Swami teaches... We are in Atma, not vice versa

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram

 

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches.... (11 March 2005)

 

We are in Atma, not Vice Versa Once upon a time Parvati (Divine Mother)

and Parmeswara (Divine Father) wanted to decidebetween Vinayaka and Subrahmanya

(their two sons) who was superior. They called the two lads and set them a task.

They were told they should go round the cosmos. Whoever came first would be

entrusted with a high office. Subrahmanya immediately got onto the back of his

peacock and started flying on its wings. But Ganapathi stayed put. Parvati and

Parmeswara thought Ganapathi was out of the race. But on seeing Subrahmanya at

a distance, Ganapathi got up, circumambulated his parents and sat down.

Ganapathi claimed that he had won the race.

When Parmeswara questioned him, Ganapathi replied: "The whole cosmos is a

projection of the Lord. The Lord is immanent in the universe. When I have gone

round my Divine parents, I have gone round the universe." Ganapathi also asked

them: "Show me any place where you are not present. You are omnipresent. You

are in everything."

We fancy that the Aathma is in us, in each of us. We are in the Aathma, we

are all in the Aathma. The Aathma is not in us! All beings are alive and

active, moving and resting in the all-pervading Aathma.

The understanding of one's basic Reality, is the fundamental purpose of

education and not the mere acquisition of information about the external world.

The universe is a great university. By pursuing a variety of studies -

literary, scientific, political,economic and other studies - knowledge is

acquired, but not peace of mind. Succumbing toinsatiable desires, people are

losing peace and leading meaningless lives. It is essential topractice

spiritual discipline along with academic studies.

With the growth of knowledge, the animal nature in human has diminished.

"Daivam maanusha ruupena" (The Divine appears in human form). Hence human being

should not be regarded as a mere product of Nature, a creature of the senses and

the physical elements. In terms of the corporeal body, all human beings may

appear alike. But their thoughts may be different.

On the wheel of Samsaara every nation depends on three sections of its

people for its progress - the producers, the protectors and the preceptors. All

three are equally important and closely interdependent. Love is a seat placed

on the three legs and the nation can be happy and peaceful if all the three

sections work together in mutual love for the nation.

There are various reasons for the advent of the Divine in human form. It may

be asked what is the karma that accounts for the advent of Avatars. For Divine

incarnations karma is not the cause. The evil deeds of the wicked and the good

deeds and yearning of the righteous are responsible for the advent of Avatars.

There is a child on the floor. It cannot jump up to the mother. The mother

has to bend down,take the child and fondle it. In the same manner, to offer

relief to devotees, to protect them andfoster them, the Divine comes in the

human form. This is described as Avatarana (the descent of God as an

incarnation). God comes down from His high level to give joy to His devotees.

Human does not try to understand the inner significance of such incarnations

but devotion should manifest itself in every action. Everything done out of

love for God and as anoffering to God becomes devotion. The devotee is filled

with love and shares the love with allthe others. The Geetha directs to

adopt, as the very first Saadhana, the rule: Adhweshtaa Sarvabhoothaanaam ("Do

not hate any single being"). Devotion arises in the constant mind, not in the

agitated, kaleidoscopic mind. The purification of the senses of perception and

the senses ofaction, the mind and the intellect and the sublimation of the

ego-consciousness will happenspontaneously, once the attitude of total

surrender is strengthened. The nine different forms of worship are only means

to cultivate devotion. But the goal of all of them is to experience oneness

with the Divine. In fact, it is impossible to measure or compare omnipresent

God with anything. Comparison is possible only when there is a second object.

The Vedas declare: "Ekam eva Advitheeyam." (One alone without a second).

Everything in creation has five properties. The first three are

Sath-Chith-Aanandha (Being,Awareness, Bliss) and the last two are Ruupa and

Naama (Form and Name), which are lent tothe thing temporarily. They are subject

to modification but the first three Being, Awareness,Bliss are inherent,

unchanging characteristics. In the language of Vedhaantha, the three arenamed

Asthi, Bhaathi, and Priya (existence, shining or expressing and loving). They

are theinnate qualities of every manifestation of the Divine.

The awareness of this Aanandha (Bliss) is the goal of human, the

consummation of human life. Aanandha attained through the objective world or

through subjective means is only a fractional expression of the Aanandha which

mergence in Brahman (Supreme Reality) grants. We speak of hot water, though

heat is not a quality of water, fire has given it the heat. Likely too,

objective Aanandha or subjective Aanandha are rendered so, through the grace of

Brahma-aanandha. The grace of the Ground of all Being can alone confer

Aanandha. The stars are proud that they shed light on a darkened world but the

bright moonlight renders starlight. The moon's pride is humbled when the sun

illumines the sky. Brahma-aanandha is as the Sun. This does not mean that one

should ignore starlight and moonlight derived from Nature and from spiritual

experiential knowledge. They are steps, stages, samples.

How, then, can human earn that Awareness, that Aanandha? What Saadhana

(spiritual discipline) has he to adopt? Humans all equally subject to birth,

life and death, why do they allow the Aanandha which is the right of each to

slip away through hatred and conflict? Why is the demon prevailing over the

Divine? The answer has been deluding humanity for ages.

 

The world is experienced by the "I". As long as the "I" dominates the mind,

the world iscognised as real. And so long as the "I" is involved with the

world, sorrow cannot be eliminated.In the state of deep sleep, there is no

consciousness of the "I" and so there is no consciousness of the world too.

When the world is absent, sorrow disappears.

The Cosmos is the glorious work of art projected by the Supreme Artist,

without a wall or canvas to draw upon, without brushes or colours to paint

with. Confronted with a Universe, so difficult to decide whether true or false,

some have concluded it is real, some have declared it unreal and some have

described it as a mixture of the real and the illusory.

The Vedanta declares: "Brahman is Sathya (Truth); the Cosmos is Mithya

(illusory)." Whether the Universe is real or illusory, or whether it is

real-unreal need not be your concern. For, the cosmos itself will reveal to you

its permanent-cum-transient character. Your primary concern must be to

understand whether you are real or unreal or what in you is real and what is

unreal. It is only when you have recognised the truth of your own being, that

you can recognise the world as illusory and your own reality. When a river

reaches the ocean, there is only the ocean; the river ceases to exist. Before

it joins the ocean, the river is bound by its banks and it has a distinct form.

But when it merges in the ocean, it loses its separateness, its form and name

and taste. It becomes the ocean. Likewise, when "human" merges in the Infinite

"I" only the Infinite "I" remains and the limited human entity disappears.

What is the source of the term "I"? In Sanskrit, "I" is referred to as

"Aham", it is like to the word, Atma. Aham arises from the idea of "I". The

mind also is a projection of the idea of "I". The mind and the ego are thus

related to the Atma as its manifestations. The Atma is the grandfather, Aham is

the son and the Mind is the grandson. The ego has emanated from the pure,

unchanging, selfless Atma but the ego has birth and growth; it comes and goes.

The Atma is changeless, immutable and eternal. From the One unchanging

Infinite Atma, the finite and changing ego and the mind, with its diverse

feelings and ideas, have emanated. The multiplicity of names and forms can be

understood in their true nature only if the truth about their fundamental basis

is recognised. Chaitanyam (Consciousness) is all-pervasive in the cosmos and

in the 'individual mind. Human is able to examine and explore the phenomenal

universe because of the consciousness that prods him/her. Nature and the

phenomena that comprise it are reflections of inner experience. The world is

abeautiful painting, a grand work of art, as it has been said above. The art is

outside, but the beauty is experienced by the heart inside us. All

investigations of the external world are indeed reflections of mental processes

which emerge from the "I" projected by the Atma, a spark of Paramatma. If we

concentrate on this basic truth, we can see the Divine basis that sustains

everything.

Each one should try to discover for himself the secret of his life and the

Universal (Cosmic)Consciousness that is inherent in everyone. The first

requisite for each one is to make himself his own guru. Nature is a

preacher; life is a teacher. When this truth is recognised, life becomes

meaningful and purposeful. Everyone should strive to unfold the divinity within

him and illumine his life.

 

Knowledge is not to be derived from books alone. Nature is to be accepted as

a better instructor. By its forbearance, adherence to its genuineness, unselfish

bounty, patience and serenity Nature is continually proclaiming its inherent and

real role of preacher of spiritual truths.

 

Nowadays, we hear of more and more people complaining of tension, as a

reaction to frustration, failure and disasters. Tension is caused as a result

of the mind indulging in likes and dislikes. It is caused also by the narrow

limited self, the ego, the root of the evil. Egoism is an infection that ruins

all chances of expanding and elevating one's consciousness.

Human's ego is the cause of this divisive attitude. Who is wrapped up in

ego cannotrecognise God. It is difficult indeed to understand the ego

- its depth and devious ways. It is an inert entity, that is to say, it cannot

know itself nor can it know others. It has no fear; it will not bend

beforeothers. It degrades human from the golden glory, which is his due, to the

level of lowly dust.Of the traits of ego, pride is the most poisonous. But, the

pride of the scholar, the pride ofpandiths is so thick that it is impossible

for them to get rid of it. The fully blossomed flower fades and falls apart

within hours. Even while a person is proud ofhis physical strength, mental

freshness and intellectual sharpness, old age creeps in, with itsdebilitating

effects. And, wealth? And power over people and things? They are like

lightningflashes, illumining only a fraction of a moment. Everyone must be

vigilant about the mind, its capabilities and character. It reacts in fifty

million different ways. It assumes fifty million forms. Each of these is a wave

that agitates. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 15. "Love of

the Motherland," Chapter 44; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 16. "Food and character,"

Chapter 19; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 19. "Discover your Divine essence," Chapter

12; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 21. "Beyond Degrees: God's Love," Chapter 6 and

"Devotion Is The Panacea," Chapter 26).

 

Namaste - Reet

[Guest guest]

Jagata Brahmana

Brahmana Sivam

Prema Durge Shiva

Sathya Narayan

 

The complete universe is Brahmana. Brahmana himself is only goodness. The

supreme love between Durga and Shiva is Sathya Narayan (Baba)