Sathya Sai Baba Geetha Vahini - Chapter 11

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Sathya Sai BabaGeetha Vahini

Chapter XI

How can such coddled comfort-loving persons attain Moksha? If a Guru is not able

to secure such disciples, why should he deplore his fate? It is strange that

there are Gurus who lament when they are not able to attract such disciples

towards them! Opium eaters, Ganja smokers, are unfit to be Gurus. They are

cheats. How can those who spend all their energies in securing the wherewithal

for their living to be Gurus? How can those who seek to fulfil their sensual

fancies be disciples? These are Dhana (money) gurus, those are Mada (pride)

disciples! To consider such as Gurus and Sishyas is to drag those holy names

into the dust of disgrace.

Who, then, is the genuine Guru? It is he who teaches the path of destroying Moha

or delusion. And who is the genuine Sishya or disciple? It is he who seeks to

control and conquer the outward fleeing mind. The Gurus of today shout every

day from platforms what they stuffed into their heads the previous day under

the midnight lamp. Their performance is only like regurgitating the food once

swallowed and nothing more. They talk like parrots reproducing what they have

learnt by rote. Even children know that greed and anger have to be mastered;

but in these people, greed and anger, envy and hatred, lust and pride pop up

their devilish heads through every little word that they utter, every little

deed they do. If those who claim to be Gurus do not themselves master these

propensities, how can the unfortunate disciples who resort to them succeed?

If the Guru is supremely self-sacrificing, saturated with selfless

Sarvajana-samaana sympathy, seeking to sustain Sathya, his soul suffused with

strength-giving thoughts, striving to secure sorrow-less lives for all, leading

a sweet and simple life, satisfied only by the chance to show others San-marga

and Sath-guna - then perhaps only a few disciples will gather around him. They

will impose upon him faults that sully him and cast doubt upon his integrity

and genuineness! But the Guru will be as serene as ever, for he suffers no

loss. The loss is all for the Sishyas, who let go the great chance.

Of one thing, be certain. So long as the delusion that one is the body is not

cast aside, God cannot be realised; however far one may wander, whatever the

number of Gurus one might select and serve. Stick to that delusion and all the

Dhyana, all the Japam, all the waters of all the holy Theerthams that you bathe

in, cannot win success for you! All your effort is as useless as trying to bale

out water with a vessel riddled with leaks.

Householders who carry out their duties are anyway preferable to such Sadhus;

they follow their Asrama dharma and they tread the correct path in unceasing

remembrance of the Lord and so these householders realise the goal. If the

nature of the Gurus and Sishyas of today is to be considered, volumes can be

written; but that will be using precious time for inessential discussion. So we

shall revert to our main topic.

For, even to dwell in the sacred Guru-sishya bond of Krishna-Arjuna in the same

breath as the relationship of the present day "Gurus" and "Sishyas" will be a

sacrilege. They are unique, incomparable, the supreme pair, unapproachable by

any other. They have to be taken as the ideal by all aspirants and teachers.

Arjuna bowed in humility and carried out sincerely the prospects of the Guru.

Krishna fostered what was really beneficial to Arjuna; He paid full

consideration to what will really promote the reputation, the Atma-ananda and

the Dharma of Arjuna. He tended him and fended him, as the very breath of His

life. That was the type of Guru the Lord was for him.

Krishna is Parama-atma; Arjuna is Jiva-atma; Krishna is Purushothama; Arjuna is

Narothama. That is the reason why they are the ideal Guru-Sishya. Others are

Guru-Sishya only in name. Self willed Sishyas and power-drunk Gurus are simply

wasting their lives in vain pursuits. Krishna is an ocean of Prema; He watched

over Arjuna as one watches over the eye or the heart. He taught holiness and

transformed into holiness; He loved and was loved beyond compare. That makes

the Guru a genuine guru. And Arjuna? He too is no ordinary being. His Thyaga is

unapproachable. Whatever the crisis, he stuck to Krishna's command and Krishna's

word; he wore the comradeship with the Lord as the armour that will save him

from all harm, as the very body in which he dwelt, as something which he must

foster, strengthen and guard; though a mighty force, he was ready to efface it

when necessary. This is how Guru and Sishya should be bound together.

The Lord who is the embodiment of Prema realised the sincerity of the disciple

and estimated his attainments and then detailed to him the benefits and glory

of Atma-jnana. "Kauntheya," He said, "by means of Jnana, you can see in

yourself and in Me, all things; then duality and the consequent delusion will

disappear, as darkness disperses before the rising sun."

"Arjuna, I know well your past and the background of your birth. Yours is no

ordinary birth; you are born with divine (Daivi) accomplishments and heritage.

I alone am aware of it, no one else. Since you are unaware of it, you are now

condemning yourself as a sinner who kills kith and kin, teachers and elders."

"Even if you have sinned, are not sinners saved? Repentance is enough to

transmute sin into sanctity. The Lord graciously accepts contrition and pours

His blessings. The Rathnakara who was engaged in acts of sin until the moment

when wisdom dawned became a saint through repentance. He became the sage

Valmiki. His story is proof of the value of contrition. You may ask, is it

enough if one is free from the effects of sin? Should not the effects of Punya

be also given up? Why, one has the freedom to give up merits of Punya, though

one may not have equal freedom to give up the demerits of Paapa. The roaring

forest fire reduced to ashes everything in its way; so too the mighty

conflagration of Jnana will consume and destroy all sin and all Punya."

"To acquire this sacred spiritual Jnana, one thing is essential: Sraddha, steady

faith in the Sastras and the teachers, and in the acquisition of Jnana. Without

earnestness born of faith, no task however tiny can be accomplished by man.

Therefore, you can yourselves see how essential it is for earning Jnana.

Sraddha is the incomparable treasure-chest of Sama, Dama, Uparathi, Thithiksha

and Samadhana, each one a coveted possession."

"Sraddha is only the first step. You must have been yearning to imbibe the

teachings I am imparting. This is very necessary. Along with these, you must

also be vigilant; do not yield to sloth. Again, you may fall into company that

is not congenial or encouraging. To escape the evil influence of such company

and to strengthen your mind to avoid it altogether, mastery over the senses is

required."

"Do not admit doubt into you. Want of faith or steadiness is not as destructive

as the venom of doubt. In its operation and consequence, it is like the

tubercular bacilli. It is born in A-jnana and it penetrates into the cavity of

the heart of man and breeds there. It is the parent of disaster."

"Therefore, destroy this demon with the sword of Self-knowledge or Atma-jnana.

Arise, Arjuna! Engage in activity as if duty bound, have full faith in My

words, do as I bid you, with no thought of the fruit therefrom. Be a

practitioner of Nishkaama-karma. By that renunciation, you will get established

in Jnana; you will win liberation from change, from birth and death."

"Give up the idea that you are the doer and that you are the beneficiary. You

can do this by dedicating both deed and fruit to the Lord. Then no sin can

affect you, for you are not the doer and the deed must perforce be holy. Like

oil on tongue, collyrium on the eye, lotus leaf on water, the deed is with you,

but of you. Whatever you do or hear or see, you remain unaffected, devoid of

deeds, innocent of listening or seeing. The joy derived from the external world

opens the gateways of grief; it is fleeting; but you are eternal, the very

source of bliss, above and beyond all this, the Atma swarupa itself. That is

your genuine nature. You are unrelated to these activities that are called

deeds and these consequences which you now mistake as real. You are not the

doer; you are just the witness, the see-er! All your perplexity has arisen from

the delusion that you are the doer, from your ego and the sense of 'mine'. Know

the Brahmam; take up all tasks but renounce the consequences;

giving up the fruit of activity is far superior to the giving up of activity

itself. Karmayoga is far superior to Karma-sanyasa."

"Well. Superior to both these is Dhyanayoga. I shall tell you why. Dhyana Yoga

needs the support of Karmayoga and so Karmayoga was first taught to you. Those

who renounce the fruits while actively engaged in Karma are very dear to Me;

they are the true Sanyasins, the real renouncers. I have no affection for those

who give up the ritual fire and desist from all activity except eating, sleeping

and craving for sensory pleasures and behave like Kumbhakarna's kinsmen, idling

and wasting their time. I am unapproachably far from idlers. He who has not

renounced the pursuit of wishes can never become a Yogi however busy he may be

in Sadhana. Only he who is careful not to get entangled in the senses and who

is unattached to the consequences of his deeds can become a

Sarva-sanga-parithyaagi (renouncer of all attachments)."

"Dhyanayoga is possible only on the basis of this Nishkaama-karma. If the mind

is not under control and amenable to one's orders, it can become one's greatest

foe. So live in solitude so that you can master the senses. A horse without

reins, a bull unused to the yoke and a Sadhaka whose senses are not mastered

are like a river without water. Such Sadhana is a waste."

"So arise, Arjuna! Practise Dhyanayoga. Resolve to master the senses through

this Yoga and follow it steadily, systematically, regularly, at a stated time

and in a stated place, without changing them as the whim takes you. A regular

system is essential for this Yoga. Observe it strictly. Do not alter as fancy

dictates; that will bring about dire consequences. For those who eat too much

and get exhausted with the task of assimilating it, for those who eat less and

suffer from exhaustion, for those who sleep too much or too little, for those

who indulge in Dhyana according to 'convenience' (that is to say, those who do

it for long hours one day because they have no other work, and do just token

Dhyana the next day, because they have lots of work), for those who give free

rein to the six inner enemies (Kama, Krodha and the rest), for those who do not

confer joy on parents, and specially the mother - more than all these, for those

who entertain doubt and have little faith in the Lord,

or in the Guru, whom they have chosen and installed in their hearts - Dhyana

will yield no fruit at all."

"The mind of the Yoga adept should be like the steady upright unshaken flame of

the lamp, kept in a windless windowsill. Whenever the slightest sin of

unsteadiness occurs, you should endeavour to curb the mind and not allow it to

wander. Develop the consciousness that you are in all and the feeling of

oneness that all is in you. Then you can take up and succeed in all the Yogas.

Then you are free from all distinctions like 'I' and 'others', or as 'Atma and

Paramatma'. The joy and grief of others will then become equally yours. You can

then never harm others; then all can be loved and adored in the awareness that

they are Sarveswara." Lord Krishna declared that those who have attained this

vision are really the supremest Yogis.

Meanwhile, Arjuna is beset by doubt and he asks for some elucidation and

explanation so that he may get convinced. "Krishna! All that you have been

telling me is very pleasant to the ear and I can well imagine that it must be a

source of Ananda to those who attain success. But it is so difficult, beyond the

reach of all. The Yoga wherein everything has to be realised as equal

(Samathwam) is fraught with obstacles even for the fully equipped Sadhaka; what

then am I to say of people like me who are common aspirants? Is it ever possible

for us? Krishna! Is the mind so easily controllable? Alas! Even an elephant

cannot drag as the mind does; it is the nursery of waywardness; its mulishness

and obstinacy are also very powerful; it is a terrible shrew. It can never be

caught; it will never halt at one place. It is like capturing the wind or

building up water - the attempt to catch the mind and tame it. How can any one

enter upon Yoga with such a mind? One seems as hard as the other: the

twin tasks of controlling the mind and practising the Yoga. Krishna, you are

advising an impossible task, beyond the capacity of any one.

The Lord broke into a smile on hearing these words. "Arjuna! you have described

the mind and known its nature very well. But it is not an impossible task; the

mind can be mastered, however difficult the task might be. By systematic

practice (Abhyasa) and by relentless inquiry (Vichara) and detachment

(Vairagya) - the mind can be mastered. There is no task that cannot be

accomplished by steady practice. Place faith in the Lord and practise with the

certainty that you have the power and the grace - and all tasks become easy.

"Therefore, whoever enters upon this Sadhana with determination will attain the

supreme goal, available only for souls transmuted through several births.

Remember, the person who has achieved Yoga is superior to the person who is the

master of ritual Karma; so strive, O Arjuna, to become a Yogi, to attain that

high and holy status. But this is not all you have to do. There is a status

higher than even this. Whoever fixes his entire consciousness in Me, whoever

earnestly meditates on Me, to the exclusion of everything else, he is superior

to all, he is a Maha-yogi."

"Dhyana yoga and Jnana yoga both are inner disciplines; they are based on

Sadhana and Bhakthi. Without these two they are both unattainable; the pursuit

itself is vain. A Sadhaka deprived of them is as a wooden doll, lifeless,

unaware of the goal. The basic requisite is deep-rooted Prema towards the Lord.

How can you get this? By getting to know the glory, the splendour, the nature

and characteristics of the Lord, His Swabhava and Swarupa. That is why I am now

instructing you about these. I am imparting to you fully the wisdom of the

Sastras, supplemented by the wisdom of inner experience. Know that there is

nothing further for you to know. Of the thousands of aspirants, there are a few

who strive to acquire this Jnana. And of these only some one single individual

achieves success. All who start do not reach the goal."

"Arjuna! Note that there is nothing higher than Me in the world. All are strung

in Me like flowers on a string. The five elements, Manas, Buddhi and Ahamkaram

- these eight varieties of Prakrithi have produced the Sthula-Sukshma

Prapancha, the gross and the subtle in creation. This is called A-paraa

Prakrithi. There is another Prakrithi distinct from this. That is known as

Paraaprakrithi. It is neither Sthula nor Sukshma; it is Chaithanya, indwelling

in the Jivi, the Jagath itself is its aspiration."

"The Lord first created the gross world and then as Jiva, He entered it and

rendered it Chith, by His Chaithanya. This is declared clearly in the Vedas.

You must consider the A-paraa Prakrithi to be the Swabhava of Parameswara and

the Paraa-prakrithi to be His Swarupa. Dwell on the meaning of these Swabhava

and Swarupa and grasp it well. The gross is bound by the dictates of

Chaithanya, which is Sarvaswathanthra, complete master, ever free."

"Jivi" means that which assumes Prana, the Jivi holds on to Prana, through his

skill and intelligence. He is the Antharyamin, who has penetrated into

everything and who sustains everything. So the Paraaprakrithi is just Paramatma

itself. All that becomes manifest with the same Chaithanya has to be taken as

one.

"Jada, Chaithanya are the two essentials for the entire creation. They are the

same as Prakrithi, Purusha. The Chaithanya sakthi, when it entertains the idea

of Bhoga, expresses the world out of its own Swakarma. The Jada assumes the

form of the Deha. Both these are My Nature. The Eswara, who causes creation,

preservation and dissolution through these is I Myself, remember. There is no

substance other than Me; there is no reality other than Me, I am the primal

cause, the primal substance. 'I am One; let Me become Many'; thus, I Myself

resolved upon this expansion into manifoldness, called Srishti. That resolution

affected and motivated the Mayasakthi and so the Mahath-thathwa got produced.

That was the first step in the evolution of Prakrithi.

"If a seed is planted in the earth and watered, in a day or two it will drink in

the moisture and swell in size. The sprouting has not yet taken place but the

first change is this. The Mahath-thathwam is happening of this type. Next, in

accordance with the will of the Lord, a sprout arises. That is called

Mahadahamkaram. From it, five leaves break forth, the subtle principles of the

five elements. The entire Jagath is the combined product of these eight;

Prakrithi sakthi, Mahath-thathwam, Ahamkaram and the five elements or

Panchabhuthas."

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