Sathya Sai Baba Geetha Vahini - Chapter 16

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Sathya Sai BabaGeetha Vahini

Chapter XVI

Ordinary folk do not get the mind fixed on Madhava so easily at the point of

death. It presupposes long training, previous achievement of certain

accomplishments; what is called Purva samskara. The mind should have gone

through a certain course of discipline; it has to be Yogayuktha, possessed of

Yoga. Even that is not enough. The mind must discard all other thoughts as low

and inferior, even as defiling. This disgust towards all other objects should

grow in strength. When these two are present, the thought of Madhava will

certainly emerge and be steady during the last moments.

So your mind is the important thing; when the mind rots, all else rots. Man

moves as fast as his mind, in the direction that the mind takes. To tame and

train the mind, good habits and disciplines have to be sought. Therefore,

Krishna began describing how the Lord has to be pictured in the mind during the

Sadhana stages and with what feelings and emotions He has to be fixed in the

mind.

"Arjuna! People describe Me in three different ways:

as Nirguna Niraakaara as Saguna Niraakaara and as Saguna Saakaara.

I shall tell you about the second, the Saguna Niraakaara first, and how you have

to picture the Lord in this aspect. Listen, He is described as Kavi, Puraanam,

Anusaasitha, subtler than the subtle, the sustenance and basis of all, having

unpicturable form, with the splendour of the sun as His complexion, beyond all

trace of ignorance and darkness."

At this point, Arjuna interrupted Krishna. He asked, "Lord! You said, He is a

Kavi! There are Kavis among ordinary mortals too. How then can you call the

Lord too a Kavi and discredit Him? Or, does Kavi denote something special when

applied to Him? Make that point a little clearer." Krishna said, "Kavi does not

mean merely a poet; it means also one who is aware of the past, present and

future and so it is a description of the Lord. He knows all; He sees all.

Hence, the derivation of Kavi is mentioned as 'Sarvajna, Kraantha-darsi,' He

who sees the next step. It is the Lord who revolves in every heart and effects

changes from step to step. For all creation the Kavi is the motivator, the

prime basis. He is the poet; His poem is all this." Arjuna again inquired,

"Lord, secondly, you said 'Puraana,' that He is Puraana, or ancient; what is

the significance of that?" Krishna replied, "Of course, the Lord is the most

ancient, but He is as modern as He is ancient. He is Sanathanaa,

primeval, beyond the beginning; He is also Noothana, new every moment. Puraana

means, Puraa navamithi, formerly new, new every minute of the past and the

present."

"What about the word, Anusaasitha?"

"Independent, unchecked, master. He lays down the conduct of all. The five

elements execute His orders. They cannot overstep the limits laid down by Him.

His laws govern also the inner world of all beings as no human law can. He

operates in the regions of the mind."

"The fourth expression you used was that He is Anoraneeyan, subtler than the subtle."

"Subtle...? Perhaps, you thought that subtle indicates a diminutive microscopic

body! No, no. The expression, 'subtler than the subtle' means, Nirguna,

characteristicless, devoid of qualities; something that you cannot fathom with

the help of the eye and the ear and the rest of the senses. A thing becomes

subtler with the reduction of its characteristics; if it has more it is less

subtle."

"Sabda Sparsa Roopa Rasa Gandha - these are the characteristics of the five

elements - Akasa, Vayu, Agni, Jala, and Prithvi. Prithvi has all the five; Jala

has only for; Agni has three: Roopa Sparsa and Sabda; Vayu has just Sparsa and

Sabda; Akasa has only one, Sabda. That is to say, each of these is subtler than

the rest and Akasa is the subtlest of all."

"This is self-evident. Prithvi or the earth is just stationary; water or Jala is

subtler and so it flows. Agni or fire is subtler than water and so it rises up.

Vayu or air which is even more subtle can travel on all sides. Akasa has just

one characteristic, Sabda; it has no touch, or form or taste or scent; the Lord

who is beyond these five elements has none of these characteristics. He is

subtler than the subtlest. He is all-pervasive, immanent in all. It is the

characteristic that makes a thing heavy. The Lord has no such burden; so, He is

subtler than everything else."

"Next, about the fifth expression: Sarvaadhaara. There are two categories:

Aadhaara and Aadheya. All that exists is seen by the eye or heard by the ear;

why, the entire creation is Adheya, the based; they are all composed of the

five elements. Well, the five elements are all Aadheya; for they are based on

the basis, Brahmam. Brahmam is the only basis; It is not based on another

entity for there is no second. Therefore, He is Sarvaadhaara, the basis of

all."

"The sixth too, I shall make clear to you. Achinthya rupam, with an

un-picturable form, a form that cannot be delineated or imagined. For He is

beyond the reach of the mind and it is the mind that pictures, delineates or

imagines. So His Rupam or form is Achinthya or incapable of being imagined by

the mind. You might hesitate to accept this. But the mind is matter; it is

inert. It is fleeting. But Brahmam or Paramatma is pure 'consciousness.' It is

eternal, everlasting, imperishable. It and mind are at opposite poles; the

fixed and the fleeting - they are totally unrelated. The mind dies, the other

remains! The inert and the active are unrelated."

"The question may arise in your mind: what then is the Sadhaka to do? Oh, he is

not deprived of hope. Let him picture the Paramatma as unpicturable, that is

enough. Dwell on such thought as this and the fruit will be vouchsafed unto

you. The Sadhaka must first learn the channels along which his thoughts should

run."

At this, Arjuna pleaded with Krishna thus: "Lord, let us proceed; time is

running fast. We cannot be stationary in this battlefield without assuming

responsibility or making a decision. War is facing us with open jaws, ready to

swallow and overwhelm us. I am ready to obey the instruction you may be pleased

to give me; only, let there be no delay. Hence, quickly enlighten me about the

seventh attribute of the Saguna-nirakaara."

"Yes; the seventh is: Aadhithya-varnam, with the splendour of the sun as His

complexion." This means, "He is self-effulgent as the sun; he is independent;

He is the source of the light He shines with." He is the effulgence of the sun,

He makes the sun shine. So He is named Adithya. I shall tell you about the

eighth too, straight away. 'Thamasah Parasthaath' - 'beyond darkness' - He is

the witness of darkness or Ajnana. For Para means witness, one unaffected; and,

no darkness is as dark as Ajnana; it is so deep and so Thamasah parasthaath,

means, 'beyond maya.'

"Arjuna! Just close your eyes for a moment; what is it that you experience?

Complete darkness, is it not? How did you know that it is dark? You cannot see

darkness; then how did you announce that there was darkness there? There are

two entities there - darkness and he who sees the darkness, is it not so? If

you are yourself darkness, how can you see the darkness? No; you are the seer

and so you are not darkness. Darkness is that which is seen; the seer is you,

you are the witness.

"Now consider another fact: Man very often condemns himself as an ignoramus, but

if he really were an ignoramus or a fool, how is he able to recognise his own

ignorance? From where did he get that knowledge? When did that Jnana enter him?

And how?"

"A-jnana is the 'seen'; Jnana is the 'seer'. You are the dark which sees the

Drisya of A-jnana. In the same way, all the eight descriptions above have to be

contemplated upon. That is the correct meditation of the form of the Lord."

Arjuna asked, "Krishna! Is such meditation alone enough or has it to be supplemented?"

"Of course, when this meditation is practised, care should be taken to see that

the mind is concentrated on that thing only. It should not pursue diverse

objects. It must attach itself to that one supreme, with love and devotion,

Prema and Bhakthi. Usually, man's love gets fastened on trifling temporary

things and so gets entangled in setbacks and sorrows. So the love has to be

withdrawn from such objects and centred on the Lord."

"I shall tell you briefly what Bhakthi consists of, listen! Bhakthi is the

complete identification of one's mental activities with those of the ideal on

which the attachment is centred."

Here Arjuna intercepted and asked, "How is that ever possible, O Lord?It is

possible, Arjuna. Control the senses, let the mind be effaced as much as

possible and let the heart be purified, let the vital airs be uplifted into the

highest region of the Seersha, let the individual be established in the Atmic

truth, and let the Pranava be the only point of attention at the moment of the

Prana leaving the body - such a one comes to Me and joins with Me; His mental

activities become the same as Mine," said Krishna.

Here, readers should fix their attention on what the Lord told Arjuna. The Lord

spoke of the control of the senses, not their destruction. Control means: under

one's behests, obedient to the will. Destruction means: denial of activity, full

inaction. The Lord also said of all the senses, not of any one or two only. Man

must keep all senses under his control and use them only when the purpose for

which they have been devised are to be fulfilled. They should not be let loose,

just because one has them. Give them the functions they are designed for, but do

not allow them to master you and ruin you. Let them work strictly on regulated

lines. That is the Lord's intention.

There is another thing too. You must yourself reason out and discover what

exactly will expand your heart and what will breed disquiet; then, hold fast to

the former and give up the latter. Or else, straying in devious paths like an

insane ape, you will have to twist and turn in confusion. What is the cause of

all the troubles and discontent to which many are subjected nowadays? It is the

improper use they make of the senses.

Who are the proper people to enter through each door of your home you should

decide and carefully watch. Those who must enter by one door should not use

some other door; if they do, then that house will have only discontent,

confusion, disorder. It is wiser to take precautions against such disorder

before entrance is effected, rather than deal with the intruders after they

have come in, through the wrong door. You may excuse the trespass, for the

first time; but certainly, you must take enough care to see that it is not

repeated. That is the better method, though not the best.

Again, Arjuna felt a doubt arising in him; if the senses are bound, how can the

Om be pronounced? Krishna understood this. He took up the matter Himself.

"Arjuna! Om has to be pronounced in the mind, not through the mouth as a

sensory organ!" Next, Arjuna raised another question to relieve himself of

another doubt. "You said, Japathonaasthi paathakam, he who does Japam has no

sin; but if Japam cures one from sin, what happens to liberation, Moksha?

Evidently, Japam is powerless to bring that about; Japam will not enable one to

concretise the Lord."

The Lord was happy when Arjuna mentioned this doubt. "Partha! Your question is

important; but let Me tell you: Moksha need not be sought after separately,

apart from other objectives. If Om is recited and the significance of the Om,

that is to say, the Lord, is meditated upon, then the Lord is attained by you;

in other words, you are liberated." Arjuna insisted on his point; he asked,

"Lord! Is it ever possible for Japam to bring about both results? Of course, it

is easy for You to declare so, but trouble starts when we follow the path of

Japam and Dhyanam."

Krishna replied, "It is just for this purpose that I mentioned at the very start

about Abhyasa-yoga, the value, of practice or Abhyasa. Practice, steady

practice, will ensure you both results, freedom from sin and liberation.

Probably, you do not realise the importance of practice. O foolish Arjuna! Do

you not see here how practice makes an animal execute difficult tasks? Look at

these horses yoked to your chariot, these elephants ranged on the field; they

render the assistance in battle which even man with the superior equipment of

reason cannot give! Consider how this was made possible. Where have elephants

dwelling in the forest observed the tactics of battle? Or do you hold that

fighting on the battlefield is their nature? No, their present skill is proof

of the value of practice, Abhyasa."

"Similarly, practise the withdrawal of the mind from the sense, steadily; then

it will develop skills which will release you from bondage. Let Me tell you,

those who repeat with their last breath the sacred Pranava do attain the Lord."

Krishna said this with emphasis.

Arjuna made bold to put another query. "Lord! It is good that those who repeat

the Pranava with their last breath attain the Lord. But, what about those who

do not? Their number is certainly much larger. Have they no chance of release?

In the court of the almighty, are only some to be honoured with seats? Have the

miserable and the poor no accommodation at all? Tell me, where they go, where

they will be admitted."

"Arjuna! You are falling into a great error, beware. The Lord does not

discriminate between the weak and the strong or the high and the low. Such an

attitude will never warp His vision. All are entitled to His grace; all are

entitled to enter His Durbar hall. Its doors are ever open. No guards are there

to bar the entrance of anyone. No one is prevented; no one is invited. All are

welcome to enter. What can any one do if some do not approach the door? Those

who desire warmth have to go near enough to the fireside and sit there. Those

who stand afar can know only the light that emerges from that fireside. What do

you say of that man who, standing afar, declares that the fire has no warmth? He

certainly is not sane."

"All who yearn for the presence, all who desire to enter the Durbar of the Lord

and who strive in their mind constantly for the function of that desire, all

have admission and accommodation there. It is not everyone that can repeat the

Pranava at the last moment; that is the reason why constant remembrance of the

Lord is said to have the power of inducing the Lord to bear the burden of your

Yogakshema, happiness here and hereafter. Of course, this too has to be

practised long. Sadhana gains everything, Sadhana, steady and strong."

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