Sathya Sai Baba Geetha Vahini - Chapter 8

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Sathya Sai BabaGeetha Vahini

Chapter VIII

"The Avathara Purushas have no merit or demerit accumulated in former births,

which like ordinary mortals they have to pay off in this birth. Theirs is a

Leela, a birth taken on. The goodness of the good and the wickedness of the bad

provide the reasons for the Avathara of the Lord. For example, take the Avathara

of Narasimha. The merit of Prahlada and the wickedness of Hiranyakasipu combined

to cause it. As a result of the coming of the Lord, the good will be happy and

the bad will suffer. The Avathara, however, has no joy or grief, even when it

is enveloped in the body it has assumed. The Avathara is not constituted of the

five elements; it is Chinmaya not Mrinmaya, spiritual not material; it can never

be disturbed by egoism or the sense of "mine" and "thine"; it is untouched by

the delusion born of ignorance. Though men may mistake an Avathara as just

human, that does not affect the nature of the embodiment; It has come for a

task and it is bound to accomplish it."

"I shall tell you what that task is. It is protecting the Sadhus, punishing the

wicked and supporting Dharma. By Sadhus, I do not mean monks and ascetics, who

are indicated generally by that word. It means Sadhu-guna, goodness,

uprightness, virtue; and these can be possessed by animals and even insects.

Really speaking, the promotion of Sathwa guna is the best means of fostering

Sadhus. The Avathara is the embodiment of this sacred Guna and so It fosters

it, wherever it is found; but since Sanyasins are striving to earn it, they are

called Sadhus and supposed to be specially blessed by the attention of the

Lord."

"But they are not the only Sadhus. All those who follow Sadachara, who have

Sad-seela, who adhere to Sathya, who yearn for the Sannidhi (presence) of

Sarveswara (the Lord), who observe Sad-dharma, who consider Sarvajana (all) as

Samaana (equal); all of them are Sadhus. Such characteristics are found among

the animals and birds even. In the Ramayana, Jatayu was saved as a result of

this Guna. That is the reason why the elephant was blessed and the monkeys were

given a chance to serve and be blessed with His grace. The same reason prompted

the Lord to bless the squirrel. A Sadhu is not made by a string of beads, an

ochre robe and a stick in the hand. The clothes one wears and the language one

has on the tongue do not decide who is a Sadhu and who is not; it is the Guna

that settles it. All animals have the potentiality to be good; so fostering

goodness in all is the best means of ensuring the welfare of the world."

"Next, the punishment of the wicked. Those who transgress the limits set for

each type or genus of animals, those who indulge in A-Karma, A-nyaya and

Anaachaara, and who roam about caught in the coils of Ahamkaara have to be

punished; those who have allowed Rajoguna and Thamoguna to predominate and

Sathwaguna to be extinguished in them and who have thus lost all trace of Daya,

Dharma and Daanam have to be punished."

Thirdly, Krishna informed Arjuna that the fostering of Dharma is also His work.

The word Sadhu has another meaning, important in this context. A Sadhu is he

who does not deviate from his duty, whatever the temptation and whatever the

danger. The wicked revel in creating trouble for such men and in indulging in

acts contrary to the injunctions of the Sastras. What then is the establishment

of Dharma? It is acting strictly according to the Dharma laid down in the

Sastras; spreading among people the glory and the splendour of a life lived in

Dharma; stabilising reverence towards the Vedas and the Sastras, towards God

and Avatharas and Paramapurushas and the Sadhana that leads to liberation and

blessedness beyond this life. It is called Dharma-samsthaapana, Dharmarakshana

or Dharmoddhaarana. "Whatever I do, it is all for this high purpose; nothing is

for My own advancement. Those who know this secret can escape birth and death,"

said Krishna.

To feel that the Lord is away, afar, separate from you - that is called Paroksha

jnana. To feel that the Lord who is immanent in the universe is in you also as

the Atman - that is A-paroksha jnana. If all activity is moved by the

dedicatory spirit, the Chiththa of man can be rendered pure. Only those who

have pure consciousness can recognise the divine nature of the Lord's Janma and

Karma, said Krishna. All cannot so recognise them as divine. Yet, no one should

avoid contact with the Lord come in human form. Try your very best and utilise

every chance. There should not be any lapse on your part.

This is emphasised in the tenth sloka of this chapter where the signs of the

Adhikari, the deserving candidate, are given. "Arjuna! not all can understand

the Divyathwam of My Janma and Karma. Only those who are free from attachment,

hatred, fear and anger; only those who are immersed in the name and form of the

Lord; who know of no other support than Me, who are sanctified by the knowledge

of the Atma; only these can grasp it. Those who seek Me undeviatingly,

possessing Sathya, Dharma and Prema, will reach Me. This is absolutely true,

take it from Me. Give up any doubt you may have."

"Men render the inner consciousness impure by dwelling on the objective world

through ignorance. They take delight in mere Sabda, Rasa, Rupa, etc. When they

seek objective pleasure they are tempted to secure the objects that give the

pleasure; foiled in the attempt, they get restless, hateful and afraid. Fear

robs man of his mental resources. It creates anger that cannot be easily

pacified. Thus, desire, anger and fear are aroused one after the other and

these three have to be removed. Arjuna, revolve in your mind these facts and

then act. Become reasonable. Have faith in My words."

Arjuna heard all this and asked, "Nandakumara! Why can Yoga not make this sacred

and high stage available for all persons? You announced Yourself as Premaswarupa

and Dayamaya. Why then all this partiality? I must declare it as favouritism,

for you endow this stage only on Jnanis and deny it to the Ajnanis. I would

even say that the Ajnani, the ignorant person who has no discrimination, the

person who swings like the pendulum of the clock from one thing to another,

merits your grace more. The Jnani knows everything; he is aware that the Jagath

is Vishnumayam; why then should it be made further clear to him? Such men have

no more need of grace."

Krishna replied, "Yes. Men are usually overwhelmed by such doubts. You represent

humanity and so your doubt is humanity's doubt. By clearing your doubt, I can

also announce My message to humanity. Listen. Those who seek Me are of four

types:

One is always worn out by ills that affect the body; he is the Aartha. Another

is worried by the struggle for prosperity, power, self, property, posterity,

etc. He is the Artha-arthi. A third yearns for the realisation of the Atma,

reads the scriptures and sacred texts, moves ever in the company of spiritual

Sadhakas, acts along the lines laid down by the sages as Sadachara, and is

always motivated by the eagerness to reach the Sannidhi of the Lord. He is the

Jijnaasu. The fourth is the Jnani. He is immersed in the Brahmathathwam."

"The first, the Aartha, worships Me only when he is in difficulty and suffers

from grief or pain. When he prays to Me, I hear it and I satisfy him only in

relation to that particular difficulty, that particular grief or pain. So too,

when the Artha-arthi prays for riches or position or power or high status, I

listen and award him only the particular thing he craves for. The Jijnaasu is

blessed with chances to do Nishkaama-karma, with a proper Guru as guide, with

an intellect that is sharp enough to discriminate between Atma and Anatma, and

thus helped to achieve the Goal. I bless him so that he is saved from

distractions and helped to concentrate on the single aim of liberation."

"I am like the Kalpavriksha. My task is to give each what he asks for. I have no

prejudice and no favouritism. Not even the shadow of cruelty can touch Me. No

fault can be imputed to Me. The rays of the sun fall equally upon all that are

directly in their way; but if something is behind something else, inside a

closed room for instance, how can the sun illumine? Cultivate the higher

yearnings and you receive the higher stage. The fault lies in the aspirant and

his aspiration, not in the attitude of the Lord."

"Arjuna! Man gives up revering and seeking Me, who is his very self. How foolish

of him! He is not anxious to reach Me; on the other hand, he pursues lesser

attainments that are temporary, untrue, transitory. I shall tell you the reason

for this strange and stupid behaviour. Karmopasana gives quick result; man seeks

only what is available here and now, in a concrete form, capable of being

grasped by his senses. Man, generally, finds reality too difficult to attain;

so he is carried away by the attraction of flimsy pleasures, away from the full

joy derivable from transcending the senses."

"The achievement of Jnana is the inner victory; it is won after long and arduous

struggle. Men do not generally have the needed patience; moreover, they attach

greater importance to the gross body, the Sthula Sarira itself. The body can be

happy only with objects that cater to the senses and so men do not seek Jnana,

which will send them to paths where the senses are unwanted. They yearn for

Karmasiddhi, not Jnanasiddhi. Those who are caught by urges of the intellect

are fewer than those who are caught by the senses and their urges. The

sensual-minded are drawn by the obvious, the patent, the perceptible and the

physical. The few who are spiritually minded yearn for the imperceptible,

invisible bliss of merging with the universal absolute. Theirs is the correct

path. Karmopasana is the incorrect path. My task is to make clear to all the

value of Dharma-karmas which have to be adopted after due discrimination."

"But Arjuna, there is one method of reviving Dharma, the task for which I have

come. That is Chaathurvarnyam, the organisation of the four Varnas based on the

Karma and the Guna of the people. The Varna system is essential for the

functioning of the world. Its significance is not easy to grasp. Some mislead

themselves into the belief that it causes unrest and divides men from one

another. If the problem is reasoned out, then the real truth will become clear.

To conclude that the Varna system is not beneficial shows only ignorance. Such a

judgment creates confusion. I have established this organisation in order to

promote the welfare of the world, i.e. Lokakshema. The Varnas help man to

engage himself in acts that he finds congenial and to fulfil himself. Without

it, man cannot earn happiness for a moment."

"For successful activity, Varna is the very breath. Those endowed with the

Sathwa guna, who have understood the Brahmathathwam, who foster spiritual,

moral and progressive living, who help others to earn the bliss of visualising

the reality of their nature, are the Brahmins. Those who stand by and guard the

sound political system, law and justice, as well as the welfare and prosperity

of the country, and the moral order laid down for the people; and who keep

under control the wicked and the immoral and come to the rescue of the weak and

the distressed - these are the Kshatriyas."

"Those who store and supply within proper limits to the people at large the

wherewithal for happy physical living are Vaisyas. Those who lay the foundation

for human welfare by service activities and provide the strength and sinews are

Sudras. I have laid down these four Varnas in this manner. If these Varnas

carry out their assigned duties, humanity will attain all-round progress. As a

result of this system, a division of service is brought about; the individual

leads a happy harmonious social life, without any grief or fear. This Varna

system is an example of the grace that the Lord has bestowed on Bharath."

"The people of Bharath are indeed blessed, since they look upon every act as but

the execution of His order and as leading to His grace. This point has to be

reflected upon. It is an important issue. The divine command is now in great

danger of being set at nought. If the rules change the face of this Varna

system, the world will not have the welfare they strive for. Many people argue

and teach that Bharath came to this sorry condition only because of this Varna

system. But these folk have to sit quiet for some little time and ponder over

the question: 'Has the country survived as a result of this system? Or has it

come to this sorry condition because the system has weakened?' Then on the

basis of their conclusion, they can advise the discarding of the Varnas. When

people find fault with the Varna organisation, without such impartial

investigation their opinion cannot be valued."

"Of course, it is a fact that the system has veered from the proper path and

taken to moving in wrong directions; this has been noted by many great men. But

that cannot be sufficient reason to throw it overboard. For the reason that the

leg is doing the work of the hand, and that the head is performing the function

of the feet, it is not advisable to cut off hands and feet. Attempts have to be

made to set things right, rather than destroying the very system itself."

"The Varna system is not the cause of all this confusion and unrest. The fault

lies more in the haphazard manner in which it has developed. It became a

plaything in the hands of all types of people; so it lost its original symmetry

and harmony. The system is essential, not merely for Bharath, but even for the

world. In countries outside India this system is not absent. The name may be

different; the working is the same. There also are four classes - the Sikshaka

Varga, the Rakshaka Varga, the Vanig Varga and the Sramika Varga. But in

Bharath, the Varnas are decided by birth; in other parts of the world, they are

decided by Karma, the work each is engaged in. That is the distinction."

"Now among the Brahmins who have been honoured by being established in the very

first cadre, many can be found who have left off the path and strayed into mean

ways. So too, in the fourth Varna, the Sudras, many can be found who are moved

by holy ideals, high spiritual aspirations, and who are striving to attain

purity of mind as a means of realisation. Just because these things are

possible, it is not proper to conclude that the Varna organisation of human

society is useless."

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