Swami teaches...The earnest seeker gets knowledge of the Self

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram Light and Love Swami teaches... 3 - 4 March 2006

The Earnest Seeker Gets Knowledge of the Self

There are two concepts - Drishti (seeing) and Drishyam (that which is seen).

It is because of the power of sight that we are able to see the visible objects.

It is because the objects are there, we are able to see them. There is thus an

inextricable relationship between seeing and what is seen. The physicists of

modern time declare that there is an inextricable relationship between the

devices by which properties and behaviour of elementary particles are studied

and the observer (physicist). Creation (the phenomenal universe) is within

the comprehension of the senses. All that we hear, see and experience are

within the purview of our senses. We refer to all these things as "this." But

what is beyond the senses is referred to as "that." "This" to refer to things

which are within the purview of the senses; "That" refers to what is beyond the

senses. What is beyond the senses has been called Adhyatmic (spiritual). What

is below the senses has been called Bhouthik (elemental, constituted by the five

elements). We are simultaneously below the senses and above the senses. Below

the senses is the body. Beyond the senses is the Hridaya (the spiritual heart).

The eternal Hridaya is encased within the perishable body.

 

Human can delve, not only into the secrets of nature, but into own mystery

and discover God, who is behind both Nature and him/herself. Human can install

in the heart the Shivam - the motivator of all creation, all existence and all

dissolution.

Kaivalyam is the state in which the Divine is experienced as

all-comprehensive, as Will, as Activity, as Bliss, as Intelligence, as

Existence. Suppress your thamas (ignorance), sublimate your rajas (passions)

and cultivate sathwa (purity of heart) in order to be established in Kaivalyam.

(What is purity? This has been characterised as Shakthi (energy, power). Purity

has been described as the state of desirelessness in human).

 

The experiencer is the inner I, which is the reflection of the Atma. When

the senses are out of action, that I will shine in its full glory. (The senses

are one's deadly foes; for, they drag your attention away from the source of

joy inside you, to objects outside you).

Have the Name of God on your tongue, in your breath, ever. That will evoke

His Form, as the inner core of every thing, thought or turn of events. That

will provide you with His company, contact with His unfailing energy and bliss.

 

That is the Sathsanga (good association) that gives you maximum benefit.

Converse with God who is in you; derive courage and consolation from Him. He is

the Guru most interested in your progress.

 

However, human denies the innate excellence of the world around. Human

refuses to see in it the handiwork of God, evident in beauty, harmony, melody,

truth, goodness, love, sympathy, law and learning, in everything that strikes

the eye and fills the mind. Human prides in his/her blindness and raises it

into a philosophy called atheism.

People say that all this is the subtle effect of time.

Well, what exactly is time? Time is but the deepening of the root, the

ripening of the fruit, the mellowing of a habit into a tradition. Without

these, time is but a turn of the wheel. Time has endowed India with a precious

heritage: sahana (tolerance of diversity); sathyam (ad-herence to truth);

maathrubhavam (reverence towards the Mother, as the real educator and as

gratitude for the gift of birth); dharma (the fundamental prop of stable

society, like integrity, service, compassion, etc).

(But today is obvious that the Kalpavriksha (Wish-fulfilling tree of Heaven)

in the human heart is being suffocated by wild greenery and bushy briars. Remove

this stifling undergrowth and the tree will grow and yield fruit).

See God in every one you meet; see God in everything you handle. His Mystery

is immanent in all that is material and non-material. It has been discovered

that all existence in the Universe is an expression of God's Mystery. Derive

joy from the springs of joy within you and without you; advance, do not stand

still or recede.

Rejoice that it is given to you to recognise God in all and welcome all

chances to sing His Glory, to hear His chronicle, to share His presence with

others. God has His hands in all handiworks; His feet on all attitudes, His

eyes beyond all horizons, His face before every face.

All worldly knowledge is concerned with sustaining life. Scientists today

are accomplishing any number of things. But they are unable jet to recognise

the divine potency that exists in the human being. Here is an example. Although

all human beings are made up of the same elements, individuals vary in their

mental and other qualities. What is the force that is behind these genetic

differences? How do the scientists account for them? When they are able to

understand the reason for these infinite differences, the scientists will

achieve fullness in their knowledge. The truth is, no one can exactly determine

the magnitude or range of the powers of the Divine.

The scientist is the one who enquires into the nature of srishti (creation).

The saint is one who seeks to know the Creator. The scientist is preoccupied

only with studying creation. What about the Creator? Once you understand the

Creator, you can understand the whole of creation. That was why Saint

Thyagaraja said: "Rama, If I have your anugraha (grace) all the grahas

(planets) will be within my grasp." Therefore, if you comprehend the Creator,

you can know all about creation. When knowledge of the Spirit which is the

basis of all other knowledge of the sciences and the arts is acquired, it is

easy to get any kind of knowledge.

This is what the sages of India did; they sought to know that which if

known, all else can be known. The expression of that discovery, in practical

life, is Love; for, it is Love that creates, sustains and engulfs all. Without

Love, no one can claim to have succeeded in deciphering God and His handiwork,

the Universe. Love - that is the direction indicated by the sages. Love can

grow only in a well-ploughed heart, free from brambles. So, the heart has to be

prepared by means of Namasmarana (constant recital of the Name); it can well be

called a yoga, like bhakthi or jnana or karma (devotion, wisdom, action). It

can be called "The path of Consciousness-cleansing."

 

Of all categories of knowledge, the highest is Atma Jnana (the knowledge of

the Self). Worldly knowledge may bring you fame and prosperity. But only Atma

Jnana can confer the peace that passeth understanding. Atma Jnana is that which

reveals the unity in multiplicity, the eternal in the perishable. One who has

attained Atma Jnana is all-knowing. "Tarati sokam Atmavith" ("the knower of the

Self overcomes sorrow"), says the Upanishad. Atma Jnana can be got only by

faith. Develop faith in yourself and faith in God. This is the secret of

greatness. The primary requisite is unqualified and unshakable faith in God.

One-pointed devotion promotes spiritual earnestness. The earnest devotee needs

no other qualification except deep faith. He needs no other knowledge, no title

to lineage or wealth. He may belong to any caste or community. Valimiki, Nanda,

Kuchela, Dhruva, Gajendra, Sabari, Vidura and Hanuman are examples of devotees

who got God's grace through their deep devotion, without any other special

qualification.

Narada declared that worshipping the Lord with boundless love is Bhakti.

Vyasa held that performing worship with love and adoration is Bhakti. Garga

Rishi declared that serving the Lord with purity of mind, speech and body is

Bhakti. Yajnavalkya held that true Bhakti consists in controlling the mind,

turning it inwards and enjoying the bliss of communion with the Divine.

Another view of Bhakti is concentration of the mind on God and experiencing

oneness with the Divine. Although many sages have expressed different views

about the nature of Bhakti, the basic characteristic of devotion is Love.

Ordinarily people regard offering worship to God, reciting His name and

meditating on Him as constituting Bhakti. True devotion really means installing

the Divine in the heart and enjoying the bliss of that experience. It is the

mystic union of the individual soul and the Universal.

To realise God it is not necessary to have wealth, gold or other emblems of

affluence. Nor is great scholarship necessary. All that is needed is pure,

selfless devotion.

Among all forms of Sadhana, Bhakti (devotion to the Lord) is the easiest

and holiest. Bhakti calls for utilising the mind, speech and body to worship

the Lord. It represents total love. Devotion and love are inseparable and

interdependent.

Devotion is of two kinds. One is acquiring knowledge about God and

transforming oneself thereby. This is a natural process by which one starts

with the physical, proceeds to the mental and ultimately attains the spiritual

goal of mergence in the Divine. But in taking to this path of knowledge, only

the individual concerned can benefit.

In the second type of devotion, the devotee not only benefits, but shares

the experience with others and benefits them also.

Many high-souled men and great rulers practised these different ways of

devotion in the past. Devotion, the sages felt, should not be solely for

achieving individual salvation. It should find expression in some kind of

collective action. The ancients felt that the Divine cannot be attained by

one who is self-centered. The Indian sages valuedcommunity prayers for the

welfare of the world as good for the individual and the world. In the year 1459

A.D., Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru, started the practice of bhajans

(community singing). This practice gathered momentum over the years and in

1798, the great South Indian saint-composer Tyagaraja invested bhajans with

musical form and rhythm. Bhajans are intended to harmonise the feelings, the

singing, and the rhythmic beats of the participants so that they experience in

unison the oneness of the Divine. Such bhajans are considered spiritually

efficacious.

It was in this spirit of intense love for the Lord and pure devotion that

bhajans were started in the past. The feelings expressed in the bhajans should

melt the hearts of the participants and move them to their depths.

 

The spiritual quest is open to everyone according to his/her capacity and

aspirations. However, certain rules and obligations have been laid down for

observance by everyone. These are: 1) Naimithika Karmas; 2) Kaamya Karmas; 3)

Nishiddha Karmas and 4) Praayaschitta Karmas. All the four are obligatory for

all persons. Naimithika Karmas: These are duties to be discharged as

instruments. These relate to the performance of certain vows or special

ceremonies during certain periods or on special occasions.

Kaamya Karmas: These relate to rituals performed for the achievement of

specific objectives like seasonal rains, growth of crops, relief from famine,

domestic happiness, peace in society, or attaining heaven. All the prayers that

are offered for the good of one's family or the world are in this category.

Nishiddha Karmas: These relate to acts which are to be eschewed. For

instance, the spiritual aspirant has to observe certain regulations regarding

food. He must totally eschew rajasic food like alcoholic drinks and meat. The

taboos regarding food have to be observed strictly so that one's life may be

cleansed of all impurities. Praayaschitha Karmas: These karmas have to be

done purely by way of expiation for offencescommitted knowingly or unwittingly.

The ancient sages prescribed these practices as a result of their experiences

and the benefits and solace they derived therefrom. Experimenting with

different practices they indicated those which were most efficacious and

necessary. These include pilgrimages to holy shrines and bathing in sacred

rivers.

PS: All the ills of human today are due to the fact that his mind is never

restful and quiet. The mind is preoccupied with worries. Even an inanimate

machine needs some period of rest. But no rest is given to the mind.

(Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 8. "The inner I," Chapter 7,

"Chiththa shuddhi yoga," Chapter 11 and "Offering poison," Chapter 12; Sathya

Sai Speaks. Vol. 19. "Atma Jnana," Chapter 20 and "The immoral Bhaktas,"

Chapter 22; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 21. "The Scientist and The Saint," Chapter

13).

 

Namaste - Reet