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Swami teaches... Ego and the medicine against it - seva

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Sai Ram

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches.... (02 March 2005)

 

Ego and the Medicine Against it - Seva

History informs that in all countries and in every age, human being is a

social animal born insociety, he/she grows in and through society and the life

ends in society itself. Human's songs and speech, duties and diversions, are

all determined by society. Society for human being is like water for fish: if

society rejects or neglects a person, survival is not possible. What a single

individual cannot accomplish, a well-knit group or society can achieve. A

person walking alone will feel tired and miserable at the end of five miles;

but, walking with ten others as a group he would find the five miles a jaunt.

Truth is totality, the One which integrates and includes the many. The sages

of yore were notsatisfied with one facet of the Truth or one view, not of one

God but of That where all streamsmerge. As Bairagi Shastry told One house

cannot become a village, nor one individual, a society, nor one tree, a forest!

To be conscious of the totality, one has to fill oneself with the sublime

grandeur of the forest, not squat under a single tree. This is the inner

purpose which led aspirants and seekers after Truth to the core the Himaalyan

forests.In the sylvan hermitage, the prayer resonant with Yajur Vedha, "Let all

be of one mind, of one heart, towards one goal, sustained by one strength" rose

more meaningful and more effectively. The present socialist ideal of the unity

of mankind is a Vedhic concept; in fact, the Vedhic ideal was even wider and

more comprehensive. "Let all the worlds be happy and prosperous,The world is

one family," the Vedhas proclaimed.

Social living contributes increased happiness and more efficient effort

among birds and beasts. They are able to defend themselves from enemies, secure

food and shelter, migrate to places beyond great distances when they act as a

group. Even ants have learn, that immense benefits are derivable from group

activity and social organisation. Monkeys also live in groups for greater

security and happier lives. Nothing is impossible of achievement if an

organised society is set on achieving it. Even liberation from material

entanglement (Moksha) can be won through serving and promoting the progress of

society. Through the sense of unity, the willingness to sacrifice and the

softness of compassion, all objects can be gained.

The presence of God, the vision of the Absolute, is not a state to be

attained or newly achieved. God or the Absolute is the very nature of the Self.

The individual is the indivisible God. The Vedhas accost all selves as "children

of Immortality,amruthasya puthraah." They remind every living being of its

being the undying Divine. The individual self is the role; the reality is God.

Every role and action has a method, a mode, a way. The engineer, for example,

works according to certain norms, certain principles and processes. These have

to be decided upon with reference to the nature of the sub-soil, the type of

foundation, the height of the structure, etc. Every object, quality and

characteristic of everything, is only an aspect of the one Aathma, the Source

and Substance of all. Ego is an appearance on the Aathma as the foam on the

edge of the wave. The Aathma can well be devoid of Ego, but the Ego cannot

exist without the Aathma as the reality underneath. However, person validates

the Ego (Aham), giving ita form (aakaaram) full of attributes and so, it gets

polluted as Egoism (Aham-kaaram). When theEgo is free from the status of 'ism,'

it is a facet or factor of the Aathma. Attributes, modes, gunas drag it into the

tangle of dualities and so, it gets malefic and sheds its positive, purifying

role.

The 'ism' or mould in which the Ego has hardened tantalises person and

blinds the Truth.Shankaraachaarya has described the harm it inflicts and

prescribes the recitation of the name ofGod to defuse the consequence. The pure

ego will then merge and lose its identity in the Aathma, which has no birth and

no death.

 

When ego is awake, no wisdom can appeal. The ego attacks the sage, the

scholar, the teacher and the devout spiritual aspirant, even more than ordinary

people. Their ego makes them proclaim that they are the most learned and that

they are the ones nearest God. The feeling, is the root cause of one's grief

and another's calm. We build a house for ourselves and are happy it is 'ours.'

When some one pastes a cinema poster on the wall, we feel 'our house' is

tarnished and we even go to court to punish the offender. Some time later we

sell 'our house' to someone and move off. After that, even if the house is

bombed, we are not in the least worried. It was the ego that caused all the

worry so long.

The more riches you accumulate the more bound you become, the more worry,

anxiety and fear you get into. There can be no peace of mind for a person

burdened by riches. An educated person must have as the first qualification the

virtue, of Shaanthi, that is to say, not being affected by praise or blame,

failure or success. It is the ego that makes one feel glad or sad.

When success comes your way, you become proud and uncontrollable; when

defeat encounters you, you become dejected and desperate. It is only spiritual

education that can tell you that both success and defeat are inevitable in life

and both must be faced with an equal mind. Material education leads to

desires and attachments. Spiritual education leads to peace anddetachment.

Material education develops the ego. Spiritual education surrenders the ego at

thefeet of the Lord. The Yaadhavas had an egoistic attachment to Krishna. They

thought of him as a kinsman belonging to them specially; as a result they had

to end their days before the passingaway of Krishna fighting among themselves.

But the gopees (cowherd girls) had surrenderedtheir ego and merged their

individuality.

The other brief example from Geetha.

When Arjuna reduced to ashes the huge Khandava Forest, his ego did not raise

its head. Butwhen he stood before the Kaurava army, the ego told him to flee. He

had made enormouspreparations for the fray; he had amassed specially destructive

weapons after years of austerityand adventure. When Krishna offered to

mediate with the Kauravas and gain some token of their having yielded to the

entreaties of the Paandavas so that war could be averted. Arjuna argued with

Him and told Him that His mission was bound to fail: "Can jasmine flowers yield

fragrance when thrown into fire? Why waste Your sweet words of persuasion on

their deaf ears? Can life-sustaining nectar be got from life-killing poison?

You may please yourself by going amidst them." Arjuna who was so bold and

bellicose, was suddenly attacked by the delusion of egotism. Hesaid, "I have no

desire to rule over a burial-ground, I would rather beg and eke out my

livelihoodthan kill these kinsmen of mine." Then Krishna told him in the

Geetha, "He who is devoid of the 'I' and 'mine' tendencies, can attain

Prashaanthi (the Higher Peace)." Therefore control the ego by extending love

to every living being. Ego is lovelessness. Noperson who is afflicted with ego

can feel happy when others are happy and feel miserable whenothers are

miserable or can take positive step to share the happiness and misery of

others.

The ego brings wave after wave of wants and wishes before your attention,

and tempts you to attempt to gain them. It is a never ending circle. So try to

reduce your wants and expand the range of your love in order to be free from

the coils of your ego. Living involves many confrontations, companionships,

separations, conflicts and neglects. We have to give up both the types of

contacts - viyoga (the repugnant separation) and samyoga (the pleasant union).

Attach yourself to God, and the delusion of the world will automatically fall

off.

 

When human is aware that the same Divine Consciousness that motivates

equally all others, then love ousts the ego into the background and takes

charge of one's activities, words and thoughts.

All our ideas and inferences are but products of the period between birth

and death. When the girl you married was seriously ill as a child, you did not

worry for she had not become 'yours.'We ourselves develop this attachment, as a

cohesive and stablising factor in life. Love your wife and children and do your

duty towards them as a husband and a father. Love will expand your heart so

much that you cannot escape from your duties to your kith and kin.

 

The Vedhas desire to give up the animalist ego, and its complement, anger.

The evils ofenvy, pride and spite belong to the same brood. These are all

'bestial' though human inappearance. They declare that love, tolerance,

compassion, non-attachment, and adherence totruth are the genuine human traits.

Jesus Christ said, "Ask, it shall be given; Call, it will be answered; Knock,

it shall be opened." We are asking, we are calling, we are knocking at the door.

But, whom are we asking? Whom are we calling? At whose door are we knocking?

Do you call on God, or on some one ungodly? God will respond when the call

arises from the heart. You knock at the door. But, at which door? Keeping the

door of your own heart closed, how can your clamour succeed in getting other

door opened? Knock at the door of your own heart. God, the resident, will come

into view.

 

The body has to be utilised for service to others. Activity is its main

purpose. Krishna says, "Ihave no need to be engaged in work but I do work in

order to activate the world." Moreaanandha can be won by serving others than

what can be got by merely serving oneself. Offerservice to some one in need,

with a full heart and experience the aanandha that results. It neednot be

something big; it can even be small and unnoticed by others. It has to be done

to pleasethe God within you.

So the first lesson in seva has to be learnt in the family circle itself.

Father, mother, brothers,sisters - one must engage in loving service and

prepare for the wider seva that awaits outside the home. No one can serve

another while his ego is rampant. The attitudes of mutual help and selfless

service develop the 'humanness' and help the unfoldment of the latent

divinity.

When the sevak (helper) becomes the nayak (leader) the world will prosper.

Only a kinkara (servant) can grow into a Shankara (Master). Of course, one has

to eliminate the ego totally. However long you may do dhyaana, however constant

your japa, a little ego will render them barren of results. Bhajan done with

egoistic pride will be as harsh as the crow's caw.

When you are doing good acts, why hesitate, why feel ashamed, why fear? Let

Compassion and Sacrifice be your two eyes; let Egolessness be your breath and

Love be your tongue. Let Peace reverberate in your ears. These are the five

vital elements you have to live upon. God will not ask you, when and where did

you do service? He will ask, "With what motive did you do it? What was the

intention that prompted you?" God seeks quality, the quality of the heart,

thepurity of the mind, the holiness of the motive.

Krishna was known to all as almighty, all-knowing, all encompassing and

all-fulfilling. Yet, theenthusiasm to do seva prompted him to approach

Dharmaraaja, the eldest of the Paandavabrothers, on the eve of the magnificent

Raajsooya Yaaga he had planned to celebrate and offered to take up seva of any

kind. He suggested that he might be given the task of cleaning the dining hall

after the guests have partaken of the feast! Krishna insisted on outer

cleanliness and inner cleansing.

During the battle of Kurukshetra, which climaxed the Mahaabhaaratha story,

Krishna served asthe 'driver' of the chariot of Arjuna throughout the day on

the field and when dusk caused theadjournment of the fight, he led the horses

to the river, gave them a refreshing bath and appliedhealing balms to the

wounds suffered by them during the fierce fray. He mended the reins andthe

harness and rendered the chariot battleworthy for another day. The Lord sets

the example for the devotees to follow. He teaches that service done to any

living being is offered to Him only and is accepted by Him most joyfully.

(Reet's compilation with some own standpoints in brackets from, Sathya Sai

Speaks. Vol. 14. "Enemy number one," Chapter 12; "Why this ashaanthi?"

Chapter 17 and "What is Vidhya?" Chapter 23. Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.15.

"Lessons on seva saadhana," Chapter 31 and "Significance of Yajnas," Chapter

50).

 

 

Namaste - Reet

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Anantam Sarva Jannascha Vogitam Brahma Deva

Khama Priti Daya Mokska Prema Shanthi Moha Seva

Vedantam Sarva Guneshu Veda Rupena Bhakthiman

Sathya Rupene Prathisthiam Brahmana

Gopa Natha Sri Madhuram

 

The Lord (Brahma) is enjoying all fruits of supreme knowledge. The knowledge

of forgiveness, Love, Compassion, Liberation, Bliss, Peace those are the

great services to mankind. In each of His action He is complete Vedanta and

embodiment of Bhakti (supreme devotion). He is known as Sathya (Sai Baba),

He is our lord Gopinath Krishna

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