad Gita is celebrated throughout India by all admirers and lovers of this unique book on the eleventh day of the bright half of the Marga Sirsha month according to the Hindu almanac. It was the day on which, over five thousand years ago, Lord Krishna taught to His disciple Arjuna, the Celestial Song.

A Treasure Trove of Wisdom

The Gita is the cream of the Vedas. It is the quintessence of the Upanishads. It is the crest jewel of the Mahabharata. It is a book that comes under the category of the Prasthanatraya, the authoritative books of the Hindu religion.

You will find a solution here for all your doubts. The more you study with devotion and faith, the more you will get deeper knowledge, penetrative insight, and clear right thinking. Ask. You shall be given. Seek. You shall find. Knock. It shall be open to you. This is the unopposed quality of this scripture. You obtain access, at one stroke, to the entire range of wisdom, human and divine.

The Lord, in His Immanence as Krishna, gave His Song Divine replete with the profoundest wisdom. And what branch of knowledge will it not include! What Yoga will it not embrace! Truly it is said: SarvashastramayeeGita. The Gita is an embodiment of all sciences, scriptures, and knowledge. Its word is law.

Gita is like the Lake of Manasarovar for the Parama-hamsas and thirsting aspirants to sport in. It is the ocean of bliss in which the seekers of Truth swim with joy and ecstasy. If the philosopher's stone touches a piece of iron only at one point, the whole of it is transformed into gold.

Even so, if you live in the spirit of one verse even of the Gita, you will doubtless be transmuted into Divinity. Worship the Srimad Bhagavad Gita as a holy scripture. Study a chapter from it daily. But, stop not with that. Live in the spirit of the teachings of the Gita. Mere talk and lecture will not help you in any way. You may know the whole of the Gita by heart; you may deliver lectures on the Gita for hours together; and yet, you may not have a ray of the wisdom of the Gita. What is wanted is regular practice of the teachings of the Gita. Become intensely practical. Let the Gita guide your thoughts, prompt your speech, and rule your actions. Then your whole attitude towards life will be gradually changed. You will become a God-man with God-vision. You will no more be perturbed by success or failure, pleasure or pain, loss or gain. You will attain courage, strength, peace and bliss in this very life, right where you are.

26. GOD

Who is God? What is God? Is there a God? Where is God? How to realise God? Man wants answer to these eternal questions. Certainly there is God. God ezists. He is the only reality. God is your creator, saviour and redeemer. He is all-pervading. He dwells in your heart. He is always near you. He is nearer to you than your jugular vein or nose. He loves you. He can talk to you. You cannot find God by the intellect. But, you can find Him by feeling, meditation, experience and realisation.

Who Is God?

The Petromax does not talk, but it shines and sheds light all round. The jasmine does not speak, but it wafts its fragrance everywhere. The lighthouse sounds no drum, but sends its friendly light to the mariner. The Unseen beats no gong, but Its omnipresence is felt by the dispassionate and discriminating sage.

Behind all names and forms is the one nameless, formless Essence. Behind all governors is the one Supreme Governor of governors. Behind all lights is the one Light of lights. Behind all sounds, there is the soundless Supreme Silence. Behind all teachers is the one Supreme Guru of Gurus.

Behind all these perishable objects is the one imperishable Absolute. Behind all these motions is the one motionless Infinite. Behind time, minutes, and days is the one timeless Eternity. Behind hatred, riots and wars is the one hidden Love.

God is the totality of all that exists, both animate and inanimate, sentient and insentient. He is free from ills and limitations. He is omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present. He has no beginning, middle, or end. He is the indweller in all beings. He controls from within.

God is all in all. God is the only reality in this universe. The existence of things is by the light of God.

God is ever living. All depend on Him. He is not depending on any. He is the Truth.

God is the end or goal of all Yoga Sadhanas. as. He is the centre towards which all things strive. He is the highest purpose or highest good of the world. You Have the urge of hunger. There is food to appease the hunger You Have the urge of thirst. There is water to quench the thirst. There is the urge to be always happy. There must be something to satisfy this urge. This something is God, an embodiment of happiness. God, Immortality, Freedom, Perfection, Peace, Bliss, Love are synonymous terms.

What Is God?

What is God? It is hard to tell. But, when I look at the Ganga, I know it is God. When I see the jasmine, I know it is God. When I behold the blue sky, I know it is God. When I hear the chirping of birds, I know it is God. When I taste honey, I know it is God.

The Supreme is indefinable, though scholars give intellectual accounts of It which are not absolutely true.

Every man has his own conception of God. The God of a military man wears a helmet. The God of a China-man has a flat nose and a pipe for smoking opium. The God of a Hindu has marks on his forehead, and wears a rosary and a garland of flowers. The God of a Christian wears a Cross. For some, God has wings. A buffalo will think that God is a very big buffalo.

Such an anthropomorphic conception of God is obviously puerile. The greatest and most important thing in all the world is to get a right concept of God, because your belief about God governs your entire life.

Is There a God?

God is beyond human imagination, but he is a living reality. Brahman is no metaphysical abstraction. It is the fullest and the most real being.

The existence of God cannot be proved by scientific. Experimentation. The Absolute baffles the mind of even the greatest scholar. It eludes the grasp of even the mightiest intellect. It is experienced as pure consciousness, where intellect dies, scholarship perishes, and the entire being itself is completely lost in It. All is lost, and all is found.

You want laboratory proofs? Very fine, indeed! You wish limit the illimitable, all-pervading God in your test tube, to blow-Pipe and chemicals. God is the source for your chemicals. He is the substratum for your atoms, electrons and molecules. Without Him, no atom or electron will move. He is the inner ruler.

It is God who lends power to our senses, perception to our mind, discernment to our intellect, strength to our limbs. It is through His will that we live and die. But man vainly imagines that he is the actor and the enjoyer. Man is a mere nothing before the almighty, governing Power that directs the movement in the universe. God's will expresses itself everywhere as law. The laws of gravitation, cohesion, relativity, cause and effect, the laws of electricity, chemistry, physics, all the psychic laws, are expressions of God's will.

As we explain everything within nature by the law of cause and effect, so also, nature as a whole must be explained. It must have some cause. This cause must be different from the effect. It must be some supernatural entity, i.e., God.

Nature is not a mere chance collection of events, a mere jumble of accidents, but an orderly affair. The planets move regularly in their orbits; seeds grow into trees regularly; the seasons succeed each other in order. Nov, nature is Jada, insentient. It cannot order itself. It requires the existence of an intelligent being—God—who is responsible for it. Even Einstein, the scientist, was strongly convinced of the creation of the universe by a Supreme Intelligence.

Though you do not see the stars in the daytime, yet they do exist. Though you cannot see the sun during a cloudy day yet it does exist. Even so, though you cannot see God with these physical eyes, yet He does exist. If you get the divine eye or eye of intuition by the practice of meditation, you will behold Him.

God is self-proved. He does not want any proof, because He is the basis for the act or process of proving.

Where Is God?

Where is God? There is nowhere where He is not. Just as one thread penetrates all the flowers in a garland, so also, one Self penetrates all these living beings. He is hidden in all beings and forms, like oil in seed, butter in milk, mind in brain, Prana in the body, foetus in the womb, sun behind the clouds, fire in wood, vapour in the atmosphere, salt in water, scent in flowers, sound in the gramophone records gold in quartz, microbes in blood.

God dwells in all beings as life and consciousness. God is in the roar of a lion, the song of a bird, and the cry of a babe. Feel His presence everywhere.

See God in the wings of a butterfly, in the letters Alpha and Omega, in the cough of a patient, in the murmur of a brook, in the sound of a bell. Behold the wonder of the Lord's face in every object of this world.

Every breath that flows in the nose, every beat that throbs in the heart, every artery that pulsates in the body, every thought that arises in the mind, speaks to you that God is near.

Every flower that wafts fragrance, every fruit that attracts you, every gentle breeze that blows, every river that smoothly flows, speaks of God and His mercy. The vast ocean with its powerful waves, the mighty Himalayas with its glaciers, the bright sun and stars in the wide sky, the lofty tree with its branches, the cool springs in the hills and dales, tell you of His omnipotence.

The music of the sweet singers, the lectures of the powerful orators, the poems of the reputed poets, the inventions of the able scientists, the operations of the dexterous surgeons, the utterances of the holy saints, the thoughts of the Bhagavad Gita, the revelations of the Upanishads, speak of God and His wisdom.

Everything is God. Good is God. Misfortune is God. Greet Him in everything and rest peacefully in bliss.

God pervades the entire universe. He walks in the garbs of a beggar. He moans in pain in the guise of the sick. He wanders in the forest clad in rags. Open your eyes. See Him in all. Serve all. Love all.

Feel the Divine Presence everywhere—in every form, in every thought, in every feeling and in every sentiment, in every movement, in every emotion.

God, seen through the senses, is matter. God, seen through the intellect, is mind. God, seen through the spirit, is Atman or the Self.

Thou art indwelt by the Lord. He is the inner ruler, Antaryamin, guarding and controlling your life. He is in you and you are in Him. He is quite close to you. He is not very far, but is nearer to you than you are to yourself. You were thinking in the beginning that He could be found only in Mount Kailas, Ramesvaram, Mecca, Jerusalem, sky or heaven. You had very vague ideas. This body is His moving temple. The sanctum sanctorum is the chamber of your own heart. Close your eyes. Withdraw your Indriyas from the sensual objects. Search Him in thy heart with one-pointed mind, devotion and pure love. You will surely find Him. He is waiting there with outstretched arms to embrace you. If you cannot find Him there, you cannot find Him anywhere else.

How to Realise God?

God is a question of supply and demand. If you really yearn for His Darshan, He will reveal Himself to you in an instant.

You need neither art nor science, neither study nor erudition for God-realisation, but faith, purity and devotion.

Combine all the love you cherish towards all worldly objects—wife, son, wealth, property, relatives, friends—and then apply this combined love towards God. You will realise in this very second.

To serve God and Mammon at the same time is impossible. You cannot enjoy the bliss of the Self and the sensual pleasure in one and the same cup. You cannot have light and darkness at the same time.

The Lord demands your whole heart.

Reduce yourself into zero before God. Only then will God completely take care of and guide you. Only then surrender becomes complete.

Forget your own interests, your own longings, your own desires. You will attain the bliss of the Supreme Self.

Crucify, sacrifice the lower self, if you wish to have union with God.

Empty your egoism. You will be filled with God. Lose your personality. You will find the Divine Life. You will realise God.

27. GURU.

The Guru is God Himself manifesting in a personal form to guide the aspirant. Grace of God takes the form of the Guru. To see the Guru is to see God. The Guru is united with God. He inspires devotion in others. His presence purifies all.

The Guru is verily a link between the individual and the Immortal. He is a being who has raised himself from this into That, and thus has free and unhampered access into both the realms. He stands, as it were, upon the threshold of immortality; and, bending down he raises the struggling individuals with his one hand, and with the other lifts them up into the imperium of everlasting joy and infinite Truth-Consciousness.

The Sadguru

To be a Guru, one must have a command from God.

Mere study of books cannot make one a Guru. One who has studied the Vedas, and who has direct knowledge of the Atman through Anubhava, can alone be enrolled as a Guru. A Jivanmukta or liberated sage is the real Guru or spiritual preceptor. He is the Sadguru. He is identical with Brahman or the Supreme Self. He is a Knower of Brahman.

A Sadguru is endowed with countless Siddhis. He possesses all divine Aiswarya, all the wealth of the Lord.

Possession of Siddhis, however, is not the test to declare the greatness of a sage or to prove that he has attained Self-realisation. Sadgurus generally do not exhibit any miracle or Siddhi. Sometimes, however, they may do so in order to convince the aspirants of the existence of super-physical things, give them encouragement, and instil faith in their hearts.

The Sadguru is Brahman Himself. He is an ocean of bliss, knowledge, and mercy. He is the captain of your soul. He is the fountain of joy. He removes all your troubles, sorrows, and obstacles. He shows you the right divine path. He tears your veil of ignorance. He makes you immortal and divine. He transmutes your lower, diabolical nature. He gives you the rope of knowledge, and takes you tip when you are drowning in this ocean of Samsara. Do not consider him to be only a man. If you take him as a man, you are a beast. Worship your Guru and bow to him with reverence.

Guru is God. A word from him is a word from God. He need not teach anything. Even his presence or company is elevating, inspiring, and stirring. His very company is self-illumination. Living in his company is spiritual education. Read the Granth-saheb. You will come to know the greatness of the Guru.

Man can learn only from man, and hence God teaches through a human body. In your Guru, you have your human ideal of perfection. He is the pattern into which you wish to mould yourself. Your mind will readily be convinced that such a great soul is fit to be worshipped and revered.

Guru is the Moksha-dvara. He is the gateway to the transcendental Truth-Consciousness. But, it is the aspirant who has to enter through it. The Guru is a help, but the actual task of practical Sadhana falls on the aspirant himself.

The Need for a Guru

For a beginner in the spiritual path, a Guru is necessary. To light a candle, you need a burning candle. Even so, an illumined soul alone can enlighten another soul. Some do meditation for some years independently. Later on, they actually feel the necessity of a Guru. They come across some obstacles in the way. They are unable to know how to obviate these impediments or stumbling blocks. Then they begin to search for a Master.

Only the man who has already been to Badrinath will be able to tell you the road. In the case of the spiritual path, it is still more difficult to find your way. The mind will mislead you very often. The Guru will be able to remove pitfalls and obstacles, and lead you along the right path. He will tell you: "This road leads you to Moksha, this one leads to bondage." Without this guidance, you might want to go to Badrinath, but find yourself in Delhi!

The scriptures are like a forest. There are ambiguous passages. There are passages which are apparently contradictory. There are passages which have esoteric meanings, diverse significance, and hidden explanations. There are cross-references. You are in need of a Guru or Preceptor who will explain to you the right meaning. Who will remove doubts and ambiguities, who will place before you the essence of the teachings?

A Guru is absolutely necessary for every aspirant in the spiritual path. It is only the Guru who will find out your defects. The nature of egoism is such that you will not be able to find out your own defects. Just as a man cannot see his back, so also he cannot see his own errors. He must live under a Guru for the eradication of his evil qualities and defects.

The aspirant who is under the guidance of a Master or Guru is safe from being led astray. Satsanga or association with the Guru is an armour and fortress to guard you against all temptations and unfavourable forces of the material world.

Cases of those who had attained perfection without study under any Guru should not be cited as authority against the necessity of a Guru; for such great men are the anomalies of spiritual life, and not the common normality. They come into existence as spiritual masters as a result of the intense service, study and meditation practised in previous births. They had already studied under the Guru. The present birth is only its continuative spiritual effect. Hence, the importance of the Guru is not lessened thereby.

Some teachers mislead their aspirants. They say unto all: "Think for yourself. Do not surrender yourself to any Guru." When one says, "Do not follow any Guru!", he intends to be the listeners' Guru himself. Do not approach such pseudo-Gurus. Do not hear their lectures.

All great ones had their teachers. All the sages, saints, prophets, world-teachers, incarnations, great men, have had their own Gurus, however great they might have been. Svetaketu learnt the nature of Truth from Uddalaka Maitreyi from Yajnavalkya, Bhrigu from Varuna, Narada' from Sanatkumara, Nachiketas from Yama, Indra from Prajapati; and several others humbly went to wise ones,

Observed strict Brahmacharya, practised rigorous dis-cipline, and learnt Brahma-vidya from them.

Lord Krishna sat at the feet of His Guru Sandeepani. Lord Rama had Guru Vasishtha who gave Him Upadesha. Lord Jesus sought John to be baptised by him on the banks of the river Jordan. Even Devas have Brihaspati as their Guru. Even the greatest among the divine beings sat at the feet of Guru Dakshinamurti.

A neophyte must have a personal Guru first. He cannot have God as Guru to begin with. He must have a pure mind. He must have ethical perfection. He must be intensely virtuous. He must be above body-consciousness. Then alone can he have God as Guru.

How to Choose Your Guru

If you find peace in the presence of a Mahatma, if you are inspired by his speeches, if he is able to clear your doubts, if he is free from greed, anger and lust, if he is selfless, loving, and I-less, you can take him as your Guru. He who is able to clear your doubts, he who is sympathetic in your Sadhana, he who does not disturb your beliefs but helps you on from where you are, he in whose very presence you feel spiritually elevated—he is your Guru. Once you choose your Guru, implicitly follow him. God will guide you through the Guru.

Do not use your reason too much in the selection of your Guru. You will fail if you do so. If you fail to get a first-class Guru, try to follow the instructions of the Sadhu who is treading the path for some years, who has purity and other virtuous qualities, and who has some knowledge of the scriptures. Just as a student of the Intermediate class will be able to teach a student of Third Form when a professor with M.A. qualification is not available, just as a sub-assistant surgeon will be able to attend on a patient when the civil surgeon is not available, this second-class type of Guru will be able to help you.

If you are not able to find out even this second-class type of Guru, you can follow the teachings contained in the books written by realished saints like Sri Sankara, Dattatreya, and others, you can keep a photo of such a realised Guru, if available, and worship the same with faith and devotion. Gradually you will get inspiration, and the Guru may appear in a dream and initiate and inspire you at the proper time. For a sincere Sadhaka, help comes in a mysterious manner. When the time is ripe, the Guru and i the disciple are brought together by the Lord in a mysterious way.

Mysterious Help from the Lord

Just see how the Lord has helped the devotees in the following instances. Eknath heard an Akasavani, a voice from the sky. It said, "See Janardan Pant at Deva Giri. He will put you in the proper path and guide you." Eknath acted accordingly and found his Guru. Tukaram received his Mantra, Rama Krishna Hari, in his dream. He repeated this Mantra and had Darshan of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna directed Namdev to get his higher initiation from a Sannyasin at Mallikarjuna. Queen Chudalai assumed the form of Kumbha Muni, appeared before her husband Sikhidhwaja in the forest, and initiated him in the mysteries of Kaivalya. Madhura Kavi saw a light in the firmament for three days consecutively. It guided him and took him to his Guru Nammalvar who was sitting in Samadhi underneath a tamarind tree near Tinnevelly. Vilvamangal was very much attracted to Chintamani, the dancing woman. The latter became his Guru. Tulasidas received instructions from an invisible being to see Hanuman and, through Hanuman, to get Darshan of Sri Rama.

Competent disciples are never in want of a competent Guru. Realised souls are not rare. Ordinary ignorant-minded persons cannot easily recognise them. Only a few persons, who are pure and embodiments of all virtuous qualities, can understand realised souls, and they only will be benefited in their company. So long as there is a world, there are Gurus and Vedas to guide the struggling souls in the path of Self-realisation. The number of realised souls may be less in the Iron Age when compared with the Satya Yuga, but they are always present to help the aspirants. Let each man take the path according to his capacity, temperament and understand-ing. His Sadguru will meet him along that path.

Siksha Gurus and Diksha Guru

Man has a. twofold duty here on earth—to preserve his life, and to realise his Self. To preserve his life, he has to learn to work for his daily bread. To realise his Self, he has to serve, love and meditate. The Guru who teaches him the knowledge of worldly arts is the Siksha Guru. The Guru who shows him the path of Realisation is the Diksha Gum, Siksha Gurus can be many—as many as the things he wishes to learn. The Diksha Guru can be only one—the one who leads him to Moksha.

Stick to One Guru

Do not dig here and there shallow pits for getting water. The pits will dry up soon. Dig a very deep pit in one place. Centralise all your efforts here. You will get good water that can supply you throughout the year. Even so, try to imbibe thoroughly the spiritual teachings from one preceptor alone. Drink deep from one man. Sit at his feet for some years. There is no use of wandering from one man to another man, out of curiosity, losing faith in a short time. Do not have the ever-changing mind of a prostitute. Follow the spiritual instructions of one man only. If you go to several people and follow the instructions of many persons, you will be bewildered. You will be in a dilemma.

From a doctor, you get a prescription. From two doctors, you get consultation. From three doctors, you get your own cremation. Even so, if you have many Gurus, you will be bewildered. You will be at a loss to know what to do. One "Do will tell you: "Do Soham Japa." Another will tell you: Do Japa of Sri Ram." A third Guru will tell you: "Hear Anahat sounds." You will be puzzled. Stick to one Guru and follow his instructions.

Listen to all, but follow one. Respect all, but adore one. Gather knowledge from all, but adopt the teachings of one Master. Then you will have rapid spiritual progress.

Guru-Parampara

Spiritual knowledge is a matter of Guru-parampara. It is handed down from Guru to disciple. Gauddapadacharya imparted Self-knowledge to his disciple Govindacharya; Govindacharya to to his disciple sankaracharya; sankaracharya to his disciple Suresvaracharya. Matsyendranath imparted knowledge to his disciple Gorakhnath; Gorakhnath to Nivrittinath; Nivrittinath to Jnanadeva. Totapuri imparted knowledge to Sri Ramakrishna, and Rama-krishna to Swami Vivekananda. It was Ashtavakra who moulded the life of Raja Janaka. It was Gorakhnath who shaped the spiritual destiny of Raja Bhartrihari. It was Lord Krishna who made Arjuna and Uddhava get themselves established in the spiritual path when their minds were in an unsettled state.

Initiation—Its Meaning

A Bhakta will be initiated by a Bhakta saint in the path of devotion. A Jnani will initiate a student of Vedanta in the Mahavakyas. A Hatha Yogi or a Raja Yogi can initiate another in his particular path. But, a sage of perfect realisation, a Puma-jnani or Puma-yogi, can give initiation in any particular path. A sage or saint like Sri Sankara or Madhusudana Sarasvati can initiate a Sadhaka in any particular path for which the aspirant is fit. The Guru will find out by close study of the aspirant his tastes, temperaments, and capacity, and decide for him the most suitable path. If his heart is impure, the teacher will prescribe selfless service for a number of years. Then the Guru will find out for what particular path the student is fit and initiate him in that.

Initiation does not mean reciting a Mantra into another's ears. If Rama is influenced by the thoughts of Krishna, the former has got initiation already from the latter. If an aspirant treads the path of truth after studying the books written by a saint, and imbibes his teachings, that saint has already become his Guru.

Sakti-sanchar

Just as you can give an orange to a man, so also, spiritual power can be transmitted by one to another. This method of transmitting spiritual powers is termed Sakti-sanchar. In Sakti-sanchar, a certain spiritual vibration of the Sadguru is actually transferred to the mind of the disciple.

Spiritual power is transmitted by the Guru to the proper disciple whom he considers fit for Sakti-sanchar. The Guru can transform the disciple by a look, a touch, a thought or a word, or mere willing.

Sakti-sanchar comes through Parampara. It is a hidden. Mystic science. It is handed down from Guru to disciple.

Lord Jesus, through touch, transmitted his spiritual power to some of his disciples. A disciple of Samartha Ramdas transmitted his power to that dancing girl's daughter who was very passionate towards him. The disciple gazed at her and gave her Samadhi. Her passion vanished. She became very religious and spiritual. Lord Krishna touched the blind eyes of Surdas. The inner eve of Surdas was opened. He had Bhava Samadhi. Lord Gouranga, through his touch, produced divine intoxication in many people and converted them to his side. Atheists even danced in ecstasy in the streets by his touch and sang songs of Hari.

The disciple should not rest satisfied with the transmission of power from the Guru. He will have to struggle hard in Sadhana for further perfection and attainments. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa touched Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda had superconscious experience. He struggled hard for seven years more, even after the touch, for attaining perfection.

Grace and Self-effort

Realisation cannot come to you as a miracle done by your Guru. Lord Buddha, Lord Jesus, Rama Tirtha have all done Şadhana. Lord Krishna asks Arjuna to develop Vairagya and Abhyasa. He did not say to him, "I will give you Mukti now.” therefore abandon the wrong notion that your Guru will give you Samadhi and Mukti. Strive, purify, meditate and realise.

Guru-kripa-grace of a Guru—is very necessary. That does not mean that the disciple should sit idle. He must do rigid Purushartha, spiritual practices. The whole work must be done by the student. Nowadays, people want a drop of water from the Kamandalu of a Sannyasin and desire to enter into Samadhi immediately. They are not prepared to undergo any Sadhana for purification and self realisation. They want a magic pill to push them into samadhi. If you have got such delusion, give it up immediately.

The Guru and the Shastras can show you the path and remove your doubts. Anubhava of Aparoksha kind or direct intuitive knowledge is left for your own experience. A hungry man will have to eat for himself. He who has a severe itching will have to scratch for himself.

No doubt, the Guru’s blessing can do everything. But how can one have his blessings? By pleasing the Guru. A guru can be pleased with his disciple only if the latter carries out his spiritual instructions implicitly. Carefully follow, therefore, the instructions of the guru. Act up to his instructions. Then only will you deserve his blessings, and then alone his blessings can do everything.

28. HAPPINESS

Man wants happiness. He shuns pain. He moves heaven and earth to get the happiness he wants from sensual objects, and lo, gets himself entangled in the inextricable meshes of Maya. Poor man! He does not know that these objects are perishable and evanescent, finite and conditioned in time, space and causation. And what is more, he fails to get the desired happiness from them.

Sensual pleasure is tantalising. There is enchantment so long as man does not possess the objects. The moment he is in possession of the object, the charm vanishes. He finds that he is in entanglement.

The bachelor thinks of his marriage, day and night. He thinks he is in imprisonment after the marriage is over. He is not able to satisfy the extravagant wants of his wife. He wants to run away from the house to forests. The rich but childless man thinks he will be more happy by getting a son; he worries himself day and night to get a son, goes on pilgrimage to Ramesvaram and Kasi, and performs various religious ceremonies. But when he gets a child, he feels miserable; the child suffers from epileptic fits and his money is given away to doctors. Even then, there is no cure. This is Mayaic jugglery. The whole world is fraught with temptation.

A Spectacle of Sorrow

A worldly man is always drowned in sorrow. He is ever. struggling to get something, some money, some power, some position and so on. He is always anxious as to whether or not he would get it. Even when he is in actual possession of the thing he so passionately longed for, he is very anxious lest he should lose it.

A rich man has great wealth, but he has no children. And so he is pained at heart. A poor man has fourteen children, but has nothing to eat, and so he is miserable. One man has wealth and children, but his son is a vagabond, and so he is worried. One man has riches and good sons, but his wife is very quarrelsome. No one is happy in this world.

The sessions judge is very discontented. He thirsts to become a high court judge. The minister is also discontented. He longs to become the premier. A millionaire is discontented; he yearns to become a Croropati. The husband is discontented; his wife is black and thin; he wants to marry another wife with good complexion. The wife is discontented; she wants to divorce and marry a rich, young husband, a lean man is discontented; he wants to put on fat and gulps cod liver oil. A fat man is discontented; he wants to reduce his fat and takes anti fat pills. No man is contented in this world.

A doctor thinks that the advocate is very happy. The advocate thinks that the businessman is more happy. The businessman thinks that the judge is more happy. The judge thinks that the professor is more happy. No one is happy in this world.

An emperor is not happy. A dictator is not happy. A president of a state is not happy. God Indra is not happy.

Who is happy then? A sage is happy. A Yogi is happy. He who has controlled his mind is happy.

Happiness comes from peace of mind. Peace of mind comes from a state of mind wherein there are no desires, no Moha, no Vishaya, no thoughts of objects. You should forget all ideas of pleasure before you enter the domain of peace.

Pleasure is Mixed Pain

You cannot have pleasure without pain. Wherever there is pleasure, there is pain. You vainly seek pleasure in gold, in women, in this mundane existence. You cannot have absolute happiness in a relative physical plane of pairs of opposites. The pairs of opposites rotate in their turn. Death follows life. Night follows day. Light follows darkness. Pain follows pleasure.

One anna of pleasure is mixed with fifteen annas of pain. Pleasure that is mixed with pain, fear, and worry is no pleasure at all. If you carefully begin to analyse this one anna of pleasure also, it will dwindle into an airy nothing. You will find that it is a mere of the mind.

Pleasure and pain are relative terms only. They are not two entities. They are obverse and reverse sides of the same coin. The difference is not in kind, but in degree only.

Pleasure and pain are two names for one thing. They are two aspects of one thing. For a worldly man without philosophical knowledge, they appear as two different entities.

Pleasure and Pain Lie in the Mind

What is pleasure for you is pain for another man. What is pleasure for you now is pain after some time. The first two cups of milk give you pleasure. The third cup induces disgust, nausea, and rctching. Milk does not give pleasure during fever. Therefore, pleasure is not in the objects, but in the imagination or inclination of the mind.

Pleasure and pain, beauty and ugliness, are all false imaginations of the mind. Mind is a false, illusory product. Conceptions of the mind also must, therefore, be false.

Pleasure and pain are in the mind only. It is subjective. Things, when longed for, are pleasant; but are bitter if not longed for. Desires are the cause for pleasures.

You can convert pleasure into pain and pain into pleasure by thinking, by Bhavana, by imagination. Many vegetarian students who have gone to England to prosecute their studies have become inveterate meat-eaters. Meat was very repulsive to them when they were in India. Mere sight used to induce vomiting. How is it they are able to relish meat with avidity, cupidity, and stupidity now? By simple change in thinking.

Ignorant persons attribute their pleasures to external objects. That is a serious blunder, indeed. Really, there is no pleasure in objects. There is neither pleasure nor pain in objects. It is all mental creation, mental perception, mental jugglery. It is only the mental attitude or a certain kind of mental behaviour towards objects that brings joy or grief, pleasure or pain. Maya has her powerful seat in the imagination of the mind.

When you are in acute agony, a cup of coffee, milk or tea does not give you any pleasure. When you are in acute agony, the whole world which appeared to you to be full of bliss while in good health, appears quite dreary. The world loses all its charms while you are seriously ailing. A real thing must give pleasure for everybody at all times. Is it not?

Pleasure Is the Cause of Pain

The cause of pain is pleasure. The man who is addicted to taking tea, and is in the habit of taking fruits and milk after meals, feels very miserable when he cannot get tea, or fruits and milk, in a certain place. When the wife dies, the husband is drowned in sorrow, not because of the loss of his loving partner in life, but because he cannot get sexual pleasure now.

The cause of pain is pleasure. The cause of death is love for sensual life. Give up all sensual pleasures if you do not want pain. Give up sensual life if you do not want death.

Enjoyment cannot bring satisfaction of desire. On the contrary, it aggravates and intensifies desires and makes the mind more restless through sense hankering or Trishna, just as the pouring of ghee or oil aggravates fire. The fewer the wants, the greater the happiness.

Many rich persons, in spite of their immense wealth and possession of two or three wives, are extremely miserable and unhappy. I have come in contact with several rich landlords. They are all discontented, restless, peevish, and very miserable. It is evident, therefore, that happiness does not lie either in money, objects, or woman.

The Source of Happiness

There is no happiness at all in any of the objects of the world. There is not an iota of happiness in objects, because they are insentient. Even the sensual pleasure is a reflection of the Atmic bliss only. It is sheer ignorance to think that we derive any pleasure from the sense-objects or from the mind.

When there is a desire in the mind, the mind is filled with Rajas. It is in an agitated condition. It is restless and unpeaceful. It will be restless till the desired object is attained. When the object is attained and enjoyed, when the desire is gratified, the mind moves towards the Inner Soul. It ceases functioning. It is filled with Sattva. All thoughts subside for a split second; the mind rests in the Soul within. The Soul's bliss is reflected in the intellect. But the ignorant man thinks that he is getting the happiness from the object; just as the dog which is biting a dry bone imagines that it is getting the pleasure from the bone, that the blood is oozing from the bone, whereas in reality, the blood comes from its own palate.

Real Happiness Is Within

Real happiness is within you. It is in the Atman. It is subjective. It manifests when the mind is concentrated. When the Indriyas are withdrawn from the objects outside, when the mind is one-pointed, when there is Vasanakshaya and Manonasa, when you become desireless and thoughtless, Atmic bliss begins to dawn, spiritual Ananda begins to thrill.

The musk is in the navel of the deer, but it runs here and there to smell it. The chain is in the neck of the damsel, but she runs hither and thither in search of it. The precious diamond is within you, but you run after the broken glass-pieces in vain. Even so, the ocean of bliss is within you; the fountain of joy is within you; and yet, you run here and there in search of it. The Sun of suns is ever shining in you, but your blind eyes cannot behold it. The eternal sound is ringing within you, but your deaf ears cannot hear it.

Go wherever you may, to Gulmarg or Pahalgam in Kashmir, to Darjeeling or Simla, to Vienna or the Alps. It is all the same. You will not find any real rest. The charming scenery may soothe the retina for a second. Raga, Dvesha, Jealousy, passion, and greed are everywhere. You will find the same earth, the same sky, the same air, and the same water. And you carry with you the same mind. Imagination and change of place have deceived not a few. O man! Be contented. Live where you may, but discipline the mind and the senses. Meditate on the Inner Self, the Antaratman, ceaselessly. Here you will find the everlasting peace. Mind will stop deceiving you now.

Raja Bhartrihari, Raja Gopichand. Lord Buddha deserted kingdom and all pleasurable objects, palaces, music, children, wife, etc., to attain Atmic bliss which is everlasting. They attained immortality. They are not fools. Had there been real happiness in objects, they would have stuck to this world. The difficulty is that the worldly men with gross Vyavaharic Buddhi are not able to understand or comprehend a supersensual spiritual bliss that exists beyond the senses, mind, and intellect.

Sensual Pleasure and Spiritual Bliss

Spiritual bliss is the highest bliss. Spiritual bliss is bliss of one's own Soul. It is transcendental bliss. It is independent of objects. It is continuous, uniform, and eternal. It is enjoyed by the sage only.

Sensual pleasure comes out of emotion. But bliss of the Soul is self-delight. It is the innate nature of the Atman. Pleasure is temporary and fleeting. Bliss is eternal and everlasting. Pleasure is mixed with pain. Bliss is unalloyed happiness. Pleasure depends upon nerves, mind, and objects. Bliss is independent and self-existent. There is effort in attaining sensual pleasures, but there is no striving in experiencing the bliss of the Soul. The drop joins the ocean. The Jiva floats in the ocean of bliss.

Purify the mind by Japa, Satsanga, charity, control of mind, self-restraint, selfless service, study of the Gita, the Upanishads and the Yoga Vasishtha, practice of Yama and Niyama, Pranayama, Vairagya and Tyaga. You will then get a proper instrument for meditation, a calm, sharp, subtle, one-pointed mind. Start meditation with the help of this instrument for three hours in the morning and three hours at night. Then a new kind of indescribable Ananda will dawn in you. You will be convinced of a supersensuous spiritual bliss. You will have to feel this spiritual Ananda yourself. You will have to enjoy it yourself. You will have to eat it yourself. Can you explain the sexual happiness to a boy of twelve? Can you explain the happiness of sugar-candy to a boy who has not tasted the same? No, you cannot. The boy himself must eat sugar-candy. He must, when he has grown up, taste the carnal pleasure.

Worldly men think they are quite happy because they get a few ginger biscuits, some money, and a woman. O, if they would just taste the nectar of immortality, what should be the intensity of happiness they should feel!

The body is an abode of misery and disease. Wealth brings a lot of trouble in acquiring and keeping safe. Sorrow springs from every connection. Women are a perpetual source of vexation. Alas! People prefer this path of misery to that of spiritual enjoyment.

Enough, enough of your tea and coffee, enough of soda and lemonade, enough of father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister and relations. You have had countless fathers and mothers, wives and children in the past. You came alone. You will go alone. None will follow you save your own actions. Realise God. All miseries will come to an end.

Though surrounded by pleasurable or painful objects to disturb your equilibrium of mind, remain immovable as a rock, receiving all things with equanimity. Be always cheerful. Laugh and smile. How can a mind that is gloomy and dull think of God? Try to be happy always. Happiness is your very nature. This is termed cheerfulness. This spirit of cheerfulness must be cultivated by all aspirants.

Keep the mind in a state of moderation or happy, golden mean. Never let it run to excesses. People die of shock from extreme depression as well as from extreme joy. Do not allow Uddharsha to crop up in the mind. It is excessive merriment. Mind always runs to extremes, either to extreme depression or extreme joy. Extremes meet. Extremes bring about reaction. Mind can never be calm in excessive joy. Let the mind be cheerful, but calm.

This world is a mere appearance. Mind and the senses are deceiving you every moment. You have mistaken pain for pleasure. There is not even an iota of happiness in this sense-universe. Abandon these selfish struggles and schemes for amassing wealth. March directly to that wire-puller who is moving these toys of fleshy human bodies, who is keeping up this big show, who is behind this show. In Him only you will find lasting happiness and perennial joy. Merge in Him by practising daily meditation and Japa.

29. HEALTH

The whole universe from the mightiest sun to the tiniest atom is controlled by law. There is perfect order everywhere. The sun performs its duties quite regularly. It rises at the proper time and sets at the proper time. The stars and planets revolve in an orderly manner. They are governed by laws.

There are laws in the mental plane. There are laws of physics, of astronomy, of mathematics. There are laws of hygiene and health which govern our own being.

In the vast universe, man only breaks and violates all rules and laws. He is the single example of lawlessness and discord. He wilfully disregards the laws of health, leads a life of dissipation, and then wonders why he suffers from disease and disharmony. He deliberately ignores the rules of hygiene and right living and then weeps when he is ailing from an incurable dire malady.

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease. Disease is the result of disobedience to the immutable laws of health that govern life.

The laws of health are the laws of nature. These should not be violated with impunity. Those who neglect these laws become victims to incurable diseases and drag a cheerless existence.

Health, the First Requisite

Life without good health is a miserable condition even if one is the lord of the whole earth. What is the use of wealth and possessions, if a man cannot eat well on account of disease of the stomach, if he cannot walk on account of rheumatism or paralysis, if he cannot see the beautiful scenery of nature on account of cataract or defective vision?

The first wealth is health. It is the greatest of all possessions. It is the basis of all virtues. Without health, life is not life. It is only a state of languor, suffering, and half-death. The difficulties and troubles that people suffer arise from ill health. He who has good health has hope. He who has hope everything.

The first requisite in life is good health. Good health is a valuable asset for one and all. You should have physical as well as mental health. If you do not posses good health, you cannot prosper in any walk of life.

Even for spiritual pursuits, good health is the prerequisite. Without good health, you cannot penetrate into the hidden depths of the vast ocean of life within and attain the final beatitude of life. Without good health, you cannot wage war with the turbulent senses and boisterous mind.

Without good health, you cannot achieve anything. Without good health, you cannot perform any service or Nishkama Karma Yoga. Without good health, you cannot pray and meditate. Without good health, you cannot do any Asanas and Pranayama. That is the reason why scriptures declare that this body is a boat to cross this ocean of Samsara, an instrument for doing virtuous deeds and attaining Moksha.

The instrument must be kept clean, strong, and healthy. This body is a horse for you to take you to the goal. If the horse tumbles down, you cannot reach the destination. If this instrument breaks down, you will not reach the goal of Atma-sakshatkara.

Health Is a Positive State

Health is that state, in which a man sleeps well, digests his food well, is quite at ease, is free from any kind of disease or uneasiness. When you are in a state of perfect health, all the organs, viz., the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, liver, intestines, work in perfect harmony and concord and discharge their functions satisfactorily. The pulse-rate and the rate of respiration are in perfect order. The bodily temperature is normal.

A healthy man smiles and laughs. He is cheerful and happy. He discharges his daily duties with ease and comfort. A healthy man is capable of doing work for a long time without getting fatigued. His bowels move very freely every day. He possesses the highest kind of mental and physical efficiency.

Health is a positive state. It is not simply negation of disease. A healthy man can turn out more physical and mental work. He can practise good meditation for a long time. Health is a gift from Mother Nature who is the power behind life. Health is your birthright, but not disease. It is as natural to be well as to be born.

How to Be Healthy

Be sober and temperate. You will be healthy. Bask in the sun. Live in the open air. Sleep in the open air. The sun and the open air are your good doctors. Let your food be simple. Never eat too much. Take sufficient exercise. If you do not keep well, fast till you are well again.

Become your own physician. Assist nature, but do not force nature. Allow nature to heal you. Nature is the best healing agent. Medicines and doctors only help nature in its recuperative work. An injudicious doctor who disturbs nature's work does more harm than good.

By drinking pure water, by eating pure and wholesome food, by observing the laws of health and hygiene, by taking regular exercise and cold baths in the morning, by practising Japa and meditation, by right living, right thinking, right action, right conduct, by observing Brahmacharya, by living in the open air and sunshine for some time daily, you can have wonderful health, vigour, and vitality

A healthy man need not be necessarily strong, and a strong man need not be healthy. A very strong man may suffer from diseases. A healthy and strong man becomes a centre of great attraction. He radiates health and strength to all persons with whom he comes in contact.

Health and Diet

The secret of being healthy and happy at all times is to be a little hungry all the time. Do not overload the stomach.

Overeating is the chief cause of most diseases. The vast majority of persons dig their graves through their teeth. No rest is given to the stomach. Though we boast ourselves to be civilised men, yet, when the question of food comes, we make many imperceptible blunders. Man generally eats twice as much as his system needs. It hinders elimination assimilation, and growth. All the organs are overworked and get diseased quickly. Hence, avoid overeating and observe perfect moderation in diet.

The right kind of food is most important. Half the illnesses of the nation are due to an ill-balanced diet. There is no mystery about diet. It can be learnt very easily. A correct diet is a fundamental factor in the maintenance of perfect health and a high standard of vitality. Good food is not expensive. A well-balanced diet is not costly. It is knowledge of dietetics that we hopelessly lack.

Diet is a vital factor in one's life. Have a good knowledge of diet and nutrition. You can save doctors' bills. You can build a healthy constitution.

Eat moderately what you know by experience is agreeable to you and what is digestible. Simple diet is the best.

Physical Health and Mental Health

There is intimate connection between the mind and the body. Whatever you hold in your mind will be produced in the physical body. Any ill-feeling or bitterness towards another person will at once affect the body and produce some kind of disease in the body. Intense passion, hatred, long-standing bitter jealousy, corroding anxiety, fits of hot temper, actually destroy the cells of the body and induce diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, and stomach. Worry has caused new deadly diseases like blood pressure, heart-trouble, nervous breakdown, etc.

All diseases take their origin in the mind. The pains that afflict the physical body are called secondary diseases, whilst the Vasanas that affect the mind are termed mental or primary diseases. If bad thoughts are destroyed, all bodily diseases will vanish.

Treat the mind first. Mental health is more important than physical health.

Removal of hatred through cosmic love, service, friendship, mercy, sympathy and compassion; removal of greed through disinterested service, generous acts, and Charity: removal of pride through humility-these will help you a great deal in the achievement of good mental health.

You must be always cheerful. You must cultivate this virtue again and again. Laughter and cheerfulness increase the circulation of blood. They are blood-tonics.

Be courageous. Be cheerful. Be kind. Be tolerant. Pray. Sing. Meditate on the Lord. Do Japa, Pranayama, and Asanas. You will have wonderful physical and mental health. You will have always a calm and poised mind.

When you have controlled the mind, you have perfect control over the body. The body is only a shadow of the mind. It is the mould prepared by the mind for its expression. The body becomes your slave when you have conquered the mind.

Ill-health Is a Myth

Be not a victim to imaginary ills and diseases. Even if you have disease, thinking of the disease constantly will intensify it. As you think, so you become. Feel always, “I am healthy in body and mind.”

Ill-health is a myth. It does not exist beyond the range of the physical and mental sheaths. The body and the mind alone are subject to diseases. The Atman, your true Self, is beyond these, and therefore eternally free from diseases and death.

Atman or the Self that resides in the chambers of your heart is the storehouse for health, strength, vigour and vitality. It cannot be affected by germs, microbes, bacilli, cholera, pyorrhoea, plague, etc. Weakness, depression, uneasiness, feeling out of sorts, morbidity have no place there. Germs and diseases take to their heels if anyone simply remembers the Atman or one's own Self.

During illness, detach yourself from the body. Connect the mind with the Buddhi and soul. Again and again assert: "I am the bodiless, diseaseless, all-pervading, immortal Soul or Atman." The disease will take to its heels.

The Tragedy of the Times

The vast majority do not avail of this rare panacea, though they have very often heard of this from saints and spiritual books. This is due to their deep-rooted ignorance, and lack of faith. People are immersed in worldliness. They are engrossed in passion and Samsaric activities. They have no time to think of this inner, real, unfailing remedy. They have neither leisure nor interest to do introspection and self-analysis.

The world is now flooded with multifarious injections and tonics. People are carried away by pompous advertisements. Money is wasted enormously in paying doctors' bills. They immediately run to find relief in outside objects and from physical doctors, who despite their qualifications and degrees, are still ignorant of many things, who are still groping in darkness, who are yet not able to diagnose when there is a complication, who have no real genuine specifics to cure diseases like asthma, malaria, lumbago, phthisis. cerebro-spinal-meningitis, typhoid, diabetes, blood pressure, etc., who are still only experimenting on the patients.

In olden days, an ordinary Vaidya would cure a disease with some, bazaar drugs worth about two pies. In these days of modern civilisation and scientific advancement, allopathic medical treatment has become very costly. Poor people cannot afford to have this. The patient has to get his blood, urine, faeces, and sputum examined. He has to visit the Saptarishis of the medical profession. He has to go to a bacteriologist first for this purpose and has to jingle something on the table. The bacteriologist directs the patient to go to a dentist to remove the tartar and treat his pyorrhoea which is believed to be the root cause for all diseases. He has to pay for this Rs. 10/. Then he has to go to the radiologist for taking a skiagraph. He has to pay him Rs. 25/. Sometimes he has to pay a board of doctors for expert diagnosis. He finds no real relief even after spending so much money.

Vedanta for Health

The best medicine or tonic for any complaint, physical or mental, is constant thinking: “I am the Spirit, the Atman which is independent of the body and the mind, which is Anamaya, diseaseless." Repeat this formula mentally several times daily. Meditate on the meaning. Chronic incurable diseases that are declared to be hopeless by boards of eminent doctors can be cured by this method. This is an unfailing infallible divine remedy. Sometimes you will have to wait patiently for results.

Auto-suggestion is only an offshoot of Vedanta. The formula of this school-By the Grace of God, I am becoming better and better, day by day, in every way-is only a Vedantic assertion and affirmation.

People say, "One apple a day keeps the doctor away." This is costly. This is doubtful. I say, "Live in the spirit of the Vedantic formulae. This alone can keep the doctors away. This is dead cheap. This is a sure sovereign specific and a sheet-anchor and a cure-all. This is a potent, easily available medicine that lies at your command, that is very close to you, that is within easy access or approach. Doctors' bills and money can be saved. This will give you Self-realisation as well.” Believe me. Give up doubting. I assure you, my dear brother! Thou art not this perishable body. Thou art the immortal, all-pervading Soul. Tat tvam asi Thou art That. Rejoice in the Satchidananda Atman within and become a Jivanmukta in this very birth

30. HINDUISM

Hinduism is the religion of the Hindus. It is the oldest of all living religions. Hinduism is not a man-made religion. It was not founded by any single person. It is not based on a set of dogmas preached by a particular set of teacher. It was not started as a system, like Islam or Christianity. It is the product of the seers of the Vedas. It was developed from age to age by the teachings of Avataras, Rishis, Vedas the Upanishads, the Gita, and the Itihasas. It will exist as long as the world lasts. There is a peculiar, mysterious spiritual force that is ingrained in the heart of every Hindu.

Hinduism is also known by the names Sanatana Dharma and Vaidika Dharma. Sanatana Dharma means the eternal religion, the Ancient Law. Vaidika Dharma means the religion of the Vedas.

Hinduism is as old as the world itself. Hinduism is the mother of all religions. Lord Buddha, who was born and bred up in the Hindu religion, made some changes here and there and brought forth a new religion, Buddhism, to suit the temperament and stage of evolution of the people who lived in his time. Buddhism is only an offshoot of Hinduism. Lord Jesus, who did Tapas in Kashmir and Banaras, imbibed the teachings and principles of Hinduism and brought forth a religion to suit the fishermen of Palestine. Mahavira made some changes here and there, and brought forth a religion, Jainism, which is only an offshoot of Buddhism. Zoroastrianism and Christianity and all 'isms are all really offshoots of Hinduism only.

A Religion of Freedom

Hinduism allows absolute freedom to the rational mind of man. Hinduism never demands any undue restraint upon the freedom of human reason, the freedom of thought, feeling and will of man.

Hinduism is a religion of freedom. It allows the widest freedom in matters of faith and worship. It allows absolute freedom to the human reason and heart with regard questions such as the nature of God, soul, creation, form of worship, and goal of life. It does not force anybody to accept particular dogmas or forms of worship. It allows everybody to reflect, investigate, enquire, and cogitate. Hence, all sorts of religious faiths, various forms of worship or Sadhana, diverse kinds of rituals and customs, have found honourable place side by side within Hinduism, and are cultured and developed in harmonious relationship with one another.

Hinduism, unlike other religions does not dogmatically assert that the final emancipation is possible only through its means and not through any other. It is only a means to an end, and all means which will ultimately lead to the end are equally approved.

The religious hospitality of Hinduism is proverbial. Hinduism is extremely catholic and liberal. This is the fundamental feature of Hinduism. Hinduism pays respects to all religions. It does not revile any other religion. It accepts and honours truth, wherever it may come from and whatever garb it may put on.

The Hindu Scriptures

The Sruti and the Smriti are the two authoritative sources of Hinduism. 'Sruti' literally means what is heard', and 'Smriti' means what is remembered'. Sruti is revelation; Smriti is tradition. What is revealed is Sruti. Upanishad is a Sruti. What is remembered is Smriti. Bhagavad Gita is a Smriti.

Sruti is direct experience. Great Rishis heard the eternal truths of religion and left a record of them for the benefit of posterity. These records constitute the Vedas. Hence, Sruti is primary authority. Smriti is a recollection of that experience. Hence, it is secondary authority. The Smritis or Dharma Shastras are founded on the Sruti. They also are books written by sages, but they are not the final authority. If there is anything in a Smriti which contradicts the Sruti, the Smriti is to be rejected. Bhagavad Gita also is a Smriti. So is Mahabharata, too.

The Vedas and the Upanishads

Srutis are called the Vedas or the Amnaya. These are direct intuitional revelations and are held to be Apaurusheya or entirely superhuman, without any author in particular.

The Vedas are eternal truths revealed by God to the great ancient Rishis of India. The word 'Rishi' means 'a seer’. He is the seer of thought. The thought was not his own. The Rishis saw the truths or heard them. Therefore the Vedas are called Sruti or what are heard. The Rishi did not write. He did not create it out of his mind. He was the seer of the thought which existed already. He was only the spiritual discoverer of the thought.

The Rishi is not the inventor of the Veda. He is only a medium or agent to transmit to people the intuitional experiences which he received. The truths of the Vedas are revelations. All the other religions of the world trace their authority to having been delivered by special Messengers of God to certain persons, but the Vedas do not owe their authority to anyone. They are themselves the authority as they are eternal, as they are the knowledge of the Lord.

The Vedas are the oldest books in the library of man. The Vedas are the ultimate source to which all religious knowledge can be traced. Religion is of divine origin. It was revealed by God to man in the earliest times. It is embodied in the Vedas.

The Upanishads are the concluding portions of the Vedas, or the end of the Vedas. The teaching based on them is called Vedanta. The Upanishads are the gist, the goal of the Vedas. They form the very foundation of Hinduism.

The most important Upanishads are Isa Kena, Katha, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Aitareya, Taittiriya, Chhandogya, Brihadaranyaka, Kaushitaki and Svetasvatara. These are supremely authoritative.

The different philosophers of India belonging to different schools such as Advaita, Qualified Monism or Visishtadvaita, Dualism, Pure Monism, Bhedabheda, etc., have acknowledged the supreme authority of the Upanishads. They have given their own interpretations, but they have obeyed the authority. They have built their philosophy on the foundation of the Upanishads.

The philosophy of the Upanishads is sublime, profound, lofty, and soul-stirring. The Upanishads reveal the most Subtle spiritual truths. Even the Western scholars have paid their tribute to the seers of the Upanishads. They have been amazed at the lofty heights scaled by the Upanishads. Schopenhauer studied the Upanishads and meditated on the thoughts of the Upanishads just before going to bed. He said: “The Upanishads are the solace of my life, and they will be solace to me after my death also."

The teachings of the Rishis of yore do not pertain to Hindus alone. They are of an all-embracing, universal nature. They are meant for the people of the whole world. The Gita and the Upanishads are books for the people of the whole world.

Hindu Mythology

In every religion, there are three parts, viz., philosophy, mythology and ritual. Philosophy is the essence of religion. It sets forth its basic principles or fundamental doctrines or tenets, the goal and the means of attaining it. Mythology explains and illustrates philosophy by means of legendary lives of great men or of supernatural beings. Ritual gives a still more concrete form to philosophy so that everyone may understand it. Ritual consists of forms and ceremonies.

Mythology is a part of every religion. Mythology is concretised philosophy. Mythology is the science which investigates myths or fables or legends founded on remote events, especially those made in the early period of a people's existence. Mythology inspires the readers through precepts and laudable examples, and goads them to attain perfection or the highest ideal. The abstract teachings and subtle ideas are made highly interesting through the garb of stories, parables, legends, allegories, and narratives. The sublime and abstract philosophical ideas and ideals of Hinduism are taken straight to the heart of the masses through impressive stories.

Mythology is slightly mixed up with a little history. It is difficult to make a fine distinction between history and mythology.

There are great truths behind the ancient mythology of Hinduism. You cannot ignore a thing simply because it has a garb of mythology. Do not argue. Shut up your mouth. Keep your intellect at a respectable distance when you study mythology. Intellect is a hindrance. It will delude you. Give up arrogance, vanity. Cultivate love for imagery. Sit like a child and open your heart freely. You will comprehend the great truths revealed by mythology. You will penetrate into the hearts of the Rishis and sages who wrote the mythology. You will really enjoy mythology now.

You study geography through maps. There is no real country or town in a map, but it helps you to know a great deal about the different countries. Similar is the case with myths. You can grasp the subtle, philosophical truths through myths only. The object of myth and legend is merely to lure the mind to the truths of the religion.

By studying mythology, you will get several objective lessons for moulding your character and leading an ideal, divine life. The lives of Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, Bhishma. Nala, Harischandra, Lakshmana, Bharata, Hanuman, Yudhishthira, Arjuna, Sita, Savitri, Damayanti, Radha, are sources of great spiritual inspiration for moulding your life, conduct, and character. When you are in a dilemma as to what to do during puzzling situations, when there is conflict of duties, you will get the exact solutions through study of mythology.

Puranas contain various myths. Religion is taught in a very easy and interesting way through these Puranas. Even to this day, the Puranas are popular. The Puranas contain the history of remote times. They also give a description of the regions of the universe not visible to the ordinary physical eye. They are very interesting to read and are full of information of all kinds. Children hear the stories from their grandmothers. Pundits and Purohits hold Kathas in temples, on the banks of rivers, and in other important places. Agriculturists, labourers, and bazaar people hear the stories. Thus the minds of the people are saturated with Hindu ideas and ideals, and lifted to great spiritual heights.

Emphasis on Practice

Hinduism provides spiritual food. Yoga is eminently practical. In no religion will you find such a variety of Yoga practised, and such sublime unique philosophy expounded.

Hinduism provides spiritual food and Yoga Sadhana for all sorts of people to suit their temperaments, capacities, tastes, stages of spiritual development, and conditions of life. It prescribes Yoga Sadhana even for a scavenger or a cobbler to attain God-realisation, while doing his ordinary avocation in the world. Hindu Yoga and Vedanta teachers lay great stress on self-restraint, Tapas, renunciation and practical Sadhana, which is best calculated to control the mind and the senses and unfold the Divinity within or attain Self-realisation.

Religion is the practical aspect of philosophy. Philosophy is the rational aspect of religion. The philosophy of Hinduism is not armchair philosophy. It is not meant for intellectual curiosity and vain discussion. Hindu philosophy is a way of life. The philosopher of Hinduism seriously reflects after hearing the Srutis, does Atma Vichara, constantly meditates, and then attains Self Realisation or Atma-sakshatkara. Moksha is his goal. He attempts to attain Jivanmukti now and here.

Hindu Sects

A foreigner is struck with astonishment when he hears about the diverse sects and creeds of Hinduism. But, these varieties are really an ornament to Hinduism. They, certainly, are not its defects. There are various types of mind and temperament. So, there should be various faiths also. This is natural. This is the cardinal tenet of Hinduism. There is room in Hinduism for all types of souls—from the highest to the lowest-for their growth and evolution.

The term Hinduism is most elastic. It includes a number of sects and cults, allied, but different in many important points. Hinduism has, within its fold, various schools of Vedanta, Saivism, Saktism, Vaishnavism, etc. It has various cults and creeds. It is more a league of religions than a single religion with a definite creed. It is a fellowship of faiths. It is a federation of philosophies. It accommodates all types of men. It prescribes spiritual food for everybody, according to his qualification and growth. This is the beauty of this magnanimous religion. This is the glory of Hinduism. Hence there is no conflict among the various cults and creeds. Lord Krishna says in the Gita: "Howsoever men approach me; even so do I welcome them, for the path men take from every side is Mine." All diversities are organised and united in the body of Hinduism

Sanatana Dharmists, Arya Samajists, Deva Samajists. Jains, Sikhs, and Brahmo Samajists are all Hindus only Despite all the differences of metaphysical doctrines modes of religious disciplines, and forms of ritualistic practices and social habits prevalent in the Hindu society. there is an essential uniformity in the conception of religion, and in the outlook on life and the world, among all sections of Hindus.

Reasons for Survival of the Hindu Religion

Mohammedan emperors ruled India for seven hundred years. The British ruled India for two hundred years. Some joined Islam through force. The number of Mohammedans in undivided India was nine crores. The number of Christians in India is more than a crore. The Mohammedan emperors and the British were not able to convert the whole of India. Still the glory of Hinduism persists. The culture of Hinduism prevails. Nothing can shake its greatness and root.

Hinduism is neither asceticism nor illusionism, neither polytheism nor pantheism. It is a synthesis of all types of religious experiences. It is a whole and complete view of life. It is characterised by wide toleration, deep humanity, and high spiritual purpose. It is free from fanaticism. That is the reason why it has survived the attacks of the followers of other great religions of the world.

Hinduism is extremely catholic, liberal, tolerant, and elastic. No religion is so very elastic and tolerant like Hinduism. Hinduism is very stern and rigid regarding the fundamentals. It is very elastic in readjusting to the externals and non-essentials. That is the reason why it has succeeded in living through millennia.

The foundation of Hinduism has been laid on the bedrock of spiritual truths. The entire structure of Hindu life is built on eternal truths, the findings of the Hindu Rishis or seers. That is the reason why this structure has lasted through scores of centuries.

Hinduism stands unrivalled in the depth and grandeur of its philosophy. Its ethical teachings are lofty, unique, and sublime. It is highly flexible and adapted to every human need. It is a perfect religion by itself. It is not in need of anything from any other religion. No other religion has produced so many great saints, great patriots, great warriors, great Pativratas. The more you know of the Hindu religion, the more you will honour and love it. The more you study it, the more it will enlighten you and satisfy your heart.

31. IDOLATRY

A piece of ordinary white paper or coloured paper has no value. You throw it away. But, if there is the stamp or picture of the king or emperor on the paper-if it is a currency note—you keep it safe in your money-purse or trunk. Even so, an ordinary piece of stone has no value for you. You throw it away. But, if you behold the stone Murti of Lord Krishna at Pandharpur or any other Murti in shrines, you bow your head with folded hands, because there is the stamp of the Lord on the stone.

A flag is only a small piece of painted cloth, but for a soldier, it stands for something that he holds very dear. He is prepared to give up his life in defending his flag. Similarly, the image is very dear to a devotee. It speaks to him in its own language of devotion. Just as the flag arouses martial valour in the soldier, so also, the image arouses devotion in the devotee.

Just as the child develops the maternal Bhava of the future caressing, nursing, protecting mother by playing with its imaginary toy-child made up of rags and suckling the child in an imaginary manner, so also, the devotee develops the feeling of devotion by worshipping the Pratima and concentrating on it.

The Idol—A Symbol of God

The Pratima or idol is only a symbol of the Divine. A devotee does not behold therein a block of stone or a mass of metal. It is an emblem of God for him. It is precious, as it bears the mark of his Lord, as it stands for something which he holds holy and eternal.

When you worship an image, you do not say, "This image has come from Jaipur. It was brought by Prabhu Singh. Its weight is fifty pounds. It is made of white marble. It has cost me rupees five hundred." You superimpose all the attributes of the Lord on the image and pray, “O Antaryamin! You are all-pervading; you are omnipotent, omniscient, all-merciful. You are the source for everything You are self-existent. You are Sat-chit-ananda. You are eternal, unchanging. You are the Life of my life, Soul of my soul Give me light and knowledge! Let me dwell in Thee for ever. “When your devotion and meditation become intense and deep, you do not see the stone image. You behold the Lord only, who is Chaitanya.

A Medium for Establishing Communion with God

Idols are not the idle fancies of sculptors, but, shining channels through which the heart of the devotee is attracted to, and flows, towards God. Even as you can catch the sound waves of people all over the world through the radio receiving-set, it is possible to commune with the all-pervading Lord through the medium of an idol. The idol remains an idol, but the worship goes to the Lord.

There are others who would glibly say, "Oh, God is all-pervading, formless Being. How can He be confined to this idol?” Are these people ever conscious of His omnipresence? Do they always see Him and Him alone in everything? No. It is their ego that prevents them from bowing to the idols of God, and with that motive, puts this lame excuse forward!

A Prop for the Spiritual Neophyte

Image-worship is very necessary for beginners. It is not possible for all to fix the mind on the Absolute or the Infinite. To behold God everywhere and to practise the presence of God is not possible for the ordinary man. A concrete form is necessary for the vast majority for practising concentration. The mind wants a prop to lean upon. It cannot have conception of Absolute in the initial stages.

The Idol is a support for the neophyte. It is a prop of his spiritual childhood. It is a reminder of God. The material image calls up the mental idea.

Everyone, an Idol-worshipper

Idol-Worship is not peculiar to Hinduism. Christians worship the Cross. They have the image of the cross in their mind. The Mohammedans keep the image of Kaaba stone when they kneel and do prayers. The people of the whole world save a few Yogis and Vedantins-are all worshippers of idols. They keep some image or the other in the mind.

The mental image also is a form of idol. The difference is not one of kind, but only one of degree. All worshippers, however intellectual they may be, generate a form in the mind and make the mind dwell on that image.

Everyone is an idol-worshipper. Pictures, drawing, etc., are only forms of Pratima. A gross mind needs a concrete symbol as a prop or Alambana; a subtle mind requires an abstract symbol. Even a Vedantin has the symbol OM for fixing the wandering mind. It is not only the pictures or images in stone and wood that are idols. Dialectics and leaders also become idols. So, why condemn idolatry?

When Idols Become Alive

The God in you has the power to awaken the latent divinity in the idol. Regular worship, Puja, and other modes of demonstrating our inner feeling of recognition of divinity in the idol unveils the divinity latent in it. This is truly a wonder and a miracle. The picture comes to life. The idol speaks. It will answer your questions and solve your problems.

For a devotee the image is a mass of Chaitanya or consciousness. The devotee beholds actually the Lord in the idol. He draws inspiration from the image. The image guides him. It talks to him. It assumes human form to help him in a variety of ways.

The image of Lord Siva in the temple at Madurai, in South India, helped the fuel-cutter and the old woman. The image in the temple at Tirupati assumed human form and gave witness in the court to help His devotees. The idols in the temples of Tirupati, Pandharpur, Palani, Kathirgama, etc., are powerful deities. They are Pratyaksha Devatas. They grant boons to the devotees, cure their ailments and give Darshan. Wonderful Lilas are associated with these deities.

For a Bhakta or a sage, there is no such thing as Jada or insentient matter. Everything is Vasudeva or Chaitanya: vasudevah sarvam iti. Narsi Mehta was put to the test by a Raja. The Raja said: "O Narsi, if you are a sincere devotee of Lord Krishna, if as you say the idol is Lord Krishna Himself, Iet this idol move." According to the prayer of Narsi Mehta, the idol moved. The sacred bull Nandi before Siva's idol took the food offered by Tulasidas. The Murti played with Mira Bai. It was full of life and Chaitanya for her.

Vedanta and Idol-worship

A pseudo-Vedantin feels himself ashamed to bow or prostrate before an idol in the temple. He feels that his Advaita will evaporate if he prostrates. Study the lives of the reputed Tamil saints, Appar, Sundarar, Sambandhar, etc. They had the highest Advaitic realisation. They saw Lord Siva everywhere. And yet, they visited all temples of Siva, prostrated before the idol, and sang hymns which are on record now. The sixty-three Nayanar saints swept the floor of the temple, collected flowers, made garlands for the Lord and put on lights in the temple. They were illiterate, but attained the highest realisation.

Tulasidas had cosmic consciousness. He communed with the all-pervading, formless Lord. And yet, his passion for Lord Rama with bow in His hand did not vanish.

Tukaram also had the same cosmic experience as that of Tulasidas. He sings in his Abhanga, “I see my Lord all-pervading, just as sweetness pervades the sugar-cane." And yet, he always speaks of his Lord Vitthala of Pandharpur with His hands on the hips.

Mira also realised her identity with the all-pervading Krishna, and yet, she was not tired of repeating again and again, “My Giridhar Nagar."

Image-worship is not contrary to the view of Vedanta. It is rather a help. When one advances in meditation, the form melts in the formless, and he becomes one with the formless essence.

Steps on the Spiritual Ladder

There is nothing wrong in worshipping an idol in the beginning. The worshipper must superimpose God and His attributes on the idol. He must think of the Antaratman that is hidden in the idol. Gradually he begins to feel that the Lord he worships is in the idol, in the hearts of all creatures, and in all the names and forms of this universe He begins to feel His presence everywhere.

Idolatry is only the beginning of religion. Certainly it is not its end. The same Hindu scriptures which prescribe idol-worship for beginners speak of meditation on the Infinite or the Absolute, contemplation on the significance of the “Tat tvam asi Mahavakya, for advanced aspirants.

The Hindus know that the images, crosses and crescents are simply so many symbols to fix the mind in the beginning for developing concentration, so many concrete pegs to hang their spiritual ideas and convictions on. The symbol is not necessary for everyone. It is not compulsory in Hinduism. It is not needed for an advanced Yogi or sage. A symbol is like the slate which is useful for a boy of the first standard. Those who are not in need of it have no right to say that it is wrong. If they say that it is wrong, they only betray their ignorance.

Each marks a stage of progress. The human soul makes different kinds of attempts to grasp and realise the Infinite or the Absolute according to his strength, degree of evolution. He soars higher and higher, gathers more and more strength and eventually merges himself in the Supreme and attains oneness or identity.

32. INDIA

India is the sacred land which has given birth to countless sages, Rishis, Yogins, saints, and prophets. India is the land that has produced many Acharyas or spiritual preceptors like Sri Sankara, Sri Ramanuja; many saints like Kabir, Ramdas, Tukaram, Gouranga Mahaprabhu; many Yogins like Jnana Dev, Dattatreya, Sadasiva Brahman; many prophets like Buddha and Guru Nanak. Buddha is our flesh and blood.

India is proud of Guru Govind Singh and Shivaji. India is proud of King Bhoja and Vikramaditya. India is proud of Sankara and Kabir. India is proud of Kalidas and Valmiki. Krishna, Rama and all Avataras were born in India. How sacred is India! How sublime is India! The dust of Brindavan and Ayodhya, the land trodden by the sacred feet of Krishna and Rama, still purifies the heart of countless people. Even Jesus, during the missing period of his life, lived in Kashmir and learnt Yoga from the Indian Yogins.

India is the sacred land with several holy rivers and powerful spiritual vibrations. It is a land peculiarly suitable for divine contemplation and Yogic practices. The hoary Himalayas attract the people of the whole world.

How charming is the Himalayan scenery! How sweet is Mother Ganga! How soothing and elevating are their vibrations! How soul-stirring is the company of the Yogins! How beautiful and lovely is Rishikesh, with Yogins, Ganga, and Himalayas!

India is a spiritual country. Religion governs all the departments of Hindu life. The Hindu must realise the Freedom of the soul in every department of life. Religion affords the greatest scope to him for the culture of true freedom.

It is in India alone that every man knows something of philosophy. The cowherd who tends the cattle, the peasant no ploughs the fields, the boatman who pulls at his oar, sings songs replete with philosophical truths. Even the barber repeats Om namah sivaya, Sivoham before he takes up the razor. The Paramahamsa Sannyasins, the itinerant monks of Hinduism, have disseminated the highest of Vedanta from door to door. In exchange for a handful of rice, they have distributed from door to door, through religious songs, the priceless gems of Hindu religion and philosophy.

History of Indian Civilisation

Indian civilisation has had a long history. It has influenced the history of the world at every stage. Hindus have had a culture, civilisation, and religion millennia older than those of any other country or people. When the ancestors of the Westerners were completely uncivilised savages, India was full of sages, saints, Yogins, seers, and Maharshis with Self-realisation, and the highest culture and civilisation. Hindu culture and Hindu civilisation were at their zenith in days of yore. The Greeks and the Romans imitated the Hindus, and absorbed Hindu thoughts.

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata tell us clearly about the ancient India, about her people, her customs, her ways of living, her arts, her civilisation and culture, her manufactures. Even today, our domestic, social, and national ideals are copied from the noble characters in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The great national heroes stand even today as beacon-lights to guide and inspire the people of the whole world. If you read these two books, you will come to know how great India once was, and you will be inspired to make her great once more. No other country has produced so many great men, great teachers, great Yogins, great seers, great Rishis, great prophets, great Acharyas, great kings, great heroes, great statesmen, great patriots, and great benefactors as India. Each and every province of the country has produced intellectual giants, poets, and saints. Even now India abounds in sages and great souls. The more you know of India and Hinduism, the more you will honour and love it and the more thankful to the Lord you will be that you were born in India as a Hindu.

Spirituality—The Bedrock of Indian Culture

England is famous for coal and iron, America for dollars, Italy for sculptural works; but India is famous for its religious devotion, Yogins, and saints. The history of India is a history of religion. Its social code and regulations are founded upon religion. Minus its Yoga, religion and its regulations, India will not be what it has been for millennia. India cannot be India without the Gita and the Upanishads.

The culture of India is built round the central idea of Dharma or righteousness. India is the land of Dharma. Her breath is Dharma. Her life and light is Dharma. She moves and has her being in Dharma. Dharma protects India and she shall protect Dharma.

The solid foundation of Indian culture has enabled it to withstand the rigours of political strifes and alien invasions. Temporary periods of political bondage have not sullied the soul of India. The passage of time has not diminished the glory of Indian culture. The civilisations of ancient Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and Rome have faded out; but the ancient civilisation of India lives through ages.

Self-restraint and mastery over the senses have been the keynote of India's culture from the earliest period of her history. The goal of India is Self-realisation through renunciation and knowledge. The national ideals of India are renunciation and service. The ideal of renunciation and detachment is the one factor that has kept intact the virility of Bharatavarsha as a nation.

India is a garden rich with the fragrance of the flowers of tolerance, virtue, love, and goodness cultured out of the seeds of the recognition of universal brotherhood and oneness of mankind. Unity of mankind and universality of religion are the prerogatives of the Indian tradition.

India is the most tolerant country in the world. She has a very expansive heart. She includes all nations in the Embrace of her love. For more than eight centuries, she was oppressed by some greedy men. And yet, she served them and made them happy and rich. She is ever rich, liberal, and catholic. She nourishes the whole world. Her resources are inexhaustible.

Indian culture is not a dead culture. It has an undying vitality. It can be revitalised age after age to suit the needs of changing times. There is a fundamental vitality which has enabled India to carry on through all these millennia in spite of her weaknesses.

India and the West

To India, Brahman is the only reality. Its nature is Sat-chit-ananda. To the West, matter is the only reality. To have plenty of dollars is freedom. To have abundant atom bombs and aeroplanes is freedom. To India, Self-realisation is the goal. To the West, power and dominion is the goal. To India, self-restraint gives happiness. To the West, self-indulgence gives pleasure. To India, renunciation bestows joy. To the West, possession gives joy. To India, the practice of Ahimsa is the ideal. To the West, kill and conquer' is the ideal.

In the West, he who has many wants is the most civilised man. A Westerner calls a man who has few wants a barbarian. A Yogi or a devotee of the East is a savage in the eyes of a Westerner. The Westerners have not realised the axiomatic, great truth that "the fewer the desires, the greater the happiness.” This is, indeed, a great pity.

Western culture is for the self-aggrandisement of the Westerners; Eastern culture is for the whole world. Western culture turns the mind outwards; Eastern culture turns the mind inwards. Western culture thickens egoism and strengthens the personality; Eastern culture annihilates egoism and individuality, and leads to universality. Western culture brings bondage; Eastern culture leads to salvation. Western culture makes a man materialistic and Asuric; Eastern culture makes a man divine.

The West is material. The East is spiritual. Science is the offspring of the material force, and Yoga is the child of the spiritual force.

India will not be able to rival the West in physical science, but in the spiritual field, she will certainly be unparalleled. She will always guide the entire universe in spiritual matters, in Yoga, Vedanta, etc. She will ever be the world's preceptor. India will always lead the world in spirituality. She does not stand in any need of spiritual enlightenment from others.

India's Contribution to the World

India has given much to the world in the form of mental and spiritual culture. The Indian Rishis of yore rejoiced in spiritual wisdom, communed with God, and enlightened the world with divine knowledge. The spiritual literature of India, given by her Rishis, will ever continue to retain the infinite brilliance through ages to come.

The teachings of India's ancient seers are, indeed, the most universal. The works of Yoga belong to the entire world. They are also practical to the core.

Numerous persons are turning from a war-torn and sullied atmosphere to India and her ancient, divine wisdom which is found in the Gita, the Upanishads, and the Advaita Vedanta philosophy.

India, due to her glorious heritage, can show the right road to all, and lead all to prosperity, peace, and perpetual bliss. Let India lead the countries which are spiritually bankrupt. She alone can undertake this gigantic task. India alone can lead the world towards better understanding, harmony, fraternity, and peace.

The Future of India

India's mission is different from that of others. The mission of India is the achievement of spiritual greatness, but not political eminence and military power.

Military glories are not the criterion of a nation's progress. India has never sought them at the cost of other people's freedom. India has never attached importance to wealth and power, from the beginning of her history.

India is always a land of seers, sages, Yogins, and Munis. If she imitates the West, she will lose her spiritual glory. For everything Indian should have a spiritual basis. Her Conquest is through Ahimsa, love, and wisdom. She should ever maintain her ancient culture, ancient wisdom, and Yogic attainments. She cannot become glorious through building of more aeroplanes and warships. She should produce more Yogins, and victors over self. The governors of India should consult the saints on important matters of administration. They should accord them a high place of honour. Then and then alone will the Indian Government be righteous, divine and peaceful.

India has attained freedom now, but her problems of poverty, ignorance and economic crises remain still unsolved. There is the great need for cleansing the public life and ridding it of those excrescences which are poisoning the springs of national life in India at its very source. Let all live the Gita-life.

Those in India who imitates the West have lost their soul. This is a great pity, indeed.

The future destiny of India depends on her spiritual strength rather than upon her material wealth. Atman or the Spirit is the rock-foundation of wisdom, prosperity, strength and peace. Be ever a beacon-light of the spiritual essence of Bharatavarsha's culture. Live the exemplary personal and social life of the ideal Hindu.

India will rise. India must rise. It is a glorious land of Rishis and sages. It is a Punyabhumi with Ganga and Yamuna. It is the best of all lands.

33. ISLAM

Islam is the name given by Mohammed, the Prophet of Arabia to the religion which he founded. Islam is an Arabic word which means peace. It means submission to the will of God. It means surrender, acceptance of the revelation and commands of God. The personal name of God is Allah. The aim of Mohammed's preaching was the establishment of the religion of one God, Allah. Islam is a religion of universal brotherhood. Firm unswerving belief in one God is the essence of true religion according to Islamic faith. It makes no distinction between caste and caste and creed and creed.

“There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah.” This is the fundamental teaching of the Prophet of Islam. This is the doctrine of Islam. The religion of Islam is expressed shortly in this short formula. Mohammed preached the unity of God. He taught the love of God, respect for parents and the aged, reverence to women and a noble standard of life. Alms-giving or charity was a religious duty. He said: “Every good act is charity. Your smiling in your brother's face is charity. Putting a wanderer in the right path is charity.”

The beauty of this religion is marred by the un-Islamic behaviour of some of the followers of Islam. It is clearly said in Koran: “No man is a true believer unless he desireth for his brother that which he desires for himself. God will not be affectionate to that man who is not affectionate to God's creatures. He is the most favoured of God, from whom the greatest good comes to His creatures. The best of men is he from whom good accrueth to humanity. All God's creatures are his family. He is most beloved by God, who trieth to do more good to God's creatures. Feed the hungry and visit the sick and free the captive if he is unjustly confined. Assist any person oppressed whether he is Muslim or non-Muslim. Love your fellow-being first.”

Prophet Mohammed taught to the people more of ethics than deep philosophy, as they had no proper culture.

A Muslim believes in God, His Angels, His books and His messengers, the Last day, the Resurrection from the dead, Predestination by God, good and evil, the Judgment, the Balance, Paradise and Hell-fire, the divine inspiration of Mohammed, the origin of the Koran as divine inspiration, and the future state. He is ready to enter into the religious war (Jihad) when so ordered by the divine as a religious duty.

The first principle of Islam is "God has sent messengers to mankind through the ages to teach them that all messengers and all holy books are true, " thereby emphasising the universality of faith.

Teachings

The five cardinal tenets of Islam are: (1) Oneness of God and the revelation of God's will to man through a series of prophets, the last of the series being Mohammed, (2) Prayer, (3) Fasting, (4) Alms-giving or charity, and (5) Haj (pilgrimage to Mecca). These are the five pillars of Islam

Prayer, fasting, Zakat or charity and pilgrimage to Mecca are rather the four duties or observances incumbent upon every Mohammedan. Haj is compulsory only for those who can afford to travel to Mecca.

The sacred book of the Muslims is the Koran. This book deals with many different subjects, doctrines, morals, legal enactments, matters of State, manners and matters of private import. They have been collected into chapters. To the Muslim it is the word of God eternal and uncreated conveyed to the Prophet in Arabic by the angel Gabriel.

Koran says: "Any man may attain liberation by his faith and good actions. The flesh and blood of the animals that are sacrificed shall never reach God, but your purity shall reach God. The flesh and blood of the animals you kill, shall not bring salvation for you. Kill this ego. Serve the suffering humanity. Sacrifice your money, time, and energy in the service of the poor, the oppressed. This will give you salvation or freedom.”

In Koran the brotherhood of man and the equality of woman with man socially, economically, and spiritually are emphasised. Man is a member of a great fraternity. Woman is the counterpart. Of man.

Selflessness and service are the ideals which a Muslim is enjoined to follow. The essence of Islam is the service of the suffering humanity. The sacred Koran says: "Woe to those who pray, who are unmindful of their prayers, who make a show and refuse help to the needy."

The Prophet of Islam also was a great lover of the doctrine of Ahimsa. Injuring people in any way or destroying any living creature is reprehensible. He taught that men would be specially judged on the Day of Judgment with regard to their cruel treatment of dumb creatures.

Prophet has enjoined on his followers full and broad toleration of the views and beliefs of people other than their own. Koran says: "Let there be no compulsion in religion."

There is no asceticism in Islam. The rigorous austere practices which cause torture to human body are strictly prohibited. What is wanted is a contrite heart, sincere repentance and serious continuous effort to avoid evil and practise virtue.

The great Muslim fast is that of Ramzan. It is a fast for one month. Eating and drinking are forbidden during the day, but are allowed at night.

Jihad is exerting oneself for the cause of religion. It is not taking part in war against unbelievers. Islam strictly prohibits application of force for its observance. There is no compulsion in religion.

Islam teaches that the followers of it should acquire the manifold attributes of Allah. No one can be a Muslim and none can attain Allah without acknowledging the essential truths of all religions.

Allah is the Protector of the universe. Allah is all-merciful. Allah is the Supreme Judge who dispenses justice in accordance with the merits and demerits of the person. Allah is Rahim. Rahim is one who shows compassion and beneficence for virtuous actions and noble virtues.

There is no such thing in Islam that a Muslim should fight in order that religion should live. Islam forbids fighting. Islam says: "You shall not take up arms except in the cause of self-defence.” In every sentence of the Koran those who are tyrants have been told: “If you tyrannise over people, if you are cruel to them, you shall be punished.”

Islam is a religion of peace. It is submission to the will of God. A true Mussalman must be tolerant. Islam teaches that every religion is true. Islam teaches that God has sent Prophets and religious teachers to mankind to bring them to the path of goodness, to teach them the noble things of life, to be kind, to be noble, to be merciful, to be good, and to be Just. Islam teaches to regard not only human beings with kindness and tolerance, but also to treat animals with kindness.

Prayers

On Fridays, the Sabbath of Muslims' special prayers known as the Salat-i-Juma are offered at noon instead of the usual Salat-i-Zuhr. A sermon is delivered on the occasion.

The compulsory prayers (Salat) offered five times a day must be offered in congregation under the leadership of an Imam (religious leader).

Salat-i-Fajr is the morning prayer; Salat-i-Zuhr is noon prayer; Salat-i-Asr is evening prayer; Salat-i-Maghrib is sunset prayer; Salat-i-Asha is night prayer.

Conclusion

The philosophical side of Islam is very noble. It teaches that all is from God, that there is no beauty in the world that is not His beauty, that there is no love in heart of man that is not a breath of His love.

Sufism

Sufism is liberal Mohammedanism with a colouring of Vedanta. Sufism is Islamic in origin. Sufism is the religion of love with Madhurya Bhava, with the concepts of the lover and the Beloved.

The Mohammedans think that Sufism is indigenous to Islam. Other broad-minded scholars have traced an Indian Origin for the movement. Indian mysticism and oriental Christian mysticism have affected the later development of development of Sufism. Indian Sufism is a blend of Persian Sufism and Hindu mysticism.

Sufistic Saints

Lal Shahbaz, Mansoor, Shamas Tabriez, Sachal, Rohal. Dolpat. Shah Inayet, Shah Latif, Bulleh Shah. Haifiz. Rumi, and Jami were all Sufistic mystics.

The Sufistic saints are as liberal and catholic as the Vedantic Sannyasins. They are mystic saints. They are devotional. Their utterances or sayings have a wonderful directness, freshness, spontaneous loveliness, and charm.

The Sufi mystic sees the Lord in all. He experiences cosmic vision. He beholds his Beloved everywhere and in all objects. He has no sense of possession. He is free from egoism, lust, greed, anger, and pride. He is perfectly passionless and enjoys perfect peace and poise. His state is beyond description. He is like the Jivanmukta or liberated sage. He calls the heart as the palace of the Beloved. He does not care for dogmas or doctrines, creeds or sects. He has attained Para Bhakti or the supreme devotion.

Doctrines

Asceticism is an essential feature of Sufism. The Sufi consecrates all his acts, physical, mental, and spiritual to the will of God. Unity of God, brotherhood of man and self-surrender to the Lord are the most vital doctrines of Sufism. In Sufism God has form. The Sufis recognise His formless aspect too.

Sufism combines ecstasy and service of man. A Sufi wants to remain in the world and serve the humanity, but to be above worldliness.

The Sufi language of ecstasy describes the divine Experience in a variety of ways such as sweetness, intoxication, perfume, sleep and death. Wine is a symbol of divine intoxication.

In Sufism, Beauty leads to Love and Love to Bliss. All duality melts. The lover and the Beloved become one. The Sufis strive to attain Absolute Beauty, Absolute Love and Absolute Bliss.

For a Sufi, music is a means to ecstasy. Music plays a very important part in Susi religious exercise. Sufis worship beauty.

Sadhana

Concentration, meditation, obedience to a Guru poverty, discipline, fasts, penances, Japa or recitation of the sacred word (Zikr), the use of rosary, rhythmic and controlled breathing, prayer, universal love, non-injury. detachment, introspection, dispassion, purity of heart, and self-control are the means to attain God or the Beloved through divine grace.

The Sufi aspirant looks in a mirror and concentrates on the Trikuti or the space between the two eyebrows in his own reflection in the mirror.

It is very difficult to practise the Bhava of the lover and the Beloved. This sort of Sufistic Sadhana proves dangerous in the case of unregenerate, passionate practitioners and leads to corruption. They mistake the intoxication caused by the drinking of wine for Divine Intoxication and indulge themselves in drinking and sensuality. The aspirant should remain under the strict guidance of a Guru during his Sadhana period.

34. JAINISM

Introduction

“Jain” or more properly speaking “Jaina" means a follower of Jina, which is applied to those persons who have conquered the lower nature, passion, hatred, etc. The word ‘Jain’ comes from the word ‘jina’ which means a conqueror. Jina' comes from the root Ji'-'to conquer'. It means conquering the passions. It does not mean Conquering nations. The passions are considered as Enemies of the soul. They taint the natural qualities of the soul, obscure right belief, cause false knowledge and wrong conduct. Lust, anger, pride and greed are considered as the major passions.

The Jain theory is based on reason. It is based on right faith, right knowledge, right conduct, tempered with mercy. Jainism is not a theistic system in the sense of the belief in the existence of a God as the Creator and the Ruler of the world. The highest being in the Jain philosophy is a person and not a Being without attributes like the Brahman of the Vedanta.

The chief point in the Jaina creed is the reverence paid to holy men who have raised themselves to divine perfection through long discipline. The Jina or the 'conquering saint', who has conquered all worldly desires, is with Jains what the Buddha or the perfectly enlightened saint is with Buddhists. He is also called Jinesvara (chief of the Jinas), Arhata (the Venerable), Tirthankara (the saint who has made the passage for the world), Sarvajna (omniscient), and Bhagavan (holy one). Tirtha' literally means a ford, a means of crossing over. It metaphorically denotes a spiritual guide or philosophy which enables one to cross over the ocean of recurring births in this world. 'Kara' means 'one who makes'. The word Tirthankara means a 'Jain Holy Teacher'.

According to the belief of the Jains, only the omniscient are able to give a right code of rules of life. These teachers or Tirthankaras are not creators or rulers of the world. They are pure divine souls who have attained perfection. They never again take human birth.

Mahavira is not the founder of Jainism. He revived the Jain doctrines. He was more a reformer than the founder of the faith. He was the first active propagator. He was the twenty-fourts. Tirthankara. He is claimed to have been omniscient. 'Maha' means 'great' and Vira' means 'a hero'. Parasvanath was the twenty-third. The first of these twenty-four was named Rishabha Dev.

Time is divided into cycles. In each half cycle. twenty-four Tirthanka. As at long intervals preach anew the doctrines.

Time with Jainas proceeds in two eternally recurring cycles of immense duration, defying all human calculation: (1) The Utsarpini or ascending cycle. (2) Avasarpini or descending cycle. Each of these has six stages.

The idols which represent the Tirthankaras are like that of Buddha in a meditative posture. Jainism is a representative of Buddhistic ideas. It has much in common with Buddhism. It is a near relative of Buddhism, if not its actual descendant.

There are two classes of Jainas, viz., Sravakas (those who engage in secular occupations), and Yatis (monks or ascetics or Sadhus who shave their heads and live in Mathas or monasteries). The monks abandon all worldly connections. They take lifelong vows of absolute renunciation. They take five vows. They are divided into two principal sects, viz., the Svetambaras (clothed in white garments) and the Digambaras (skyclad or naked).

Jain Philosophy

The Jain philosophy bases its doctrine on the absolute necessity of conquering the lower nature for the realisation of Truth.

The Jains do not accept the authority of the Vedas.

Jainism divides the whole universe into two main divisions viz., sentient beings (Chetana, also called Jiva or soul) and non-sentient things (Jada, also called Ajiva or non-soul). Soul is that element which thinks, knows, and feels. It is the divine element in the living being. The true nature of the soul is right knowledge, right faith, and right Conduct. The soul is undergoing evolution and involution, so long as it is subject to transmigration. Whatever is not soul is non-soul (Ajiva).

The combination of the Jiva and the Ajiva causes all diversities in this universe. Their interaction or interplay is the cause of the world-process or evolution. When the soul is stripped of all its Ajiva bondage, it becomes pure and attains its ultimate Mukti.

There are five gateways of Knowledge. The first is the senses. There is only one sense, the sense of touch in the lowest form of life. There are two, three, four and five senses in higher forms of life. The second source is study. The third is Avadhi or the psychic faculty through which more subtle things are known. The fourth is mind, knowing by which the mental processes of others are known. The fish is Absolute Knowledge.

The Jain canon is divided into two parts, viz., (1) Sruta Dharma, i.e., philosophy, and (2) Charitra Dharma, i.e., ethics. The Sruta Dharma enquires into the nature of nine principles, six kinds of living beings and the four states of existence. The first four principles are: Soul (Jiva), non-soul (Ajiva), merit on account of which man is happy, and demerit on account of which man suffers from misery. The fifth is the state which brings in merit and demerit. The sixth is Samvara which stops the inflow of foreign energies. The seventh is destruction of actions. The eighth is bondage of soul with actions. The ninth is total and permanent freedom of soul from all actions.

Dharma is that which keeps the soul from falling downwards. The bonds which keep it attached to the universe are those of Karma, virtuous and evil actions.

The four states of existence are Devas (celestial beings), Manushyas (human beings), Tiryanch (infra-human, vegetables, animals, birds, etc.), and Naraka (the lowest state of existence that of being a denizen of hell).

Living beings are of six kinds viz., the one-organed (having body only); the two-organed (having body and taste); the three-organed (having body, taste, and smell); the four-organed (having body, taste, smell, and sight); and the five-organed (having body, taste, smell, sight, and hearing); and animals and human beings (having body, taste, smell, sight, hearing, and touch).

Jiva-Ajiva (Soul, Non-soul)

That which knows is soul. That which does not know is non-soul. Jiva and Ajiva have no origin. They have been in existence in the past. They exist now. They will exist in future also. We cannot say when the combination of the two has taken place. They have been found intermingled from time immemorial. Jivas and Ajivas are innumerable. Souls are infinite. Each soul retains its individuality. Each soul has to take births and rebirths till it destroys all its Karmas. Through right knowledge, right perception, right conduct, and self-control or penance, the bonds of accumulated Karmas can be loosened and annihilated.

Jiva (soul): Jivas, the living beings or souls are classified under two headings: (1) Siddha or liberated, and (2) Samsari or worldly beings.

The Jain philosophy teaches that each soul is a separate individuality, uncreated and eternal in existence. The soul evolves from the lower to the higher condition through the law of Karma, or cause and effect. It takes fresh bodies after death so long as the Karmas or forces generated in previous lives have not been fully worked out. Eventually it unfolds its absolute purity by breaking the bonds of Karma and attains perfection, Nirvana, or Mukti. The individuality is not merged into anything. It is not annihilated also. The perfected soul is neither masculine, feminine, nor neuter. Every soul is potentially omniscient. Consciousness is the very nature of the soul. Soul is a pure embodiment of knowledge. The soul has infinite potentialities. It has infinite capacity for removing Karma-bondages.

Ajiva (non-soul): There are five main sub-divisions, viz., Dharmastikaya (that substance which helps soul and matter to move), Adharmastikaya (that substance which helps the soul and matter to rest), Akasasti or the space (that substance which gives shelter to the living and non-living), Kala (time), and Pudgala (matter).

God in the sense of an extra cosmic personal Creator has no place in the Jain philosophy. But there is a subtle essence underlying all substances, conscious and unconscious, which becomes the cause of all modification. This is termed God. The Jain idea of Godhood is the perfected soul (Siddha), the liberated soul Multa). The Jains worship these liberated souls (Tirthankaras), who have destroyed all Karmas and attained salvation, as their God. They accept those enlightened souls only, who have abandoned all worldly connections, who lead the life of true Sadhus and who have controlled all selfish desires, as their spiritual teachers. They accept that only as the true religion which is promulgated by them.

Tirthankaras

The Jain Tirthankara is free from faults. He is true God. He is the knower of all things and the revealer of Dharma. He is free from the 18 kinds of blemishes, viz., hunger, thirst, senility, disease, birth, death, fear, pride, attachment, aversion, infatuation, worry, conceit, hatred, uneasiness, sweat, sleep, and surprise.

World

Jainism has two ways of looking at things, one called Dravyarthi Kanaya and the other Paryayarthi Kanaya. According to the former the world is without beginning and end, but according to the latter there is creation and destruction at every moment. The Jains affirm that, being formed of eternal atoms, the universe has existed and will exist eternally.

There are six real substances which constitute the world. These six are space, time, matter, souls, Dharmastikaya (fulcrum of motion), and Adharmastikaya (fulcrum of stability, or rest). Space serves as a receptacle for the other substances. It is infinite. Time is real. It is beginningless and endless. Material objects consist of atoms. There is no extra cosmic creator or ruler of the world. There is nothing in the word save substance. There are many kinds of substances. Existence cannot be separated from substance.

Doctrine of Karma

The doctrine of Karma occupies a very prominent place in the Jain philosophy. A student of Jain Karma philosophy can trace any effect to a particular Karma. Those who by right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct destroy all Karmas, attain perfection. They become divine and are called Jinas. Those Jinas who, in every age, preach the law and establish the order, are called Tirthankaras.

The Jain doctrines are summed up in the maxim 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah'. Ahimsa is the foundational tenet of Jainism. Jainism always tends to protect and advance the interests of all kinds of living beings. The universal principles of Jainism are Ahimsa, Satyam, Asteya, Brahmacharya, and Aparigraha.

Right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct constitute the triple jewels, the path to Nirvana.

According to the Jain philosophy all evils are due to Raga and Dvesha (attachment and hatred). All the rules of conduct are based on Daya (mercy). Daya has four forms: (1) performing a kind act without expectation of a return, (2) rejoicing at the prosperity of others, (3) sympathy with distressed people and relieving their afflictions, and (4) pity for the criminal."

Jainism preaches universal brotherhood and equality of all beings. It enjoins on all its followers the practice of the greatest self-control. The individual by his own efforts liberates all his latent qualities which are obscured by foreign elements. The state of purity or perfection is attained only in the human life through the triple jewels, viz., right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. The liberated soul goes to the abode Siddha Kshetra which is at the top of this world.

35.JAPA

The Power of the Lord's Name

There is a Sakti in every word. If you utter the word 'excreta' or 'urine' when your friend is taking his meals, he may at once vomit his food. If you think of ' Garam Pakoda'. Hot Pakoda', your tongue will get salivation. When anyone suddenly shouts 'Scorpion! Scorpion!', 'Snake! Snake!', you at once apprehend the scorpion or the snake and jump in fright. When anyone calls you a 'donkey'or an 'ass', you are annoyed and you show anger.

When such is the power of the names of the ordinary things of this world, what tremendous power should there be in the Name of God! God is the completion or the fullness of existence. Hence, the Name which denotes Him, too, is full and perfect. Therefore, the power of the Name of God is incalculable, for it is the height or the zenith of power. The Name of God can achieve anything. There is nothing impossible for it. It is the means to the realisation of God Himself. Even as the name of a thing in this word generates the consciousness of that thing in the mind, the Name of God generates God-consciousness in the purified mind and becomes the direct cause of the realisation of the Highest Perfection or God.

The Name of God chanted correctly or incorrectly, knowingly or unknowingly, carefully or carelessly, is sure to give the desired result. Just as burning quality is natural to and inherent in fire, so also, the power of destroying sins with their very root and branch, and bringing the aspirant into blissful union with the Lord through Bhava-samadhi, is natural to and inherent in the Name of God.

The glory of the Name of God cannot be established through reasoning and intellect. It can be experienced or realised only through devotion, faith, and constant repetition of the Name.

Pingala was a Ganika or prostitute. She obtained a parrot, as a lovely present from a thief. The parrot was trained to utter the Name 'Sri Rama, Sri Rama'. Pingala knew nothing of Rama-Nama. She heard the sound Rama, Rama through the mouth of the parrot. It was melodious and charming. Pingala was very much attracted. She fixed her mind on the Rama-Nama uttered parrot, and mysteriously entered into Bhava-samadhi, union with Rama.

Ajamila was a righteous Brahmin in the beginning. He fell in love with a low-caste girl and committed many atrocious crimes. It was at the time of death that he uttered the name of his son Narayana, and there came the messengers of Lord Narayana Himself to his rescue. And Ajamila was released from this world for ever.

The greatest of sinners can attain God-realisation through the blessings of the Name. Nothing is impossible to be achieved through God's Name. The Lord's Name is all-powerful.

Benefits of Japa

Repetition of any Mantra or Name of the Lord is known as Japa. Japa is an important Anga of Yoga. It is a spiritual food for the hungry soul. Japa is the rod in the hands of the blind Sadhakas to plod on the road to Realisation. Japa is the philosopher's stone or divine elixir that makes one God-like. In this Iron Age, Nama-smarana or Japa is the easiest, quickest, safest, and surest way to reach God and attain immortality and perennial joy.

Japa purifies the heart. Japa steadies the mind. Japa destroys birth and death. Japa burns sins. Japa scorches Samskaras. Japa annihilates attachment. Japa induces Vairagya. Japa roots out all desires. Japa makes one fearless. Japa removes delusion. Japa gives supreme peace. Japa develops Prem. Japa unites the devotee with the Lord. Japa gives health, wealth, strength, and long life. Japa brings God-consciousness. Japa awakens the Kundalini. Japa bestows eternal bliss.

Japa gives a nice, refreshing, exhilarating spiritual bath. It wonderfully washes the subtle body or astral body.

Mantra Yoga-An Exact Science

A Mantra is divinity encased within a sound-structure. It is divine power or Daivi Sakti manifesting in a sound body.

The sacred Mantra or the Divine Name is a vital symbol of the Supreme Divinity directly revealed in the innermost depths of divine communion to the sages of Self-realisation in the hoary Vedic and Upanishadic times. These symbols are in the nature of unfailing keys to gain access into the transcendental realms of absolute experience.

Mantra Yoga is an exact science. A Mantra, in the Hindu religion, has the following six parts. It has got a Rishi who had Self-realisation for the first time through this Mantra, and who gave this Mantra to the world. He is the seer for this Mantra. Sage Visvamitra is the Rishi for Gayatri. Secondly, the Mantra has a metre, which governs the inflection of the voice. Thirdly, the Mantra has a particular Devata or supernatural being, higher or lower, as its informing power. This Devata is the presiding deity of the Mantra. Fourthly, the Mantra has got a Bija or seed. The seed is a significant word, or series of words, which gives a special power to the Mantra. The Bija is the essence of the Mantra. Fifthly, every Mantra has got a Sakti. The Sakti is the energy of the form of the Mantra, i.e., of the vibration-forms set up by its sounds. These carry the man to the Devata that is worshipped. Lastly, the Mantra has a Kilaka-pillar or pin. This plugs the Mantra-Chaitanya that is hidden in the Mantra. As soon as the plug is removed by constant and prolonged repetition of the Name, the Chaitanya that is hidden is revealed. The devotee gets Darshan of the Ishta Devata.

Sound and Image

Sounds are vibrations. They give rise to definite forms. Each sound produces a form in the invisible world, and combinations of sound create complicated shapes.

The repetition of a Mantra has a mysterious power of bringing about the manifestation of the Divinity, just as the splitting of an atom manifests the tremendous forces latent in it. When a particular Mantra appropriated to a particular God is properly recited, the vibrations so set up create in the higher planes a special form which that God ensouls for the time being. The repetition of the Panchakshara Mantra-Om Namah Sivaya-produces the form of Lord Siva. The repetition of Om Namo Narayanaya, the Ashtakshara Mantra of Vishnu, produces the form of Vishnu.

Potencies of Different Mantras

Mantras are in the form of praise and appeal to the deities, craving for help and mercy. Some Mantras control and command the evil spirits. By constant repetition of the Mantra, the Sadhaka imbibes the virtues and powers of the deity that presides over the Mantra.

Repetition of the Surya Mantra bestows health, long life, vigour, vitality, Tejas or brilliance. It removes all diseases of the body and the eye. No enemy can do any harm.

Repetition of the Sarasvati-Mantra-Om Sri Sarasvatya Namah-will bestow on you wisdom and intelligence, and make you a learned person. You will get inspiration and compose poems. You will become a great scholar.

Repetition of Om Sri Mahalakshmyai Namah will confer on you wealth and remove poverty.

The Ganesh-Mantra will remove any obstacle in any undertaking. It bestows wisdom on you, as also Siddhi, wealth, etc.

The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra will save you from accidents, incurable diseases, and calamities, and bestow on you long life and immortality. It is a Moksha-Mantra, too. Those who do Japa of this Mantra daily will enjoy good health and long life, and attain Moksha in the end.

Repetition of the Subrahmanya-Mantra-Om Sri Saravanabhavaya Namah-will give you success in any undertaking and make you glorious. It will drive off evil influences and evil spirits.

Repetition of the Sri Hanuman-Mantra-Om Sri Hanumate Namah-will bestow victory and strength.

Repetition of the Gayatri, or the Pranava, or Om Namah Sivaya, or Om Namo Narayanaya or Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, one and a quarter lakh times, with Bhava, faith, and devotion, will confer on you Mantra-Siddhi.

Om, Soham, Sivoham, Aham Brahmasmi are Mokshamantras. They will help you to attain self-realisation.

Om Sri Ramaya Namah, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya are Saguna-mantras which will enable you to attain Saguna realisation first, and then Nirguna realisation.

You can attain God-realisation by doing Japa of any Mantra. All Mantras have equal potency or power.

Rogue Ratnakara became sage Valmiki by repeating 'Mara, Mara', the inverted form of Rama. Tukaram, the Maharashtra saint, had direct Darsana of Lord Krishna several times, by repeating simply Vitthal, Vitthal', the Name of Lord Krishna's deity at Pandharpur, Dhruva, that wonderful boy of devotion, repeated Om Namo Bhagavate vasudevaya, the Dvadasakshara Mantra of Lord Krishna, and had his Darsana. Prahlada uttered Narayana, Narayana', and saw Hari face to face. Ramdas, the spiritual preceptor of Sivaji, repeated thirteen crore times the Rama Mantra "Sri ram, Jaya Ram, Jaya Jaya Ram," standing in water in the Godavari. He became a great saint. The reputed Swami Vidyaranya, author of the Panchadasi, had direct Darsana of Mother Gayatri through Japa of the Gayatri Mantra.

Mantra-Diksha or Initiation into the Divine Name

It is better if you get your Mantra from your Guru. This has a tremendous effect on the disciple. The Guru imparts his Sakti along with the Mantra. The Mantra-Chaitanya, the power hidden in the Mantra, is easily awakened.

If you cannot get a Guru, you can select any Mantra according to your own liking and taste, and repeat it daily, with Sraddha and Bhava. This also has a great purificatory effect. You will attain realisation of God.

It is better to stick to one Mantra alone. If you love Krishna, love Him alone till the end. See Lord Krishna in Rama, Siva, Durga, Gayatri and everyone. To love Lord Krishna for three months, Rama for another three months, Sakti for six months, Hanuman for some time, Lord Siva for some time, is not good.

Practical Aids to Japa

The most effective time for Japa is early dawn and dusk, When Sattva is predominant.

Face the north or the east when sitting. This exercises a subtle influence and enhances the efficacy of the Japa. By facing the north, you will be in communion with the Rishis of the Himalayas and will be mysteriously benefited by their spiritual currents. A spiritual neophyte should observe this rule.

Sit on Kusa-grass seat, or deer skin, or rug. Spread a sheet of cloth over it. This conserves body-electricity.

Have a steady pose. This helps to make the mind also steady, and aids concentration.

Do some prayer before starting the Japa. Invoking the aid of the Ishta Devata with appropriate prayer induces proper Sattvika Bhava.

Now start the Japa, pronouncing each letter of the Mantra correctly and distinctly. Do not repeat the Mantra too fast or too slow. Increase the speed only when the mind wanders. Do not do the Japa in a hurried manner, as a contractor tries to finish his work in a hurried way. It is not the number of Japa, but purity, concentration, Bhava and feeling, and one-pointedness of mind that help the aspirant in the attainment of God-consciousness.

Do the Japa with feeling. You must have the same flow of love and respect in your heart at the time of thinking of or remembering His Name as you naturally may have in your heart at the time when you really see Him.

Using a Mala helps alertness, and acts as an incentive to carry on the Japa continuously; but, it is not necessary for an advanced aspirant.

Variety in Japa is necessary to sustain interest, avoid fatigue and counteract monotony. Repeat aloud for a time, then hum the Mantra, and repeat mentally sometimes.

Do not beg to God any worldly objects while doing Japa. Feel that your heart is being purified and the mind is becoming steady by the power of the Mantra, with the grace of God.

Keep your Guru Mantra a secret. Never disclose it to anyone.

After Japa is over, do not immediately leave the place, mix with everyone, or plunge into worldly activity. Sit very quietly for about ten minutes least, humming some prayer, remembering the Lord or reflecting upon His infinite love. Then. after devout prostration, leave the place and commence your routine duties. Spiritual vibrations will be intact.

Likhita Japa

Write down daily in a notebook your Ishta Mantra or Guru Mantra for half an hour. When you write the Mantra observe Mouna. Write the Mantra clearly in ink. On Sundays and holidays, write this for one hour. This is Likhita Japa. You can develop a wonderful power of concentration. Incalculable spiritual benefits are derived from Likhita Japa.

In Mantra writing, there is no restriction about any particular script. It may be written in any language.

Japa Sadhana while at Work

Regularity in Japa Sadhana is most essential. Sit in the same place, and at the same time. Japa must become habitual.

Carry on the current of Japa mentally even at other times, in whatever works you may be engaged. Give your hands alone to work, but give the mind to God-do mental Japa-, like the typist or the harmonium-player who types or plays and talks to you, or like the lady who knits clothes and talks and jokes with her comrades while she is walking along the road.

You can do Japa even in the latrine. But do it there mentally. Ladies can do Japa mentally even during their monthly periods. There are no restrictions of any kind in Mantra Japa for those who do it with Nishkama-bhava, for the attainment of Moksha. Restrictions or Vidhis come only when people repeat any Mantra with Sakama-bhava, to get fruits such as wealth, Svarga, son, and so on.

Remember the Name of the Lord with every incoming and outgoing breath. Form a strong habit of repeating the Name of the Lord. Even in dream you must be doing Japa. Then only it will be easy for you to remember Him at the time of death.

36. JESUS

Two thousand years ago, Divinity incarnated upon this planet to show to all humanity the glorious path to everlasting life by actually living the divine life upon this earth. Jesus was not an ordinary human being. He was the divine power and love incarnated upon this globe for a special, divine purpose. His advent was in the nature of a fulfilment of the divine plan for this world process. This will be seen from the very manner of his birth and its background.

The Manner of the Christ's Birth and Its Significance

The time and the manner of the birth of Jesus reveals a deep spiritual law. Jesus Christ was not born in a grand palace. He was not born to very wealthy or learned parents. Also, he was not born in the full blaze of daylight, with the knowledge of all men. Jesus Christ was born in a simple, lowly place—a corner of a stable. He was born to humble and poor parents who had nothing to boast about except their own spotless character and holiness. Also, he was born in darkness, in the obscure hour of midnight when no one even knew about it, except a few divinely blessed people.

The above point of deep significance tells you that the spiritual awakening comes to the seeker who is perfectly humble and 'meek' and 'poor in spirit'. The quality of true humility is one of the indispensable fundamentals. Then come simplicity, holiness, and the renunciation of all desire for worldly wealth and pride of learning. Thirdly, even as Christ was born unknown to the world and in the obscurity of darkness, the advent of the Christ-spirit takes place in the inwardness of man when there is total self-effacement, self-abnegation.

This is the birth into divine life. It was the secret of this birth that, centuries ago, the Lord Jesus sweetly explained to the good Nicodemus. The good man did not quite understand what precisely Christ meant when he taught that a man must be born again if he is to attain the Kingdom of God. "How can this be?”,Nicodemus asked. Then it was that Christ explained that this birth was inward, not of the body, but in the Spirit. Such inner spiritual birth is essential if the Supreme is to be attained, if true bliss is to be experienced.

The Simplicity and Power of Lord Jesus' Utterances

The way in which Jesus lived and taught was simple, yet sublime. His mode of teaching was something extraordinary. Jesus was no academic scholar. He could lay claim to neither degrees nor doctorates. He was not a pundit or a savant. He had not attained proficiency or mastery in any practical art or science. He did neither indulge in high-flown oratory nor deliver learned pulpit sermons. When he spoke, he spoke but shortly, and his brief words were few. His sayings were short, pithy, and almost aphoristic. But, his words were vibrant with an extraordinary power that was not of this world. The words of Jesus were vital and aflame. They burnt themselves into the depths of the very consciousness of his hearers.

And the reason?

When Jesus spoke, his blessed words came from the depths of a limitless love and an infinite divine compassion that thrilled and thrilled again with an all consuming, powerful desire to do good to men, to serve, to help and to save. This compassion to purify, to raise, and to save mankind verily constitutes the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Christ. This love enlivened his words with a divine force, which made them to be permanently enshrined in the hearts of the fortunate hearers.

Christianity

There is not much of intricate philosophy or Yoga Sadhana in Christianity. There is reason for this. Jesus had to deal with the illiterate fishermen of Galilee. He gave them only moral precepts and showed them the way of righteous living. Leaving aside all abstruse philosophical theory and subtle intellectual researches, Jesus told man how he must do. To do this, he clothed even the highest truths of spiritual life with simple stories and parables, which even the common man in the street, could easily grasp and comprehend. Couched in the form of simple parables, the deepest wisdom of spiritual life become expressed before man, through the sweet and blessed words of Divine Jesus.

Jesus explained the real nature of God, man, and the world he lived in. He taught people to change their way of looking at things. He told them that if they would change their outlook on life from its materialistic to its spiritualistic aspect, they would realise that the world they were living in was God's Kingdom.

Jesus has left no written records of his important teachings. He delivered all his teachings orally. Neither he, nor his followers, ever wrote down even a single word which was spoken by him, in his lifetime. The words of Jesus were not collected till some generations after they were uttered.

His words have been misunderstood, wrongly annotated; mutilated, deformed and transformed; and yet, they have survived almost two thousand years as they were very powerful and came from the heart of a realised Yogi.

The Voice of Jesus

The voice of Jesus is verily the voice of the Eternal Being. Through him is expressed the call of the Infinite to the finite, of the Cosmic Being to the individual, the call of God to man. His divine voice is the same, therefore, as the voice of the Vedas and the Upanishads, the voice of the Koran and the Zend-Avesta, the Dhammapada, and all such sacred scriptures of the great religions of the world. Fundamentally, the gospel that he preached is at one with the gospel expounded through these holy books. It is the way of denying the flesh and asserting the Spirit. It is the way of crucifying the lower self to bring about a glorious resurrection of the Spirit, and the final ascension unto the Infinitude, and the transcendence unto the Divine. It is no other than the Upanishadic path of rejecting the Preyas and accepting the Sreyas, the negation of the Anatman and the living of the life in the Atman.

Jesus declares: “Ye cannot serve both God and Mammon." In other words, his teaching implies: Detach; attach. Detach yourself from the material objects of this transient world. Attach yourself to the eternal spiritual treasure of Atman. Christ thus teaches us the great way of going beyond all all sin and sorrow.

The Life of Jesus

Jesus is the embodiment of all his teachings. In Jesus we see perfect holiness, goodness, kindness, mercy, gentleness and justice. He said: "I am the Truth, the Way and the Life. “He is the embodiment of all that is best sublimest and most beautiful. He is the most perfect type and ideal of humanity. He is a philosopher, prophet, teacher, reformer. He always practised what he taught.

An almost supernal, spotless purity rested like a divine mantle upon the sublime personality of Jesus, the Christ. His life was a wonderful combination of Jnana, Bhakti and Karma. An ideal, integral development of head, heart and hand has rendered his life a model for mankind to emulate for all eternity. Christ was ever conscious of his inseparable identity with the Supreme Self. Yet, deep devotion and love for the personal God constantly found expression in him in the form of prayers, praises and glorification. And, in his actual day-to-day life, Jesus was the very personification of the spirit of Karma Yoga. His entire life was a continuous ministry unto the afflicted. His feet moved but to reach where aid was needed. If his hand moved, it was but to help the troubled and the oppressed. His tongue spoke only to utter soft, honeyed words of compassion, consolation, inspiration and enlightenment. With the very glances of his luminous Yogic eyes, Jesus awakened, elevated and transformed those whom he gazed upon. He felt, thought, talked and acted for the good of others. Amidst this all, he dwelt in the unbroken awareness of the assertion: "I and my Father are one." His life was like that of a sage in Sahaja Samadhi.

The life of Jesus displays a silent yet supreme heroism in the face of the most determined opposition, persecution and misunderstanding. And he has set an example how a true seeker repulses the temptations on the spiritual path. Long before the outward drama of crucifixion, Jesus had Voluntarily crucified himself spiritually by annihilating the lower self and living a purely divine life.

Jesus was God Himself. The Holy Scripture reminds us of this fact again and again. Yet, why did he have to endure so much of persecution and suffering? Could he not have overwhelmed his foes by a mere exercise of his divine will? Yes. But the supreme incarnation of love that Lord Jesus was, he had willed it that his own life would be an example for people to emulate. Therefore he behaved like any other human being; and while so doing, fully demonstrated in his own brief but eventful life the great Sermon that he gave on the Mount.

Jesus and the Modern Man

True, Lord Jesus bled on the Cross for the redemption of his people. Today, from his eternal seat in the Kingdom of God, his divine compassionate heart bleeds even more profusely. For, the people of his time were ignorant of the Law and they erred; but the people of the modern world have the resplendent light of Lord Jesus' life and teachings illumining the path of righteousness, and yet, they wantonly walk the path of darkness, ignorance, sin, selfishness, sensuousness and misery. If his merciful heart bled for the ignorant sinners, how much more would it not bleed for the sins of those who err, ignoring His light!

Is this the way in which you would like humanity to show its gratitude to the Saviour? No, a thousand times no. It is never too late to mend. Study the Gospels again. Meditate on the resplendent, spiritually glowing, divine form of Lord Jesus. How sweet, how compassionate, how gentle and loving he was! And yet, he showed no leniency towards himself. He turned resolutely away from Satan—not that he could ever be tempted, but to set an example before us.

Trials and temptations come but to be overcome by the brave. Tests and trying situations come to strengthen your mind and to purify your heart. They are, as it were, the wise men that discover the Jesus in you. To succumb to these trials is weakness. To fast, to pray, to discriminate and to overcome these obstacles with the help of the grace of the Lord is spiritual heroism. When the victory is achieved, to feel, to realise and to proclaim that it was the Lord's grace that enabled you to attain victory is real meekness.

Meekness is virtue; weakness is sin. Learn this great lesson from the life of Lord Jesus.

Study the Sermon on the Mount again and again. Meditate upon it. Choose the Lord's instructions one after the other, month after month, and endeavour diligently to put them into practice. Thus will you grow into a worthy child of Lord Jesus. Thus will you reincarnate Lord Jesus in your own heart. There are many today who truly and sincerely follow the teachings of the Saviour. In their hearts has Jesus reincarnated, to guide you, to lead you to the Kingdom of God, where he has his supreme seat. May you all walk the path that Jesus laid out! May you all be living embodiments of the Sermon on the Mount! May you realise the Kingdom of God within you here and now!

37. JIVANMUKTA

A Jivanmukta is a liberated sage. He is released even while living. He lives in the world, but he is not of the world. He always revels in the eternal bliss of the Supreme Self. He is Isvara Himself. He is a God on earth.

The Jivanmukta or full-blown Jnani is full of pure love, compassion, mercy, exquisite gentleness, and hidden power and strength. Love and lustre shine through his brilliant eyes.

The Jivanmukta has not a bit of selfish interest in him and is absolutely free from worries, difficulties, troubles, tribulations, sorrows and anxieties under all circumstances. Even when pains and the rest attaching themselves to his body exhibit themselves on his face, his mind never writhes under them and their antithesis. He is not a slave of his moods; he is ever cheerful and peaceful. His higher excellences have been perfectly unfolded; all divine attributes are fully awakened in him. Every one of his weaknesses and limitations is burnt in toto. He shines in his own pristine glory, in his own essential nature of divine consciousness. He radiates peace and joy everywhere.

The true greatness of a realised Yogi is indescribable. His eyes are serene and steady, his actions perfect and holy, his speech sweet and short, inspiring and impressive. His gait is magnanimous, his touch purifying; his looks are merciful, gestures illuminating. He is omniscient; he has intuitive transcendental knowledge and clear insight into the very heart of all things and beings. You will experience a deep sense of peace and harmony, great elevation and inspiration, in his presence.

Signs of a Jivanmukta

The Jivanmukta or liberated sage is absolutely free from egoism, doubt, fear and grief. These are the four important signs that indicate that one has attained perfection.

The Jivanmukta has perfect contentment, unruffled peace of mind, deep abiding joy and bliss, possession of super-sensual spiritual knowledge and ability to clear any kind of doubt of aspirants. Doubts vanish when one remains in his company.

The Jivanmukta does not care even for the wants of body. He is not afraid of death. He has no longing to live also. Maya or Prakriti is his obedient and sweet nurse. She attends upon him carefully. Bodily wants come by themselves. Prakriti arranges everything for him beforehand. This is her lookout.

Balanced mind, equal vision, indifference to pairs of opposites like pleasure and pain, censure and praise, heat and cold, success and failures—these are the marks of a Jivanmukta. Jivanmuktas are not frightened or astonished at any unusual occurrence in nature. They will never be disconcerted even should the sun grow cold, or the moon turn hot, or the fire begin to burn with its flame downwards, or the course of the river begin to rise upwards. The Jivanmukta is not perturbed under any condition. He is undistracted amidst distractions.

The Double-Consciousness of a Jivanmukta

A man who stands in water up to his neck has a twofold experience. His head is exposed to the sun. He experiences both heat and cold. Such is the experience of a Jivanmukta. He has double consciousness. He enjoys the bliss of Brahman. He also has the experience of this world. He is like a man who knows two languages.

Just as the pot in which asafoetida or onion is kept emits a certain amount of smell even when it is cleaned several times, so also, a small trace of ignorance still remains in the mind of a Jnani even. The Jivanmukta has a consciousness of the body in the form of a Samskara. That is the reason why he eats and drinks. Though the instinctive mind with low desires is destroyed, the Sattvic mind does not perish in the Jivanmukta. How will he be able to do Vyavahara or worldly dealings without an instrument, viz., the mind?

Difference between a Worldly Man and a Liberated Sage

The phenomenal universe does not vanish from the vision of the Jivanmukta. The Jivanmukta sees the world as a dream within himself. Just as the mirage appears even after the illusory nature of the water is understood, so also. the world appears for the Jivanmukta even after he has attained Self-realisation, even after he has clearly understood the illusory nature of the world. But, just as the man who has understood the nature of the mirage will not run after the mirage for drinking water, so also, the Jivanmukta will not run after sensual objects like the worldly-minded people, though the world appears to him. That is the difference between a worldly man and a liberated sage.

When he is absorbed in Brahman, the Glory of glories, the Soul of souls, the Jivanmukta will not be able to work. But, when he comes down from his full Brahmic consciousness owing to the force of Prarabdha and Vikshepa Sakti, he will pour forth his love at the cry of a suffering soul. So radiant and compassionate is he. He is the ocean of mercy and love and peace, a Buddha or Jesus.

Cosmic Vision

The Jivanmukta beholds the one Reality or God everywhere and in all things. For him there is no distinction between a rogue and a saint, gold and stone, honour and dishonour. He actually feels that all is himself only, that snakes, scorpions, tigers, bears and lions are as much part of himself as his own eyes, nose, ears, hands and feet. He is one with the flower, ether, sun, ocean, mountain and sky. He has cosmic vision and cosmic feelings.

Samadhi Jnani and Vyavahara Jnani

The way of living of Jivanmuktas or sages differs. One sage lives in a princely style. Bhagiratha lived this kind of life. Another sage lives in a beggarly manner. One sage is always in a meditative mood. He never works. He never talks. He lives always in seclusion. Jada Bharata lived this kind of life. Another sage lives in a busy crowded city. He plunges himself in service. He talks with the people. He delivers lectures, holds religious classes, writes books, etc. Sri Sankara led this kind of life. This is due to Prarabdha. Every sage has his own Prarabdha. If all sages have the same kind of living and the same kind of Prarabdha, this world will be like a prison. Variety in manifestation is the nature of Prakriti.

The Jnani who has desire for worldly activities or Vyavahara and works in the world is a Vyavahara Jnani. The Jnani who withdraws himself completely from the universe is a Samadhi Jnani.

Knowledge is the same in those two types of Jnanis. But the Samadhi Jnani enjoys more Ananda than the Vyavahara Jnani. The Samadhi Jnani is one who is ever absorbed in Brahman. He does not see names and forms. The world has entirely vanished for him. He is quite unable to work. He is a Muzub. He is a Paramahamsa. Food has to be thrust forcibly in the case of a Samadhi Jnani.

A Vyavahara Jnani will experience pain when his finger is cut, but a Samadhi Jnani will not experience pain even a bit even if his leg is amputated. The case of Shams Tabriez of Multan would serve as an example to justify the truth of the above statement. When he was skinned out, he laughed and uttered Analhaq, Analhaq. 'Analhaq' means 'I am He', and corresponds to the Hindu 'Soham'.

A Vyavahara Jnani sees names and forms. A Vyavahara Jnani knows that this is Vishta, this is Chandana; this is a fool, this is an intelligent man; this is an Adhikari, this is a rogue, this is an honest man. But, he is not affected in his feelings. He is neither exalted when he gets success nor depressed when he fails. He neither loves an honest man nor hates the rogue. In this sense, he has Sama Drishti or equal vision.

The desire for work in the case of the Vyavahara Jnani is due to his Prarabdha. He uses his body and mind as his instruments just as a carpenter used his tools. While working, he has not lost his Brahmic consciousness even for a second. He is settled always in the Chaitanya Svarupa or pure consciousness.

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

How the Jivanmukta Lives and Works

A Jivanmukta is not a whimsical man. He is not bound by the rules of Sastra or society. And yet, he will not deviate from Dharma. All that he does will be in strict accordance with the scriptures or sacred books. He spontaneously does only what is good. An expert dancer never makes a false step. So is a Jivanmukta when he works.

The sage works without effort, without agency, without egoism, attachment and desire. Like a child, his conduct is neither good nor evil.

The Jivanmukta acts only like a child. The sense of right and wrong will be natural in him independently of scriptural teachings. He has destroyed all egoism. He is above Karma, and Karmas cannot touch him. He may, for the instruction of the world, perform works or refrain from forbidden acts.

The Jivanmukta does not care for public criticism. He keeps a cool mind even when he is assaulted. He blesses those who persecute him. He beholds only his own Self everywhere.

His mark or characteristic is an internal mental state. It cannot be perceived or detected by others. The Lord uses him for His divine work.

Physical Nudity and Mental Nudity

A Brahma Jnani or Jivanmukta need not be a genius. He need not be an eloquent speaker, orator, lecturer, or professor. But he is calm, serene and tranquil. He is taciturn and silent. His silence is superior eloquence. He has divine wisdom and intuitive knowledge. In his presence, all doubts are cleared.

Householders make wrong judgments in deciding the nature of a Jivanmukta. They take into consideration only the external conditions of a Jivanmukta. Even educated people commit mistakes in this regard.

A Sadhu may be physically nude. He may not keep anything with him. He may use his hands as the begging bowl and live underneath a tree. He may live in a forest. Yet, he may be the greatest scoundrel; he may be the most Worldly-minded man with internal and external attachments. He may dance in joy when he gets an eight-anna piece for his opium-smoking. His mind may be full of Mistractions and disturbances. Whereas, a man may live in the bustle of a town or city. He may lead the life of a big Babu. He may wear fashionable dress. He may eat dainties. Yet he may not have the least attachment and craving for anything. Sri Ramanuja lived amidst luxuries. There had been instances of realised persons who had elephants, horses and all royal paraphernalia without being affected in the least by these external objects. They had always Jana Nishtha and Svarupa Sthiti amidst multifarious activities. This is integral development. This is the gist of the Bhagavad Gita. This is the central teaching of Lord Krishna.

What is wanted is mental nudity. Jnana is purely an internal state. The external marks are no sure criterion.

The ways of a Jnani are mysterious. Only a Jivanmukta can know a Jivanmukta. The description given of a Jnani in the Bhagavad Gita and various other books is quite inadequate, incomplete and imperfect. His state can never be imagined by the limited mind and can never be described by the finite speech. He shines in his own pristine glory.

He will sometimes appear like a Sarvajna, all-knower. He will sometimes appear like an Ajnani, ignorant man. He knows when to act like a Brahmanishtha, and when to behave like a fool. Do not judge him. If you approach him with the proper Bhava, with faith, devotion and spiritual thirst, he will impart the highest knowledge to you. If you approach him with a bad motive, he will behave like a mad man, and you will be deceived. Great will be your loss then.

A Blessing to the World

A Jivanmukta is sustainer of the world. He is a source of perpetual inspiration. He is an embodiment through which divine grace is transmitted to the unregenerated men.

Like flowers that bloom to scent and purify the air around, great souls like Sadasiva Brahman, Yajnavalkya, spring up in the world to gladden men's heart and to lead them to immortality and perfection.

The Jivanmukta is a powerhouse of spiritual energy. He radiates his spiritual currents to the different corners of the world. Sit before him. Your doubts will be cleared by themselves. You will feel a peculiar thrill of joy and peace in his presence.

The Jivanmukta, like untold holy waters, purifies others by mere sight, touch, and the utterances of his name. Sometimes he remains unnoticed. Sometimes he becomes known to those who desire welfare. He eats food offered to him by pious devotees and burns up their past and future evils or impurities.

A Jivanmukta or a saint is the ultimate source of Knowledge of the soul. Satsanga with a Jivanmukta even for a minute is much better than rulership of a kingdom. His very presence is thrilling and inspiring. Seek his company and evolve. Serve him with faith and devotion.

The Sage Lives for Ever

The sage lives for ever. He has attained life everlasting. Cravings torture him not. Sins stain him not. Birth and death touch him not. Pains and tribulations torment him not.

A Jivanmukta may give up his body in any place, at any time. Just as the falling leaves and fruits of a tree will not affect the tree itself, so also, the dropping of the body will not affect the Atman, which survives like the tree. His Pranas do not depart elsewhere for transmigration. They are absorbed in Brahman after the exhaustion of his Prarabdha, the results of past actions that have already begun to bear fruit. He is freed from further births.

The Jivanmukta is freed from the trammels of mind and matter. He is absolutely free, perfect, independent. He is absolutely free from hatred, lust, cares, worries and anxieties. Everybody will surely like this state of beatitude or final emancipation. It is the final goal of life. It is the end of all human aspirations.

The state of Jivanmukti is the be-all and end-all of existence. There is fullness in this state. All desires are burnt. It is a state of plenum of absolute satisfaction. There is no gain greater than this, no bliss greater than this, no wisdom greater this.

There, at the summit of the Hill of Eternal Bliss, you can see now the Jivanmukta or a full-blown Yogi. He has climbed the stupendous heights through intense and constant struggle. He did severe, rigorous spiritual Sadhana. He did profound Nididhyasana or meditation. He spent sleepless nights. He kept long vigils on several halting stages. He persevered with patience and diligence. He has surmounted many obstacles. He conquered despair, gloom and depression. He is a beacon-light to the world now. Remember that he was also rotting in those days in the quagmire of Samsara, like yourself. You can also ascend to that summit if only you will.

38. JUDAISM

Introduction

Judaism constitutes the religious doctrines and rites of the Jews as enjoined in the laws of Moses. Judaism is based on Zoroastrianism. It has given rise to two great religions of the world, i.e., Christianity and Mohammedanism. The Mohammedans admit that their religion is founded on Judaism. The Koran also is very clear on this point.

Zoroastrian conception of Ahura Mazda as the Supreme Being is perfectly identical with the idea of Elohim (God) Jehovah which we find in the books of Old Testament.

Abraham, the Prophet, was the first man who has revealed God to all humanity. He is the Founder of the Hebrew race. Hebrew is one of the descendants of Jacob, as Israelite, a Jew. Isaac had two sons, viz., Essan and Jacob and their descendants are the Christians and Jews respectively. Abraham had two sons (one from Sarah and one from Hagar, the Egyptian woman), viz., Isaac and Ismael who are the fathers of Jews and Mohammedans respectively.

Old and New Testament

The Old Testament contains the sacred writings of the ancient Jewish race. The newer portion is known as the New Testament which was begun after the coming of Jesus Christ, more than nineteen hundred years ago. Long before Jesus came to this world, the Jews wrote and studied their sacred books. These were written in their Hebrew tongue. The old Hebrew books were translated into Greek about two hundred years before the Christian era.

The books of the Jews were arranged into three main divisions. The first was called “The Law.” It dealt with the laws of the world. These books are now the first part of the Bible, viz., Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The second class was that of the Prophets. It included Joshua, Isaiah and Jeremiah. Psalms and Proverbs constituted third class. The Old Testament contains 39 books.

The New Testament contains 27 books. The first four books are Gospels which describe the life of Christ on this earth. The next book tells us of the Acts of the Apostles, particularly of the important Apostle Paul. The twenty-one Shorter books give out the ideas underlying the Christian faith of the early Christians. The last book is the book of Revelations. It gives a description of the series of visions, viz., the lamb of God and the heavenly city. The author is John, the favourite Apostle of Jesus. All these books were written in Greek, which was the language of educated men at the beginning of the Christian era.

Jewish Sects

The Law was set forth as a complete system by which men should live. By the Law was understood in a special sense the Pentateuch. Every word of Pentateuch was considered as inspired and an immediate revelation to Moses.

(a) There was a need for explanation of the Law. The Scribes were the interpreters of the Law. They explained and applied the rules of the Torah to special cases. The Scribes were recognised as the legislators and the judges of Israel. Their decisions had the force of Law. The first Scribes were priests.

(b) The fraternity of the Pharisees were the popular or nationalist party. They believed in the doctrine of immortality, resurrection of the body, the existence of angels and spirits. As religious teachers, they upheld the authority of oral tradition as of equal validity with the written Law. They were inclined to fatalism in the question of the freedom of the will. The Zealots represented one extreme side of the Pharisaic movement.

(c) Sadducus were aristocratic priests. They held to the letter of the Mosaic revelation. They denied the authority of the oral tradition as interpreted by the Pharisees. They caught complete freedom of the will in moral action. They had no belief in angels or spirits. They did not accept the doctrine of immortality as a deduction from the Pentateuch.

(d) The Essenes followed celibacy, isolation, silence. ceremonial ablutions and abstinence from animal food. They practised asceticism. They did worship of the sun and the angels. They believed in the dualistic theory of good and evil and the symbolism of light. They abstained from sacrifices and temple worship.

Torah

The Prophets of Israel were the great religious leaders who brought great progress in Behraic thought. Rabbis also were authoritative teachers. They worked very hard in the field of Torah. They produced the massive Talmudic literature. They were the representatives of Pharisiasm. Talmud is indispensable for a knowledge of Hebraic thought.

The Torah was given in ten words. Each word became a voice. Every voice was divided into 70 voices all of which shone and glittered before the eyes of all Israel. Torah denotes the divine revelation to Israel on Mount Senai as embodied in the five Books of Moses. The Torah (Law) as given to Moses consists of 613 commandments which are the essence of the divine and terrestrial mysteries. Torah indicates a way of life rather than a form of belief.

Moses received the Torah (Law, direction, instruction) on Senai and handed it down to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, the elders to the prophets and the prophets handed it down to the men of the Great Synagogue, a synod of zealous men created by Ezra, the Scribe in the fifth century B.C. The function of the synagogue was to study and teach Torah. The Synagogue was a church, a school and a court of justice. It was a house of instruction. The unity of God, the Incorporeality of God, and the Holiness of God are the main features of Judaism.

God gave His ten commandments to Moses on the Mount Senai. The Lord called unto him out of the mountain and said: “Thus shall thou say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel."

The Ten Commandments

(i) I am the Lord Thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

(iii) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

(iv) Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all the work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day and hallowed it.

(v) Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

(vi) Thou shalt not kill.

(vii) Thou shalt not commit adultery.

(viii) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

(x) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.

Mosaic Cosmogony

This is the Mosaic account of Cosmogony. On the first day heaven and earth were created; on the second, firmament and waters: on the third, dry land, grass, the birds and fruit trees: on the fourth, lights, the sun, the moon, the stars: on the fifth, moving creatures, winged fowls, great whales; on the sixth living creatures, cattle, creepers, beasts, man. In Genesis, the Creation ends with the creation of man. God created Adam on the sixth day and gave him the charge of the animals. Adam had three children viz., Cain, Abel and Sheth. Cain killed Abel. The descendants of Cain were drowned in the flood. The descendants of the Sheth are all the humanity of the world. The Lord took Adam and put him into the garden of Eden to till it and to keep it.

Tenets of Judaism

The Jews believe in resurrection, in angels, and in the existence of two powers, viz., God and the Devil or Satan.

The Jews believe that everyman's actions will be weighed on the day of Judgment in a balance. Men will have to pass after their resurrection along the bridge of Hell.

The unity of God is the cardinal principle of the religion of the Hebrews. God is bodiless. This is also a doctrine of great importance. God is ever pure and holy. This is third important attribute of God. He is the Creator of the entire world. He is the Father of all His creatures. He is just and merciful. He is without iniquity.

The Jewish saints have spoken much about the efficacy and power of repentance. Happy is the man who repents. The gates of repentance never close. Repentance prolongs a man's life. The tears of true repentance are not shed in vain. Even the most righteous shall not attain to so high a place in heaven as truly repentant. Repent one day sincerely with a contrite heart before you die. After repentance you should not repeat the same wicked act. Even an hour spent in repentance with a contrite heart in this world is preferable to a whole life in the world to come. The end and aim of all wisdom is repentance.

39. KARMA

Karma is a Sanskrit term that signifies action or deed. Any physical or mental action is Karma. Thinking is mental Karma. Karma is the sum total of our acts, both in the present life and in the preceding births.

Karma means not only action, but also the result of an action. The consequence of an action is really not a separate thing. It is a part of the action, and cannot be divided from it.

The Law of Karma means the law of causation. Wherever there is a cause, there an effect must be produced. A seed is a cause for the tree, which is the effect. The tree produces seeds, and becomes the cause for the seeds. The cause is found in the effect and the effect is found in the cause. The effect is similar to the cause. This is the universal chain of cause and effect which has no end.

No link in the chain is unnecessary. This world runs on this fundamental, vital law. This law is inexorable and immutable. This grand law operates everywhere in the physical and mental planes. No phenomenon can escape from the operation of this mighty law. All other laws of nature are subordinate to this fundamental law.

No event can occur without having a positive, definite cause at the back of it. The breaking of a war, the rise of a comet, the occurrence of an earthquake or a volcanic eruption, the breaking of an epidemic, thunder, lightning, floods, diseases in the body, fortune, misfortune, all have got definite causes behind them.

The grand law of causation includes the law of action and reaction, the law of compensation and the law of retribution. All these laws come under one general, all-embracing heading, viz., the Doctrine of Karma.

The Law of Action and Reaction

If there is an action, there must be a reaction. The reaction will be of equal force and of similar nature. Every thought, desire, imagination, sentiment causes reaction.

Virtue brings its own reward; vice brings its own punishment. This is the working of the law of reaction.

God neither punishes the wicked nor rewards the virtuous. It is their own Karmas that bring reward and punishment. It is the law of action and reaction that brings the fruits. No one is to be blamed.

The law operates everywhere with unceasing precision and scientific accuracy. The law of action and reaction operates both in the physical and mental planes.

The Law of Compensation

The law of compensation operates everywhere in nature's phenomena. The seed breaks and a big tree comes out of the seed. There is no loss in the breaking of the seed. There comes out a tree in accordance with the law of compensation. Fuel burns. Fuel is destroyed. But there is heat, in accordance with the law of compensation. Many articles are cooked in the fire on account of the heat.

If there is extreme heat in Vijayawada, there is extreme cold in Mt. Kailas or Uttarkashi in the Himalayas. This is the law of compensation. If there are ten scoundrels in a place, there are two Sattvic souls to bring compensation. If there is flood-tide at Puri, there is an ebb-tide at Waltair. This is the law of compensation. If there is day in India, there is night in America. Peace follows a war and vice versa. This is the law of compensation. The law of compensation operates in the mental plane also.

The law of compensation keeps up the balance and establishes peace, concord, equilibrium, harmony and justice in nature. Think deep. Cogitate. Reflect. You will see that this law of compensation is operating everywhere in the phenomena of nature beautifully. It is inexorable and immutable. No one can defy this relentless and irresistible law. If you do an evil act, you will reap a bad fruit in compensation.

If you take an individual life as an isolated event that begins with the birth of the physical body and terminates with its death, you cannot find any correct explanation or solution for the affairs of life. You will be groping in darkness and despair. Your present life is nothing, when compared with the whole soul-life. It is momentary. It is a mere fragment. Whenever you want to find out the cause or antecedent of anything, you will have to go deep into the affairs of the eternal soul-life. Then alone there will be perfect balance of cause and effect, antecedent and consequence. You will have to judge from a broad view of the eternal soul-life. The law of compensation embraces a wide range of the whole soul-life. Life does not end with the disintegration of this physical body alone. There is reincarnation. There had been countless previous lives also. You will have to take into consideration the widest view of the life of the soul. Then the line is quite clear. Then you will find a perfect, satisfactory solution for all the intricate and complicated affairs of life. Then there will be no room for grumbling or lamentation or misapprehension.

The Law of Retribution

Every wrong action or crime brings its own punishment in accordance with the law of retribution. The law of causation, the law of action and reaction, the law of compensation and the law of retribution-all operate together. He who robs another man, robs himself first. He who hurts another man hurts himself first. He who cheats another man cheats himself first.

Remember that God is neither partial nor unjust. Remember that God is not responsible for the wealth of a man or the poverty of another. You suffer on account of your own wicked actions.

There is nothing chaotic or capricious in this world. Things do not happen in this universe by accident or chance in a disorderly manner. They happen in regular succession. They follow each other in a regular order. There is a certain definite connection between what is being done now by you and what will happen in the future. Sow always the seeds which will bring pleasant fruits and which will make you happy herein and hereafter.

How Karma Is Fashioned

Man is threefold in his nature. He consists of Ichha, Jnana and Kriya. Ichha is desire or feeling. Jnana is knowing. Kriya is willing. These three fashion his Karma.

He knows objects like chair, tree, etc. He feels joy and sorrow. He wills—to do this, or not to do that.

Behind the action, there are desire and thought. A desire for an object arises in the mind. Then you think how to get it. Then you exert to possess it. Desire, thought and action always go together. They are the three threads, as it were. that are twisted into the cord of Karma.

Desire produces Karma. You work and exert to acquire the objects of your desire. Karma produces its fruits as pain or pleasure. You will have to take births after births to reap the fruits of your Karmas. This is the Law of Karma.

Sanchita, Prarabdha and Kriyamana

Karma is of three kinds, viz., Sanchita or the accumulated works, Prarabdha or the fructifying works and Kriyamana or the current works.

Sanchita is all the accumulated Karmas of the past. Part of it is seen in the character of man, in his tendencies and aptitudes, capacities, inclinations and desires.

Prarabdha is that portion of the past Karma which is responsible for the present body. It is ripe for reaping. It cannot be avoided or changed. It is only exhausted by being experienced. You pay your past debts.

Kriyamana is that Karma which is now being done for the future. It is also called Agami or Vartamana.

In Vedantic literature, there is a beautiful analogy. The bow-man has already sent an arrow; it has left his hands. He cannot recall it. He is about to shoot another arrow. The bundle of arrows in the quiver on his back is the Sanchita. The arrow he has shot is Prarabdha. And the arrow which he is about to shoot from his bow is Agami. Of these, he has perfect control over the Sanchita and Agami, but he must surely work out his Prarabdha. The past which has begun to take effect he has to experience.

Prarabdha cannot be prevented even by Isvara or the Lord. Even Nala, Rama and Yudhishthira who had great powers and wisdom had to undergo this Prarabdha. Nala did not want to go to the forest: and yet he was forced to go. His Karma compelled him. Lord Rama alone was to be installed as the King of Ayodhya. He was forced to enter the forest. Gandhiji wanted to live for one hundred and twenty years; he did not like himself to be shot down. And yet, Prarabdha karma brought about this event.

Destiny and Self-effort

Even if the Law of Karma is inexorable, there is the scope for divine grace. Grace comes through penitence, austerity and devotion. Penitence does not alter the Law of Karma. It is an act that has its fruit like any other act.

What one has to reap cannot be altered by the individual: but, its recurrence can certainly be checked by self-effort.

Self-effort is Purushartha. Destiny is Prarabdha. Prarabdha is only Purushartha which is done in previous births. The self-effort of today becomes the destiny of tomorrow. Self-effort and destiny are one and the same. Prarabdha and Purushartha are one. They are two names which indicate only one thing. Just as the present becomes the past and the future becomes the present, just as there is only the present, so also, there is only Purushartha. When God works through man, it is Purushartha. Grace becomes Purushartha.

Rainfall, etc., are not under human control. Yet, a farmer ploughs his fields; he exercises Purushartha or self-effort. The crop may fail due to lack of rain. Still, man does not lose heart. He performs sacrifices for getting rain and reaps a good harvest. Similarly, Yoga-practice is self-effort to neutralise evil Prarabdha which obstructs Atma-Sakshatkara. If Prarabdha is powerful, Yoga is more powerful than Prarabdha.

Every soul is like a husbandman who has got a plot of land. The acreage, the nature of the soil, the conditions of weather are all predetermined. But the husbandman is quite at liberty to till the earth, manure it and get good crops, or to allow it to remain as a waste land.

Prarabdha concerns the past only. The future is in your hands. You can change your destiny. You have a free will to act.

Have a new angle of vision. Arm yourself with discrimination, cheerfulness, discernment, alacrity and undaunted spirit. A glorious brilliant future is awaiting you. Let the past be buried. You can work miracles. You can do wonders. Do not give up hope. You can destroy the harmful effects of unfavourable planets through your will-force. You can command the elements and nature. You can neutralise the effect of the evil influences and the antagonistic dark forces that may operate against you. You can change the unfavourable circumstances into best possible ones. You can nullify destiny.

Destiny is your own creation. You have created your destiny through thoughts and actions. You can undo the same by right thinking and right action. Even if there is an evil or a dark antagonistic force to attack you, you can diminish its force by resolutely turning your mind away from it. Thus you can disarm destiny.

Do not say: "Karma, Karma. My Karma has brought me like this.” Exert. Exert. Do Purushartha. Do Tapas. Concentrate. Purify. Meditate. Do not become a fatalist. Do not yield to inertia. Do not bleat like a lamb. Roar Om, Om, Om like a lion of Vedanta. See how Markandeya who was destined to die at his sixteenth year became a Chiranjivi, an immortal boy of sixteen years, on account of his Tapas. Also note how Savitri brought back to life by her Tapas her dead husband, how Benjamin Franklin and the late Sri T. Muthuswami Aiyer of the Madras High Court elevated themselves. Remember, friends, that man is a master of his destiny. Visvamitra Rishi, who was a Kshatriya Raja, became a Brahmarshi like Vasishtha and even created a third world for Trisanku by his power of Tapas. Rogue Ratnakar became the sage Valmiki through Tapas. Rogues Jagai and Madai of Bengal became highly developed saints. They became the disciples of Lord Gouranga-Nityananda. What others have done, you can also do. There is no doubt of this.

How Destiny Is Built Up

Thought is Karma. Thinking is the real Karma. Thought moulds your character. Thought materialises and becomes an action. If you allow the mind to dwell on good, elevating thoughts, you will develop a noble character; you will do naturally good and laudable actions. If you entertain evil thoughts, you will develop a base character. This is the immutable law of nature. Therefore, you can deliberately shape your character by cultivating sublime thought.

You sow an action and reap a habit. You sow a habit and reap a character. You sow a character and reap your destiny. Hence, destiny is your own make-up. You have built it. You can undo it by entertaining noble thoughts and doing virtuous actions and changing your mode of thinking.

The impressions of small and big acts coalesce together and form tendencies. The tendencies develop into character. Character produces will. If a man has a strong character, he has a strong will. Karma produces character, and character in turn produces will. People of gigantic will have developed their will through Karma done in countless births. It is not in one birth that a man develops a mighty will. He does various good actions in several births. The potencies of these actions collect together and in one birth the struggling man bursts out as a giant like Buddha, Jesus and Sankara. No action goes in vain. Nothing is lost. Patient, indefatigable effort is needed. You will have to watch every thought, word and action.

Man's will is ever free. Through selfishness his will has become impure. He can render his will pure, strong and dynamic by getting rid of his base desires and likes and dislikes.

Man Is Master of His Destiny

You are not a creature of environment or circumstance. You are the master of your own fate. You are the architect of your own fortune. You are responsible for what you suffer. You are responsible for your present state. If you are unhappy, it has been your own making. If you are miserable, it has also been your own making. Every action bears a fruit sooner or later. A virtuous action produces pleasure as its effect. An evil deed causes pain.

Charity in your past life gives you riches in the present life. Service of humanity in your past life makes you a famous leader in the present life. Strong thoughts of your past life make your character in the present life. Tendencies of your past life become your capacities in the present life. Virtuous deeds of your past life give you good environments in the present life. Experiences of your past life make your conscience in this present life. Selfless actions of your past life give you discrimination. dispassion, aspiration in this present life, through the Lord's grace.

If you oppress a man, you will suffer oppression in another life and reap the fruit of the seed you have sown in this life. If you injure the eye of a man, your eye will be injured in another life. If you break the leg of a man, your leg will be broken in another life. If you feed the poor, you will have plenty of food in another life. If you build rest-houses, you will have many houses in another life. Action and reaction are equal and opposite. There is no power on this earth which can stop the actions from yielding their fruits. Such is the Law of Karma. Such is the law of birth and death. Such is the circle through which you must pass on your way.

Three Kinds of Action

Actions are of three kinds, viz., good, bad and mixed. Good Karmas make you a god or angel in heaven. Bad Karmas throw you in lower wombs. Mixed actions give you a human birth. If you rob a man and feed the poor, it is a mixed action. If you earn money by unlawful means and build a temple or a hospital, this is a mixed action. If you get money by cheating a man and construct an Ashram for Sannyasins, this is also a mixed action.

Every work is a mixture of good and evil. There can be neither absolute good work nor absolute bad work in this world. This physical universe is a relative place. If you do some action, it will do some good in one corner, and some evil in another corner. You must try to do such actions that can bring the maximum of good and the minimum of evil.

Veracity of the Law of Karma

The Doctrine of Karma forms an integral part of Vedanta. The Law of Karma is one of the fundamental doctrines not only in Hinduism, but also in Buddhism and Jainism.

As a man sows, so shall he reap. This is the Law of Karma. It expounds the riddle of life and the riddle of the universe. It brings solace, satisfaction and comfort to one and all. It is a self-evident truth. Fortunately, the Westerners have also begun now to acknowledge its importance and veracity. The Americans have now full belief in this doctrine. Every sensible man will have to accept it. There is no other go.

A close study of this law gives encouragement to the hopeless man, to the desperate and the ailing. Destiny is created by man's thoughts, habits and character. There is every chance for his correction and improvement by changing his thoughts and habits. The scoundrel can become a saint; the prostitute can become a chaste lady; a beggar can become a king. The mighty law provides for all this.

The Doctrine of Karma only can explain the mysterious problem of good and evil in this world. The Doctrine of Karma only can bring solace, contentment, peace and strength to the afflicted and the desperate. It solves our difficulties and problems of life. It gives encouragement to the hopeless and the forlorn. It pushes a man to right thinking, right speech and right action. It brings a brilliant future for that man who lives according to this universal law. If all people understand this law correctly and discharge their daily duties carefully, they would rise to sublime heights in the ladder of spirituality. They will be moral and virtuous and have a happy, peaceful, contented life. They can bear the burden of Samsara with patience, endurance and strength of mind. There will not be any room for complaint when they see the inequalities in birth, fortune, intelligence, capacities, etc. There will be heaven on earth. All will rejoice even in suffering. Greed, jealousy, hatred, anger, passion will vanish. Virtue will reign everywhere. We will have a glorious Satya Yuga now with peace and plenty everywhere. Blessed is the man who understands and lives in the Law, for he will soon attain God-consciousness and become one with the Law-giver! Then the Law will no longer operate on him.

40. KRISHNA

The auspicious hour came. The star Rohini was shining It was Vijaya Muhurta. The elements were extremely pleasant. Winds were blowing auspiciously. The stars were shining with lustre. The lakes were filled with lotuses. Lord Krishna incarnated at midnight on this earth. The gods played divine music. The Kinnaras and Gandharvas sang Siddhas and Charanas praised. The Vidyadharas danced along with the Apsarasas, sages and Devas. There was a rain of flowers from the heavens in joy.

Vishnu incarnated with lotus eyes, with four hands armed with conch, disc, mace and lotus, with the mark Srivatsa adorning the chest. Vasudeva saw this marvel of a divine child.

Vasudeva praised Him: "Thou art known to me already as the Supreme Being. Thou art an embodiment of knowledge and bliss. Thou art seated in the hearts of all beings. Thou art the witness of the minds of all. Thou art beyond Maya and Avidya.”

Devaki beheld marks of Vishnu on her son and praised Him: "Thou art beginningless, Omnipresent, self-luminous, attributeless, changeless and actionless. Thou art the source and place of dissolution, for everything. Kindly do not show me this form with four hands. Let me see You as an ordinary child. Withdraw this divine, transcendental form. We are afraid of Kamsa.”

The Lord said: "Let both of you often meditate with love on Me as a son and as the Supreme Being, and you will obtain eternal bliss and immortality.”

The Lord assumed the form of a handsome baby through the power of His own Maya.

The Purna Avatara

Lord Krishna was the highest incarnation of the great Vishnu. He was the Purna Avatara. He had all the sixteen Kalas or rays of the Lord. He was a noble scion of the illustrious Yadava dynasty. He was the world-teacher. He was the one Lord of love. He was the lover of men. His enchanting form, with flute in hand, holds the heart of India captive in chains even today.

The object of Sri Krishna's Avatara was threefold-to destroy the wicked demons, to take the leading part in the great war fought on the battlefield of Kurukshetra where He delivered His wonderful message of the Gita, and to become the centre of a marvellous development of the Bhakti Schools of India.

The purpose of the Krishna-avatara was not only to destroy Adharma, but also to reveal to the world the magnificence of God. Sri Krishna was the symbol of the Absolute, the representation of the mighty Sovereign of the universe. In His well-adjusted, symmetrical conduct of life is portrayed the majestic perfection of God.

Sri Krishna's life is the Bhagavad Gita in action. In Him are found the supreme knowledge and the supreme power blending to form the God-man of all times. In Him the highest Vidya and Vinaya coexist, as inseparable virtues of the Great Hero of the world.

Sri Krishna was a perfect Master. He was a Karma Yogi, Bhakta, Raja Yogi and Jnana Yogi. He preached Karma, Upasana, Yoga and Jnana. Lord Sri Krishna drove the chariot in the battlefield, and danced with the Gopis in the shady retreats of Vrindavana, and taught Yoga and Jnana to Uddhava and Arjuna. The four Yogas are blended in His Gita or the Immortal Song.

Lord Krishna was great in knowledge, great in emotion, great in action, altogether. The scriptures have not recorded any life more full, more intense, more sublime, more grand than His.

The Bhagavad Gita contains the teachings of Sri Krishna to Arjuna. It is a wonderful book for constant study. Aspirants study this book with great care daily. The first six chapters deal with Karma Yoga and represent the Tat' Pada of the "Tat Tvam Asi” Mahavakya. The next six chapters deal with Bhakti Yoga and represent the Tvam' Pada. The last six chapters deal with Jnana Yoga and represent the 'Asi' Pada.

Student Days with Sage Sandipani

Sri Krishna received His instructions from Sandipani, a sage of Avantipur. He lived with His teacher like an ordinary student. He was meek, humble and obedient. He led a laborious life. He gathered fuel from the woods for His preceptor's household. He inspired His classmates with love.

Sri Krishna had wonderful retentive memory. He mastered the sixty-four arts in sixty-four days.

The Lord's Life of Selfless Action

Krishna was a man of action. He was a history-maker and righter of wrongs. He stood for justice and righteousness. His policy was to defend the oppressed from the oppressor.

Lord Krishna was the greatest Karma Yogi of all time. He held up the torch of wisdom. He was an embodiment of wisdom and selfless action.

He was all love for the cowherd boys, cows and Gopis. He was the friend and benefactor of the poor and the helpless. He was extremely kind and merciful towards the meek and the humble.

Krishna was the thunderbolt to the wrestlers assembled in the arena of Kamsa, and yet, He had the softest heart among men. He was Yama unto Kamsa, a Cupid unto Gopis, the object of constant meditation for Yogins and devotees, the form of bliss and beatitude to the sages, and a child to His parents. He was Cupid unto Cupid Himself.

Lord Krishna was an embodiment of humility, though He was the Lord of the universe. He became the charioteer of Arjuna. He accepted the duty of washing the feet of the visitors voluntarily at the time of the Rajasuya Yajna performed by Yudhishthira.

A Great Statesman

Sri Krishna was a great statesman. The world has not witnessed a great statesman than Sri Krishna. He was a champion of liberty and a peace-maker. He had wonderful foresight, and held extremely liberal views. Even when He was a boy, He taught people the essentials and the true significance of religion when He rose against the popular worship of Indra for getting rains.

Krishna was a king-maker. He was the founder of the city of Dvaraka. He was the towering genius of His age. He was a great historical figure.

He was appointed as peace-maker to stop the civil war that was to be fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Yudhishthira sent Krishna to negotiate with the Kauravas. Krishna made a long and wise exhortation to Duryodhana. The thrilling and soul-stirring speech delivered by Sri Krishna before the court of Dhritarashtra proves that He was the greatest statesman. He said to Duryodhana: “O Prince of the Bharata race! Make peace with the wise, brave and righteous Pandavas. Peace alone brings happiness to friends, relations and the whole world. He who does not act according to the wise instructions of his friends meets with destruction and sorrow.”

Sri Krishna's political insight and wise statesmanship were admired by the ablest rulers of His time. His wise counsel was sought by kings and rulers.

Lord of the Yogins

You can count even the stars and the particles of sand on the seashore, but it is not possible to count the marvellous and heroic deeds and glorious actions of Sri Krishna, the Lord of the three worlds.

When He was a child, He did countless miracles. He showed Visvarupa to His mother, Yasoda, in His mouth while He yawned. He uprooted the Yamala Arjuna trees. He danced on the Kaliya serpent. He raised the Govardhana Hills on His little finger to protect Gokula from the heavy rains caused by Indra.

He multiplied Himself into various forms, when Brahma kept the Gopas and calves away from Krishna's view. He multiplied Himself and appeared in countless forms in the Rasa-lila. Can a human being do this? It is only a Yogesvara who can perform these great miracles.

Krishna gave eyesight to the blind Vilvamangal. He gave unlimited clothes to Draupadi. He gave cosmic vision to Arjuna.

Who can describe the glory of Lord Krishna, Lord of the Yogins and the Supreme Lord of the three worlds, the Soul of the universe? Durvasa and his countless disciples were satisfied when Lord Krishna ate a small particle of vegetable. This itself clearly proves that Lord Krishna is the one Soul that dwell in all beings.

The sage Narada wished to find out how Krishna could lead a happy, married life with His sixteen thousand wives. He visited their mansions, and found Krishna in every one of their homes engaged in a variety of duties. What a great marvel! Narada was stunned. Does this not prove that Krishna is the Lord of Yogins and is Lord Hari Himself?

Krishna is the Lord of all beings. He is, in fact, the husband of all women in this world. The real husband is the Lord only. It is to demonstrate this to the world that Lord Krishna incarnated Himself as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva.

An Embodiment of Love and Mercy

Lord Krishna is styled as one who steals butter, because He used to eat stealthily the butter in the houses of the Gopis on account of His extreme love for them. This stealing of butter was a sort of sport or Lila when He was a boy, to instil delight in the hearts of the Gopis who were His devotees. The Gopis liked this immensely. They were eagerly expecting Krishna to come and eat their butter. Krishna really steals or captivates the hearts of His devotees, makes them forget the world, draws their minds towards His blessed feet, and makes them enjoy everlasting peace and bliss.

Krishna had the Bhava of mother even for Putana who came to kill Him, and gave her salvation. He gave salvation even to His bitterest enemies, Kamsa and Sisupala who insulted Him openly in the Rajasuya Yajna. Then, what to speak of those who are highly devoted to Him?

The Lord's Teachings

Sri Krishna was the friend of Arjuna and Uddhava. His immortal teachings to Arjuna and Uddhava on Yoga, Bhakti and Jnana are unique. They even now stir the hearts of the readers and goad them towards the spiritual path, and instil peace into their hearts.

Arjuna had various kinds of doubts. Lord Krishna cleared his doubts one by one. He pushed Arjuna up in the ladder of Yoga from one rung to another rung. Ultimately Arjuna placed his step in the highest rung of the ladder, attained Knowledge of the Self, and then exclaimed in joy, "O my Lord! My delusion is destroyed. I have attained Knowledge through Thy grace. I am firm now. My doubts have vanished now in toto. I will act according to Thy word.”

Sri Krishna asked man to consider himself a doll in the hands of God. He asked man to think himself a soldier, God as his great general, his worldly acts as duties under orders. He asked him to act on the faith and belief that whatever he does is the work of God. He asked man to act, but act only with devotion to God without desire for fruits.

The teachings given by Lord Krishna to Uddhava on the eve of His departure from this world are wonderful. He gives instructions on a variety of subjects. But the one ringing note is: "See Me in everything. Surrender yourself to me. Do all actions for My sake. Cut off all sorts of attachments. Have perfect unswerving devotion to Me. Sing My glories.”

Call of the Flute

The flute is the symbol of the Pranava. It is this flute that attracted the devoted Gopis, the maidens of Vraja, to meet their beloved Lord on the banks of the sacred Yamuna. The sound of this divine flute thrilled the heart with rapturous delight, and instilled new life and joy. It produced Godintoxication in all beings and infused life even in insentient objects. The sweetness of the music was unsurpassed. He who heard once the music of Krishna's flute cared not for the nectar of heaven or the bliss of Moksha.

The Lord's flute and its music had stirred the souls of the Gopis. They lost all control over themselves. The world was nothing to them. They felt irresistibly drawn towards Sri Krishna. They had neither shame nor fear in leaving their homes. There was a soul-awakening in them. Their mind was not of this world. Their husbands and brothers stopped them in vain. Who can resist the torrent of divine love for the Lord?

The love that the Gopis bore towards Krishna was a divine love. It was the union of souls. It is no union of sex. It is the aspiration of the Jivatman to merge in the Paramatman. It is the blending of the individual soul with the Supreme Soul.

The Gopis were the sages of Dandaka forest in their previous births. At that time, they wished to embrace Lord Rama. They were promised satisfaction in the later Avatara. They got blended into the Paramatman in the Krishna-avatara.

Krishna has preached Prem through His flute. Radha asked Krishna: "O my dear! Why do You love the flute more than me? What virtuous actions has it done so that it can remain in close contact with Your lips? Kindly explain to me, my Lord, the secret of this. I am eager to hear.” Sri Krishna said: "This flute is very dear to Me. It has got some wonderful virtues. It has emptied off its egoism. It has made its inner hollow quite void and I can bring out any kind of tune, Raga or Ragini, to My pleasure and sweet will. If you also behave towards Me in exactly the same manner as this flute, if you remove your egoism completely and make perfect self-surrender, then I shall also love you in the same manner as I love this flute."

This body also is the flute of Lord Krishna in the macrocosm. If you can destroy your egoism and make total self-surrender, unreserved Atma-nivedana to the Lord, He will play on this body-flute nicely and bring out melodious tunes. Your will will become merged in His will. He will work unhampered through your instruments, body, mind and Indriyas. You can rest very peacefully then without cares, worries and anxieties.

O my dear children of Immortality! Lord Krishna is still roaming about in the gullies of Vrindavana. Just as Lord Dattatreya is still moving about with His astral body in the reputed Girnar Hills and gives Darsana even now to His sincere Bhaktas, just as Sri Jnana Dev is still moving about with his astral body in Alandi, near Poona, and gives Darsana even now to His sincere devotees, so also, Lord Krishna is still moving about in Vrindavana and gives Darsana to His sincere Bhaktas. You can find Him in the Seva Kunja in the Kunja gullies if you really want Him. He is the Brij Raj, the unprecedented Monarch of the three worlds. He is waiting with outstretched hands to embrace you with His warm love in His sweet bosom as He did with Mira, Surdas and others in days of yore. Purify your mind. Destroy your evil Vasanas and egoism. Hear once more the flute of the Bansiwala, Bankibehari of Vrindavana, His immortal song of the Gita, and allow Him to play in this body-flute of yours. Lose not this rare opportunity. It is very difficult to get this human body.

41. KUNDALINI

Behind all activity, there is a static background. Behind energy, there is consciousness. Behind Sakti, there is Siva.

Sakti itself has two polar aspects, static and dynamic. You cannot have Sakti in a dynamic form without at the same time having it in a static form, much like the poles of a magnet.

The Cosmic Sakti manifests in the human body as Kundalini and Prana. Kundalini is the static support for the moving Pranic forces.

Man is a microcosm or Kshudra Brahmanda. Whatever exists in the outer universe exists in him. All things seen in the universe, mountains, rivers, Bhutas, etc., exist in the body also. All the Tattvas and Lokas are within the body and so are the supreme Siva-Sakti.

In the human body, Siva resides in the Sahasrara Chakra at the crown of the head. Kundalini resides in the Muladhara Chakra, at the base of the spinal column. Muladhara' means 'root-support.' Kundalini is the power which is the static of the whole body and all its moving Pranic forces.

The Nature of Kundalini

Kundalini is the primordial energy that lies in the basal Muladhara Chakra in a dormant, potential state. It is the cosmic power in the individual bodies. It is an electric, fiery occult power, the mighty pristine force underlying all organic and inorganic matter. 'Kundala' means 'coiled.' Her form is like a coiled se pent. Hence the name Kundalini.

Kundalini is not a material force like electricity or magnetism. It is a spiritual potential Sakti. In reality, it has no form. The gross intellect and mind have to follow a particular form in the beginning stage. From this gross form, one can easily understand the subtle formless Kundalini.

Kundalini is also called Bhujangini or the Serpent Power, on account its spiral-like working in the body of the Yogi developing the power in himself. When it is awakened, it makes a hissing sound like that of a serpent beaten with a stick, and proceeds to rise upwards through the Brahma Nadi within the Sushumna.

In Kundalini Yoga, the creating and sustaining Sakti of the whole body is actually and truly united with Lord Siva. The Yogi goads Her to introduce him to Her Lord. The rousing of the Kundalini Sakti and Her union with Lord Siva in the Sahasrara effects the state of Samadhi and spiritual Anubhava. The Yogic student drinks the nectar of immortality.

Kundalini Yoga is an exact science. This is also known as Laya Yoga.

Nadis and Chakras

A detailed knowledge of the Nadis and the Chakras is of paramount importance for all students of Kundalini Yoga.

The physical body is shaped in accordance with the nature of the astral body. The physical body is something like water. It is the gross form. The astral body corresponds to steam or vapour. It is the subtle form. In the same way, the astral body or Sukshma Sarira is within the gross or physical body. The gross body cannot do anything without the astral body. Every gross centre of the body has its astral centre.

Nadis are psychic nerves or astral tubes for carrying Prana. They are made up of astral matter that carry psychic currents. It is through these subtle passages that the vital force moves or flows. Since the Nadis are made up of subtle matter, they cannot be seen by naked physical eyes, and you cannot make any test tube experiment in the physical plane. These Yoga Nadis are not the ordinary nerves, arteries and veins that are known to the Vaidya Sastra. Yoga Nadis are quite different from these.

The body is filled with innumerable Nadis that cannot be counted. As the leaf of the Asvattha tree is covered with minute fibres, so also, this body is permeated with thousands of Nadis.

All the Nadis of the body spring from the Kanda. Kanda means a bulb. Kanda is the root of all the Nadis. Two fingers above the anus and two fingers below the organ' of generation is the Kanda. It is like the bird's egg in shape and of four fingers' breadth in extent. Seventy-two thousand Nadis come out of the Kanda.

Kanda is a centre of the astral body. Corresponding to this centre, you have cauda equina in the gross physical body.

Of all the Nadis that spring from Kanda, Ida, Pingala and Sushumna are the most important. And Sushumna is the chief. Sushumna extends from the Muladhara Chakra to Brahmarandhra. It is the highest and most sought by the Yogins. Other Nadis are subordinate to this.

Western anatomy admits that there is a central canal in the spinal cord, called canalis centralis, and that the cord is made up of grey and white brain-matter. The spinal cord itself is dropped or suspended in the hollow of the spinal column. In the same way, the Sushumna is dropped within the spinal canal and has subtle sections. It is of red colour like fire.

Within this Sushumna, there is a Nadi by name Vajra, which is lustrous as the sun, with Rajasic qualities. Again, within this Vajra Nadi, there is another Nadi, called Chitra. It is of Sattvic nature and of pale colour. Here, within this Chitra, there is a very fine, minute canal. This canal is known as Brahma Nadi through which Kundalini, when awakened, passes from the Muladhara to the Sahasrara Chakra. In this Nadi exists all the six Chakras or lotuses.

Chakras are plexuses or centres of Sukshma Prana in the Sushumna Nadi. All the functions of the body are under the control of these centres. Chakras are subtle centres of vital energy. These are the centres of Chaitanya or consciousness. The Chakras are in the astral body even after the disintegration of the physical organism at death.

These Chakras or subtle centres have corresponding centres in the spinal cord and the nerve-plexuses in the gross physical body. For example, Anahata Chakra has its corresponding centre in the physical body at the Cardiac Plexus. Each Chakra has control and function over a particular centre in the gross body.

The gross nerves and plexuses have close relationship with the subtle ones. Since the physical centres have close relationship with the astral centres, the vibrations that are produced in the physical centres by prescribed methods have the desired effects in the astral centres.

The first attempt on the part of the Kundalini Yogi is the purification of the Nadis which will lead to the opening of the Sushumna which generally remains closed up in all worldly-minded people.

How Kundalini Can Be Awakened

Before awakening the Kundalini, you must have Deha Suddhi, Nadi Suddhi, Mana Suddhi, Buddhi Suddhi, Bhuta Suddhi and Adhara Suddhi. Deha Suddhi is purity of body. Nadi Suddhi is purification of the astral tubes. Mana Suddhi is purity of mind. Buddhi Suddhi is purity of intellect. Bhuta Suddhi is purification of the elements. Adhara Suddhi is purification of the Adhara. If there is Suddhi or purification, Siddhi or perfection will come by itself. Siddhi is not possible without Suddhi.

One should become perfectly desireless and should be full of Vairagya before attempting to awaken the Kundalini. If a man with a lot of impurities in the mind awakens the Sakti by sheer force through Asanas, Pranayamas and Mudras, he will break his legs and stumble down. He will not be able to ascend the Yogic ladder. This is the chief reason for people going out of the way or getting some bodily infirmities. There is nothing wrong in the Yoga. People must have purity first; then a thorough knowledge of the Sadhana, a proper guide and a steady, gradual practice. When Kundalini is awakened, there are many temptations on the way, and a Sadhaka without purity will not have the strength to resist.

A Guru is essential. For the practice of Bhakti Yoga and Vedanta, you do not require a Guru by your side. After learning the Srutis for some time from a Guru, you will have to reflect and meditate alone, in entire seclusion, whereas in Kundalini Yoga, you will have to understand thoroughly the location of the Nadis, Chakras, and the detailed technique of the several Yogic Kriyas. These are all the difficult processes. You will have to sit at the Guru's feet for a pretty long time.

Kundalini can be awakened by Pranayama, Asanas and Mudras by Hatha Yogis; by concentration and training of the mind by Raja Yogis; by devotion and perfect selfsurrender by Bhaktas; by analytical will by the Jnanis; by Mantras by Tantrikas; and by the grace of the Guru through touch, sight, or mere Sankalpa.

For a selected few, any one of the above methods is quite sufficient to awaken the Kundalini. Many will have to combine different methods.

The Awakening of the Kundalini

As soon as Kundalini is awakened, it pierces the Muladhara Chakra. The aspirant sings and makes peculiar sounds when the Kundalini is awakened. He experiences various sorts of visions and Divya Gandha. He develops psychic powers. He sees a brilliant Jyoti as if ten thousand suns shine at the same time in the Muladhara.

After Kundalini is awakened, mind, Prana, Jiva, and Kundalini move together in the upward ascent. Prana passes upwards through the Brahma Nadi along with mind and Agni. The Yogi is freed from physical consciousness. You are shut out from the external objective world.

Experiences on the Awakening of the Kundalini Sakti

During meditation, you behold divine visions, experience divine smell, divine taste, divine touch, hear divine Anahata sounds. You receive instructions from God. These indicate that the Kundalini Sakti has been awakened. When there is throbbing in the Muladhara, when hairs stand on their roots, when Uddiyana, Jalandhara and Mula Bandha come involuntarily, know that Kundalini has awakened.

When the breath stops without any effort, when Kevala Kumbhaka comes by itself without any exertion, know that Kundalini Sakti has become active. When you feel currents of Prana rising up to the Sahasrara, when you experience bliss, when you repeat Om automatically, when there are no thoughts of the world in the mind, know that Kundalini Sakti has awakened.

When in your meditation, the eyes become fixed on Trikuti, the middle of the eyebrows, when the Sambhavi Mudra operates, know that Kundalini has become active. When you feel vibrations of Prana in different parts inside your body, when you experience jerks like the shocks of electricity, know that Kundalini become active. During meditation when you feel as if there is no body, when your eyelids become closed and do not open in spite of your exertion, when electric-like currents flow up and down the nerves, know that Kundalini has awakened.

When you meditate, when you get inspiration and insight, when the nature unfolds its secrets to you, all doubts disappear, you understand clearly the meaning of the Vedic texts, know that Kundalini has become active. When your body becomes light like air, when you have a balanced mind in perturbed conditions, when you possess inexhaustible energy for work, know that Kundalini has become active.

When you get divine intoxication, when you develop power of oration, know that Kundalini has awakened. When you involuntarily perform different Asanas or poses of Yoga without the least pain or fatigue, know that Kundalini has become active. When you compose beautiful sublime hymns and poetry involuntarily, know that Kundalini has become active.

The Upward Ascent of the Kundalini Sakti

When the Kundalini is awakened, it does not directly proceed all at once to the Sahasrara Chakra. You will have to take it from one Chakra to another.

There are six Chakras in the Sushumna. These are the Muladhara, Svadhishthana, Manipura, Anahata, Visuddha and Ajna. Above all these there is the Sahasrara, the chief of all the centres. All the Chakras are intimately connected with the Sahasrara Chakra. Hence it is not included in as one among the six Chakras.

The Muladhara Chakra is at the base of the spinal column. Svadhishthana is at the root of the genitals. Manipura is at the navel. Anahata is in the heart. Visuddha is in the throat. Ajna is in the Trikuti, the space between the two eyebrows.

The seven Chakras correspond to the seven Lokas. Th. five Chakras from Muladhara to Visuddha are the centre of the five elements. Ajna is the seat of the mind.

If the Yogic student pierces the Muladhara, he has conquered the earth. Earth cannot affect him. If he crosses the Svadhishthana, he has conquered the element water He is in touch with Bhuvarloka. If he has crossed the Manipura, he has conquered the fire. Fire cannot affect him. He is in touch with Svarga-loka. If he has crossed the Anahata Chakra, he has conquered the element air. Air cannot affect him. He is in touch with Mahar-loka. If he has crossed the Visuddha Chakra, he has conquered the element ether. Ether cannot affect him. He is in touch with Jana-loka. If he has crossed the Ajna Chakra, he is in touch with Tapo-loka. Then he enters the Satya-loka.

There are four routes to Sahasrara for the Kundalini Sakti to pass. The longest route runs from Muladhara to Sahasrara along the back. The Yogi who takes the Kundalini along this path is very powerful. This is the most difficult route. In Sri Sankaracharya, the Kundalini passed along this route. The shortest route is from the Ajna Chakra to Sahasrara. The third is from the heart to Sahasrara. The fourth route runs from Muladhara to Sahasrara in front.

If the Yogi concentrates on the Ajna Chakra, the lower Chakras are automatically opened and conquered.

The Kundalini current rises through the spine and sometimes crawls like an ant. Sometimes, when the Yogi is pure, it jumps like a monkey and reaches the Sahasrara. Sometimes it rises like a bird that hops from one branch to another. Sometimes the spiritual current rises up like a snake and moves in a zig-zag manner. Sometimes the Yogi swims happily like a fish in the ocean of divine bliss.

The Yogic practitioner will get help from within when he moves from Chakra to Chakra. A mysterious power, a mysterious voice, will guide him at every step. He should have perfect, unshakable faith in the Divine Mother. It is She who guides the Sadhaka. It is She who takes Her child from Chakra to Chakra. She invisibly renders him all assistance. Without Her grace, you cannot move an inch in your ascent in the Sushumna.

Kundalini does not stay for a long time in the Sahasrara. The duration of stay depends upon the purity, degree of Sadhana, and inner spiritual strength of the Yogic practitioner. Many students stay in the lower Chakras only. They are carried away by the happiness they get in the lower Chakras and so they do not attempt further to reach the Sahasrara on account of the false satisfaction and content.

The Yogi is tempted in the lower Chakras or resting places. He should shun all Siddhis. Siddhis are obstacles in his path. If he begins to play with the Siddhis, he will miss the goal and get downfall.

It is easy to awaken the Kundalini, but it is very difficult to take it up to the navel, to the Ajna Chakra, and thence to the Sahasrara in the head. It demands a great deal of patience and persistence on the part of the practitioner. There is a great deal of difficulty in piercing the Manipura Chakra. The Yogi has to exert a lot in this centre.

The body will exist even after Kundalini has reached the Sahasrara Chakra, but the Yogi will have no body consciousness. It is only when Kaivalya is attained that the body becomes lifeless.

You will certainly live even after the Kundalini is taken to the Sahasrara. But remember that even after it is taken to the Sahasrara, it may drop down to the Muladhara at any moment! Only when you are firmly established in Samadhi, when you have attained Kaivalya, the Kundalini cannot and does not drop down.

A Misinterpretation

Awakening of the Kundalini Sakti, its union with Siva. enjoying the nectar, and other functions of the Kundalini Yoga that are described in the Yoga Shastras are misrepresented and taken in a literal sense by many. They think that they are Siva and that ladies are Sakti, and that mere sexual union is the aim of Kundalini Yoga. It is mere ignorance. They are utterly wrong. This sort of union is not at all Kundalini Yoga.

Some foolish young boys practise one or two Asanas. Mudras, and a little Pranayama too, for a few days, in any way they like, and imagine that the Kundalini has gone up to their neck. They pose as big Yogis. They are pitiable. self-deluded souls.

Yogic Kriyas and Inner Purification

Some Yoga students ask me: “How long should one practise Sirshasana or Paschimottanasana or Kumbhaka or Maha Mudra to awaken the Kundalini? Nothing is mentioned about this point in any treatise on Yoga.”

A student starts his Sadhana from the point or stage where he left in his previous birth. So it all depends upon the degree of purity, stage of evolution, the amount of purification of the Nadis and the Pranayama Kosha, and above all, the degree of Vairagya and yearning for liberation.

Mere Yogic Kriyas alone will not help you much. Purification of the heart is very necessary.

Do self-analysis and eradicate your faults and evil habits. Rectify your defects like selfishness, pride, jealousy, hatred, etc. Develop your heart. Share what you have with others. Do selfless service. Then alone you will get purity of mind.

In these days, aspirants neglect these things and jump at once to do Yogic Kriyas for getting Siddhis. It is a serious Himalayan blunder. They have the hopeless downfall sooner or later.

My advice is: Never care for Siddhis or quick awakening of the Kundalini. Have devotion to God. Have perfect trust in Him. Have the spirit of service to humanity. The Kundalini will awaken by itself.

Awakening of Kundalini is not so easy as you may imagine. It is extremely difficult. When all desires die out, when the mind becomes absolutely pure, when all the senses are subdued, when you attain one-pointedness of mind to a considerable degree, when all the ideas of egoism and mine-ness melt away, the Kundalini will awaken by itself. Then alone, awakening of the Kundalini is also beneficial.

Premature awakening is not desirable. The aspirant, even though he would have awakened the Kundalini by some means, will not be benefited at all if he has not developed the necessary qualifications. It is not possible for him to feel, and manifest, all the benefits of awakening the Kundalini.

The fruit that is allowed to ripen in the tree itself will be very sweet. But this takes a long time. First-class timber comes out from the slowest growing trees. Even so, that aspirant who does vigorous Sadhana for a long time with patience, perseverance and zeal, who sticks to the spiritual practices tenaciously despite various sorts of obstacles in the path, who admits his faults and weaknesses and tries to remove them by suitable methods, will be able to awaken his Kundalini and will become a dynamic and perfect Yogi.

O emotional, enthusiastic young aspirants! Do not take the movements of rheumatic winds in the back from chronic lumbago for ascent of Kundalini. Do your Sadhana with patience, perseverance, till you get Samadhi. Master every stage in Yoga. Do not take up any higher courses before you completely master the lower steps.

Be not troubled. Be not anxious, my dear friends and brothers! A glorious day is waiting to dawn on you. You will shine with full powers, nay, you will become God Himself. Laugh at all troubles and obstacles and keep your eye on the Kundalini Sakti all the twenty-four hours. Do all you can in order to rouse Her up. If purification is ordained, purify you must. What other alternative is there? Therefore, do purify yourself.

42. LIFE

Life is God in expression. Life is joy. Life is flooding of the bliss of the Spirit.

Life is a conscious stream. Life is vibrant in every atom, There is life in everything. There is no such thing as inanimate matter. Life is involved in a piece of stone. Matter is vibrant with life. This has been conclusively proved by modern scientists.

Life is a voyage in the infinite ocean of time, where scenes are perpetually changing. Life is a journey from impurity to purity, from hatred to cosmic love, from death to immortality, from imperfection to perfection, from slavery to freedom, from diversity to unity, from ignorance to eternal wisdom, from pain to eternal bliss, from weakness to infinite strength. Life is a great opportunity provided by the Lord for His children to evolve into Himself.

Life is service and sacrifice. Life is love. Life is relationship. Life is poetry, but not prose. Life is art and imagination, but no science. Life is worship.

We are here as passing pilgrims. Our destination is God. Our quest is for the lost inheritance, the forgotten heritage. The great central aim in life is the coming into a conscious realisation of our oneness with God. Life has no meaning as a separate life. It has meaning only when it becomes full or the whole, when the individual soul joins the Supreme Soul.

The Goal of Life

The true goal of life is to get back to the source from which we came. Just as the rivers flow restlessly till they join the ocean, the ultimate source from which they got their supply of water, just as fire leaps and burns furiously till it merges in its own origin, so too, we would be restless here till we obtain His grace and become one with Him.

The sole object of life is the attainment of Self-realisation or absolute freedom. The aim of man's life is to unfold and manifest the Godhead which is eternally existent within him. The purpose of life is to lose all sense of distinctive personality and be dissolved in the Lord. The attainment of the Infinite Life is the supreme purpose of finite life.

Life in Matter and Life in the Spirit

Life in the Spirit is the only real, eternal life. The modern life of rush and hurry, with fear, insecurity, illness and friction is not real life. A life or material luxury, of wealth and power, is not the end of life. Such a life does not produce peace of mind and serenity of soul.

Sensuous life is not worth living. Sensual pleasure is like honey that is mixed with virulent poison. One anna of sensual pleasure is mixed with fifteen annas of pain. Sensual enjoyment is attended with various defects, sins, pains, attachments, bad habits and mental restlessness. Indulgence in sensual pleasures destroys devotion to God, and weakens the capacity of the mind to enquire into the Reality. Sensuality destroys life, lustre, strength, vitality, memory, wealth, fame, holiness and devotion to the Supreme. It drags a man down to the abyss of hell.

Mundane life is full of sorrows, pains and bondage. It is full of defects, weaknesses and limitations. It is full of hatred, jealousy, selfishness, treachery, cares, worries, anxieties, diseases and death, meanness, crookedness, deceit, double-dealing, cut-throat competition, impurities and darkness, fights, quarrels, strife and war, disappointment, despair and dejection, cruelty, exploitation, agitation, restlessness. All objects are coated with a little imaginary pleasure. It is like a thin electro-gold-plating. In reality, life here is all tinsel and shadow. Behind the sugarcoating, there is bitter quinine. Behind the electrogold-plating, it is all brass. Behind the so-called pleasures, there are pain, misery and suffering. Life here is full of fears, attachments and tribulations.

Mundane life is all unreal. It is illusory and transitory. It is trifling and worthless. Its end is only dust. There is nothing but tall talk, gossiping, eating and sleeping. All is illusory; all is painful. All is transitory; all is fleeting. Mundane experience has no value, no reality. God alone is real.

Any number of zeroes have no value, unless you add I before them. Similarly, even if you possess the whole world, it is nothing if you do not lead a spiritual life, if you have no spiritual wealth, if you have no Self-realisation. You will have to live in the Soul. You will have to add the Atman to the life here. That is the reason why Lord Jesus says: "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

Life in the Eternal is abundant life. It is rich, inner spiritual life. This life is free from sorrow and pain. It is full, perfect and independent. It is full of wisdom and eternal bliss. It is all-pervading, changeless. There is perfect Tushti and Pushti.

Embrace the life of the Soul. You will be made pure and free. The chief beauty of life is the sacrifice of one's dearest interest at the altar of Truth. To live means pursuing the Truth, and surmounting all obstacles with courage. The greatest joy of life is devotion to God, and meditation on God in one's own heart. Spiritual life gives a meaning to human life and imparts glory to it.

The Struggle of Life

To live is to fight for the ideal. Life is fight for fullness and perfection. Life is a battle for attaining supreme independence. Life is struggle and resistance. Life is a series of conquests. Man evolves, grows, expands, gains various experiences through struggle. Life and society cannot exist without struggle or fighting. If you want to continue your existence, struggle is imperative. You will cease to exist the moment you cease to struggle.

Fight bravely with the internal foes on the battle-ground of your heart. Even a little victory in the inner battle with your mind and senses will develop your will-power, and give more assurance and courage. The harder the struggle, the more glorious the triumph. Self-realisation demands very great struggle.

Live for God. Boldly face all the difficulties and tribulations of this petty, earthly life. Be a man. With courage, struggle for the Great Attainment. Climbing a mountain, crossing a channel, bombing a city, or blasting a fortthese are not the true acts of heroism and real courage. Controlling your mind and senses, and overcoming anger, passion and egoism by attaining self-mastery-these constitute the real heroism in man. How long will you be a slave of passion and the senses? Assert your real divine nature, and your mastery over your lower nature and lower self. This is your most important duty.

Life Is a School

This does not mean, however, that we should ignore the life in the physical plane of matter. Matter is expression of God for His own Lila. Matter and spirit are inseparable like heat and fire, cold and ice, flower and fragrance. Brahman and Maya are inseparable and one. A life in the physical plane is a definite preparation for the eternal life in Brahman. Life is a great school for learning many useful lessons, and for the development of character and divine virtues. Life is a school in which every sorrow, every pain, every heart-break brings a precious lesson. Life on earth is the means of self-perfection.

The world is your best teacher. This world is your best Guru. There is a lesson in everything. There is a lesson in each experience. The world is the best training ground for the development of various divine virtues, such as mercy, forgiveness, tolerance, universal love, generosity, nobility, courage, magnanimity, patience, strong will, etc. The world is an arena for fighting with the diabolical nature, and for expressing divinity from within. The central teaching of the Gita and the Yoga Vasishtha is that one should realise his Self by remaining in the world. Be in the world, but be out of the world. Behave like the water on the lotus-leaf. Give up the lower Asuric nature which consists of selfishness, lust, anger, greed, hatred and jealousy. Assert the divine nature. Live a life of mental renunciation and self-sacrifice.

Sure Ways for Success in Life and God-realisation

Have a simple and unassuming manner of life. Live not to eat, but eat to live. Bear no envy. Commit no slander. Speak no falsehood. Practise no deceit. Harbour no malice. You will be ever joyful, happy and peaceful.

Righteousness is the rule of life. Lead a virtuous life. Strictly adhere to Dharma. Human life is not human without virtues.

The salt of life is selfless service. The bread of life is universal love. Life is not fully lived, life has not been fully realised, if you do not serve and love the entire humanity The secret of true life is in the love of God and the service of humanity. Live to help others. The divine power will stream through you as life-giving force.

Study the lives of saints and draw inspiration from them. Cultivate a melting heart, the giving hand, the kindly speech, the life of service, equal vision, and impartial attitude. Your life will, indeed, be blessed.

Serve, love, give, purify, meditate. Your journey will take you into a new realm of infinite bliss. You will discover shining treasures. You will rediscover God. You will be strong, you will be healthy, you will be free, you will be nice, you will be happy, you will be peaceful. You will inspire and bless all whose lives you touch.

Make life a perpetual joy. Derive joy from Satya. Derive joy from Tapas. Derive joy from Daya. Derive joy from Dana.

Lead a simple life. Lead a regulated life. Lead a hard life. Take hold of each day as if it were the last day, and utilise every second in prayer, meditation and service. Let your life become a continuous sacrifice to God.

Live in the present. Forget the past. Give up hopes of the future.

Understand well the meaning of life, and then start the quest. Life is thy greatest gift. Utilise every second profitably. Success often comes to those who dare and act. It seldom comes to the timid.

Unity of Life

See life as a whole. Have a comprehensive view of life. All life is one. All life proceeds from Brahman or the Absolute, which is the one and only Reality. The Lord breathes in all life. All is one. The world is one home. All are members of one human family. All creation is an organic whole. No man is independent of that whole. Man makes himself miserable, by separating himself from others. Separation is death. Unity is eternal life. Cultivate cosmic love. Include all. Embrace all. Recognise the worth of others. Destroy all barriers that separate man from man. Recognise the non-dual principle, the immortal essence, within all creatures. Protect animals. Let all life be sacred. Then this world will be a paradise of beauty, a heaven of peace and tranquillity.

Smile with the flower and the green grass. Play with the butterflies, birds and deer. Shake hands with the shrubs, ferns and twigs of trees. Talk to the rainbow, wind, stars and the sun. Converse with the running brooks and the waves of the sea. Speak with the walking-stick. Develop friendship with your neighbours, dogs, cats, cows, human beings, trees, flowers, etc. Then you will have a wide, perfect, rich, full life. You will realise oneness or unity of life. This can be hardly described in words. You will have to feel yourself.

43. LOVE

Love is the Law of life. To love is to fulfil the Law. And to fulfil the Law means eternal peace and everlasting happiness.

This world has come out of love. It exists in love. It finally dissolves in love. Love is the motive-power of the universe.

Love is life. Love is joy. Love is warmth. Love is the golden tie which binds heart to heart, soul to soul.

Love is constructive and creative. Love binds and builds. Love is the principle of regeneration. Love is an actual substance you can use with confidence. Love is a positive, concrete thing. He who applies the law of love with scientific precision can work wonders. The law of love is a far greater science than any modern science. The law of love prevails among saints and good men.

To live is to love. To love is to live. You live that you may learn to love. You love that you may learn to live in the Eternal. A life without faith, love and devotion is a dreary waste. It is real death.

There is no virtue higher than love; there is no treasure higher than love; there is no knowledge higher than love, there is no Dharma higher than love; there is no religion higher than love; because love is Truth; love is God. God is an embodiment of love. In every inch of His creation, you can verily understand His love.

Love is the immediate way to Truth or the Kingdom of God. It is the life-principle of creation. It is the highest expression of soul-force. It is the sum total of all the duties of religion. It is the magic wand in the hand of a devotee by which he conquers the whole world. It was the driving force behind Mira, Radha, Tukaram, Tulasidas, Gouranga, Jesus and the God-intoxicated Sufis, Mansoor and Shams Tabriez.

Passion and Pure Love

Love of body or skin is passion. Love of God is Prem or devotion. It is pure love. It is love for love's sake.

To love anyone for attaining some selfish gain is selfish love. It binds you to this earth. To love all beings with Narayana Bhava as manifestations of the Lord is pure love. It is divine love. It leads to liberation.

A husband loves his wife not for the sake of his wife, but loves her for the sake of his own self. He is selfish. He expects sensual pleasure from her. If leprosy or smallpox destroys her beauty, his love for her ceases.

There is physical passion in this love. There is deep selfishness. The love is mercenary.

In mercenary love, there cannot be any real happiness between the two, the lover and the beloved. If the husband is in a dying condition, the wife takes the bank passbook and walks to her mother's house quietly. If the husband loses his job for sometime, the wife shows wry faces, speaks harsh words, and does not serve him properly with any love. This is selfish love. There is no real affection from the core of the heart. There is no element of sacrifice. So there are always quarrels, fighting and Asanti in the house. Husbands and wives are not really united. There is always a tug-of-war. They pull on anyhow, dragging a dreary, cheerless existence.

Even our sisters of ill-fame show for some time abundant love, sweet smile and honeyed words towards their customers so long as they can extract money. Can you call this love and real happiness? Just tell me frankly. There are cunningness, diplomacy, crookedness and hypocrisy here.

In every earthly love, there is hollowness, a jarring note, a hidden doubt and a flaw. But true, pure love is rich, profound. full and flawless. It is eternal, unchanging, infinite.

Selfish passion seeks gratification through others. But pure, divine love seeks to make the beloved happy, and to derive happiness from the happiness of the latter. Love is sacrifice. To love is to share and serve.

Service Is Love in Expression

Love vibrates in the form of service, charity, generosity and benevolence.

Daya is active benevolence. It is the positive expression of love. Ahimsa is the negative expression of love.

Passive goodness alone is not sufficient. Active goodness or positive goodness is very essential for one's spiritual advancement. The aspirant should be ever doing actions.

The spirit of service must be ingrained in you. The spirit of service must be innate or inherent in you. There should not be a mere show. All service is empty if there is no love, affection, sincerity and Bhava. If you serve with Bhava and love, God is behind you.

Sankara, Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed served. Janaka and Samartha Ramdas served. Serve, love, give. He who practises these instructions can live through hard times and bad days enlightened by heavenly ray.

Make others truly happy as you strive to make yourself happy. Speak a helpful word. Give a cheering smile. Do a kind act? Serve a little. Wipe the tears of one who is in distress. Render smooth a rough place in another's path. You will feel great joy.

Cosmic Love or Visva-prema

Worship the poor, the down-trodden and the oppressed. These are your gods. These are your first gods.

Love all. You will reap the benefit of more than a million Yajnas or sacrifices, austerities and Vratas. Regard your neighbour's happiness as your own happiness, and regard your neighbour's pain as your own pain.

Man is one. God is one. Love is one. Law is one. Realisation is one. We are all the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch. There is no stranger, no alien in this world. Everyone is God in the process of evolution.

Identify yourself with everything that lives. Live at peace with friend and foe.

All men are limbs of one body. All creation is the family of God. Love all God's creation. Love even the leaf; love the animals; love the birds; love the plants; love everything. This is the way to a knowledge of the mystery underlying them all.

I follow the religion of love. I am a true Christian, a true mussalman, a true Hindu, a true Buddhist, a true Sikh and a true Parsi.

True religion does not consist in ritualistic observances, baths and pilgrimages, but in loving all. Cosmic love is all embracing and all-inclusive. In pure love, no one is shut out from its warm embrace. It is wide enough to include the humblest of us, from the tiny ant to the mighty elephant, from the condemned prisoner to the mighty emperor, from the worst scoundrel to the most reputed saint on the surface of this earth. It is hatred that separates man from man, nation from nation, and country from country. It is pride and egoism that divide a man from another man. Hatred, pride and egoism are mental creations. They are the products of ignorance only. They cannot stand before pure love.

The Need of the Hour

Hatred breeds hatred. Love begets love. Fear breeds fear. This is the immutable psychological law. It is the natural right of love, the power of God, to prevail upon this earth, conquering all the forces of hate and evil.

In love lies the salvation of all beings. Love is the hope of this dark and lonesome world. This world needs leaders filled with sympathy, cooperation, love, sacrifice, compassion and tolerance. In the cultivation of this cosmic love is individual spiritual progress, the welfare of the community, and the peace of the whole world. Set to work, therefore and spread this gospel of cosmic love throughout the whole world.

Visit every Mohalla, every house. Do Kirtan. Conduct mass-prayer. Spread the message of love, unity, goodwill, service, sacrifice, cooperation and sympathy. Let the spiritual message of oneness and the divine call to unity, friendship, amicable cooperation, reach the hearts of all and awaken love and brotherhood in the bosom of humanity. Let all the world be circled with a heart of love.

Love-The Goal of Life

The saints, seers and prophets of the world have spoken of love as the end and aim or goal of life. The Rasa-lila of Sri Krishna is full of Prem and divine mysteries. The stripping of clothes of the Gopis means the destruction of egoism. Lord Krishna has preached love through His flute. Lord Buddha was an ocean of love. He gave up his body to appease the hunger of a cub of a tiger. Raja Sibi gave, from his own breast, an equivalent weight of the pigeon's flesh to satisfy the appetite of the hawk. What a noble solution Rama lived a life of love and showed love in every inch of his activity. My dear children of Love draw inspiration from their teachings. Tread the path of love, commune with God and reach the eternal abode of love. This is your highest duty. You have taken this body to achieve Love, which alone is the goal of life.

Live in love. Breathe in love. Sing in love. Eat in love. Drink in love. Talk in love. Pray in love. Meditate in love. Think in love. Move in love. Die in love. Purify your thoughts, speech and action in the fire of love. Bathe and plunge in the sacred ocean of love. Take the honey of love and become an embodiment of love.

Feel that this body is a moving temple of God. Feel that all beings are images of God. Feel that this world is indwelt by the Lord. Feel that the one power of God works through all hands, sees through all eyes, hears through all ears. You will become a changed being. You will enjoy the highest peace and bliss.

44. MAHABHARATA

The Mahabharata was composed by Sri Vyasa (Krishna Dvaipayana) who was the grandfather of the heroes of this epic. He taught this epic to his son Suka and his disciples Vaisampayana and others. King Janamejaya, son of Parikshit, the grandson of the heroes of the epic, performed a great sacrifice. The epic was recited by Vaisampayana to Janamejaya at the command of Vyasa. Later on, Sauti recited the Mahabharata, as was done by Vaisampayana to Janamejaya, to Saunaka and others, during the sacrifice performed by Saunaka in Naimisaranya, which is near Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh (India).

Contents of Mahabharata

The Mahabharata contains the essence of all scriptures. It is an encyclopaedia of ethics, knowledge, politics, religion, philosophy and Dharma. The great author has said in the first chapter, addressing Brahma (Creator) regarding the contents of his proposed work: "Sire, the secrets of the Vedas established by me elsewhere, the teachings of the Upanishads, details of the Vedic rituals, the subtle teachings of the Itihasas and Puranas, knowledge of the triple indications-past, present and future of time, definite specifications of old age, death, fear and diseases, the particulars of the duties prescribed to the different Asramas, details of the classification of the four Varnas, directions for maintaining austerities and celibacy, particulars of the influences and movements of the planets, the sun, the moon and the earth, the spiritual teachings of the Vedas, logic, medical science, rules of charity, the Pasupata religion, details of celestial and human life, descriptions of sacred rivers, countries and places, the science of war, the style of the science of language and speech, the way of conducting worldly life-all these are included in this work. There is nothing more to be written, existing in the world." Concluding, the author has said: "What is said here, you find elsewhere; what is not here, is nowhere else.” The Mahabharata contains one hundred thousand verses.

It contains eighteen Parvas or sections, viz., Adi Parva Sabha Parva, Vana Parva, Virata Parva, Udyoga Parva, Bhishma Parva, Drona Parva, Karna Parva, Salya Para Sauptika Parva, Stri Parva, Shanti Parva, Anusasana Parva, Asvamedha Parva, Asramavasika Parva, Mausala Parva, Mahaprasthanika Parva and Svargarohanika Parva. Each Parva contains many sub-Parvas or subsections.

Synopsis of Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is the history of the Great War of India between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The two brothers Dhritarashtra and Pandu were born through sage Vyasa after the death of Vichitravirya. Dhritarashtra being blind, Pandu succeeded to the throne but he entrusted the kingdom to his elder brother and himself proceeded to the forest where his five sons Yudhishthira, etc., were born and were called the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra also had one hundred children in Duryodhana and others, who were called the Kauravas. Pandu died during the infancy of his sons and Dhritarashtra continued to rule the kingdom with the help of their grand uncle Bhishma who had pledged himself to lifelong celibacy. The Pandava and Kaurava princes were brought up together and also educated and trained alike through Dronacharya. Both sets of princes considered themselves entitled to the kingdom and looked upon the other with hostility, and their feelings and relations grew strained from day to day. On account of persecution of the Kauravas, the Pandavas left their home and suffered much hardship and pain, but on their marriage with the daughter of Drupada, king Dhritarashtra sent for the Pandavas and made over half the kingdom to them. The Pandavas improved their country and established their capital at Indraprastha and then performed the horse-sacrifice with great pomp. The Kauravas were also invited there but on seeing the good fortune of the Pandavas and being offended by jokes made at them, they were overcome with jealousy and resentment and returned home with feelings of enmity and revenge. They then conspired against the Pandavas and invited them to gamble and thereby they won all their wealth, kingdom and their persons and also insulted and ill-treated their wife, Draupadi, in the presence of all. In the end, it was settled that the Pandavas should go out in exile to the forest for twelve years and pass another year in secrecy and on return from the exile be entitled to get back their lost kingdom. The Pandavas did all this, but on their return the kauravas refused to return the kingdom. This gave rise to the family war in which all Kauravas and the two armies were annihilated and the Pandavas alone survived and got the victory.

The Pandavas were assisted by Sri Krishna and other relations, Drupada, Virata, etc., and their forces numbered seven battalions (Akshauhinis). The Kauravas were also assisted by their relations and friends and their forces numbered eleven battalions. The Pandavas were successful on account of their righteous cause and divine grace.

The Mahabharata, the most renowned epic of India, is the only book of its kind in the whole world. It is also called the fifth Veda. It contains countless stories besides the main episode the Mahabharata—which teach moral lessons or illustrate some characteristics of the ancients of India. It contains the history of political, social and religious life. The stories, songs, nursery tales, anecdotes, parables, the discourses and sayings contained in this epic are marvelous and highly instructive. It contains the brilliant records of mighty heroes, warriors of great prowess, deep thinkers, profound philosophers, sages and ascetics, and devoted wives of chastity.

The Bhishma Parva of Mahabharata contains the sacred gospel Srimad Bhagavad Gita, a dialogue between Lord Sri Krishna and Arjuna. The Gita is the kernel of the Mahabharata. Since Yoga is given such prominence here, there can be no doubt that the rest of the Mahabharata which mentions Yoga directly and allegorically, is a treatise on Yoga.

It is very interesting to remember the opening and Closing lines of this great epic. It begins with: "Vyasa sang of the ineffable greatness and splendour of Lord Vasudeva, who is the source and support for everything, who is eternal, unchanging, self-luminous, who is the Indweller in beings, and of the truthfulness and righteousness of the indavas." It ends with: "With raised hands, I shout at the top of my voice, but alas, no one hears my words which can give them Supreme Peace, Joy and Eternal Bliss. one attain wealth and all objects of desire through Dharma, (righteousness, duty). Why do people not practise Dharma? One should not abandon Dharma at any cost, even at the risk of his life. One should not relinquish Dharma out of passion or fear or covetousness or for the sake of preserving one's life. This is the Bharata Gayatri. Meditate on this daily, O man, when you retire to sleep and when you rise from your bed every morning. You will attain everything You will attain glory, fame, prosperity, long life, eternal bliss, ever-lasting peace and immortality.”

Characters of Mahabharata

Each and every character described in the epic has left an immortal name behind, which teaches moral lessons. The noble and heroic grandsire Bhishma-who controlled his death and who was unconquerable in war even by the gods-still inspires us with the spirit of self-sacrifice, undaunted courage and purity. Yudhishthira is still a model of justice and righteousness. He is an inspiring example, even now, for the rulers of kingdoms and states. He was an embodiment of justice, patience, steadiness, purity, truthfulness and forbearance. Remembrance of his very name generates a thrill in our hearts and goads us to tread the path of truth and virtue. Karna still lives in our hearts on account of his extreme munificence and liberality. Karna's name has become proverbial. People even now say, whenever they come across a very generous man: "He is like Karna in gifts.” Even now, we admire Arjuna as a perfect man and worship Lord Krishna as our Protector and Saviour. Whenever we are in trouble and distress we pray to Him: “O Lord! Save us just as you saved Draupadi and Gajendra in days of yore.”

The lustre and high renown of these brilliant personages of Mahabharata have not suffered a diminution, in spite of the ravages of cruel time. Their character was untainted and sublime. Hence their deeds also were admirable, laudable and sublime. Determination has ever been the key to success in the lives of great men of all countries. Heroes would not move an inch from the path of their duty when they are called upon to perform it. One is struck with Amazement and becomes tongue-tied when he reads of the Marvellous strength of Bhima, of the wonderful skill in archery and bowman-ship of Arjuna, of the dexterity of Sahadeva in the use of swords, of the profound knowledge of Nakula in astronomy, and of the extreme righteous conduct and justice of Yudhishthira in all matters. The deeds of heroism done by Bhishma, Karna, Drona, Parasurama, Jayadratha, Dhrishtadyumna, Asvatthama and many others are superhuman. These heroes did severe Tapas and obtained rare boons from the Lord. That is the reason why they did marvellous heroic deeds which baffle description.

Draupadi, Savitri, Kunti, Madri, Damayanti and Gandhari were highly devoted to their husbands. They were bold and fearless when they were under extreme difficulties, hardships, sufferings and privations. They were pious. They bore the sufferings through the force of their chastity and moral strength. They were ideal wives and ideal mothers. That is the reason why they have left an immortal name behind them.

The sufferings of the Pandavas and Draupadi, Nala and Damayanti, Savitri and Satyavan, clearly explain to us the fact or hard truth that the goal of life or perfection, can only be attained through pain and suffering. Pain is the means through which man is moulded, disciplined and strengthened. Just as impure gold is turned into pure gold by melting it in the crucible, so also the impure and imperfect weak man is rendered pure, perfect and strong, by being melted in the crucible of pain and suffering.

The blind Dhritarashtra represents Avidya or ignorance; Yudhishthira represents Dharma; Duryodhana Adharma; Draupadi Maya: Bhishma dispassion; Dussasana evil quality; Sakuni jealousy and treachery; Arjuna the individual soul; and Lord Krishna the Supreme Soul. Kurukshetra is the Antahkarana.

Teachings

The message of Mahabharata is the message of Truth and Righteousness. The great epic produces a moral awakening in the readers and exhorts them to tread the path of Satya and Dharma. It urges them strongly to do good deeds, practise Dharma, cultivate dispassion by realising the illusory nature of this universe and its vain glories and sensual pleasures, and attain Eternal Bliss and Immortality. It induces people to do what Yudhishthira did and abandon what Duryodhana did. Stick to Dharma tenaciously. You will attain everlasting happiness and Moksha, the summum bonum of life. This is the final purport or central teaching of Mahabharata.

May the teachings of this illustrious and ancient epic guide you in every walk of your life. May you stick to Dharma. May the great characters of the Mahabharata inspire you? May you imbibe the righteousness of Yudhishthira, the purity of Bhishma, the courage of Arjuna, and the liberality of Karna. Glory to Sri Bhagavan Vyasa, the grandsire of the heroes, the author of the Mahabharata, a Chiranjivi and an Avatara of Lord Hari. May His blessings be upon you all!

45. MAN

The baby mews. The child jumps, dances, and plays with toys. The schoolboy walks with his books. The grown-up boy gets degrees. The adolescent twists his moustache, fights and quarrels, and runs after women. He tries to get name and fame. He hoards wealth. He begets children. Then he grows old, wears spectacles, puts on a dental set. He totters with a stick. Finally he passes away with a hiccup.

A drop of water sprinkled on a heated iron piece produces a hissing sound and is immediately vapourised. Man makes a little noise during the short period called his life and disappears in a moment.

What is man? What can he become? What is mind? What is the best state? A study of these things is really profitable.

Body, Mind and Soul

To the Westerner, man is merely a physical creature, endowed with a mind and possessing a soul. To the Hindu, man is essentially a soul, expressing himself through mind, which has the body as its counterpart to function upon the physical plane.

Man is a soul having a body. Man is essentially a spiritual being. Man lives, because he is a spirit or soul in essence. Man's innermost essence is Atman or the Divine Spirit. Man's true nature is God. Physical body and intellect depend on the soul within, about which man knows little or nothing. Realising the Spirit, man achieves security, certainty, perfection, freedom, independence. immortality and bliss eternal.

All men are by nature, equal. One Atman dwells equally in all beings. By the nature of consciousness, all men are alike; but, by the nature of mind and life, they are wide apart. The electricity that passes through several bulbs is one and the same. But, that is seen in different ways due to different kinds of bulbs. So, men are different owing to different kinds of mind and temperament.

Man is the trinity of body, mind and soul. Consciousness is veiled by mind and matter. Therefore he is not able to realise his essential, divine nature. Unless man is liberated from the bondage of mind and matter, he cannot Knowledge of the Self or Atman.

Immortality of the Soul

Man is not this body. Man is not his senses, or even his mind. These are his Upadhis or vehicles. Body and mind are subject to change, decay and death; whereas the real man, the Immortal Self or Atman, is ever abiding, never! ending, eternal, unborn, perfect and ancient.

You have a body, but you are not the body. You have a mind, but you are not the mind. Body and mind are your instruments, like the tools of a carpenter. This body is an instrument or servant of the soul, and not its prison.

Know that the body is the temple of the radiant Spirit or self-effulgent Atman or Soul within, which controls and moves all the faculties of the mind and the body. Know that you are breathing the breath of the Spirit, but not a physical breath.

Death does not end all. Death does not mean total annihilation. Death does not end the chain of sequence. The working agent, the soul in the body, does not and cannot die with body. Man's soul is immortal. Just as the man lays aside the overcoat, so also he lays aside the physical body at death.

The body is the slough of the soul. The soul is the mover of the body-chariot. When the body is destroyed, the spirit continues living. You still have your thoughts, memory will-power and subtle body.

Man's Downfall

Man is a bundle of desires, cravings, emotions, appetite and thoughts. He is a conglomeration of desire, will and action. He becomes extinct if the fire of the desire is extinguished. He thinks and then acts. Thinking is the real action. He acts to obtain his objects of desire. He may sit quiet with closed eyes, but this is not inaction. His mind may be working and planning. Wherever there is desire, wherever there is action, there is imperfection. A desire is the outcome of imperfection and finitude.

Man is finite and imperfect. He is full of limitations. He depends upon objects for his happiness and stay. He ever keeps his relationship with objects outside. He is swayed and impelled by desires. He becomes a slave of desires and objects.

Desires dominate man and he turns his face away from God. He has forgotten his essential, divine nature. He thinks he is a separate individual. He separated himself from the Absolute on account of ignorance and egoism. So he feels miserable. He forgot his original, divine, infinite nature.

If man kills his egoism and sense of separateness, if he annihilates desires and cravings, if he identifies himself with the Infinite, all limitations, imperfections, and miseries will end. He will attain immortality and eternal bliss.

Man-A Many-levelled Being

Man is a complete social animal. He is a biological organism, and so he is definitely characterised by the possession of certain physiological functions such as circulation of blood, digestion, respiration, excretion, etc. He is also definitely characterised by the possession of certain psychological functions such as thinking, perception, memory, imagination, etc. He sees, thinks, tastes, smells, and feels. Philosophically speaking, he is the image of God, nay, he is God Himself. He lost his divine glory by tasting the fruit of the forbidden tree. He can regain his lost divinity by mental discipline and the practice of concentration.

Man has a many-levelled being, and has various sheaths which conceal his real personality. He may identify himself with the gross physical body, and look to its needs as an animal does; or he may identify himself with the self-conscious reason; or he may feel his oneness with his real Self which is the eternal witness of both. Man's vital aims, however valuable they may be in their own place, cannot take control of the spiritual being for a long time without complete disorder to one's personality. In the modern man, self-conscious intellect, with all its natural limitations, takes the highest place; and suicidal scepticism is the result.

Man is a mixture of three ingredients, viz., human element, brutal instinct, and divine ray. He is endowed with a finite intellect, a perishable body, a little knowledge, and a little power. This makes him distinctly human. Lust, anger, hatred belong to his brutal nature. The reflection of cosmic intelligence is at the back of his intellect. So he is an image of God. When the brutal instincts die, when his ignorance is rent asunder, when he is able to bear insult and injury, he becomes one with the Divine.

Man is the highest manifestation of life on this earth. He is the image of the Lord. He is the ray of the Lord. God made man after His own Self. In essence, man is united with Lord. He thinks, feels, and knows. He can discriminate, reflect, and meditate. He can attain the highest Knowledge of the Self. Therefore he is superior to other beings, though eating, sleep, fear, and coition are common.

Evolution

Man was but animal yesterday. He is man today. His destiny is to become Brahman or the Absolute as the result of a gradual process of self-perfection.

The mineral becomes the plant with life. The plant becomes the animal with a higher development of life. The animal becomes a man with life and thought.

The stone sleeps. The plant breaths. The animals moves. Man is conscious. The sage is superconscious.

A human being is rational. An animal is instinctive. A sage is intuitive.

Of all the animal creations of God, man alone can realise God. He alone is endowed with discrimination, intelligence, discernment, reasoning, and judgement. Intellect is the greatest gift of God to man. Man is a poor being physically; but, his dignity consists of thought, discrimination, reasoning, and enquiry.

Man evolves himself according to his thoughts and actions. Man is changed by every thought he thinks, and by every action he does.

From the Bombay junction, a train goes to Delhi direct; another goes to Madras; another goes to Nagpur. Even so, this body is a junction. You can go to heaven, Brahma-loka, or Brahman, if you do virtuous deeds. You will go downwards to lower animal births if you do vicious deeds. You can remain as a man if you do ordinary mixed deeds. Man himself and he alone-is responsible for all that is good or bad in his life. He can attain perfection and freedom through a long process of evolution and persistent self-effort. He is born again and again, and learns from his earthly lives how to attain perfection, and becomes united with God.

If the wick within the lamp is very small, the light also will be small. If the wick is very big, the light also will be powerful. Similarly, if the Jiva is pure, if he practises meditation, the manifestation or expression of the Self will be powerful. He will radiate a big light. If he is unregenerate and impure, he will be like a burnt-up charcoal. The greater the wick, the greater the light. Likewise, the purer the soul, the greater the expression.

The Spiritual Man

To every man I say: "Regenerate yourself. Strive to attain perfection and freedom." Turn Godwards. Turn towards the Divine Light. You have taken birth to manifest the Light of Brahman through the flesh.

A moral life will lead you to the mighty temple of wisdom. There is only one sacred temple in this universe, and that is the heart of a moral and spiritual man. The heart of a good and pious man is the shrine or temple of God in this world. Therefore, be righteous. Practise virtue.

A moral man alone is really beautiful. A man of good actions, and good, pleasant and sweet speech has no equal. Even Devas and Brahma adore him. He who is truthful, gentle, humble, virtuous and honest is the best type of man.

He who has no ethical virtues is like a wild flower without Fragrance. A man without virtuous qualities is a dead man while living. He is a disgraceful specimen to the world. He is shunned by society. A sensuous man is no better than a beast. Most people are no better than animals. They are excommunicated from the Kingdom of Peace and Bliss Eternal. Therefore, develop virtuous qualitics at once. Charity, gratefulness, knowledge of scriptures, nobility of character, self-restraint, and courage make a man glorious and celebrated.

God and Man

Man is God in disguise who puts on a garb in fun, but quickly forgets his true identity. Desires drags him down. Discrimination lifts him up.

Man evolved is God. God involved is man. God in bondage is man, and man free from bondage is God. A deluded, ignorant man is worldly. A perfect man is God.

God became man. Man will become God again. God plus desire is man. Man minus desire is God. The most impious of men can, by earnestly devoting themselves to God, reach the highest bliss.

Truth is not outside you. It is within you. It dwells in the cave of your heart. You are a truth of God, a work of God, a will of God. You are unfettered, free, eternally free. You are Nitya-mukta Atman. Roar OM. Come out of the cage of flesh and roam about freely.

46. MARRIAGE

Marriage is entry into the second Ashrama. The life of the householder begins. Now he takes up his duties as man and pays his debts by sacrifice, by study, and by procreating children. The bridegroom tells the bride, “I take your hand for good fortune. I seize your hand so that we may have a good progeny, that you may live with me, your husband, till you become old. The one God, represented as Bharga, Aryaman, Savitru, and Purandhi, has given you to me for doing the duties of a householder. Give birth to heroes, and worshipping the one God, bring about our happiness."

Again, during the Garbhadanam which sanctifies the creative act, the husband prays fervently from the core of his heart that a child may be conceived. He repeats sacred Mantras during the Ritusanti ceremony or nuptials. The new child is conceived amidst the vibration of Mantras. Good impressions are impressed in the brain cells of the embryo. For a real Hindu who is endowed with pure intellect and right understanding, the sexual union is not for the sake of mere enjoyment. He utlises the divine, creative, vital energy for the formation of a human body.

The Hindu Ideal of Marriage

Marriage is a sacrament for a Hindu. The wife is his partner in life. She is his Ardhangini. He cannot do any religious ritual without her. She stands by his left side when he performs any religious performance. The husband and the wife keep Rama and Sita as their ideal.

What a wife is to a Hindu husband is well illustrated by a verse in the Ramayana where Sri Rama, referring to Sita, says: "In counsel, she is my counsellor; in action, she is my servant; in religious performances," she is my partner; in tolerance, she is like the earth; in affection, she is like unto my mother; in bed, she is like the celestial Rambha; and in play, she is my companion. Such indeed, O Lakshmana, is my beloved..." This is the Hindu ideal of a wife.

Of all the Ashramas, the Grihasthasrama is the most important, because it supports all the others. As all creatures live supported by the air, so the other orders exist supported by the householder. As all streams and rivers flow to rest in the ocean, so all the Ashramas flow to rest in the householder. The Grihastha is the very heart of Aryan life. Everything depends on him.

Duties of a Householder

The householder should lead the life of an ideal Grihastha. He should perform the Pancha-mahayajna or fivefold sacrifice prescribed in the Hindu scriptures. He should practise self-restraint, mercy, tolerance, noninjury, truthfulness, moderation in everything.

A householder should earn money by honest means and distribute it in the proper manner. He should spend one-tenth of his income in charity. He should enjoy sensual pleasures within the limits of the moral law.

Householders have got a very responsible duty in training their children. If they want to shirk this responsibility, they ought to have checked their itching sensation caused by lust, and should have stopped procreation by becoming Naishthika Brahmacharins. Serious punishment is awaiting them in the other world if they leave their children untrained in this world. They themselves should lead an ideal life. Then alone, their children can copy them. If they have wrong evil habits, their children will try to imitate them. Children have got the power of imitation.

When the householder sees that his sons are able to bear the burden of his duties, when his grandsons are around him, the time has come for his wife and himself to retire from the world and spend their time in study and meditation.

Sex and Divorce

In the West, babies are born and brought up in nursery hospitals and maternity homes. They do not know the health-giving, affectionate, tender, and soul-expanding caresses of their mothers. They do not know what it is to sleep in the warm embrace of a loving mother. Brought up in the atmosphere of bargain and economics, they develop, even in their teens, the unceasing devotion to the dollar and the sovereign, and afterwards give a lifelong worship to mammon.

The social atmosphere in the West is overcharged with sex. Too early marriages may be very rare in the West, but not too early sex-indulgence. Western philosophers permit pre-marital indulgence. They advocate it. These unions are common in the West. A large number of children are conceived before the unions of the parents are legalised. The parties try each other. As the Germans say, "One does not buy even a penny pipe without trying it." The halfway experiments produce disastrous results. There cannot be real love between the parties. Marriage becomes a business contract, but not a sacrament. Hence there are countless divorces.

In India, too, women have now gained the right to divorce. What a shame! They are following the footsteps of Western women. This is vile imitation. This is the work of some fashionable, westernised women. In this holy land of Aryavarta, in this sacred Bharatavarsha where Sita, Radha, Damayanti, Savitri led the ideal life of chastity and Dharma, some vain, ignorant, so-called educated women who smoke publicly, who play cards publicly with men in the club, who have lost their feminine grace, motherly virtues and Satee-dharma, wish to have new privileges which are not conducive to their happiness, elevation, and salvation. They are doomed to destruction.

The Ideal Married Life

Great Rishis of yore were married, but they did not lead the life of passion and lust. Their life of Grihasthashrama was a life of Dharma only. If it is not possible for you to emulate them to the very letter, you will have to keep their lives before you as landmarks, as the ideal for emulating, and you must tread the path of Truth. Grihasthashrama is not a life of lust and loose living. It is a strict life of selfless service, of Dharma pure and simple, of charity, goodness, kindness, self-help, and all that is good and all that is helpful to humanity. If you can live such a life, the life of a Grihastha is as good as the life of a Sannyasin.

Married life, if lived in a perfect ideal manner, is no bar to the attainment of Mukti. A good woman is to man what banks are to the river. She is the rhythm which leads him to Truth. Her love is God's grace.

The main object of marriage being the procreation of a son, marrying several wives should not be resorted to by those who are desirous of mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Excessive indulgence and waste of energy should be avoided at all costs.

Early Marriages and Over-population

Early marriages form a menace to society. It is, indeed, an evil. Bengal and Madras are filled with young widows. Young boys, who have no idea of this world and this life, are married when they are eight or ten years of age. We see children begetting children. There are child mothers. A boy of about eighteen has three children. What a horrible state of affairs! There is physical and mental degeneration. There is no longevity. All are short-lived. Frequent child-bearing destroys the health of women and brings in a host of ailments.

A clerk who gets a salary of rupees fifty has six children at the age of thirty. Every two years there is an addition. He never thinks, "How shall I maintain such a big family? How shall I educate my sons and daughters? How shall I arrange for the marriage of my daughters?" At the heat of sexual of excitement, he repeats the same ignoble act again and again. He has not a bit of self-control. He is an absolute slave to passion. Like rabbits, he procreates and brings forth numberless children to swell up the number of beggars in the world. Even animals have got self-control. Lions visit their partners only once in all their lives or once in a year. It is only man with his boasted intellect that breaks the rules of health and has become a criminal in this direction. He will have to pay a heavy penalty in the near future for violating the laws of nature.

The population of the world is increasing by leaps and bounds. People are trying to have birth-control methods, using chech pessaries, french leathers, rubber goods, injection and application of protargol jellies. These are foolish attempts. No one has succeeded till now. Even a single spermatozoa has got tremendous power of movements. Further, the seminal energy is wasted. There is conservation and transmutation of this energy into Ojas by the practice of celibacy. People are wasting their money in these useless contraceptives. The whole world is under a tremendous sexual intoxication. The so-called educated persons are no exceptions to this rule. All are deluded and move in the world with perverted intellects. Poor miserable specimens of humanity! My sympathies are with them. May God elevate them from this quagmire and open their eyes towards spiritual realms. Self-restraint and celibacy are the only effective natural methods in birth-control.

Marriage—A Lifelong Bondage

It is very difficult to live the life of a housholder. The householder's life is prescribed to one who cannot control his passions. One without passions should revert to the path of Nivritti.

Wife is only a luxury. It is not an absolute necessity. Every househloder is weeping after marriage. He says: “My son is ailing from typhoid. My second daughter is to be married. I have debts to clear. My wife is worrying me to purchase a gold necklace. My eldest son-in-law died recently."

Marriage is a curse and a lifelong imprisonment. It is the greatest bondage. The bachelor who was once free is now tied to the yoke, and his hands and feet are chained. This is the experience of all married people, invariable as it were. They weep after marriage.

A Common Spectacle in Married Homes

Quarrels arise daily in the house between the husband and the wife on account of misunderstanding and difference of opinion. The wife thinks that the husband should obey and please her in all respects. The husband thinks that the wife should obey and please him in all respects. Is this possible? No. And so they quarrel every hour. It may not come to regular fists and blows at all times, but they will not speak for some hours in the day. Sometimes there will be boxing and cane-beating also, if the husband is short-tempered and lacks self-control. If the wife is like Mrs. Socrates or Jijabai, the table will be turned. There will be thunder and rain on the husband's head. Sometimes, the wife, when she becomes angry, refuses to cook the food, and lies down in the bed drawing a blanket over her body and head under the pretext of severe stomach-ache. The poor husband runs to the hotel to take his meals in order to catch the pilot train to go to his office. Sometimes, the wife goes to her mother's house without informing the husband. The poor, shameless, weak-willed husband runs to his mother-in-law's house to bring her back with fresh, glowing, golden promises and entreaties.

But still, if you ask a householder, “Which is better, a householder's life or a life of a Brahmachari?", surely he will say, “A householder's life is a thousand times better than the life of a celibate." He will vehemently fight with all his clumsy arguments to support this view.

People have neither discrimination nor dispassion nor subtle, sharp intellect. Hence they are not able to know things in their true light. Their intellects are clouded, perverted, turbid, intoxicated, and veiled by passion, delusion, infatuation, and ignorance. Hence they do not know what they are exactly doing.

When they are swayed by passion, husbands and wives forget all about their quarrels which occured in the morning. They think that their life is a blessed one. They utter pleasantly some flowery speech for the time being, though there is no real union and love in the core of their heart.

Religion at Home

Some have taken Sannyasa on account of the bad behaviour of their wives and their hindrance in their Yogic practices at home. If their wives had allowed them to continue their practices and helped them, they would have remained in the Grihashtha Ashrama. It is the duty of intelligent girls to cooperate with their husbands in leading a religious life at home. Then only both husband and wife can lead a life of peace and happiness at home.

The husband also should not interfere with the religious practices of his wife. He should help her in all possible ways in her spiritual evolution and purity of life. It is the duty of the husband to train his wife in the religious line. She must do some Japa, Kirtan. She must study religious books such as the Ramayana, the Bhagavata, and the Mahabharata. She must take recourse to occasional fasting. He must take her to places of pilgrimage, and attend discourses and Kathas conducted by Mahatmas. Then only the house will be a blessed place. The scritptures declare: “Without religion, a house is a burial ground though it is a palace.”

O Ram! Treat your wife like a Devi. She is the queen or Lakshmi of the house. Where a woman is honoured, there are wealth, prosperity, success, and peace. O Jila Become a Pativrata. Do not quarrel with your husband. Become like Savitri, Anusuya, or Sita.

May you all lead a life of purity, with devotion, and attain the supreme blessedness in this very life. May there be temperamental, psychological, and spiritual unity between the husband and the wife! May the husband help the wife and vice versa in religious and Yogic practices! May God-realisation be your watchword! May purity be your maxim! May Dharma be your guide!

47. MAYA

That which truly is not, but appears to be, is Maya. That which causes infatuation or Moha is Maya.

Maya is an appearance. It is a semblance. It is the illusory power of God.

Maya is the illusory power of God. She is the creatrix of this universe. She projects this world for His Lila. Mind. intellect, body, and senses are her forms. She is the energy or mother-aspect of the Lord.

Just as heat is inseparable from fire, coldness from ice. Maya is inseparable from Brahman. It is dependent on Brahman.

Maya has countless potencies. Solidity of stone is a power of Maya. Fluidity of water is another power of Maya. Fire is a third burning power of Maya. Air is the moving power of Maya. Ether is void or space power of Maya.

The Great Illusion

By the force of this Maya, the whole world appears in the place of the Supreme Being. Maya creates this world without affecting Brahman in the least. The power of bringing about impossibilities is peculiar to Maya.

Maya is the mother of infinite riddles. Maya envelops Brahman and makes it appear otherwise than It is. It splits the infinite Brahman, which is without name and form and without quality, into the finite centres of experience, investing them with names and forms and qualities.

Maya exists as the cause of perception of the manifoldness of the universe, but in truth, it has no reality. It is also an appearance like the appearances which causes. It cannot be said to exist, nor can it be said not exist. It is the false cause of the seeming appearances. cannot say what exactly it is. It is inscrutable indeterminate.

Maya is neither true nor false. It is truly false and falsely true. It is neither real nor unreal. It is not real like Brahman, because it disappears when one gets Knowledge.

It is not unreal like a barren woman's son or the horn of a hare, because its presence is felt.

This Maya is a sort of jugglery. You are astonished so long as the juggler is not seen. As soon as the juggler is known. the results are known to be unreal; the wonder cases at once. When you realise Brahman, the wonder of Maya's working vanishes. You come to know that what inspired wonder is unreal.

When the mesmerist hypnotises the whole audience, all people believe that the man is ascending the rope in the air. All people see that the mesmerist devours a big sword and cuts the body of a lad in the box. Even so, you are all hypnotised by Maya and Avidya and you take this unreal world as a solid reality. De-hypnotise yourself by getting Knowledge of Brahman. Then alone you will understand the grand jugglery of Maya.

Manifestations of Maya

Maya is the greatest artist and the greatest juggler. The worldlings can hardly detect her tricks. She deludes the passionate and the uncautious. She hides the real, and makes the unreal appear as real. She makes the impermanent appear as permanent, the impure appear as pure, pain appear as pleasure, Anatman appear as Atman.

You know that you will die, and yet you think you will live for ever. This is Maya. You know that the world is full of miseries, and yet you take delight in the perishable objects and will not leave them. This is Maya. You know that the body of a woman is made up of all sorts of impurities, flesh, bone, urine and faecal matter, and yet you rejoice in embracing her. This is Maya.

Maya causes false glittering and entraps the deluded Jivas. She does a little electroplating work. Man is entrapped. He is caught in the wheel of birth and death.

Behind Maya's sugar-coating, there is the bitter quinine. Behind the garden of sensual pleasures, there is the vale of tears. Behind the smile of a woman, there is hatred, deception, cunningness, insincerity. Behind the scarlet-lips, there are phlegm and disease-causing germs. Behind the rosy cheeks, there is raw flesh. Behind the buoyant youth, there is the old age with tottering steps. Behind beauty, there is ugliness. Behind the charm universe, there are death, diseases, snake-bites, scorpion-sting, censure, dishonour, earthquake, cyclone, war and atom bombs. Do not be duped by this tempting Maya.

Maya binds you in a variety of ways. It is difficult to find out her secret workings. A man abandons the world. He takes Sannyasa and develops an Ashram. He slowly gets attached to the Ashram and to his disciples. He develops institutional egoism, Sannyasa Abhimana, and pride of Tyaga and learning.

A man in the street smiles, pays respects, and touches your feet. You get attached to him. A man serves you, praises you, and gives you some presents. You get attached to him.

Another man speaks kind words, gives you good food, and comfortable house. You get attached to him and the house itself.

Smile, affection, comfort, name, fame, kind words, wife, children, house, property, respect, honour, power, prestige, position, titles, heaven are all Maya's tempting baits to ensnare the deluded souls. Beware of Maya's charms.

O ignorant man! Do not fall into the meshes of Maya. The whole world is a net of Maya to entrap the ignorant, deluded souls. Be careful, be on the alert, beware! The entire universe is Avidya's false glittering. It is full of snares and temptations. Colour, sound, and touch are Maya's tempting baits. Women, money, and power are her allurements. Sweetmeats, flowers, and gold are Maya's charms.

The Lord's Maya is mysterious. She assumes various subtle foms and deludes man in diverse ways. When you give up passion, you see that anger remains. When you control anger, greed is with you still. When greed controlled, pride clings to you tenaciously. When you renounce tea and coffee you cling to milk and fruits. you control the tongue, the eye is waiting to harass you. When you abandon old friends, new friends cling to you.

When you give up one kind of work, another kind of work is waiting for you.

At every step, Maya puts a veil. Do not think that you will have to break only one veil at the last stage of Sadhana. Maya puts countless veils: attachment, cravings, desire, likes and dislikes, infatuation, pride, jealousy, hatred, greed, sexual instincts, impulses and urges, the five Koshas, running after Siddhis, false contentment in Sadhana, clouded understanding, grossness of intellect, are all forms of her veil. If you are a little careless and non-vigilant, she puts veil after veil. You have to encounter countless veils all of which have to be torn down.

Vidya Maya and Avidya Maya

Maya binds the Jiva through Avidya or ignorance and frees him through Vidya or knowledge. She is both Avidya and Vidya. Avidya Maya takes you down the path of bondage and is characterised by lust, anger, greed, pride, hatred, etc. The Vidya Maya takes you on the path of liberation and is characterised by discrimination, dispassion, devotion.

Maya and Mind

Maya is manifest in the human individual as mind. Mind alone is Maya. Maya is only mind. Control of mind is control of Maya. Control of Maya is control of mind. Maya plays through mind. Maya havocs through mind.

Maya plays havoc through the imagination of the mind. Woman is not beautiful, but the imagination is beautiful. Sugar is not sweet, but the imagination is sweet. Food is not palatable, but the imagination is palatable. Man is not weak, but the imagination is weak. Understand the nature of Maya and mind and become wise. Curb this imagination of the mind by right thinking, and rest in Brahman wherein there is neither imagination nor thought.

If there is mind, there will be this universe. There is no functioning of mind during deep-sleep. So there is no world. The more you think of the objects, the more this world will appear to you as real. The conception of the reality of the universe will increase if you think of sense-objects often and often.

If the mind runs towards the sensual objects wildly Maya takes a stronghold of the man. Maya havocs through the mind. This lower impulsive mind drags you down in all kinds of petty sensual enjoyments and deludes in a variety of ways. Maya, through her power, raises millions of Sankalpas in the mind. The Jiva becomes a pray to the Sankalpas.

This lower Manas cannot approach those who have a strong power of discrimination between the real and the unreal. Maya is very easy to be detected, and the Self very easy to be realised, by men who possess discrimination and strong determination. Through these powers, viz., Viveka and will, Maya car be controlled.

The 'Why' of Maya

The why of Maya, the why of man, the why of the universe, the riddle of existence and the riddle of the universe, are problems that are beyond the reach of the finite intellect of man. The human intellect is utterly incapable of solving these questions and the more it attempts them the more does it become muddled. These problems can be understood only after the attainment of Brahma-jnana or divine wisdom. The answers are locked up in the Absolute and the doors are shut up for the relative mind and intellect. No words can adequately describe the origin of Maya. He who attains Atma-jnana, having overcome Maya, will alone know what Maya is, how it arises and is destroyed.

The why of Maya can be understood only when you attain Knowledge of Brahman. Do not rack your brain now to know the why of Maya. You cannot find an answer in any of the scriptures. The why is itself a logical absurdity. You can have a why only for worldly matters where Buddhi functions. There can be no why for questions of the transcendental plane where a gross and finite intellect, conditioned by time and space, cannot reach.

Everyone who had endeavoured to account for the empirical world has been confronted by ignorance at every step, and has been obliged to confess that human wit could go only so far and no further. All seers of truth, all Acharyas, all prophets, all philosophers, all metaphysicians, and all theologians have entirely failed.

So please do not rack your brain any longer as to the origin of this Maya. But, enquire into the means of its destruction. If it is destroyed, then will you be able to know how it arose, whence it arose, what its nature is, and how it perishes. If you get an injection of a dose Jnana, then you will not be drowned in the ocean of baneful rebirths. The terrific Maya really is not.

Maya-A Negative Existence

Absence of light is darnkness. Darkness is not a real entity. Darkness has a negative existence. So Maya has a negative existence. When light is brought, darkness vanishes. Similarly, when Knowledge comes, Maya disappears.

The veil hides the beauty. The pot hides the clay. The ring hides the gold. The elephant hides the wood. The sweetmeat hides the sugar. The cloth hides the thread. The nail hides the iron. Avidya hides the Eternal. Forms hide Brahman. Behind Maya's veil hides Brahman. Break the veil. Behold the Light of lights.

The journey of life in the path of illumination is long and weary. It demands sincere, earnest, practical efforts with dauntless and indefatigable energy. Give up vain discussions. Proceed quickly on the path. Eat the fruit.

A man whose clothes are caught by fire will immediately run towards water. He will never enquire, at the heat of the moment when he is in acute distress, how the fire came, how his clothes were burnt up. Even so, when you are caught up in this terrible Samsaric wheel of births and deaths with various kinds of miseries, afflictions, pains and tribulations, you must try your level best to get rid of Maya. There are ways to destroy Maya. After this destruction, you will know the why and the nature of Maya.

Wake up from the slumber of ignorance. Develop dispassion, discrimination, and enquire “Who am I?” You will free yourself from Maya's clutches. You will attain the eternal bliss of Brahman.

Persevere. Plod on. March courageously. Be regular in your Sadhana. Practise eternal vigilance and introspection. Pray. Do Japa. Worship and meditate. Maya can never, never approach you. You will have ever the grace of the Lord. All the veils will be torn.

48. MEDITATION

Leading a virtuous life is not, by itself, sufficient for God-realisation. Concentration of mind is absolutely necessary.

A good, virtuous life only prepares the mind as a fit instrument for concentration and meditation. It is concentration and meditation that eventually lead to Self-realisation.

Without the help of meditation, you cannot attain Knowledge of the Self. Without its aid, you cannot grow into the divine state. Without it, you cannot liberate yourself from the trammels of the mind and attain immortality.

Meditation is the only royal road to the attainment of salvation or Moksha. It is a mysterious ladder which reaches from earth to heaven, from error to truth, from darkness to light, from pain to bliss, from restlessness to abiding peace, from ignorance to knowledge. From mortality to immortality.

What Is Meditation?

Meditation is keeping up of an unceasing flow of God-consciousness. All worldly thoughts are shut out from the mind. The mind is filled or saturated with divine thoughts, divine glory, and divine presence.

Meditation is the seventh rung or step in the ladder or Yoga. Yogins call this Dhyana'. Jnanins term this "Nididhyasana'. Bhaktas style this 'Bhajana'.

Forget the body. Forget the surroundings. Forgetting is the highest Sadhana. It helps meditation a great deal. It makes the approach to God easier. By remembering God, You can forget all these things.

Lord Jesus says, “Empty thyself and I shall fill thee.” This corresponds to the teaching of Patanjali Maharshi: "Yoga is annihilation of all mental functions." This emptying process of making the mind blank is, no doubt, a trying discipline. But, continued practice of an intense type will bring success. There is no doubt in this.

In a big city, there is much bustle and sound at 8 p.m. At 9 O'clock, there is not so much bustle and sound. At 10 p.m., it is still more reduced; and at 11 p.m., it is much less. At 1 a.m., there is peace everywhere. Even so, in the beginning of Yogic practices, there are countless Vrittis in the mind. There is much agitation and tossing in the mind. Gradually, the thought-wave subsides. In the end. all mental modifications are controlled. The Yogi enjoys perfect peace.

How to Practice Meditation

Sit in a lonely place on Padma, Siddha, or Sukha Asana. Free yourself from all passions, emotions, and impulses. Subjugate the senses. Withdraw the mind from objects. Now the mind will be calm, one-pointed, pure and subtle. With the help of this trained instrument, disciplined mind, contemplate on that one Infinite Self. Do not think of anything else. Do not allow any worldly thought to enter the mind. Do not allow the mind to think of any physical or mental enjoyment. When it indulges in these thoughts, give it a good hammering. Then it will move towards God. Just as the Ganga flows continuously towards the sea, thoughts of God should flow continuously towards the Lord. Just as oil, when poured from one vessel to another, flows in an unbroken, continuous stream, just as the harmonious sound produced from the ringing of bells falls upon the ear in a continuous stream, so also, the mind should 'flow' towards God in one continuous stream.

You must have a mental image of God or Brahmanconcrete or abstract-before you begin to meditate. When you are a neophyte in meditation, start repeating some sublime Slokas, Stotras, or hymns for ten minutes as soon as you sit for meditation. This will elevate the mind. The mind can be easily withdrawn from the worldly objects. Then stop this kind of thinking also and fix the mind on one idea only by repeated and strenuous efforts