Satyopanishad - Anil Kumar Kamaraja

[Guest guest]

CHAPTER VII

SADHANA

 

The Inner Door

 

Q143) Swami! Good company is very essential for everybody. Is it as

significant as it is said to be?

 

Bhagawan: Undoubtedly, good company is very important for every one of you. In

fact, you should also seek the company of good people. You should run away from

bad company. It is the company you join that, decides your life. So, it is said,

"Tell me your company! I shall tell you what you are!"

 

Dust when it is in association with the wind goes up, but the same dust in

association with water sinks down. Another example for you. In ten cups of milk

if you mix one cup of water, the value of water also will go up. But, on the

other hand, in ten cups of water, if you pour one cup of milk, the milk will

lose its value. See, this explains clearly the importance of the association or

the company you keep.

 

You also hear in the Mahabharata about Kama, who, in spite of all his excellence

in archery, intelligence, and physical prowess, because of his bad company, has

come to be known as one among the `dustacatustaya', the four wicked ones. Kama

lost all his name and fame, because of bad company.

 

Q144) Swami! What is your advice to employees, who struggle to make both ends

meet and wish to follow Swami?

 

Bhagawan: I have advised you a great many times to keep hands in society and

head in the forest. You work well with both your hands. Be very sincere in your

work and serve whole‑heartedly. At the same time, keep God as your aim and

objective. You should keep Him in your mind at all times.

 

Consider a mother. She may be very busy with her household work, but she never

forgets her child. She knows when her child will feel hungry and needs to be

fed.

 

You must have watched the dance programme in our auditorium. The dancer keeps

two or three pots one above the other on the head, and moves her head and limbs

precisely to the rhythm and the drumbeat. To the surprise of the audience all

the while the pots remain exactly one above the other on her head as they were

kept just before the dance performance began. How? The answer is simple. As she

dances, she constantly concentrates on the pots over her head so that the

balance is never lost.

 

Similarly, in your life you may be doing several things. Yet, you should ever

remember God and keep him as your sole aim. Always look up inwardly.

 

Q145) Swami! You are unique in explaining both the components of our life,

the spiritual and the physical. You alone can do it in this world. It is most

necessary that we mix with people, and sometimes even intimately. We have to

interact with one another in our daily life. How are we to speak, and what is

good for us to speak? Kindly tell us about this, Swami!

 

Bhagawan: You think that worldly life and spiritual life are separate entities.

They are not. Spirituality is awareness. It is total knowledge and not pieces

or bits of information. You should always talk sweetly and softly. You can

please everyone with your fine talk. See, when a crow sits on the wall

repeating kav, kav we chase it away, but when a cuckoo repeats kuhu, kuhu, you

too start imitating its sweet sound. Both are birds, but where does the

difference lie? It is only the sound, you see! Similarly your talk makes all

the difference. The crow has not harmed you in the least, nor has the cuckoo

rendered any help to you. It is only the sound that pleases or displeases you.

You should speak the truth, you should talk pleasingly. You cannot always

oblige, but you can speak obligingly. Is it not? Your words should never hurt

or harm anyone.

 

One day, a hunter was chasing a deer in the forest. A sage who was sitting there

saw the deer running fast to escape the hunter. The hunter in his search for the

deer, saw the sage and asked him if he had seen a deer passing by. In reply, the

sage said, "Oh hunter! The eye that saw the deer passing cannot speak and the

tongue that speaks cannot see. What can I say?" So nothing false was spoken.

 

You must have heard of the great king Harischandra. By just telling one lie, he

could have easily got back the kingdom that he had lost. By adhering to truth,

his son was brought back to life, and his family reunited. He did not utter a

single lie. He stuck to truth only. So, till this day his name is remembered

and it has come to stay so long as the sun, the moon and this galaxy remain. He

is the very embodiment of truth. So he is called "Satya Harischandra"

 

mat aku pran amu satyamu

Truth is the life of speech.

kot aku pran amu sainyamu

-Army is the life of a fort.

not tuku pran amu cevralu

- Signature is the life of an IOU.

 

You should not talk too much or excessively. If you do so, society will call you

a chatterbox, a loose tongued man. Ati bhasa mati hani, too much talk turns you

mad. Mitabhasa ati hayi, limited talk makes you very happy as you are not

likely to tell a lie, criticise, gossip, or talk vainly.

 

You lose your respect if you talk endlessly. You tend to lose your memory as well.

 

You lose your energy. If you switch on a radio and keep it on high volume for a

long time, many units of electricity are consumed, aren't they? So also, your

energy gets consumed if you keep talking for long.

 

Note that it is always in the depth of silence that the voice of God is heard.

If anyone greets you with a `hello,' respond with a `hello'; if anyone says

`goodbye', you also reply in the same way, `goodbye'. That's all. You talk only

when it is necessary and to the extent it is needed.

 

Q146) Swami! Is it not a help to a person if I point out his mistakes?

 

Bhagawan: Thinking of the mistakes of someone else, you also become defective.

 

To face and to resist a bad man you have to become even worse than him. So, it

is a sin to point out the mistakes of others. If .you point out the mistakes of

others, with one finger, three fingers point towards you. As the saying goes, a

street dog is always in search of slippers. A pig spends its time in gutters.

You would also look like a pig if you go on looking at the faults of others. In

a way, a monkey is much better than a man who finds fault with others. When a

monkey finds an orange fruit, what does it do? It will take away the outer rind

and then does the fruit. Will it not?

 

This sort of separating the good from the bad is called vibhagayoga. You should

give up the bad, the undesirable.

 

In Japan, there is a city by name Kyoto. A woman was passing through a

particular street carrying with her a big bundle of clothes wrapped up in a

neat pure piece of white cloth. These clothes were all dirty and were not neat.

Someone asked, "What are those clothes?" She said, "I want to show you the good.

I want you to see the good. Therefore, I have wrapped these dirty clothes in a

white cloth". Finding faults in others, making fun of others, criticising

others, are mistakes that one should not commit.

 

Q147) Swami! Now we understand that we are mistaken with regard to our

knowledge. You have explained clearly what awareness is by saying that it is

complete knowledge but not the knowledge of a bit or a piece of anything. How

are we to cultivate this awareness?

 

Bhagawan: Spirituality is very essential for awareness. It is impossible to

develop awareness by any other means. With a spiritual background, things will

be very clear to you. You will then have total understanding, which is

awareness. Otherwise, what you acquire is bookish knowledge, superficial

knowledge, general knowledge but not practical knowledge, which is awareness.

This is possible only in the spiritual path.

 

A small example. You sow a seed in the ground. It germinates into a plant. But

do you expect the seed to germinate if it is kept in a tin? Impossible.

Similarly, the plant of awareness grows in the field of spirituality and not in

a tin of worldly pleasures. The awareness then developed is, in fact, true

awareness.

 

Q148) Swami! Now it is clear that this sort of "awareness" is not available

in our educational institutions, that awareness is so very important for all of

us. You are the incarnation of God in the present day world. Why don't you, by

your grace, grant us this boon of awareness?

 

Bhagawan: If everything is done by God Himself, what will be there for you to do?

 

How will you make use of the God‑given mind and intellect? Don't you realise

that these divine instruments like the mind and the intellect that you are

equipped with will be a waste, if God does every thing for you? The mother

cooks and serves food. She cannot eat it on behalf of the child! When the child

sustains any injury the mother feels sad. But she cannot bandage herself on

behalf of the child!

 

Though you sit in front of the plate filled with potato curry and chapatti, you

must also pick them up with your own hands and eat. By simply repeating

"potato,chapatti" will your hunger be appeased? The hand and the mouth should

be put to work. Is it not? Similarly, you should make use of your mind and

intellect.

 

Everything will be known to you. By your effort, you will win God's grace. With

krsi, effort, one can even become a rishi, a sage. Do your duty thinking at the

same time of the Lord. Krishna too said the same thing to Arjuna, mamanusmara

yudhya ca, "O Arjuna! Remember me and fight!" Chanting Rama's name, Hanuman

could cross the mighty ocean. So do your duty and you can achieve whatever you

want to.

 

Question : Swami! Spiritual aspirants observe austerities like upavasa, fasting,

jagarana, vigil and consider them spiritual. We request you to let us know their

importance and inner significance.

 

Bhagawan: The traditions, rituals, and the age‑old practices of Bharat have a

meaning and significance. Aspirants undoubtedly get divine experiences. But

today people are after external and pompous rituals without any understanding

of their inner significance. So they have forgotten the very goals and purposes

for which they were originally intended. Almost all the rituals have become

mechanical, monotonous and routine. There is none to explain to them lucidly.

Most people are not aware of the subtleties. So, you don't find anybody

practicing austerities or rituals sincerely. Man need not change. It is the

mind that should change.

 

Suppose you are traveling to a distant place and you don't have food to eat on

the way: Can you consider this upavasa, fasting? Will this be of any spiritual

use? A patient doesn't take normal food. Is that fasting? What do you get out

of it? To feel God in you is upavasa and not mere fasting as the literal

meaning goes: Upa, near, vasa, living: In other words, upavasa means living

close to or near God. It means one should turn inward, feel God and constantly

think of Him. This is upavasa in its true sense. Today, we notice people who

fast on the ekadas'i day. But, they eat double the normal quantity of food the

next day. The madhvas (followers of Madhvacharya) observe Bhisma ekadas'i on

which day they fast. They don't, swallow even their saliva.

 

In the state of Karnataka, they say in Kannada, "bida bedi bittu keda bedi"

which means, do not give up and spoil yourself. When you give up anything,

don't pick it up again. It is a bad habit. Instead, what is happening? They get

the flour ready well grinded and preserve the dough for three days, With this

they make nice tasteful dosas, south Indian tiffin. So in Kannada it is said,

indu adide ekadas'i ondu tindu nalavattu dosa, it means, in the name of

ekadas'i, on one fasting day in a month, preparations are made for as many as

forty dosas . Is this upavasa? No, definitely not.

 

Why should you observe vigil, jagarana? Why is jagarana , keeping awake

throughout the night, observed?

 

It means that you should keep off from your worldly happiness, sensual pleasures

and material comforts. You should be unmindful of all these mundane matters, but

awake or vigilant to the inner core, the atma. You should be awake in respect of

the inner divinity while neglecting worldly botherations. But what is done in

the name of jagarana? They play cards throughout the night or watch three

movies one after the other throughout the night in the name of jagaran a .

Watchmen, nurses in the hospital on duty, Railway station masters on duty don't

sleep in the night. Does it amount to jagarana? Certainly not! Merely skipping

sleep is an external ritual. One should know the inner reality while observing

these rituals. Since they are all done mechanically, they are made fun of and

they look ridiculous in the eyes of others.

 

Q149) Swami! Some want us to do puja, some suggest dhyana, meditation, a few

prescribe parayana, reading of the scripture and some others assure us of good

results from japa, repetition of God's name. I am confused about what to do and

which one to follow. Kindly tell me the best among these ways to be followed in

my sadhana ?

 

Bhagawan: You can follow any of them with total prema, love, nissvardha,

selflessness, chittas'uddhi, purity of your heart, ekagrata, one pointedness,

and saranagati, surrender to realise and experience God.

 

You follow the path that suits your convenience. Any procedure that appeals to

you and gives you shanti, and ananda can be followed. But never imitate. Never

go by other people's words and paths. You follow your chosen path. Otherwise,

you lose your own way also. Imitation is human. But creation is divine.

 

A small example to illustrate that one becomes a loser by following others.

There was a fruit market and it was the season when mangoes were available in

plenty. A shopkeeper got a board specially painted with the words "Good mango

fruits are sold here" and displayed it in front of his shop to promote sales.

One stranger came and said, "Sir! What is it that is written there on the

board? This is a fruit market. Why should you have the word on the board

`here'? It looks silly and superfluous. I suggest you erase this word `here"'.

Then the shopkeeper sent word to the painter and erased that word on the board

`here'.

 

Now on the board, the words "Good mango fruits are sold" were left. Another man

came to the shop and said "What, Sir? You don't look smart and intelligent.

Have you yourself cared to read what is written on the board? This is the mango

season. All the shops are selling mangoes only. Why should you write `mangoes'

especially, as if they are here only? Better you remove the word `mango' from

the board!".

 

The shopkeeper got it erased with the help of the painter. Now on the board the

words "Good Fruits are sold" were left. Another customer came and said, "What

nonsense is this? Do you find any one selling `bad fruits'? How funny it looks

when you say `good fruits', very silly! Remove those words `good fruits' from

the board.

 

The shopkeeper was convinced and got them erased with the result that only the

word `Are sold' were left on the board. A well wisher of the owner who happened

to pass by looked at the board and was shocked. He said. "What? Are you mad? Did

you read the board? What do you mean by `Are sold'? Are you going to sell the

board or what?" The shopkeeper called for the painter and got the words `Are

sold' removed. Now he was left with a blank board. Finally, the painter gave

the bill with two entries, one for initially painting the letters and the other

for erasing each word at intervals. What happened to the owner of the shop who

paid heed to the words of everyone? He lost both the board and that money. This

will happen to you too, if you adopt other people's ways.

 

Your Guru also prescribes a method that suits you. He never wants all and sundry

to follow the same pattern. The methods of sadhana are suggested depending on

your capacity, skill, understanding and the level of your spiritual awareness.

 

I give you here a simple illustration from the life of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

 

Once it so happened, that one disciple by name Brahmananda was crossing the

river in a boat to buy and fetch the requirements for the residents of the

asram. He overheard the conversation going on among others that boarded the

same boat. One said that Ramakrishna was spoiling many youngsters who were

wasting their time by being lazy in the name of devotion and that it was

surprising to see them with shaven heads and wearing ochre robes. Brahmananda

felt very sad and shed tears. He returned to the asram that evening.

Ramakrishna asked him what had happened in the boat while crossing the river.

Brahmananda recounted the whole episode feeling very bad about the remarks made

against Ramakrishna and his disciples. Then Ramakrishna was furious and said,

"What Brahmananda! How could you hear all these remarks! Can you bear when your

Guru is criticised like that? How do you react when your parents are attacked?

How could you hear all this?"

 

Next day, it was the turn of Vivekananda to go to the market. He boarded the

boat and was on his way. Vivekananda had to hear once again the boatman

speaking ill of Ramakrishna for making youngsters lazy and useless. He could

not control his anger. He got up immediately, held the neck of the boatman and

was even ready to push him into the Ganges. Somehow, others calmed him down.

 

In the evening, as usual in the course of the conversation, Ramakrishna,

surrounded by his young disciples, asked Vivekananda what had happened in the

boat. He proudly reported his reaction to the words of the boatman. Then

Ramakrishna said, "What Naren! Are you not ashamed of your behaviour? Couldn't

you control your anger? What is the use of your sadhana? Is this the way a

brahmacari should behave?"

 

Vivekananda then asked, "Swami! It is very strange to hear you speak like this.

The other day you were angry with Brahmananda for keeping quiet when we were

criticised. Today when I reacted to the same words, you are blaming me. Why

this difference, Swami?"

 

Ramakrishna smiling said, "A bicycle has two tyres. There is too much air in the

front wheel. A little of it should be let out. The air is less than necessary in

the back wheel. Some more air must be pumped into it. So also, Brahmananda

should have more spirit, while your temper must be reduced." That's how the

individual level is important in the spiritual path. You shouldn't imitate and

follow others blindly.

 

Q150) Bhagawan! In our namavali, series of names of God, we address God by so

many names. We have more than a hundred names `astottara' and a thousand names

‘sahasranama. ' Of these various names, which is the best and the exact name

of God?

 

Bhagawan: All names and forms are His only. There is nothing in the universe,

which is not His. You should consider God as the indweller of your heart

hrdayavasi. Draupadi, when she was being disrobed and humiliated, prayed to

Krishna for help, calling him ` brndavanasancari ' and `mathuranatha ' which

caused some delay in Krishna's manifesting to save her. To prove the truth of

her prayerful words, Krishna had to go to Brindavan and Mathura and then reach

the open court to save her. Had she called Krishna `Hrdayavasi ', the indweller

of her heart He would have appeared immediately before her and saved her

straight away from disgrace.

 

You sing 'Brndavanasancari ' in your bhajans. Presently I am in Kodaikanal. Are

you not wrong? You sing, prasantivasa, partivihara , `one who is in Prasanti

Nilayam, moves about in Puttaparti', in your bhajans. Is it right? No. I am in

Kodaikanal, not in Parti or Prasanthi. But, if you say ‘Hrdayavasi' the

indweller of your heart, though I may be physically anywhere, you will get

immediate response from me.

 

Q151) Swami! The Gayatri mantra is being chanted over many ages here in this

holy land. But, we hear that women are prohibited from chanting Gayatri and so

are non brahmins. Should we chant that mantra at specific times and not at any

time of our choice and convenience? What is the importance and significance of

Gayatri mantra? We shall indeed be very fortunate to hear from your divine lips

about this subject.

 

Bhagawan: Everyone must chant the Gayatri. It transcends the barriers of caste,

community, sex, nationality, time and space. It is the one mantra that all

should repeatedly chant. There are three main things in the Gayatri mantra.

First of all, you should know that Bhur Bhuvah Suvah in the Gayatri are not

separate worlds. You think, "Bhur Bhuvah Suvah " are three different worlds. It

is a mistake to think so.

 

They are within you. `Gayamulu ' means senses. Since Gayatri deals with sense

control, it is called so. The body has senses of perception and action. This

first aspect of Gayatri is called materialisation or Gayatri.

 

The body can function if only there is life in it. The pulsatory activity is due

to life. Therefore, the life principle vibrates in the body, which makes it

functional or operational. This second aspect of Gayatri, which is the life

force, is called vibration or Savitri.

 

The third aspect of Gayatri is the primal sound Omkar, which springs upwards

from the navel. Om is a combination of three sounds, `A', `U' and `M'. `A' is

uttered as it starts from the navel. `U' starts from the throat. `M' comes out

of the lips. `Soham ' is chanted in our breathing process though we are unaware

of it. This is called `Japa Gayatri'.

 

As we breathe in, we make the sound `so' and as we breathe out the sound `hamâ

is made. The `soham' mantra is repeated everyday 21,600 times in our

respiratory process. In the mantra, `soham', the second sound in `so', i.e.,

`o' and the second sound in `ham', `m' together constitute `om'. This `soham'

is repeatedly chanted in all the three states; waking, dream and deep sleep.

The entire alphabet is formed out of the mother of letters, the primal sound

`OM'.

 

To illustrate this, I give you a small example. In the English alphabet, we have

26 letters from A to Z. All words and sentences are spoken and written using

these letters only, aren't they? You notice that the harmonium has reeds. As

you press the bellows the air gets in and as you press the reeds, you get

musical notes like sa re ga ma pa dha ni. By means of these seven sounds only,

different tunes or ragas are composed. Are they not? You know the violin. It

has strings on which you can play any tune. So also,`omkar' is the primal,

primordial sound out of which the rest of the sounds originated.

 

When you close both your ears tight, you will listen to the Pranava, the `Omkar'

within you. You go very close to an electric pole and listen with your ear

touching it. You will hear that primal sound omkar. This is the sound

(internal) in silence (external). This is the divine sound heard in the depth

of silence, (nis's'abdamuloni s'abdabrahmam, in Telugu). You can hear the

footsteps of God only in silence. This third aspect of Gayatri that pertains to

this omkar, the primordial sound, the speech faculty and the chief source is

known as radiation or Saraswati.

 

Therefore, at the body level it is Gayatri, materialisation. As the life

principle, it is Savitri, vibration, and finally as the chief source of sound,

it is Saraswati, radiation. These are the three aspects of Gayatri mantra .In

other words the atmic power, divine source, is radiation (Saraswati) that

enters the body as vibration or life principle (Savitri), so that this body

made of material becomes functional which is called materialisation (Gayatri).

 

Q152) Swami! How should we adore you? How should we serve you? We are not

able to decide. Kindly show us the way?

 

Bhagawan: God does not need your service. He does, not require your worship. God

desires from you only one thing, and that is love. This love is not your

property either. It is not your ancestral property. This love is not gifted to

you by anyone. It is not a commodity to be manufactured by any company. It is

not to be acquired from a guru. You are born with love. It is the gift of God.

Therefore, it must be given to Him. It is His and so you should return it to

Him by loving Him incessantly.

 

Take a small example. On occasions like a wedding ceremony, many people are

invited. So, in order to prepare food on a large scale you need very big

utensils. You hire them for a day or two and return them after use. But they

should be returned safe, cleaned and in perfect condition without any damage.

Is it not so? Similarly, the human heart is a vessel filled with love, gifted

by God, and has got to be returned intact to Him. This is the true form of

worship.

 

How to love God? The best way to love God is to love all and serve all. When

everything is His, and He being the giver of all that you need, what is it that

He wants from you other than love? A pure heart is the temple of God. Then,

where is it? I always tell the students that there should be perfect harmony

between thought, word, and deed. Today, we find selfishness at all levels. In

whatever is said and done, there is an underlying selfishness. But true worship

is a selfless act of service with love. Do your duty sincerely. Service to man

is service to God. You don't need to worship God with flowers that fade and

decay. Pluck the flowers of virtue, character, and love from the garden of your

heart and worship God with flowers of value.

 

Q153) Swami! Kindly let us know how we can achieve anandaprapti, gaining

permanent happiness, and removal of suffering dukhanivrtti.

 

Bhagawan: These two levels of consciousness are not separate from each other, as

you have stated. When suffering is removed, you derive happiness. Absence of

happiness is the cause of misery. Both are interrelated. Absence of light is

darkness: Where there is light there is no darkness. Absence of one of the two

is the presence of the other. So, if you explore the methods of removing

suffering, happiness naturally and automatically dawns.

 

If you investigate the reason for misery, you will know that ignorance is the

cause of all misery. What is responsible for ignorance? It is the ego. What is

ego? It is attachment. What is attachment? It is the body, consciousness. So,

misery occurs due to attachment to the body. But, one can be happy physically

as well as spiritually if one's senses are under one's control. In fact,

sadness is not natural to man. Therefore, methods have to be found out to

remove sadness, which is artificial.

 

Misery can be removed only by prayer and by following the spiritual path. If

idle horses are overfed, they will be still lazier. Similarly, if you act

according to the whims and fancies of your senses, your senses will get

strengthened day by day and ultimately you will cease to be a human being.

 

Man faces three types of miseries adhyatmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika.

Adhyatmika miseries are physical and mental. Physical suffering makes you

mentally sick.

 

Your mental irregularities add to your physical sickness.

 

Therefore, physical and mental sufferings are branded as adhyatmika. The second

ne is the suffering called adhibhautika, which is caused due to a snakebite or

a scorpion bite or injuries inflicted by animals and other creatures.

 

The third type of misery called, adhidaivika befalls due to cyclones, floods,

earthquakes, fire accidents and various other natural calamities.

 

Primarily you should know that the mind is the cause of both pleasure and pain.

If your mind is positive, it doesn't matter if you are either at your home or

in a forest.

 

You should fill your mind with love. With constant thought of God, developing

more and more of faith in Him, and following the spiritual path, you can

undoubtedly remove your suffering. Of course, control of senses is absolutely

necessary.

 

If you understand your true self, atma you will have ananda, bliss. Bliss is the

state, which is above pain and pleasure bliss is non‑dual. This is also called

prajña.

 

Since prajna is vast, the scripture says, Prajnanam Brahma. Prajna is divine.

Prajna is uniformly present in the body, the mind and the intellect. Prajna is

also known as antarvani, the inner voice. By exercising control over external

and internal sense, you can listen to your antarvani. If you follow and act

according to your inner voice, you will be blissful.

 

Janma or birth is responsible for all misery. Where there is no janma there is

no chance for either pleasure or pain. However, janma is due to karma, the

consequence of past actions. For karma, the causes are raga, attachment and

dvesa, hatred. You take to an activity only if or when you like it, or prefer

it to some other activity, otherwise not. Isn't it? So all actions are born of

either of these two states of mind, raga and dvesa. They in turn arise out of

ahamkara, ego and ajnana, ignorance.

 

Ajnana is the main cause of misery. Ignorance goes away only if ego is given up.

For ego to be dropped one must rise above attachment and hatred. For these two

to vanish there should be akarma, inaction, because these actions and their

consequences lead to punarjanma. As the Bhajagovindam of Adi Sankara states:

 

Punarapi jananam punarapi maranam punarapi janani jathare s'ayanam, "one takes

birth life after life, lying in the womb of the mother, again and again after

death."

 

Birth and death are responsible for all the misery. In fact, one should follow

the spiritual path in life not to be born again. Instead of consuming sugar,

you can become sugar itself! This is the sugar of ananda, bliss. This is the

sugar of liberation. This is the sugar of sayujya, merger with God. Therefore,

mukti, liberation, is the only solution for the alleviation of suffering.

 

The happiness that you get from listening to a person whom you like or on

acquiring an article that you wished to acquire is described as priyam. When

you actually get what you really want, that is called modam, joy The experience

of joy after acquiring what you want is called pramodam, supreme joy. If anybody

starts talking to you about all that you like, you will be happy. So it is

called priyam. If you see or meet those who are dear to you, you will be

extremely happy. This is called modam. On receiving and possessing what is

dearest to you, your experience is described as pramodam.

 

When you hear of the divine power from great epics like the Ramayana and the

Mahabharata and of the lilas of God incarnate and devotion celebrated in

Bhagavata, and other texts, you will be very happy. This is priyam. If you

practice all that you have heard from these immortal books, you will derive a

kind of joy described as modam. If you identify yourself with the divinity and

merge in it, the supreme bliss you get out of it is called pramodam.

 

So one has to hear about God, priyam in the first stage, practice all that is

heard, modam in the second stage and finally experience the bliss thereafter,

pramodam in the third stage. This is anandaprapti, the way to be blissful.

 

Q154) Swami! What is to be renounced? What is to be sacrificed?

 

Bhagawan: You do not need to renounce the world. Many people commit a mistake

here. You do not have to sacrifice the world. You have to give up worldly

thoughts and feelings. You must have heard of Ramananda Tirtha, a renunciant.

He was married, and also had a son. He renounced his family. One day when his

wife visited him, he refused to see her and turned his head away. Watching

this, the wife said to him.

 

"Swami! Since you have the feeling that I am your wife, you did not look at me

and turned away your face. I do not have that feeling, not in the least". It

was then she gave him the ochre robes. So, you need not renounce the world.

 

You need to shed worldly thoughts. You do not have to sacrifice your properties,

but you must establish proper-‘ties with God.

 

Q155) Swami! What is true happiness? How are we to acquire it?

 

Bhagawan: You should, first of all, know what happiness truly is! I want you to

be blissful and not simply happy. Happiness, as you understand it, is not truly

happiness. In fact, true happiness lies in union with God. This you can develop

by establishing contact with the Divinity within you. In other words, being

aware of the Divinity within you, you can also make yourself happy in the

world. Happiness lies in liking what you should do and not doing what you like.

 

 

Q156) Swami! We meet some people who are not happy, as if they are denied

happiness once for all. Why should it happen like that?

 

Bhagawan: For all this, understand that the mind is the main cause. If you turn

your mind God wards, you will be happy. If you turn it towards the world, you

cannot be happy for long. See, here you turn the fan towards you. Then you get

the breeze. If you turn it the opposite way, you won't get any breeze. Your

getting or not getting the breeze depends upon the direction in which you turn

the fan.

 

Q157) Swami! You want us to look for unity in diversity. You expect us to be

aware of unity in diversity. How is it possible?

 

Bhagawan: It is certainly possible. Everything in this world has five aspects.

Among them, three are changeless while the other two change. The three are

asti, being, bhati, awareness, priyam, bliss and are immortal. They may also be

termed as sat, cit and ananda. Then there are two more aspects that change. They

are rupa, form and nama, name. Name and form depend on the three changeless and

permanent aspects mentioned above, viz., truth, awareness and bliss, sat, cit,

ananda. For example: you observe the sea, its waves and its foam. They are

interdependent; one cannot exist without the other.

 

Waves come out of the sea. Waves are not independent. We find foam collecting on

the surface of the waves. When there are no waves, there can be no chance for

the foam to collect on the surface. However, apparently, we have three forms in

different names sea, wave, and foam. But essentially, all the three show the

same water by different names. Don't they?

 

The sea represents paramarthika satya, Spiritual Truth; the waves stand for

pratibhasika satya, superimposed or mistaken identity, while the foam is the

vyavaharika satya, worldly or physical truth.

 

Q158) Swami! Is sadhana a must in every day life? Is it compulsory?

 

Bhagawan: Yes, it is very necessary that you should do it everyday. Don't you

wash and scrub utensils everyday to keep them clean? Until you become steady,

develop unwavering faith and total surrender. It is most necessary to do

sadhana everyday.

 

You see that the paddy fields are watered everyday. Otherwise, the crops dry up

and die. But tall trees like Eucalyptus, Banyan, Neem and so on, do not need to

be watered everyday. Why? The reason is simple.

 

Their roots go very deep, up to the ground water level; and draw nourishment for

the entire tree. It appears surprising that small tender plants need water

everyday while huge trees do not. Roots of small plants go a few inches deep

and cannot draw water, from the depths. But trees have roots that spread and go

deep to draw, ground water.

 

Similarly, until the roots of your faith go deep into the ground of your heart,

you have to do sadhana everyday. Your faith today is like the root of a small

plant that has not yet gone deep into your heart and so you should do sadhana

everyday.

 

Q159) Swami! Much emphasis is laid on sadhana, spiritual practice. But we

find it tough to do any sadhana. What is the solution?

 

Bhagawan: For achieving or attaining anything in life one needs to do sadhana or

practice. Walking, talking, reading, eating, writing, everything in life you

learn by practice. How does a child walk? It is clearly by practice only.

Singers practice a lot!

 

Driving a motorcar for that matter has to be practised. You have the steering at

one place, the brake at one point, the clutch elsewhere and so on. Yet, you will

be able to drive a car by practice only. So also, sadhana in the spiritual

field.

 

Question : Swami! What is the role of a Guru on the spiritual path?

 

Bhagawan: One should have total faith in the Guru. Suppose you wish to go to a

city on a picnic. You do not know anything about that city, as you have never

been there before. What you do is to take the help of a guide to go round the

city. You do not question the guide at any point since you are totally new to

the place. So also, a Guru who has vast knowledge and experience has to be

scrupulously followed. He should not be questioned, doubted, or disobeyed on

any grounds.

 

You also find signboards at cross roads indicating directions to different

places. This is your common experience. To reach the place of your choice, you

must follow the directions in the signboard and reach the destination. You

don't expect the signboard to carry you or lift you to that place. You have to

go along the way as directed in the signboard. A Guru similarly shows the

spiritual path, teaches you the techniques to be followed, and explains in

detail all that you need on the spiritual path. You have to work for it and

achieve it all by yourself. No one can do that on your behalf.

`Guru', is a two letter word in Telugu â `Gu' and `ru'. The word has two

meanings. `Gu' is darkness (ignorance), `ru' is the light (wisdom) that dispels

this darkness. The second meaning is `gu' stands for gunatita, one beyond

attributes and `ru' for rupavarjita formless. So, Guru is one who teaches you

about divinity which is both attributeless and formless. A true Guru wishes the

best for his disciples. He tells them what is hita, good and not ista, that

which is liked. A true disciple follows the master implicitly.

 

Q160) Swami! We feel that results are delayed in sadhana : We do not get

quick results, at least according to our expectations. What do you say, Swami?

 

Bhagawan: You do not have proper, understanding of sadhana. See, in this world,

you begin your studies from childhood. After the primary school, you go to the

secondary school, college and then to the university.

 

After fifteen years of intense study and hard work you get a degree. This is

your experience. How much have you worked to get a degree? Have you not taken a

long time to get a degree? For this education and a degree, and to earn your

livelihood you strive so much.

 

Then how long should you take, how much of effort should you put in to earn

God's grace which is the eternal spiritual truth? Just think for yourself. It

is a big mistake to expect quick results in sadhana.

 

Q161) Swami! Are you pleased with our dhyana, meditation?

 

Bhagawan: Do you call what you do every day meditation? No, you are not doing it

properly. It may be anything but certainly not meditation. It is all right that

you sit down to meditate. But your mind is in the market, you will be thinking

of what you are going to eat for lunch. Or you will be thinking of your dhobi,

when he would bring your ironed clothes. Is that meditation? Certainly not.

 

A small example. You are seated here waiting eagerly and anxiously for the

arrival of Swami. Any sound of a door or a car will draw your attention as

Swami might come any time. Your mind is fully concentrated on Swami and you

begin to view everything in terms of Swami's arrival. Do you not? On the other

hand, if you are mentally engaged otherwise and not alert, even if Swami comes

and stands in front of you, you will not notice him.

 

So, in meditation the most important thing is to have a full cent percent

concentration on God. You should be fully alert, without any diversion of

attention. So, an unwavering steadiness of mind. I emphasise for meditation ‑

calincani manasu bhramincani drsti (Telugu).

 

Q162) Swami, how many things should we study and learn in order to take to

sadhana, spiritual path? How many details should we know from the sacred texts

to start our sadhana ?

 

Bhagawan: Many things or details are not necessary. We see most people reading

books. They listen to discourses for a number of years. But, what is the use?

 

They remain where they have been in the spiritual path. What is the reason? It

is lack of practice that has detained them, retarded their progress. In fact,

you don't have to read so many books.

 

You don't need to learn many things.

 

If you clearly and thoroughly understand one thing, it is enough.

 

If you practice one thing, that is enough. Why learn many and don't practice

even one? To commit suicide a small pin or a needle is enough. But to kill

others you require a pistol or a revolver or a knife.

 

Similarly, to teach others you need to learn and know many things for which you

have to read a lot. But to work for one's own liberation, redemption and

emancipation it is enough if one thing is practiced sincerely.

 

So, practising is more important than knowing and learning in life.

 

QI63) Swami! We are indeed very fortunate to have been listening to you. We

are in a blissful state. You alone can answer our questions like this, out of

your infinite compassion for us. None can do that. Swami, pardon me for this

question. It is now very clear to us what enquiry is. But why am I unable to do

so? Why is my mind not steady? Is it the nature of the mind to waver? Is it the

natural quality of the mind to remain unstable and unsteady that prevents me

from concentration on enquiry?

 

Bhagawan: You complain that your mind is unsteady and that you are not able to

concentrate. This is not true. In fact, there is no mind as such. It is nothing

but a bundle of desires. It is a bundle of thoughts. It is like a piece of cloth

with yarn closely interwoven. When you separate the yarn or threads one after

another, the cloth does not exist any more. So also, when the desires are gone

and the thoughts withdrawn, the mind does not exist any more. This is called

amanaska, withdrawal of the mind, or manolaya annihilation of the mind.

 

You say that your mind wavers. This is also not quite true. You see a tree here.

The leaves flutter. Why? It is the wind that makes the leaves of the tree

flutter. But when there is no wind they do not move. So, the movement is due to

the wind and not due to the quality of the leaves or the tree. The tree of life

like leaves of the human mind flutters as the wind of desires blows.

 

You also say that you are not able to concentrate your mind. This is not true

again. How are you riding your bicycle or driving your car without

concentration? Is it not dangerous`? Will it not lead to accidents? How could

you concentrate in order to drive your car or ride your bicycle?

 

As you read a book, a paper, or a draft, how are you able to concentrate?

Without concentration, how could you grasp all that is mentioned in a book? In

your profession are you not doing your job with full attention and

concentration? Are you doing this with your mind engaged elsewhere or

absentminded? If you do so, don't you spoil the work assigned to you? You would

have been summarily dismissed from your service had you been doing your job

without concentration. Are you not concentrating your mind on every activity of

your daily life? Yes, you do it beyond doubt.

 

But, concentration of mind becomes a very difficult task only in respect of God.

Is it not a misfortune? The mind is stable and it concentrates easily and

naturally. The loss of concentration with respect to God implies that you do

not have as much love for and interest in Him as you have in worldly matters.

Concentration, hence, depends on the degree of your interest.

 

You can't blame the mind. It is like a mirror. It only reflects what is kept in

front of it. So I often lay stress on good and pure thoughts. As is the thought

so is the mind.

 

You know one who has manas (mind) is manisi, a human being. The most valuable

thing in this world in your estimate is a diamond. But `diamond' means

`die‑mind' or withdrawal of mind.

 

Q164) Swami! Now we understand from your divine discourse and by your grace

how important devotion is. But, faith is the base of devotion. How is one to

cultivate faith, Swami?

 

Bhagawan: What a foolish question you have asked! What do you mean by saying

cultivating faith? Can you cultivate it? Is that a commodity to be purchased

from a shop? It can neither be given nor received. Faith is your natural

quality. In fact vis'vasa, faith is your s'vasa, breath. Without it there is a

total stoppage of your breath.

 

Just think for a moment how you carry on your daily routine with or without

faith. You will soon notice that your every action, both mundane and spiritual,

is based only on faith. You give your clothes, costly shirts and safari suits to

a washer man in full faith that he would bring them back after washing and

ironing. If you suspect that he would run away with your clothes, will you give

them to him? Most valuable gold is given to goldsmiths to make jewellery out of

it in good faith that they would do so. Even if a trace of doubt arises in your

mind, will you ever hand over valuable gold? You go to a barber for a haircut.

 

Do you for a moment entertain the feeling that he would put his knife in the

neck instead of on the head? You bend your head in good faith in front of the

barber to have your hair cut. So also in good faith, a patient will lie down on

the operation table and allow himself to be operated upon by the surgeon.

 

Do you doubt that your life is not safe in his hands? No. So be he a dhobi or a

goldsmith or a barber or a doctor for that matter, all transactions are made in

good faith.

 

So faith is a natural gift of God to mankind. To be faithless is unnatural and

artificial. But the pity of it is that you have full faith in everyone but not

in God. Isn't that very unfortunate?

 

Devotion and faith are like the two eyes of a living being or the two wheels of

a bicycle or the two wings of a bird. Without faith, as we say, even an ant

can't move an inch. A bird cannot fly high without faith. A bird perches on a

branch. The branch may be drooping or swinging, yet the bird is not bothered.

Why? It is because the bird has full faith in its wings on which it relies but

not on the branch. So, everything depends on your faith.

 

How do you know your father? It is your mother, who has the authority to show

you your father and you have full faith in your mother. If not, there is no way

to know your father. You know the dates and the days from a calendar and you go

by what the calendar indicates. Otherwise, how do you know that today is

Monday, the 14th May? T

 

he day has not appeared in front of you with a signboard on the forehead

indicating the day of the week and the date. You have full faith in all that

you listen to from the All India Radio news bulletin and the various news

columns that you go through in a newspaper. So much so, you believe what you

hear on the radio, watch on the T.V., read in the newspapers, but you don't

believe our rsivakya or the sayings and teachings of our sages and saints of

yore embodied in the Vedas and other holy scriptures. The Vedas are called

 

is'variya, apauru seya , compositions of God. You don't have faith in them. How

strange and unfortunate it is! Think over it for sometime.

 

Q165) Swami! Why are some people not devoted to God? Devotion, it seems, has

no place in their lives. Would you kindly tell us the reason?

 

Bhagawan: Very simple. It is only sensual pleasure that makes people disinclined

towards God. Meaningless worry about the future, excessive desires, building

castles in the air are a way of life with them. Ambition to reach heights they

don't deserve and too much attachment to the family and the world, all these

are factors that make a man not devoted to God. There can be no other reason

beyond these.

 

You know the seesaw on which children play. If one end goes up, the other end

comes down, and vice versa. If the stress is laid on the world, your love of

God will be less, and on the other hand, if your love of God is greater (heavy

at one end as in the game) your attachment to the world becomes less (light at

the another end as in the game). This is how the balance works. Isn't it so? I

will give you another example, that of a magnet. It draws iron filings towards

it. But . sometimes it doesn't. Why? If the iron pieces are rusted and dusty,

they are not drawn and attracted by the magnet. Likewise, people who are like

iron pieces dusty and rusted by worldly desires are not drawn to God, the

`Divine Magnet'. Is it clear now why some are not devoted to God?

 

Q166) Swami! Kindly give a direction to our spiritual pursuit? How should it

continue? Like the flow of a river? What are the restrictions to be observed?

 

Bhagawan: `Nas'reyo niyamam vina.' Everything must have limits without which you

will face risks and dangers. A river that flows under certain conditions with

banks on either side serves irrigation purposes better. Similarly, the river of

life has two banks, one on each side viz. samsâ ayatma vinasâyati': never doubt

and `s'raddhavan labhate ' : by sincerity you develop wisdom. Your river of

life should flow between these two banks. Your faith should not be shaken. It

should never waver. Your faith should be strong and deep. No adverse situations

and negative moments should make you lose your faith.

 

A life without faith is like a pot with holes. You know that we water only the

roots of a plant. Yet, water is supplied to all parts of the plant. You do not

water the stem, branches and leaves separately. Similarly, the water of faith,

if supplied to the roots of your life, will take care of everything else

related to life. The tree of life can sustain itself if the water of faith is

supplied to its root. Without this, the plant dries up and is no longer alive.

It becomes firewood. Once you doubt, all that you do will go in vain and

nothing will be fruitful. No amount of scholarship or sadhana can help you if

you allow doubt to step into your mind.

 

A small illustration. There was a pandit in a certain village. Daily a milkmaid

from the neighboring village used to bring him milk crossing a river by boat.

In the process there was necessarily some delay in supplying milk to the

pandit. One day the pandit questioned her and wanted to know the reason for the

delay. She replied, "Oh Panditji! I have to cross the river by boat everyday to

bring milk. I can only get into the second trip of the boat because the boatman

will load in the first trip all the elders of the village. There is no

alternative left for me. So, I am late". Then the pandit said, "Look! Why do

you need to come by boat? I suggest that you carry the milk pots over your head

and cross the river chanting God's name. The river will give way and you won't

need to wait for the boat".

 

The milkmaid believed in what the pandit said and on the next day she could come

on time and gave him the pot full of milk. Then on his enquiry, she told him

that she could bring the milk on time by simply following his instructions. The

pandit was very much astonished at this, and could not believe her words and

decided to verify the fact himself. He said to her "Good! Now as you go back I

shall follow you and see you as you cross the river chanting God's name and how

the river gives way for you to cross it"

 

Both of them came near the riverside. The milkmaid acted exactly according to

the pandit 's instructions, viz. chanting the name of God. The pandit also

wanted to act in the same way. He stepped forward and lifted his dhoti up to

his knees so that his clothes would not be wet. He marched into the river step

by step doubting if he would drown in the river. His doubt became true and he

got drowned. Faith made the milkmaid walk across the river, while the pandit

had no faith in his own words. Hence he drowned.

 

The bank on the other side of the river of life is s'raddha, sincerity,

steadfastness, that confers jnanam, wisdom. You will be sincere only if you

love the work you do. You should have full faith and love to become sincere.

 

A student cannot pass the examinations if he has no faith that he can read, love

the subject and study it sincerely. So, vis'vasa, prema and s'raddha are the

three steps that give you success in your attempts.

 

A businessman or a lawyer or a doctor must be sincere, must have s'raddha, in

order to be successful in his profession.

 

So for jnana, you should be sincere and steadfast. What type of jnana should it

be? It is not physical, material, secular or worldly knowledge. It is the

practical knowledge, anubhavajnana that you get when you are sincere and

steadfast. So these are the two banks on either side of the river of life,

doubtlessness and sincerity or steadfastness. Sams'aayatma vinasâyati : the

doubters perish, and s'rddhavan labhate jnanam: the sincere and faithful attain

wisdom.

 

Q167) Swami! Why and how do we get evil feelings such as jealousy, envy,

pride, egoism, attachment and so on. How are we to get away from these evil

feelings?

 

Bhagawan: The main cause for all these evil feelings is your body attachment.

These feelings are born in your mind. They depend on your interactions and

relationships with others.

 

A small example. Suppose you have a very intimate friend with whom you agree on

everything. By chance, if you toss a rose flower at him, he will be immensely

happy for your love and reverence. As ill luck would have it, if you do not see

eye to eye with each other due to some differences, and if you toss a rose at

him, he will totally misunderstand you.

 

He will think that it is a deliberate action on your part to harm him, for your

friend is a sugar patient (diabetic) and as such if a thorn of the flower by

chance pricks him, it may cause an injury that never heals and even further

complicates leading to the amputation of his hand. See the difference. The two

individuals are the same.

 

So, also is the rose flower. But during the period of friendly terms, the act is

viewed positively and in the unfriendly period the same actions are viewed

negatively. You will now know that everything lies in the mind. The rose flower

that gives happiness to your friend creates suspicion in the mind of the same

person during the period of animosity.

 

Then, let me tell you about your next weakness, anger. Why should you and what

for should you be angry with anyone? You tend to lose your energy due to anger.

You become weak subsequently. The energy you have gained out of the food you

have consumed during a couple of months is just lost by a single fit of your

anger. Here, enquire into the matter clearly.

 

What exactly makes you angry? If anyone criticises, reprimands, accuses, or

blames you, naturally you are angry with that person. Calm down for a moment

and investigate clearly. Why should you be angry with anyone who points out

your mistakes or defects? Are you not guilty? Are you angry because your faults

are pointed out? Why? So, you need not be angry if your faults are pointed out.

 

Suppose you are faultless and not guilty, even then there is no need for you to

be angry. Because, it is only a false allegation. If anyone says that my head

is bald, I am not angry with him because there is no truth in what he says, as

I am not bald. If anyone comments that I have a mop of hair, even then I am not

angry because the truth is said.

 

So let them say that I am a battatala Baba (bald headed Baba) or buttatala Baba

(mop of hair on the head of Baba) (batta and butta are Telugu words). I am not

angry either way. If you think in this way you will not be angry and annoyed

with anyone.

 

There is the worst form of disease for which there is no cure. It is envy or jealousy.

 

Hatred ruined powerful kings like Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakasipu, Sisupala,

Dantavaktra as mentioned in our epics like the Mahabhagavatham and the

Mahabharata. Envy ruined the entire clan of Kauravas. Envy, pride, ego,

jealousy and anger are demonic qualities. No one ever thinks of those with

these evil tendencies. Have you met anyone by name Duryodhana who is the very

personification of jealously in our epic Mahabharata? Have you met anyone by

name Sisupala who is the embodiment of hatred in our scriptures? None. Why? It

is a shame to be named so.

 

There is then Mandhara a woman character in the Ramayana the very emblem of

jealousy. She brought bad name even to queen Kaikeyi. She was responsible for

sending Rama to the forest and Bharata's reign. Have you come across women by

name Mandhara and Kaikeyi? No. Never. Why? They represent evil traits that ruin

anyone.

 

Never be egoistic. Egoism is another trait that will lead to disrepute. Examine

yourself when you feel egoistic. Why ego? On what grounds should you be

egoistic? In the entire world, India is of the size of an ant.

 

There, in India your state of Andhra Pradesh is the size of an eye of the ant.

Your Anantapur district is but a speck in the eye of the ant. Then, how about

Puttaparthi and what are you and your standing in your family? Practically

nothing.

 

So don't give any scope for ego and pride. Of course, if at all you want to be

egoistic and proud, you can be egoistic about your ignorance and proud of your

foolishness! Attachment and Self‑interest may make you egoistic on false

grounds.

 

Attachment and feelings of "I and mine" are also not good in your own interest.

The feelings of thine and mine arise out of abhimana and ahamkara. An example.

Your neighbour has a daughter who was seriously ill for quite some time. You

were not bothered or worried about her health. A year after her illness it so

happened that you married her.

 

Thereafter even a slight temperature or cold in her body makes you apply for

casual leave and stay away from office. Why? She is your wife and no longer the

daughter of your neighbour. The difference is due to attachment only.

 

It is mamakara, feelings of mine that made Dhritarashtra, the old king of the

Mahabharata support all the misdeeds of his sons and led to the total ruin of

the entire clan. Though he had one hundred sons he was left with none even to

perform his last rites. To this state one will be reduced due to the feelings

of `I' and `mine'.

 

When these traits find a place in you, repeat ten times "I am a man, not an

animal", "I am a man, not an animal" so that you can get rid of the animal

qualities like ahamkara, ego, asuya, jealousy, irsya, envy, dvesa, hatred,

abhimana, attachment, and mamakara, feelings of `I' and `mine'.

 

Q168) Swami? How wonderfully in simple terms and in such an easy way you

have explained profound things. What is the way to immortality, the ultimate

goal of life?

 

Bhagawan: Very simple! Very easy! The only way to 'immortality is the removal of immorality.

 

Q169) Swami! How long does sensual pleasure last?

 

Bhagawan: Sensual pleasure is momentary and fleeting. It lands you in

difficulties and makes you weak. Think well and understand clearly. You think

that you are enjoying with your senses. Actually, it is not so. The senses are

enjoying at your expense. At your cost the senses are having a nice time. How?

You become weak. You lose your strength. You turn old. If you are right in

thinking that you enjoy with your senses, you should have been quite active and

enthusiastic. But in reality it is not so. You are negatively affected due to

sensual pleasures. Therefore, know for sure that your senses enjoy you, making

you sick, old and weak and not you enjoying with your senses.

 

Q170) Swami! How are we to lead a detached life? We are hurt when our

belongings, positions and wealth are withdrawn. Please tell us how not to be

hurt though these are taken away from us.

 

Bhagawan: You should always keep in view the purpose and the aim of your life.

 

You should never give up your duties and responsibilities. You see, today's

newspaper is tomorrow's waste paper. Be assured that past life will never

return. You should always keep in mind three important points. Never feel that

the world is permanent and that your relationships with all around you are

lasting. No.

 

The second thing is that you should not forget God under any circumstances. The

third point to remember is not to fear death.

 

A District Collector has all the comforts and conveniences such as a big

bungalow with a spacious compound, furniture, peons, etc. He has a very big

office and personnel to provide assistance, but when he retires, he has to

leave them all, though he lived till then with them as their sole proprietor

and owner. Does he cry on the day of his retirement? Does he feel that he has

lost anything personal? Similarly, servant‘maids, who take care of children at

the residences of rich business magnates or high officials consider the

children very close to them and even say "our boy" `our child' and so on. But

is it really so?

 

Can they claim and own them at any point of time? Similarly, you see a cashier

in the bank. He has with him lakhs and lakhs of rupees, which he disburses to

different account holders according to the cheques presented. Does he feel sad

at any time for parting with the money? Not even a single naya paisa belongs to

him. The same is your relationship with the world you live in. Know the essence,

saram (Telugu) and lead this life (family, samsaram Telugu). In fact, no one has

anything to do with anything or anybody. You are alone at the time both of your

birth and death. The rest that comes in between are like passing clouds.

 

"Would you settle down on a bridge

you cross from one end to another!

Would you like making a house,

of a boat plying from bank to bank!

Would you build a mansion

right in the middle of a highway!"

 

So, one must have self questions like: `Who am I? 'Where do I come from?' 'Who

is God'? `What is the purpose of life?' Human life is gifted to you to find

answers to these questions.

 

For example; a villager goes to a nearby town on some business. As he could not

complete his work, he has to stay in a lodge to rest. The , proprietor of the

hotel or lodge he chooses to stay in will naturally put some questions to him

before letting out a room to him. He will ask the villager to register his name

and address. He has to answer questions such as "Where do you come from? How

long would you stay?" If the answers run like this, "I do not know where I come

from. I do not know how long I am going to be here. I do not know when I would

quit this room", or "I don't know where I shall go from here!" The proprietor

will say, "No room for you. This lodge is not for mad fellows like you" Similar

is your situation and position if you don't know where you come from, how long

you stay here and where you go from here. Do your duty thinking of God. That is

enough, then, you will never suffer.

 

Q171) Swami! How are services rendered today helpful in future?

 

Bhagawan: I will give an example very well known to you. After your retirement,

you are given pension. Why? It is the payment for your long service in a

profession. So also, God's grace is bestowed on you for your service in the

past.

 

Another example. If you fill the tank with water during the rainy season, you

will have water supply in summer. Is it not so? Therefore, service of today

will help you receive God's grace later, undoubtedly.

 

Q172) Swami! Is there death? Are there a heaven and a hell? What is life?

 

Bhagawan: There is no death. It is the body that dies. But atma, the indweller

is immortal. Atma is the eternal truth. Your happiness is indeed heaven. Your

misery is hell.

 

Both are here in this life. They are not separate entities apart from you.

 

The whole universe is a tree with branches, leaves,, flowers and fruits. Man

expects flowers and fruits and nurtures the tree by watering its roots. It is

enough if you water the roots of a plant, in order to get the water circulated

to different parts of the plant.

 

Is it not so? Do you water the stem, branches and leaves separately? Do You? No,

you don't. For this tree of the universe the branches are different countries

and states; the leaves are desires; human beings are the flowers. The root is

below and the fruit is on the top. The root is self‘confidence while the fruit

is self-­realisation. The juice within the fruit is divinity. Today,

there‑is no divinity but only community.

 

Q173) Swami! Man's greatest fear is the fear of death. How is he to

overcome this?

 

Bhagawan: Man is not dying of diseases. In fact, it is fear that makes for his death.

 

Ninety eight percent of all deaths are to be traced to fear of death.

 

Diseases are, for the most part, psychological in origin and impact. Check your

pulse rate and blood pressure when you are excited, worried, or afraid. These

rise much above the normal level. Thus, diseases are, to a large extent, rooted

in your mental state.

 

Once the deity of Cholera came to a village. Seeing her, the village elder said,

"Mother! I am terrified at the thought of the devastation soon to overtake our

villages. I wonder how many of our people are going to die!" The deity replied,

"My son! Not all will be harmed by me. There will be five deaths a day, that's

all. You need not be that much alarmed." But, many people were dying. T

 

he elder thought the deity might have lied to him. He turned to her and asked,

"Mother, you are a deity. How is it, then, that; after saying one thing to me,

contrary to that, you punish us?" The Cholera deity replied, "Son! I did not

utter a falsehood. I took away only five each day.

 

So, I am not responsible for the deaths of al the others. Those did not die of

cholera. They died of fear, that's all."

 

You asked me how fear of death is to be overcome. The solution is only courage!

You should understand that at some time or other, death is inevitable. Realise

that there are no exemptions. When you have the courage to realise this fully,

fear of death ceases.

 

Q174) Swami! How can we realise the divinity within us?

 

Bhagawan: Look! In college, you have elective subjects like M.P.C (Mathematics.

Physics and Chemistry), Bi.P.C (Biology, Physics and Chemistry) and so on,

haven't you? Similarly, to realise the divinity within you, you have to take a

group of three subjects. What are the subjects to realise divinity? They are

â˜bhaktiâ devotion, âjnanaâ, wisdom and âvairagyaâ, renunciation.

 

Without devotion, you can't acquire wisdom. Bhakti leads to jnanam. Without

jnanam you can never develop detachment or renunciation. Jnanam takes you to

vairagya. A flower, after some time, turns into an unripe bitter fruit, which

ultimately becomes a sweet ripened one, doesn't it? It is a question of time

that brings about the change.

 

Devotion transforms itself into the wisdom that leads to detachment. This

detachment helps you in visualising the divinity within yourself. The fruit

drops down from the tree of life. Jnana contributes to s'ara pagan

,sâaranagati, surrender.

 

You should remember one point here. Jnana,, japa, yagna are not important as such.

 

Your love for God is more important than any other such rituals for success in spiritual pursuit.

 

Intense love for God is bhakti, devotion. Knowledge, broadly speaking, is of two

types: one is physical, secular material and worldly knowledge, while the other

is spiritual, metaphysical, transcendental and divine knowledge.

 

Spiritual knowledge is nondual, and helps the seeker to realise and experience his own divinity.

 

Q175) Swami! How are we to attain bliss?

 

Bhagawan: It is a pity to find many a confused and disturbed person even in the

spiritual field. Though he is in an asram or spiritual centre, he undergoes

âsrama,â suffering. It is a matter of shame if a person calls himself a devotee

without following a single teaching or practicing it for his transformation. The

life of a devotee should be pure, calm, peaceful, detached and he should pine

for the knowledge and experience of the Self or spirit or atma. Infinite

desires meaningless worries and anxieties to get all that one doesn't really

deserve are ‘obstacles in spiritual life. So many don't enjoy divine bliss.

Body attachment makes things much worse.

 

Four qualities are very essential for the attainment of divine bliss:

sâamam-damam control of the outer and inner senses, âtr ptiâ, contentment,

â˜vicarana,.enquiry, and satsangâ, good company.

 

They confer divine bliss on the seeker. You have got to know how this most

valuable divine bliss is contained within the human body, which is itself

transient, and is of lesser value than the spirit.

 

The body is composed of two bucketfuls of water, one bucketful of lime, iron of

four two inch nails, lead of six pencils, phosphorous of nine hundred and

twenty matchsticks, and fat of four Lux soaps. Herein lies the atma, divine

spirit. Divine bliss can be attained by investigating, realising and

experiencing the inner core of this body, viz. atma.

 

Q176) Swami! Many spiritual practices are suggested, such as, namasmarana

singing the glory of God, dhyana, meditation, puja, etc. But, still total

satisfaction is not derived out of any of them. We are not able to practise and

follow continuously even one of them. Dissatisfaction over not being able to

succeed and frustration about not getting the rewards for the little we do, are

overpowering us. Why is it happening like this? Kindly show us the way.

 

Bhagawan: You have to plough the land, remove the weeds, manure and water it.

Isn't it so? Without tilling the land, removing the weeds and watering, even if

you sow the best of seeds, will it be of any help?

 

Similarly, if you want to achieve the four purus arthas, objectives of life, you

should follow anyone of the nine paths of devotion, adopt the eightfold path of

yogic practices, astaga yoga, follow the nine types of devotion, navavidha

bhaktimarga, worship properly and follow the spiritual path scrupulously.

 

You should cultivate four main qualities; which are the pre‑requisites of a

devotee of God. The first one is maitri,, friendship, second, karuna,

compassion, the third mudita, feeling happy at others' progress, and the fourth

quality is upeksa, detachment.

 

These are necessary for spiritual advancement. Maitri is the first one. If you

are friendly to the higher‘ups, there is every possibility that those people

put you under their control. If you are a friend to those who are inferior to

you, there is every scope for you to dominate them. In either case, friendship

will not continue long. Therefore, friendship must be among equals.

 

Karuna is the second one. You can't be compassionate towards all. Be

compassionate towards the poor, needy, less fortunate, handicapped and sick as

well as those who are less educated than you and are inferior to you in rank,

position and property. If you do so, your compassion will be valued most and it

will deepen increasingly.

 

Mudita is the third one. You should not feel jealous of those who are better off

than you. You should not have any bad feelings towards those who are more

fortunate than you. You should, on the other hand, feel even happier at their

progress and advancement. This is mudita.

 

The fourth one is upeksa The opposite of upeksa is apeksa. Apeksa means

attachment. Upeksa means detachment.

 

You should never be positively disposed towards bad people. You should not

support designers of evil or those who indulge in bad deeds. You should never

develop friendship with an evil‑minded person or a person with bad behaviour.

With these four qualities you can achieve the objectives of life, the

purusarthas.

 

Hence, be friendly with your equals, compassionate towards the poor and needy,

be happy at others' progress and keep away from bad people. In fact these four

qualities may be said to be the objectives of life, the purusarthas. To

cultivate them, purity of heart is necessary. To feel that the very same one

God is present in all living creatures and living beings is the way to develop

purity of heart. You have to purify your tamasika, bestial qualities and

rajasika, emotional or passionate nature. You have to develop that kind of

steadiness and purity of mind and heart.

 

You will not be able to see clearly the reflection of the sun or of the moon

alike in containers filled with different kinds of water. One container may

have very dirty water where you can't see the reflection of the sun or the moon

clearly. This is how the tamasika quality acts, cutting you off from reality. In

another container, water may be found shaking and not still. Then also the

reflection of the sun will not be clear. This is the rajasika quality. But, a

container filled with pure water, which is also steady, helps you to see the

object reflected clearly in it.

 

This is the effect of sattvika quality. Similarly, though the same atma is

present in all, you are not able to recognise and experience it due to the

differences in your body, mind and intellect.

 

Then, the question is how to achieve the pious quality or sattvika nature and

the purity of heart or cittas’huddhi to recognise and experience awareness of

atma? He who can find out his own faults and others' merits can keep his heart

steady and pure. If you can identify your own mistakes and rectify them, it

doesn't matter wherever you are.

 

Take a simple example. Your room may be full of mosquitoes. But if you have a

mosquito net you will not be affected by their presence and you can sleep well.

On the other hand, if there are mosquitoes inside in the net, how can you sleep?

Whose mistake is it? Similarly, see that there are no mistakes in you. Always

remember that sadhana is intended for devotion and steadfastness. Sadhana done

for selfish gains will be of no use and it can never give you bliss, peace and

satisfaction. You can't do sadhana in such a case intensely and fervently.

 

The Ramayana explains this very clearly. After his return from his uncle

Kekaya's kingdom and on coming to know of the death of his father, King

Dasaratha, Bharata approached his mother Kaikeyi and asked her about the reason

for his death. Kaikeyi said, "My dear son, I am responsible for the king's

death. For your benefit and to make you the king of Ayodhya, I asked your

father to grant me the two boons he had promised to give me a long time ago. As

the first boon, I asked that you be crowned and as the second, Rama be sent to

the forest. Your father couldn't bear the separation from Rama and so he died".

 

 

On listening to this, Bharata became very furious. He said, "Oh! Wicked woman!

Do you know what you did? Are you foolish? Do you think that you can cut off a

tree and plant its branches to grow? Don't you know that Rama is a tree?" In

her view Kaikeyi was right in doing like that, but to Bharata it was very

cruel. Today, what you are doing is exactly like that. You are cutting off the

tree of divinity and planting the branches of prakrti, nature. This is not

proper. So, any sadhana is useless if there is no devotion supported by

steadfastness.

 

Without these basic qualities of maitri, karuna, mudita and upeksa you can't

achieve anything. You can't have peace; bliss and self‘satisfaction. Therefore,

for a spiritual life you should acquire these four qualities.

 

Q177) Swami! Many spiritual paths are mentioned by diverse traditions and

religions. How far can these paths lead to experiencing divinity? To what

extent are their spiritual exercises to be adopted? From the description of

some of these, success in one lifetime appears impossible. On the other hand,

worry that no spiritual practice is undertaken plagues us. Is there no way out

for us? Kindly grant us peace.

 

Bhagawan: Listening to your accounts of sadhana, it appears you do not know

what sadhana is. The practices you call `spiritual' are undertaken by the mind.

They give you only temporary happiness and satisfaction. On the other hand, they

cannot be dismissed as altogether useless. Sadhanas must help you in spending

your time in a pious way. What, then, is sadhana? âœSaâ means salokyam,

dwelling in heaven with the vision of God; therefore sadhana gives us the

dhana, treasure, of salokyam.

 

Every act of the mind is dualistic, artificial, and transient. Suppose you are

on a journey. Suppose also that there is a thief by your side. How can you feel

secure?

 

The person beside you is a thief, isn't he? In the same way, all practices

involving the mind can never give you unbroken bliss, the experience of

Brahman. What you achieve in sadhana is the removal of the veil blocking the

vision of the Self, the veil of anatmatabhava. With the removal of this veil,

the experience of the atma, the real, stands revealed. This is not something

that has to come from somewhere, nor is it something that can be lost.

 

The next question is how long sadhana needs to be practiced.

 

Consider a wound. When healing starts, a scar appears covering the wound, and

this drops off by itself. Suppose you peel it off by force. The wound grows

bigger. In the same way, once you have the experience of the Self, the question

of sadhana does not arise.

 

Another example. When you cook food, you adjust the flame. When you ask how long

the flame is to be turned on, it is only till the food is cooked.

 

Sadhana too is necessary only till one acquires jnana, supreme wisdom.

 

Q178) Swami! When we get wisdom based on our practical knowledge,

discrimination and determination, will it stay with us permanently or is there

any possibility of our losing it by chance leading us back to ignorance again?

 

Bhagawan: That is impossible. Actually, you can't call it wisdom at all, if it

is lost. You can't consider a person a man of wisdom if he returns to the same

old state of ajnana, ignorance.

 

In fact, jnana, wisdom, neither comes nor goes. You are the embodiment of

Divyajnana, divine wisdom. Your own worldly attachments, sensual pleasures, and

bodily identification obscure this awareness or wisdom. Once you realise it; you

will never lose the state of awareness.

 

A simple example, you curdle milk and churn it to get butter. The butter, a

product of milk, will never get mixed in the milk once again, will it? So also,

the butter of wisdom cannot mix in the milk of ignorance, once it is realised.

Similarly, a jnana, though he lives in the midst of ignorant people, will never

lose his jnana. Ajnana, Ignorance will never come again. Wisdom, once it dawns

on you, will never depart from you.

 

Q179) Swami! Is bodily feeling an obstacle to spiritual progress? The

bodily feeling doesn't seem to leave us anyway. Kindly tell us what we should

do about it?

 

Bhagawan: I have never told you to neglect your body. Always remember that the

body is an instrument. A temple may be very beautiful, clean and highly

attractive.

 

However, you will not be satisfied by merely looking at it from outside, unless

you go in and see the idol installed at the sanctum sanctorum. It is the idol or

Mulavirat that makes you feel happy and ecstatic, doesn't it? Similarly, your

body is the moving temple of God. You should never neglect it. Your desires

will not make your body polluted. The only thing is that the desires need to be

good and never bad.

 

We have on one side, arisadvarga six foes, such as lust, anger, greed,

attachment, avarice, and hatred, which ruin man. But you can channelise them in

the right direction. For example, take anger, krodha. Anger does you no good at

any time. But if you are angry with your bad behaviour, wicked thoughts and

evil tendencies, you will improve yourself. So, don't be angry with anyone, be

angry with your own anger.

 

Then, consider kama, desire. If you are after limitless desires, you will be

leading a discontented life. On the other hand, if you desire God, desire to

serve him, the very desire, kama, becomes sublime.

 

Therefore, so long as one is selfish, self‑centered, sensual and worldly, the

body definitely is an obstacle to spiritual progress. But if you take it as an

instrument for the realisation of the divinity within yourself then definitely

it is not an obstacle. Hiranyakasipu, Hiranyaksha, Ravana, Kumbhakarna,

Sisupala, Jarasandha, Dantavaktra, etc., ruined themselves because of their bad

thoughts, wicked actions, cruel and harmful nature. In fact, the body is the

gift of God for man to realise and experience Him.

 

Q180) Swami! How are we to grasp easily the purpose and aim of life?

 

Bhagawan: This is very simple. A small example. A patient takes medicines for an

ailment and gets cured. Why? He has to take medicines regularly for a certain

period of time so that he may not have to take medicines once again by falling

sick. It means he should not be a patient a second time.

 

Similarly, your birth in this life is given to you not to be born again. In

other words, you should not enter the cycle of birth and rebirth once again.

One has to work for it spiritually by intense sadhana during this lifetime

itself. This is the aim and the purpose of life.

 

Q181) Swami! What is meant by `quest for truth'? How are we to go about

this noble task?

 

Bhagawan: To say that one is involved in the process of search for truth is

foolish and is a sign of ajnana, ignorance. When satya, truth, is everywhere,

what is the point of searching for it? Truth is God. God is truth. God is

omniscient. So also truth is everywhere.

 

Satyamunand undi sarvambu sr s t ince

Satyamunananage sarva sr s t i

Satyamahimaleni sthalamedi kanugonna.

Sâuddha sattvamadiye cudarayya (telugu poem)

 

God, the eternal truth, has created the whole universe, which will merge

ultimately in truth. It is the eternal truth.

 

With your eyes you look at your children. With the same eyes you see your wife

also. Your eyes may be the same but your vision, the way you look at different

persons such as mother, wife, and children varies. The feeling with which you

look at everyone is the spirit of the search for truth. This distinguishes

feelings from looks.

The Search for truth should answer questions like what, when, why, whom, where and how.

 

Q182) Swami! Nowadays‘even devotion has become a matter of convenience and

business, and is expected to yield quick results. Isn't this wrong in the path

of devotion? Are cunning and craft fruitful in devotion?

 

Bhagawan: Today, whatever one does and says is all out of selfishness only. If

you develop devotion for getting a job, you are devoted to your employer and

not to God. If you are a devotee with a view to get married, you are devoted to

your wife or husband as the case may be, but not to God.

 

If you notice clearly, you will know there is enough money in this world. There

are many in good positions. There are many influential and reputed people.

Should you pray to God for money, positions, popularity, and influence which

are already available in this world plentifully? You should pray to God for

those which are not available here and are present in and with Him only. Two

things are with God only and are not present elsewhere. What are they? They are

Bliss and Peace. True devotion is what urges you to pray to God for these two

divine assets.

 

Most unfortunately, today people employ even tricks, backdoor methods and logic

in spiritual fields. Alas! They will never yield good results. Such people will

never succeed. Further they boomerang. God and Mammon can't go together. You

can't buy or sell God. Business on commercial principles and God never go

together. God doesn't want your dhana, money or wealth. He looks into your

dharma, conduct.

 

Alas! In the name of spirituality, it is very unfortunate that people deceive

each other, involve in financial transactions, politicise, manipulate, cheat,

scheme, plot, spend time in gossip and mud slinging activities. Your knacks,

tricks and gimmicks will never work with God. You will never realise God

through these tactics.

 

Here is a small story. A very rich man had a pet dog. One day when a person was

passing along the road, this dog chased him and was about to bite him. Then the

person being totally helpless hit the dog with his stick. The dog died. This

made the rich man very furious and he took the matter to court to sue this

person. There in the court the judge asked the passerby as to why he had hit

the dog resulting in its death. The person said, "Sir! It fell upon me and was

about to bite me. I couldn't do anything.

 

So, I had to hit it with the stick in my hand and unfortunately the dog died".

Then the judge asked the rich man what he would say in the matter. He said,

"Sir! I can understand the situation. But, why should he hit it on the head?

Had he not done so, the dog wouldn't have died". The judge turned to this

person, wanting him to give the explanation. He said, "Sir! It was about to

bite me with its teeth. So I had to hit it on the head. Had it tried to bite me

with the tail, I would have certainly beaten its tail". So this is a knack or a

trick to escape from the situation. These things are of no use in the spiritual

path.

 

Another example, a businessman had to go to a neighbouring town on some

business. He called his son and said, "My dear son! You please look after my

work carefully until I return. Be vigilant. Son! You know I do daily puja. You

also see me doing as t ottara puja, repeat 108 precious names of God. You do

it without fail during my absence. I don't want you to discontinue". The son

said, "O.K. father! I will scrupulously follow your instructions". On his

return the businessman enquired of his son if he had done all the things

assigned to him including as t ottara puja. The son had shown him a paper as

proof of his compliance. There, on the paper his son wrote God's holy name and

marked `ditto, ditto' so that he did not have to repeat 108 times.

 

Would this make a genuine as t ottara puja? Do you expect any positive results

out of such tactics?

 

Once a merchant went to a Guru and reverentially prayed to him to give him

mantra upadesâa, to attain moksha. Then, the merchant said, "Sir! Can I ask my

assistant to repeat and chant the mantra a thousand times Sahasranama on my

behalf?" The Guru said, "It is useless. What are you talking about? How do you

expect to be benefited when your assistant does the puja on your behalf? Do you

ever ask him to eat when you are hungry? Do you ever ask him to drink water when

you are thirsty?

 

Do you ever ask him to go to a doctor and take medicine when you are sick? What

nonsense are you talking?" This seems to be the trend in the thinking among

modern seekers and aspirants, this is not bhakti.

 

A path followed with your total virakti, detachment, your saktii, total capacity

and your anurakti, total love for God is bhakti, and not yukti, the tricks you

adopt.

 

Q183) Swami! Renunciation, we feel, is the most difficult thing. We have

so many attachments and it is not easy to give them up. Kindly suggest an

alternative!

 

Bhagawan: No. No. It is very easy. You are wrong if you say that detachment is

difficult. In fact, it is simpler and easier to be detached than to be

attached. Now look here! I hold this handkerchief in my hand. I hold it tight

in my grip. It is a strain holding it like that for a long time, i.e. holding

the handkerchief in the grip. On the contrary, it is very very easy to simply

drop it. Is it not? Now, you will know that attachment is difficult while

detachment is easy.

 

Q184) Swami! Many different types of sadhana are suggested and prescribed

for seekers and aspirants. They are very confusing and the situation of the

present day seekers is that they have almost forgotten what a spiritual

practice is. Most often having taken one path, many drop out or discontinue.

Why? Kindly tell us the truth of the matter?

 

Bhagawan: In my opinion, spirituality is very simple and easy. You may find

crushing the petals of a rose flower difficult. Compared with it spirituality

is easier. But unfortunately, today there is none who knows and teaches

sadhana.

 

the self, spirit, conscience, or atma is the reality. All the rest is non self or `anatma'.

This is the purpose of spiritual pursuit or sadhana.

 

You also wanted to know why a chosen spiritual path is discontinued. Understand

well that nothing is wrong with sadhana. The mistake is yours. It is your

weakness.

 

For example, you boarded the Bangalore bound tram. If you get down in the middle

without reaching the destination, whose fault is it? It is definitely not the

mistake of the train. It is your fault.

 

Q185) Swami! We are not able to meditate. We do not know the procedure

even. What are we to do?

 

Bhagawan: When the procedure is not correctly known and you are not able to

concentrate as you meditate, do not waste time. Do some good work. It is

ridiculous sitting down for meditation, while thinking of all sense objects and

sensual pleasures.

 

It is purely a waste of time. In fact, if it is true meditation, the feeling, "I

am meditating", should totally vanish. The three â `the one that meditates, the

one whom you meditate upon' and the `process of meditation' should be unified.

This is called triputi. Always keep in mind one important thing. You are as

much far from me as I am from you.

 

You should always experience proximity with God and finally identify yourself

with Him. The fruit of your meditation depends on this. With conviction that

God is everywhere and by loving and serving all, giving up selfishness and

selfinterest, you will experience the benefit of true meditation and you will

know that your reality is atma, the self.

 

One example you might remember about meditation. Here are two tumblers of which

one is full of milk that has to be poured out into the other tumbler. What do

you do?

 

You hold the tumbler filled with milk in one hand and the empty tumbler in the

other, and slowly pour milk. The two tumblers should be held tight. If the

tumbler with milk is shaking for any reason, the milk spills out. If the other

tumbler is not held tight, and starts shaking, you can never collect milk. In

other words, both the tumblers must be kept steady. The upper tumbler with milk

is God, who should be pleased with your unflinching devotion while the lower

tumbler, which represents the devotee should have unwavering faith

 

Q186) Swami! My mind is not steady. How am I to do bhajans? Without

steadiness of the mind, what for are our bhajanas?

 

Bhagawan: The mind is never steady. This is natural. The body may find it easy

to be steady. But, movement and running, the body finds difficult. The

condition of the mind is just the opposite. The mind finds it difficult to be

steady, but easy to run or waver. Body is jada, inert. But the mind is

caitanya, awareness.

 

You may lie down on your bed. But your mind will go round all places. Here, one

important point is to be noted. The mind has no independent existence. It

functions through the body only.

 

The mind which goes round different ­places is not received and responded to by

anyone. No one extends hospitality or responds to its behaviour. It has to come

back to the body sometime or other. Therefore, never stop your sadhana, be it

bhajan or meditation. The mind will get settled and be steady gradually. Leaves

flutter due to wind currents. Once they stop, leaves become steady and

motionless. The same is the case with the mind.

 

Q187) Swami! Some people are not putting in enough effort in matters of

spirituality. They are lazy. Is it proper to be so?

 

Bhagawan: This is not spirituality at all. "Laziness is rust and dust;

Realisation is rest and best". Man is gifted by God with body, mind and

intellect for performing karma, action. It is said, Karmanubandhini manus

yaloke. Human society is bound by action. Karmame karanam narunaku

sukhadukhamilalo (Telugu verse). It is only action that makes you happy or

unhappy.

 

Karma is the cause of janma. For the redemption of life and following

righteousness, one has to take the path of action that gives you the divine

experience, brahman.

 

You may say that you are not doing any karma. Remember that you can't live for a

moment without karma. Respiration, blood circulation etc., are actions, whether

you know it or not. You eat food while it is God who digests it.

 

One important thing is, human effort and God's grace are both equally important.

 

These are like the positive and negative wires through which the current flows.

Another example is the matchbox. In order to light a matchstick, you have to

strike it against the sides of the box.

 

I give you another illustration in support of this. Suppose the cart in which

you are traveling turns upside down. You have to get up slowly and lift a wheel

to set it right.

 

God's grace will add to your effort raising the other wheel so that the cart

comes back to the normal position.

 

Q188) Swami! Some say that satkarma, good action is enough; some argue

that puja is essential, but some hold the view that atmavidya is the only way

to liberation. How are we to coordinate and integrate these three? Are these

not contradictory to each other? Why should these three be prescribed?

 

Bhagawan: First, be very clear that they are not contradictory. Performance of

good action is karma marga. The three activities you have mentioned are like

three different kinds of travel by train. The first is the direct train that

takes you to your destination. This is jnana marga the path of Wisdom. The

other one is, the train in which you have to change to another at a railway

junction, as it is not a direct train. This is karma marga the path of action.

 

But, there are still other trains to which the carriage you board will be

connected, and you don't have to get down and change it on the way. This is

bhakti marga the path of devotion. You can view these paths in this way.

 

Another example, a mother has three sons. She feeds the youngest, a child all by

herself. But the second son is a grown up boy who will go to the kitchen

straight and will have his food served by the cook. The eldest son being an

adult can serve food for himself and eat it. Similar is the situation here. The

youngest child stands for the path of action, the second son represents the path

of devotion, while the eldest symbolises the path of wisdom.

 

Another example, a king had three wives. He had to be away from his kingdom

longer than planned. So he sent a message to his three wives telling them that

his return was delayed and also asking them to inform him as to what he should

bring home for them as gifts.

 

The first wife said that she needed nothing except his safe return.

 

The second wife who was ailing for quite sometime wanted medicines,

 

while the third one who was very fond of jewels wanted the latest designs to be brought.

 

On his return, the king went straight to the first wife and stayed there. The

other two wives came and pleaded with him to visit them also saying, "Oh King!

Your return was already delayed. You. have been spending much time with your

first wife. How about us?" The king replied, "Look! This one wanted my safe

return. So I am with her.

 

But you wanted medicines and jewels, and accordingly I sent to both of you what

you had asked for." Thus, the first wife who asked for the king himself and

none else stands for vairagya, renunciation. The second wife who wanted

medicines represents prakrtika jnana, material knowledge, while the third one

who wanted jewels symbolises prakrtika bhakti worldly devotion for worldly

gains.

 

Therefore, different spiritual paths are prescribed and suggested considering

the eligibility, temperament, suitability, capability and the samskaras,

vasanas qualities of the past life of different persons.

 

The same thing I tell my students. There are three `W's. The first `W' indicates

`work', karma marga, the second `W' means `Worship' or `Devotion', Bhakti marga

and the third `W' signifies `Wisdom', jnana marga. These three are contained in

the name of SAI. `S' stands for `Service (karma yoga) `A' for `Adoration'

(bhakti yoga) and I for `illumination' jnana yoga).

 

Q189) Swami! We want to know how a true experience can be communicated.

 

Bhagawan: Here, there are three steps. First, you should know jnanatum , then

see drastum and experience pravestum.

 

You know a mango. You go to the market where you see it. It is not enough. You

should buy and eat it to experience the taste of it. You can describe what you

know and see. But you can't convey your experience.

 

For instance, if you stand knee‑deep in water you can freely talk. If you

stand neck deep in water, you can afford to talk. If you drown yourself

totally, you can't talk. Can you? This is the state of total experience beyond

expression.

 

Q190) Swami! What is the cause of agitation? How are we to get rid of it?

What changes are needed to be free from agitation?

 

Bhagawan: Absence of satya, truth and dharma, righteousness is responsible for

all agitation today. Therefore, people have lost peace and bliss.

 

Modern man has faith neither in himself nor in God. He is blind having lost the

two eyes of faith. Human life without faith is a barren land. It is not man

manisi (Telugu) who should change. It is the mind, manasu (Telugu), that has to

change. Niti (morality), riti (conduct), and khyati (good name) are essential.

Truth or satya is morality or niti, righteous conduct or dharma is the way of

life or rithi while sacrifice or tyaga is the good name or khyati that you

should get.

 

A man with desires, kama,

is never happy.

A man with anger, krodha,

will have no friends.

A man with greed, lobha,

is cut off from bliss, ananda.

 

Therefore, kama, krodha and lobha are enemies. The happiness of the vyakti,

individual, depends on samisti, the community. The individual has a form. The

community has no form. If you respect the individual, it means you are

respecting the community. The community is in srsti, the creation. The Creator

is paramesti, God. So it all begins with vyakti, the individual and ends in

paramest, divinity. In other words, God has created this world in which

samisti, communities consists of vyakti, individuals. Thus, they are

interrelated and interdependent. Therefore, in the individual, morality is

truth. His conduct should be righteous and his reputation lies in realising

God.

 

Bhagawan Buddha speaks of certain aspects of individual sadhana. Buddha said,

samyakdrrsti, good vision, is necessary. âœYour vision must be pure and

sacred". This will lead to samyak sâravanam, good listening. These two great

qualities imprinted in the heart induce samyak bhava, good feeling. This

prompts and promotes samyak kriya, good action. Therefore, at the individual

level, when good vision, good listening, good feeling and good action are

followed, the community will be ideal. There will be no disquiet and agitation.

 

 

One has to correct one's lapses and mistakes. You should never speak ill of

anybody. There is another episode connected with Buddha. Buddha mercifully

accepted the invitation of a prostitute to dine at her residence. While He was

proceeding, the village head came and objected to His visit to her residence,

as she was a bad character. Buddha caught hold of his right hand and said,

"Now, clap your hands if you can". The village ‘head said "Oh! Lord! How can I

clap with one hand while you hold my right hand?"

 

Buddha smiling said, "You can't clap with one hand. You have to join both the

hands. Similarly, you have said that the woman is of loose character. Who has

made her like that? Only you people spoiled her". Then the village head and

other elders fell at His feet and followed Buddha. The woman too changed her

behaviour and became His devotee.

 

During that time another significant event happened. One day Buddha was tired

and taking rest. So He asked one of His disciples to address the gathering that

evening on a spiritual topic. The disciple got up, and while speaking in praise

of his master, Buddha, he said, "No master like Buddha was ever born before him

nor would be born later". Everyone clapped.

 

On hearing this, Buddha came into their midst, and gently said, "How old are

you?" How do you know that no one like your master was born before and would be

born in future? How can you speak about the future? Many noble people lived in

the past and are now living in the present, and also will be born in the

future". Thus, He indicated indirectly the advent of Avatars, divine

incarnations.

 

One has to live attached to God anurakti, detached from the world virakti, with

devotion, bhakti and achieve liberation, mukti, with all your energies, sâakti.

This is the only solution to problems like agitation, restlessness and conflicts

internal or external.

 

Q191) Swami! We have been thinking that all things can be achieved through

Self‘confidence. In your discourses today you mentioned Selfprotection and

Self‘punishment also. Kindly explain these.

 

Bhagawan: Quite often I mention to our boys these things â Self‘confidence,

Selfsatisfaction, Self- sacrifice, and Self realisation. In addition to these,

Self protection and Self‘ punishment too are necessary. Self‘protection is the

capacity to face anything with Self‘steadfastness. Then Self-punishment

involves the faculties of examining one's mistakes of one's own accord, and of

refraining from those mistakes through firm resolve. Self‘punishment is holding

in check through repentance, possibilities of those mistakes.

 

Q192) Swami! In the classes, we have learnt about self-awareness. How can

our tendency be changed? Kindly teach us the appropriate technique.

 

Bhagawan: I asked you, "What does `self awareness' mean?" Someone said,

"understanding". This is not the correct answer. This word can be interpreted

in two ways. In the worldly sense, it refers to looking at oneself, i.e.,

selfishness. Knowledge concerning this can be called "self‑awareness".

 

Spiritually, its meaning is quite different. In spiritual terms, all that is, is merely the Self.

 

The key to all actions and all experiences lies within the Self. The body, mind,

senses, and intellect are just instruments of the Self.

 

Without the Self, these are useless. These are to the self what the head, leg,

hand, and so on are to the body. Now I asked you what is meant by `tendency'.

Someone replied, "attitude", and another "nature". These are not correct. It is

an innate orientation. Tendency exists in man in three modes. Their names are

animal tendency, human tendency, and divine tendency. Of these, the first runs

after sense objects.

 

The second is marked by discrimination, though coloured by desires. The third is

totally devoid of desires, attachment, and `I' and `Mine'. There may be an

attachment and sense of `I' and `mine' in life, but life is not for the pursuit

of these.

You asked for an appropriate technique. When I asked for the meaning of that

word, one called it `method,' and another, `procedure.' These two are not

correct. The technique is vidhividhanam. What ought to be done is vidhi. How to

do it is vidhanam.

 

There is only one technique for Self‘awareness. You have to have awareness that

you are the atma, the Self. I refer to it as Constant ‘Integrated‘ Awarensss.

This Self or Atma is truly God. You are the embodiment of God. Here you should

remember three things.

 

i) What is it that once it is had, is never lost, what is it? Jnana. In other

words, when jnana occurs, that is, when there is awareness, it never is lost.

 

ii) What is it which once lost can never be had again? Ajnana, ignorance. When

once ajnana is lost, you cannot have it again.

 

iii) What is it that is neither lost nor had? Brahmam, Self, Atma, this may be

called `SelfAwareness.'

 

Q193) Swami! How are we to realise the existence of divinity, and by what

intimation are we to cognise it? Swami is pleased to refer to it in the

charming phrase, "Constant Integrated ‘Awareness". How are we to achieve this

Awareness?

 

Bhagawan: The idea that all forms and all names belong to God is verily Constant

‘Integrated Awareness. The experience of sarvan visnumayam jagat, the world is

pervaded by Vishnu, is but Constant‘ Integrated ‘Awareness. God can be

experienced in any form, at any time or place.

 

The life of Tulasidas illustrates this beautifully. He could not recognise God

even when He approached him and talked to him. One day Tulasidas sat under a

tree, grinding a piece of sandalwood on a mortar to prepare the paste.

 

Right then, two cowherd boys came there and asked him, "Grandfather! Will you

give us some sandal paste?" Then, Tulasidas replied, "My children! I am

preparing this for Lord Sri Ramachandramurthi". Two parrots, perched on a bough

of that tree, observed this, and commented, "For whose sake is all this paste?

Why doesn't he realise it?"

 

Tulasidas heard these, words. He knew the language of the birds. The next day,

while he was preparing the paste, the two cowherd boys turned up. This time,

even without asking him, they took some sandal paste into their palms, applied

it to the forehead, and left. Tulasidas who had noticed this was dumbfounded.

This time too he heard the birds' comments from the branch of the tree, "Aha!

What a wonder! Those for whom the sandal paste was prepared, had themselves

come, and received it! What fortune!" As he knew the language of the birds,

Tulasidas realised that the boys who had adorned themselves with the paste

were, indeed, Rama and Lakshmana. Out of ignorance, he had at first denied

them.

 

You may have heard of Vemana too. He was a thinker who belittled worship offered

to stones and idols. He used to doubt, "God, who pervades the whole world, how

can He be inside stone statues?" He used to make fun of idol worshippers. One

day, his elder brother's daughter, whom he loved dearly, passed away.

Grief‑stricken, he kept on gazing at the little girl's picture hanging on the

wall. His elder brother's wife was observing all this. One day, she threw down

the picture. It broke into pieces. This was too much for Vemana to bear. Then,

she said, "My son! My girl is no more, isn't she? Why do you cry over a broken

picture?" Vemana replied, "Mother! Though she is gone, her picture was here,

wasn't it? Looking at it has been some consolation for me.

 

That is why when it broke into pieces, I am grieving ever more." Then his elder

brother's wife counselled him admirably, "My son! It is very true that God is

present everywhere. But, the devotee delights in seeing Him and worshipping Him

in an idol as well. Just as you consoled yourself looking at the picture even

though she whom you love is no more, the devotee invokes God in an idol, and

offers it worship."

 

Straightaway Vemana grasped her message, and the secret behind idol worship. In

this way, the experience of visualising the Supreme Lord in all places, times,

and creatures is truly Constant-Integrated ‘Awareness. This can also be called

the existence and intimation of Divinity.

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