Sathya Sai Baba Geetha Vahini - Chapter 7

[Guest guest]

Sathya Sai BabaGeetha Vahini

Chapter VII

"When decline descends on the Dharma which has been laid down, I incarnate as

the Naraakaara, from the state of Niraakaara, in order to revive it and protect

it and save the good from fear," said Krishna. Now this statement might cause

some misgiving. You may ask: will not common people then conclude that Dharma

is something liable to decline and decay? Will they not condemn Dharma as

neither Nithya nor Sathya?

Well. You will grasp the importance of the task of protecting Dharma only when

you consider its origin and purpose. God created this Jagath on His own

initiative and he ordained various codes for its upkeep and smooth running.

There were rules of correct conduct for every being. These form the Dharma.

The word Dharma is derived from the root, Dhr, meaning 'wear'. Dharma is that

which is worn. Desa, the Deha of the Lord, is protected by the Dharma it wears;

it also gives it beauty and joy; it is the Pithambara, the Holy Apparel of

Bharath. It guards both honour and dignity; protects from chill and lends charm

to life. Dharma preserves the self-respect of this land. As clothes maintain the

dignity of the person who wears them, so, Dharma is the measure of the dignity

of a people.

Not only this country, every single thing in the world, has its own special

Dharma or uniqueness of duty, and nature. Each has its distinctive clothes!

Dharma rules the group and the individual. Take the five elements, the

components of Prapancha. Of these, water has movement and cold as its Dharma;

combustion and light are the Dharma of fire. Each of the five has its unique

Dharma. Humanity for man, animality for animals, these guard them from decline.

How can fire be fire, if it has no power of combustion and light? It must

manifest the Dharma to be itself. When it loses that, it becomes a lifeless bit

of charcoal.

 

Similarly, man too has some natural characteristics that are his very

life-breath. They are also called Sakthis or abilities. They can be identified

as 'men' only so long as these abilities are found in them. If they are lost,

they are no longer 'men'. To preserve and foster such qualities and abilities,

certain modes of behaviour, lines of thought are laid down. Dharma will not

decline if these (Aachaaras and Vichaaras) are kept up. Dharma is not imported

from somewhere outside, nor can it be removed. It is your own genuine nature,

your uniqueness. It is the thing which makes a man out of an animal. How to

observe Dharma? By being 'yourself'. If a thing breaks loose from its Dharma

and behaves as the whim dictates, then it is doing A-dharma.

This Sahajadharma of man was overpowered in course of time; those who supported

it, encouraged it and derived joy from it, declined. So, in common parlance, it

was said to have been 'destroyed', though it is something that cannot be

destroyed. It is only like the weed overpowering the crop. So the

'establishment of Dharma' is only weeding the field. Now in this iron age or

Kaliyuga, Dharma has become a mere matter of words. Dharma is not just the

magical manipulation of words. This must be clearly understood. What has to be

spoken is Truth; what has to be acted is Dharma.

"Sathyam Vada, Dharmam Chara" - has been the clarion call of the Upanishads, the

repositories of Indian culture. These glorious teachings have been forgotten

today; they have been turned upside down, in fact. "Dharmam vada,", "Speak

Dharma" is the order of the day! That is the first step in the decline of

Dharma, this descent from deed to word, the belief that a thing is done when it

is only uttered! This is A-dharma, in fact.

But that which is not practised cannot possess strength. The crocodile's

strength depends upon its being in water; the strength of Dharma depends upon

its being practised. It becomes weak when it is taken out of practice and

thrown on the sands of words. Sathya is a matter of speech, it gets strength

when it is practised in speech; it is difficult to practise it in action.

"Strength" has two meanings here: Animal strength and Dharmic strength. Bhima

had physical strength, but as his elder brother, Dharmaja, was by his side,

Bhima's strength became Dharmic. The Pandavas were saved by their adherence to

Dharmic strength! But for that, they would have suffered defeat even in the

very beginning. The Pandavas, without Dharmaja, whatever their resources, would

have been an easy match for their opponents. Just ponder over that. How were the

Kauravas destroyed, in spite of their vastly superior resources? They did not

have Dharmic strength. All that they could rely on was sheer animal

strength. The day when Dharmaja and Bhima, those who had Dharmic strength, moved

into the forest, A-dharma penetrated into the land of the Kauravas.

 

So the Dharma that has now been exiled into the forest has to be restored to the

villages and towns in order to establish plenty, prosperity and peace in the

world. From the reign of A-dharma, the world has to enter the era of Dharma.

Special effort is called for when you cultivate a crop; no effort is necessary

when weeds and wild grass are allowed to grow. The valuable crop of

Sahajadharma has to be cultivated with all care and attention. When Dharma is

practised, A-dharma will decline by itself. No special exertion is needed for

putting it out of action. Therefore, Dharmasthaapana means in this present

context the growth of the practice of Dharma.

What does it mean when people say, "The sun has set?" Only, "It is not visible

to us." So too, simply because Dharma is not evident, you cannot say it has

gone out of existence. How can it go out of existence? If it goes, it cannot be

truth or Dharma. Dharma, since it is associated with truth, is indestructible.

To make the Dharma that has become hidden visible once again, that is real

Dharmasthaapana. What Krishna is doing is exactly that.

Using Arjuna as an instrument, He is bringing to light the codes of conduct and

modes of thought which are laid down as Dharma from the very beginning and once

again enforcing their practice. This is referred to as Dharmoddharana. He is

reviving something that is lost. This is not work that can be carried out by

ordinary men. So, the universal basis, the universal Lord has Himself to assume

the task. He alone is Sarvasaktha. He is teaching the world through Arjuna.

If Arjuna was an individual like others, he could not be the recipient and

transmitter of this great teaching. So you must infer that Arjuna was really a

great man. He is a hero who has defeated not merely the outer foes, but even

the inner ones. Weak hearts cannot grasp the Geetha and put it into practice.

It is with this full knowledge and this high purpose that Krishna selected

Arjuna as the vehicle and showered on him His grace.

Once, while Krishna was conversing intimately with Arjuna, He made this

statement: (Note the overpowering grace that Krishna showed!) "Arjuna, you are

My closest Bhaktha; not only that; you are My dearest friend. I have no friend

so dear as you are. That is the reason why I taught you this supreme, secret

teaching."

 

Reflect on this. Many in the world are only self-styled Bhakthas. The Lord has

not accepted them as such. To get the title from the Lord Himself is great good

fortune and that is the highest credential. The Bhaktha must melt the heart of

the Lord and get from Him the acknowledgement of Bhakthi. If the title is taken

by oneself, it gives paltry satisfaction, not genuine joy - Alpathrpthi, not

Aatmathrpthi. Arjuna was the only person who got the title from the Lord

Himself. So you can understand how pure-hearted, how deserving, was Arjuna. You

might say a hundred thing about yourself; you might advance this claim and that;

but you must show acknowledgement from the Lord. Without that all your talk is

empty boast; Bhakthi must be won by implicit obedience. But that alone is not

sufficient. That is why Krishna uses the word, Mithra, (friend) also. The

friend has no fear; that makes him a more perfect recipient.

Now we shall resume the trend and go back to the Geetha. When Arjuna listened to

Krishna's words, he developed a head full of doubts. He became agitated; not

only he, but all men nowadays are worried by doubts. Moreover, in the complex

spiritual field and the field of knowledge concerning godhead, there are two

interpretations possible: the outer and the inner. Ordinary men accept the

outer and those who have some experience of the Lord seek to know the inner.

As the saying goes, 'like the mote in the eye, the stone in the shoe, the thorn

in the foot, the faction in the home,' is this 'doubt in the brain'. When such

doubts assail Arjuna, who is the representative man, it means they are

humanity's own doubts. They can be solved by Madhava, who is beyond and above

humanity. That is why Krishna is ready by his side to remove any doubt and

plant joy in the heart.

Now, what exactly is the doubt? Krishna was born at the end of the Dwaparayuga;

Surya and Manu are persons of the past. How then could these two meet Krishna?

It cannot be physical relationship, for many generations separate Krishna from

the other two. Krishna is Arjuna's contemporary. How did Krishna teach this

Yoga to Surya? To sit quietly listening to unbelievable stories is itself a

sign of poverty of intellect. Every moment, Arjuna's uneasiness increased. This

was observed by Krishna, who is everywhere and in everything. He said, "What is

the cause of the restlessness that I notice in you? Tell Me", and prodded him

with a smile.

Arjuna was glad he got a chance. "Madhava! I do not understand your words. They

confuse me so much that I am losing a little of the faith that I have in you.

But I pray, excuse me for asking this, please solve my doubt. I cannot stand it

any more," Arjuna pleaded with folded hands.

 

Gopala was glad and He asked him what the doubt was. Arjuna then said, "You said

that this Yoga was taught to Surya and to Manu; of what distant past are these

two? And to which age do you belong? Did you teach them while in this body?

That is unbelievable. For this body is only four or five years older than mine.

You are not more aged than that. When did You teach them, without my being aware

of it? And the sun? He is greater than You, many times greater. He is there from

the very beginning, from a past which is beyond our imagination. I can not

believe it; no, not even the most intelligent person can prove it as true. Let

it be! You may say, 'This is not the body, this is not the Yuga; it was while I

was in another body and during another Yuga'. That makes it still more strange.

For how can anyone remember what happened in any previous birth? If you say

that it is possible to have the memory, then it must apply to me also, is it

not? The Sastras declare that only a few divine

beings keep such things in memory; the mortals cannot hold them in remembrance.

Well, I may accept that you are divine. But I have to accept that Surya, the

sun is also divine. How can two persons equal in Divine status teach and learn

from each other? When You teach and he learns, he becomes Your disciple, is it

not? You must then be taken to be superior to Surya. Let us take it to be so. I

accept that you are the Lord, God Himself. That creates further difficulties for

me. For why should God be bound by birth and death and activity? When you assume

the five-foot human form, is it not a limitation on the limitless? From that

infinite limitless universal why should God incarnate as the limited

particular? Howsoever I argue within myself, I cannot solve this doubt. Your

words are meaningful for you only; they do not convey any meaning to me. My

head is confused; give me some guidance, some convincing reply," prayed Arjuna.

Krishna laughed within Himself, recognising that the appropriate moment had

come. He said "Arjuna! what exactly do people mean when they say the sun has

risen and the sun has set? It is so far as their vision is concerned; that is

all, is it not? The sun does not rise, it does not set. I am also like that; I

am not born, nor do I die. Men of ordinary intellect consider that I am born

many times and that I do many deeds during each birth. Whenever there is the

need for the uplift of the world, I become manifest assuming a name and form,

that is all; so I am conscious of all My appearance, all My manifestations. I

am almighty, I am Sarvajna. Not only I, even you, know everything. But your

Jnanasakthi is overwhelmed by Ajnana. I am Jnana itself and so I know

everything. When the sun is seen in a mirror, He does not lose either his

status or his glory. He is unaffected: his glory is undiminished. So also I am

reflected in Prakriti; and that does not diminish any of my glory or status.

I remain as almighty and as Sarvajna as ever. I am birthless, immortal. Humans

are born as a result of the merit and demerit of previous births. Perhaps you

think that this holds true for Avathars also. No. Yours is Karmajanma; mine is

Leelajanma. Prayers of the good are the cause of My Janma. The misdeeds of the

wicked are also the cause!"

http://beaskund.helloyou.ws/askbaba/geethavahini/geetha034.html

Sathya Sai Baba Gheeta Vahini Online

Edition:http://beaskund.helloyou.ws/askbaba/geethavahini/index.html

Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at HotJobs