Swami teaches... Self-realisation, gurus and yajnas

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram

 

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches.... (29 January 2005)

 

Self-realisation, Gurus and Yajnas

 

The Upanishad declares: "Prajnaanam Brahma" (Realisation of Brahman is the

highest wisdom). This consummation is attained only through Sathsankalpas (good

thoughts).

For this realisation there are unlimited potentialities. For example, in

Britain, there was a poor lad who used to make a living by writing addresses on

covers for illiterate persons and to give tuitions to children. Each time he

wrote an address, he used to say: "May God bless you." He used to tell the

young children before they went back to their homes after their lessons: "May

God shower His grace on you." He himself had firm faith in God. In course of

time, he became the Prime Minister of Britain. He was James Ramsay MacDonald.

The union of good resolutions with faith in God is like the coming together of

the positive andnegative ends of electric wires; through this combination, any

great thing can be accomplished.

Absorbed in sensual desires and worldly pursuits a person has lost sense of

morality and goodness. He/she has lost sight of own divine nature. Greed has

turned humans against each other.

Faith in God is the bed-rock on which one's life should be built. All the

scriptures one may read, all the rituals one may practise, the mastery of the

Upanishads or the Gita, will be of no avail if there is no deep faith in God.

They will be mere physical or intellectual exercises only. They may even

strengthen the delusions regarding the body-mind complex.

Without God how can all the marvels in the cosmos be accounted for?

Universal Consciousness pervades everything in the Cosmos.

The Divine is present in everyone. Holding firmly to this belief, one should

not cause harm toanyone because he would be causing harm to God who is present

in everyone. Today we talkabout peace in the world. How can that peace be found

outside? It has to be foundinside you.

Real peace can come only when thoughts about the world are replaced by

thoughts of God.

There is a simple five-letter pronouncement. "God is" ("Devudunnaadu," in

Telugu). Make this your sheet-anchor. If you go on reciting it, thinking over

it, acting up to it and conveying it to others, immersing yourself in the bliss

of this experience, you will be making the greatest contribution to the welfare

of theworld. Proclaim this mantra in all circumstances and at all places with

all the conviction and strength you can command.

You must have the courage and determination to face any kind of problems and

difficulties. Bypropagating this mantra you can promote the love of God and the

fear of sin among the people. The mantra "God is" can be more powerful than a

mantra based on any particular deity's name. Moreover, mere repetition of any

mantra is of little use. Greater than the power of mantra or yantra is the

power of a pure heart (chithasuddhi). Your faith must stem from the heart,

which is the seat of the Divine. Have this five-letter mantra as your

constant companion and strengthen your faith in God. Thiswill lead in due

course to God-realisation. Unwavering faith in God will promote Atma-sakti

(spiritual power) and confer indescribable bliss. Doubts should not be allowed

to sprout. Faith is essential for accomplishing anything in life. Without

faith, even ordinary things in life are not possible.

 

The highest realisation consists in using the Buddhi (intelligence) to

acquire Vignana (the higher wisdom) and conquering the mind through that

wisdom.

 

There are eight types of Gurus: 1) Bodha Guru; 2) Veda Guru; 3) Nishiddha

Guru; 4) Kaamya Guru; 5)Vaachaka Guru; 6) Soochaka Guru; 7) Kaarana Guru; 8)

Vihita Guru. 1. Bodha Guru teaches the Sastras and encourages the pupil to

act upto sastraic injunctions. 2. The Veda Guru imparts the inner meaning of

tie Vedas, establishes the pupil in spiritual truthsand turns his mind towards

God. 3. The Nishiddha Guru imparts knowledge about rites and duties and

shows how one's welfare hereand in the hereafter, can be ensured. 4. The

Kaamya Guru makes one engage himself in meritorious deeds to secure happiness

in boththe worlds. 5. The Vaachaka Guru imparts knowledge of Yoga and

prepares the disciple for the spiritual life. 6.The Soochaka Guru teaches

how the senses are to be controlled through various types ofdiscipline. 7.

The Kaarana Guru reveals the unity of the jivi and the Atma. 8. The Vihita

Guru clears all doubts, purifies the mind and shows how Self-realisation can

beattained. Of these eight Gurus, the Kaarana Guru is the foremost. Through

various teachings andpractices, he helps the individual to progress from the

human to the divine consciousness. Onlythe divine can act as such a teacher.

All other Gurus can be helpful only to a limited extent. There are,

moreover, persons who claim to be Gurus. They trade in mantras and tantras.

Self-realisation is not to be got through mantras or tantras. Only by the

purification of the mind can the Omni-self be realised.

Self-realisation is a process with many angles. Human being as a part of

creation is also a product of the process.

In the ordinary course of life, a person does many actions which, wittingly

or unwittingly, cause harm to other beings. To atone for such actions, five

yajnas - propitiatory rites - have beenprescribed by the sastras. These are:

Deva Yajna, Pitru Yajna, Bhoota Yajna, Manushya Yajnaand Rishi Yajna or Brahma

Yajna.

1. Deva Yajnas: In numerous daily activities like walking, breathing, and

others, unconsciously people cause the death of many creatures like ants,

insects and micro-organisms. To atone for these sins committed unknowingly,

Deva Yajnas, to propitiate various deities, have been prescribed. Moreover, in

our body, in every organ and limb, the presiding deities are present in the

from of rasa (a subtle fluid). Hence these deities are called Angirasas (the

presiding deities of the Angas or limbs). Because these deities in the subtle

form protect the organs concerned, gratitude has to be expressed to them in the

form of Deva Yajnas. To meditate on the Anga Devas, to worship them and express

gratitude tothem is one's first duty. 2. Pitru Yajnas: When a branch is

broken, a flower is plucked or a tree is cut down, many small creatures may be

losing their lives. Recognising one's responsibility for this loss of lives,

one should perform Pitru Yajna (sacrifice to the manes) by way of atonement. In

addition, one should remember that he owes his body and all that it contains, as

well as the food that has nourished him in childhood, to his parents. The

obsequies and ceremonies that are performed after their death are laid down to

honour their memory. By performing Pitru Yajnas, the ancestors are propitiated.

3. Bhoota Yajnas: When we take a bath or wash our clothes, or sweep the

house, many living creatures may be losing their lives. To atone for the death

of such creatures, Bhoota Yajnas (offerings to the Bhoothas) have to be made.

This practice has come down from the times of ancient sages. The rishis used to

maintain deer, cows, and other animals in their ashrams and look after them with

loving care as expression of their love for all living beings. To offer the

remains of one's food after a meal to cows or dogs or other creatures is also a

form of Bhoota Yajna. By showing love towards living things in this way, some

atonement is made for the unconscious harm done to various creatures in daily

life.

4. Manava or Manushya Yajna: These Yajnas or rituals are done to atone for

many offences committed against various beings in the course of daily life, in

actions done during work or play.

5. Rishi or Brahma Yajna: Considering human birth as a precious gift, the

ancient sages providedthrough the scriptures, the Upanishads and the Dharma

Sastras, a body of principles for guiding human's life so that he may strive

to attain the true goal of life - namely Self-realisation through four

Purusharthas - Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha - as guidelines for humanity. The

rishis laid down the royal road of righteous life, for all humanity. It is our

duty to show our gratitude to them by meditating on them and offering worship

to them through Rishi Yajnas.

These five types of yajnas have to be performed every day to atone for the

sins committed in the course of daily activities. There is no need to have

elaborate arrangement for performing theseyajnas. You would do well to remember

that there is no greater gift than the gift of food to the hungry, there are no

greater gods than one's parents, there is no higher dharma than compassion, no

more profitable acquisition than the company of the good, no higher merit than

remembering the Lord.

Without a clean heart, all worship is useless. Without spiritual purity,

religious observances are valueless. People indulge in high-sounding talk about

spiritual matters. But without application in practice,such talk has no meaning.

(Reet's compilation from, "Sathya Sai Baba.Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 19,"The

five-letter Mantra," Chapter 14 and "The five Yajnas," Chapter 21).

 

Namaste- Reet