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Swami teaches... Purity of heart is possible by inner vision

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Sai Ram Light and Love Swami teaches... 29 - 30 October 2005

Purity of Heart is Possible by Inner Vision

Happy Diwali, dear readers! Let's Swami's Teaching enligheten your Real

Self like the Kalpavriksha (the Wish-fulfilling Tree).

The Vedha addresses human beings as, "Children of the immortal One" and

"Inheritors of immortal Bliss." Let's contemplate how to realize this

statement.

The body-mind-complex may have many forms and names or roles, but the Atma,

the Witness, has none.Every human's activity is a scene in the Divine Play and

therefore subject to limits and bounds, relevantto the plan and purpose. Here

everyone has own role to play and has to follow the rules of play. Art

engineer, for example, has been trained to respect and follow certain accepted

practices and obligatory rules. The painter has to pay attention to proportion

and balance, symmetry and harmony.

Here is an ancient story about the roles and rules that everyone of us has

to play. Once a sanyasi (renunciant) came to a Maharaja and expounded to him

the sacred truths of the Vedanta. The king was pleased with his exposition and

offered him a plate full of gold coins. The ascetic declined to accept it,

saying it was not in keeping with the cowl he was wearing to accept any

material gifts. "What need have I for these things when I have renounced every

worldly thing?" he said. The king was pleased with the sanyasi's attitude.

The next day the same person turned up in court in the guise of a danseuse. She

danced superbly before the king. The king was pleased and offered to her a plate

of gold coins. She declared that she was not willing to accept such a meagre

guerdon and wanted more. The king realised at that moment that the person in

the dancer's dress was the same person who had appeared as a sanyasi the

previous day. The king told her: "Yesterday you declined to accept the gift at

my hands and today you ask for more than I have offered. What is the inner

meaning of this difference in attitude?" She pointed out that everyone has

to act up to the role assumed by him. Wearing the sanyasi's robe it was the

proper thing for the ascetic to reject any material gift. But in the dancer's

role she was entitled to ask for as much as she thought fit. That day she was

playing the role of the dancer. When the king heard her reply, he felt that

he had learnt a good lesson from her. "Here I am, a king. I should conduct

myself as a king and not behave in any way unbecoming of a person wearing regal

robes." He appreciated the lesson which the woman had taught him. The actions

performed by humans are described as Karmas. It is for experiencing the results

of one's good and bad deeds that one takes birth. So human is bound by actions.

Brahma mayam Jagath (The Cosmos is permeated by Supreme Reality). Karmamayam

Jagath (The Cosmos is permeated by action). Shrishti (Creation) is Brahman

(Eternal Absolute). All action is impelled by the Jeeva Shakthi (Life Force).

The vesture worn by this Life Force is the body. The body is the agency for the

performance of Karma. It is also the product of Karma (one's past actions).

Heaven and hell are not far away places. They are related to one's actions.

We all are familiar with the pairs of opposites like good and bad, sin and

merit, truth and falsehood. In a sense, pictorially the body and Karma are one

from spiritual aspect.

 

The performance of Vaidheeka Karmas (prescribed religious rites) like

Yagnas, Yaagas (sacrificial rites) charity and penance, is regarded as Punya

Karmas (meritorious actions). While engaged in these acts, if a person is

concerned with worldly gains, Ahamkaara (egotism) arises. There is the

feeling, I am doing these sacred rites. On the other hand, indulging in evil

deeds like fraud, cruelty and deceit, human forgets own higher nature and is

oblivious to the consequences of actions.

The chains that bind may be made of gold or of iron, but they are chains all

the same. The Vedhas, theUpanishaths, the Geetha and the Brahma Suuthras have

declared that rituals and religious practices will not lead to God-realisation.

As they are external acts, they are related only to the body. These duties will

inevitably involve one in the bonds of Samsaara (worldly life). In performing

Yaagas, Yajnas and other Vedhic rituals, there is the danger that they may

become instruments of bondage. They are not conducive in any way to the

development of the inner vision.

People recite the Geetha, achieve proficiency in expounding it, but do not

live up to the message. The Geetha is interpreted in many ways, according to

one's whims and fancies. They lend themselves to varied interpretations and

meanings. But, what matters is not the manifold interpretation, but the

understanding derived from actual experience. Reciting the Geetha endlessly or

listening to it will be of no avail if nothing is done to purify one's heart.

It is better to put into practice a single stanza of the Geetha than to get by

heart all the700 slokhas. Only when one is able to get rid of egotism and

attachment can one develop the inner vision. The Geetha has indicated a

three-stage path to divinity. Engaging the body in good deeds, using the mind

to develop good thoughts and human qualifies and to contemplate on God through

Upaasana (worshipping the Divine) human reaches the stage when, like a river

joining the ocean, he merges in the Brahman. This is the process by which the

human becomes one with the Divine. So remember that realisation of Divinity

and mergence in the Brahman cannot be attained only by rituals but by personal

effort to obtain the inner vision. Every rite laid down in the Vedha has this

aim to promote selflessness and universal love. The spiritual seeker has to add

to the performance of rite the purity of own heart. The rites underlines the

characteristics of human nature are, and ought to be, love, forebearance,

detachment, renunciation and truth.

The sense of duality must be eradicated to realise the oneness of the

Absolute. Atma Jnana (knowledge of the true Self) dawns in human when there is

purity of the heart. The body, the mind and the Atma, all three are involved in

the human entity. When the body is subject to the mind and the mind is

controlled by the Atma, life finds fulfilment.

Purification of the heart is the essence of all scriptural teachings and the

basic goal of life. In this context, the Geetha refers to Swadharma (duties

that accord with one's nature) and Paradharma (duties prescribed for others)

and says that Swadharma is conducive to the ennobling of the individual, while

Paradharma is fraught with fearful consequences. Adhering to one's Swadharma

is commendable, while practising Paradharma is full of dangers. Swadharma does

not mean the dharma (duty) relating to any caste, community, race or religion.

Swa means Atma. It is the dharma that is related to Atma, that is Swadharma

(Divine duty). Paradharma is dharma related to the body consciousness. All

duties associated with the external world are comprised in Paradharma. No

spiritual study or saadhana can help to purify one's heart unless one makes the

effort him/herself.Whatever you do you must regard it as a duty done without any

motive of self-interest or selfish gain. It is only when all actions - whether

they be Yaagas or Yajnas or Thapas or any kind of saadhana - are done as

offerings to the Divine, will they become sanctified and liberating.

The Vedhic myths is clothed in symbols. Swami explains meaning of lamb

sacrifice what in essence indicates to the purification of heart. A Vedhic

ritual, a Yajna, being performed by pandiths well versed in the science of

invoking Grace through manthra. They have to prepare the sacrificial altar

according to the rules laid down thousands of years ago. The ceremonial fire

which has to be lit and fed in the duly constructed altar has to be produced by

churning to the accompaniment of Vedhic hymns in praise of the all-pervasive

Fire-principle. Fire so sanctified becomes divine and can act as a messenger

between human and God.

In Vedhic Yajnas patronised by those who consider the letter to be

sacrosanct, a lamb is sacrificed and its diaphragm offered as an oblation. A

symbol, like the word 'diaphragm' is capable of a wide range of

interpretations, both allegoric and metaphoric. The young of the sheep is as

tender as a human baby. It is innocence personified, full of charming

playfulness. Sheep are docile and harmless, incapable of injuring others. The

lamb is as holy as the purest of angels. The diaphragm which separates the

thoracic from the abdominal cavities is only a symbol which separates the

worldly from the spiritual.

God will accept such an offering, and not inferior oblations. There was no

intention to slaughter the dear little lamb. Be a lamb; offer the innocent

heart encased in Love - that is the message. What can mortal human gain by

killing another mortal being?

Yajna means "giving up,renunciation," thyaaga. What exactly has to be

given up? Riches? That is easy enough. One's home? That too is not hard. Does

it mean retiring into a forest, breaking away from kith and kin? Many have done

so and become proud of it. The Thyaaga that the Yajna demands is the casting off

of pomp, pride, envy, greed, in short, the ego itself.

What is Yajna in essence? It is not merely bringing together ten Rithwiks

(scholars who perform rituals), getting them to recite the four Vedas and to

perform homa (make offerings to various deities in the sacrificial fire). Every

act done by man as an offering to God - offering all the fruits thereof - is

Yajna. Whatever action one does, whether big or small, should be regarded as

being done to please the Divine. It may be a sacred or secular act, it may be

for the benefit of the world or hereafter, it may be binding or liberating, it

may be material or spiritual - whatever be the nature of the action, it must be

dedicated to God.

Every individual is a preceptor. Every human is Rithwik. Everyone is an

embodiment of the Brahman (the Supreme Spirit). The Vedas said: "Antarbahischa

thathsarvam vyaapya Narayanas-sthithah" (The Lord Narayana is present inside

and outside of everything in the Universe). In what form can the Divine be

experienced? The answer is: "Sathyam Jnanam, Anantam Brahma" (TheBrahman is

Truth, Awareness and Infinite). Truth in the spiritual sense transcends the

categories of Time and Space and remains unchanged always. This transcendental

Truth has to be inscribed in the heart. It is in the light of this Truth that

man should pursue the journey of life in the world.

What is Jnanam? Jnana (Spiritual knowledge) refers to the Chaitanya (higher

Consciousness) and not to knowledge of various kinds. It is Consciousness that

inspires human being, permeates trees and animates even the smallest insects.

Saint Thyagaraja sang about the Cosmic Consciousness being present in the ant

and the Brahman, in Shiva and Vishnu, in the form of Supreme Love. To

experience this all-pervading Cosmic Consciousness is to experience the Divine.

Mergence in the Cosmic Consciousness (Brahman, Atma), of which each one is an

expression, is not a novel achievement gained by effort. It is only the

awareness, in a flash, of an existing fact. One is Brahmam already, inherently,

inseparably so. If the individualised spark of Cosmic Consciousness has woven a

cocoon around itself and assumed a form and a name, it can never give up its

essential Atmic nature. The poet Bhartruhari said: "Salutations to the Lord

of Time who sets everything in motion." Everyone has to follow the dictates of

Time, because Time is not subject to anyone. God is the embodiment of Time and

your Real Self too if you devote all time to remembering God, time will cease

to be a burden. "Kaala-Kaala prapannaanaam Kaala Kimkarishyathi?" (If we take

refuge in the conqueror of Time, what can Time do to us?) When we enshrine

Kaala (the Lord of Time) in our hearts, we become the masters of Time.

 

Cosmic Consciousness is Anantam (Infinite). It is omnipresent. In whatever

form He is worshipped, whatever conception one may have of the Divine, whatever

feelings one may have towards the Divine, the Divine responds in that form and

image, to confer joy on the devotee. When a devotee prays: "Oh Lord, be by my

side and walk with me, behind me and around me," the Lord keeps company. The

devotee can experience only the footfalls of the Lord. Your experience is

determined by your feelings and methods of approach to Him. The Lord has His

feet, head and eyes and ears everywhere and He appears to every person in the

form envisaged by him/her.

Every person seeks Bliss. This Bliss has been described in manifold terms:

Eternal Bliss, SupremeBliss, the Bliss of Yoga (oneness with the Divine),

Brahmananda (Bliss of God), Atmananda (Spiritual Bliss). But all these forms of

Bliss are merged in one Bliss alone - the Bliss of the Heart (Hridayananda).

Whatever small act a human may do he/she desires to derive joy from it. This

joy is within.

Jesus announced, "Ask; it shall be given, Call; I shall answer. Knock; the

door will be opened." Of course you are asking, calling and knocking.

You are calling out but you are not answered often. Why? You address someone

other than God. The call does not arise from your heart. The yearning is not

total. The motive is selfish and impure. You are knocking at the door and

complaining that it is not opened. God is residing in your own heart but you

have locked that heart so that love cannot enter. So, He is silent and

unresponsive. The door need not be opened, for you to become aware of the God

within. When the One is known, there is no more asking. Swami advises to

'Follow the Master.' By 'Master' He means the Conscience within, the Voice' of

God. Only then can you 'Face the devil' and escape from his temptations

unharmed. One must be ever vigilant that old habits and past attitudes do not

come home again. Thus following the third rule of 'Fight to the end,' one

finally gains the victory in the fourth round: 'Finish the game.'

The seat of all bliss is the heart. Vibrations emanate from the heart. These

vibrations proclaim the Lord's name. There is no need to engage in any sadhana

(spiritual discipline) if the power of the Lord's name is understood. How is

this to be done? The easiest means is chanting the name of the Lord. Hence, in

this Kali Yuga, the easiest and safest is community chanting of the Names of

the Lord and experience an inner joy, which is indifferent to praise or blame.

That name will help you accomplish anything. It will fill your life with

peace and happiness. It will enable you to rid yourself of likes and dislikes.

 

(Ascetic practices, years of constant recitation of the Name, pilgrimages to

holy places and shrines, study of the sacred booksthese will not help the

aspirant to spiritual victory as much as communion with the Godly and the

good).

Whatever the spiritual path is, it is easier to step in the companion of

good company. Success towards Bliss of the Heart and faith in it can grow only

if care is taken not to fall into evil company. Through good company, acquire

the capacity to be alone with yourself; that is the advice of Shankaraachaarya.

Below is a meaningful story. Contemplate about it. Once there was a hunter

who had captured a baby bear and who brought it up as his pet with great love

and care. The bear too reciprocated his love and behaved like a good friend for

many years. One day, when he was traversing the jungle with his pet, who had

grown up into a hefty beast, he felt overcome by sleep; so he laid himself down

on the grass, asking the bear to see that he is not disturbed. The bear kept

watch very vigilantly. It noticed a fly that flew round and round and settled

on the nose of the master. The fly went off when it waved its thick heavy hand;

but, it came again, and settled on the nose. The bear got enraged when repeated

waves of the hand did not teach the fly that his master's nose was not the

fly's resting place. At last, the bear could not bear the insolence any longer.

His heavy palm came down with a thump on the nose, a devastating whack. The

master died on the spot. That is the consequence of keeping company with the

wild and the foolish. However affectionate they are, their ignorance will land

you into disaster. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 7. "The

wet wick," Chapter 39; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 14. "He too is He," Chapter 13;

Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 15. "The lamb," Chapter 51; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 17.

"Purity of Heart: the path to Divinity," Chapter 24; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.

21. "Towards Human Unity," Chapter 29; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 22. "Live up to

your role," Chapter 6).

 

Namaste - Reet

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