Sathya Sai Baba Geetha Vahini - Chapter 21

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Sathya Sai BabaGeetha Vahini

Chapter XXI

The Lord replied: "Arjuna! People think that the worship of God with form and

attributes is quite enough. This discipline will only be of some help; it will

guide the person along the road only for a little while. For the Lord will not

condescend to grant liberation for just this! For he who aims at liberation

must first give up attachment to the body. Without that, the Atmic stage cannot

be attained. The identification with the body is the expression of ignorance.

The Atma must be recognised as distinct from the Prakrithi."

"The craving for objective pleasure which is based on the unreal value attached

to Prakrithi has to be removed by Dhyanam and Thapas. When the craving is lost,

the individual becomes like the dry nut, inside the coconut shell, which becomes

loose and unattached both to the shell and the fibre outside it; it does not

germinate or sprout again; it will remain for ever without being spoilt. The

individual has no more birth and consequent death. That is to say, he will be

liberated. Becoming like that dry nut inside the shell is the stage called

Jivan-mukthi, of liberation while alive."

"The contemplation of the Godhead as 'above and beyond all attributes' is

necessary for the attainment of Jivan-mukthi. If that is difficult and beyond

your capacity, you can do another thing. Dedicate all worship, all adoration

all Vedic rituals and other vows and vigils with all the fruits that may

accrue, to Me. Take Me as the ultimate goal, as the final aim which transforms

all acts into worship; fix your mind on Me, meditate on Me; I shall then shower

My grace and take you across the ocean of change, of Samsara; I shall favour you

with the goal you seek. Arjuna! It is not an easy task to fix your mind steadily

on Me. Not every one can succeed in this. However long the practice, it is hard

to keep the mind on Me, without deflecting it towards other things or ideas."

"You might therefore ask, 'Have we no other means?' My reply is, 'Yes; there

is'. Even those who are eager to engage themselves in acts that please Me can

get established in the Atmic consciousness and gain liberation. By means of

prayer, recitation of the name, adoration of the glory, worship, etc., the sins

of the past can be destroyed, the inner consciousness purified of impulses and

urges; then the light of wisdom will dawn, leading to liberation from

darkness."

There is great need for readers to ponder over this point, for it is through the

weighing of pros and cons that valuable conclusions are reached. Consider, for

example, the difference between Bhakthi as described in popular usage and

Bhakthi as declared by the Lord. Popularly, Bhakthi is described as genuine

devotion to the Lord. But it connotes much more than this.

Devotion to the Lord is only a form of discipline to reach the goal. The seeker

should not stop with the acquisition of devotion; he should pay attention not

so much to the devotion or love that he has towards the Lord, as to the love

and grace that the Lord bestows on him! He must be always eager to find out

which behaviour of his, what acts of his, will be most pleasing to the Lord,

will fill the Lord with Anandam. Inquire about that, yearn for that, carry out

the things that will secure that objective, that is real Bhakthi.

But people generally do not follow this ideal of Bhakthi, nor do they think

about the implications of that ideal. They pay attention only to the love that

the devotee has to the Lord; and in the process, they do not pay much attention

to the Dharma and the Karma which the Lord approves or appreciates! This is why

Krishna says, "Karma which pleases the Lord is superior to the Karma which

fulfils the yearning of the devotee." Whatever the devotee does or thinks or

plans or observes, they should draw down the grace of God. They should not be

subject to his own will; they should be in accordance with His will. The

devotee must test every thought and feeling on the touchstone of the Lord's

declared preferences.

The Geetha declares that though a person may have deep devotion to the Lord, he

cannot be called a Bhaktha if he lives without regard to the commands of the

Lord; that is, the Dharma laid down in the Sastras, which embody His orders,

revealed to saints and seers. It is in this sense that Krishna uses the word

Bhakthimaan, when He declares in the Geetha, "Bhakthimaan yah sa me priyah".

Again whatever act a Bhaktha does, he should not feel that it is "mama Karma" or

"My Karma"; Krishna says that it must be conceived as "Karma for the Lord, by

the Lord", "Easwareeya Karma". Usually people feel that some acts are "theirs"

and others are "the Lord's". This is not the mark of the true Bhaktha. If all

acts are felt as the Lord's, they will not be tarnished by egoism or the taint

of "mine".

Bhakthi is to be identified as the discipline which removes egoism and the

limitations of "I" and "mind". That is the reason why the Bhaktha is defined by

those who know as one who is A-vibhaktha with God, "non-separate" from God. At

all times and under all conditions, one's acts and feelings must be

God-centred. Instead, if you pray when overwhelmed by misery, worry and loss,

"O God! Save me, rescue me from these", and when they pass, if once again you

plunge into objective affairs enslaved by worldly alms, such conduct is

reprehensible.

This is the teaching of the Geetha. You should not worship the Lord as an

emergency measure. When the tongue is affected and does not relish food, people

seek hot pickles; so too, when grief afflicts, people seek God! This kind of

demonstrative devotion is rampant today, perhaps due to the influence of the

fundamental hypocrisy of this age. Hollow devotion seeking to exhibit the

strength of one's attachment to the Lord is unfortunately evident even among

'great' Sadhakas and persons who have renounced 'everything' for the sake of

Him, whom they consider to be their 'All'! For many, Bhakthi is a 'Burkha', a

veil, which is worn when on pilgrimage or when approaching elders or when

visiting temples. Once they are back home, they discard the veil and with it,

all ideas and feelings of reverence for the Lord.

These are but exhibitionist stunts. Bhakthi, however has to be steady and full;

it is the establishment of the mind in the Lord, under all situations, at all

times. Many assert that all their acts are dedicated to Deva (God) but their

attitude shows that they are dedicating them to Deha only. Instead of

dedicating them to God, they dedicate them to themselves. They assert, "This I

offer to Krishna", but really, it is an offering to their Puthra (son). "This

is an offering to Rama", they declare; but their urge reveals that it is an

offering to their "Raga", (sense of attachment, passion). How can these acts be

dignified by the word dedication or offering?

Dedication inspires the body, mind and speech. If what you speak is not approved

by the mind, if what is felt in the mind is not wholeheartedly put into action,

then it becomes sheer hypocrisy. Be convinced that the doer, the deed and the

doing are all He; be devoted to Him, rather than to riches, wife and children.

Where your mind attaches itself, there your Bhakthi also stays. Bhakthi is pure

as the waters of the Ganga; Karma is as the water of the Yamuna. And, Jnana is

like the Saraswathi, flowing secretly and mysteriously underground and

sanctifying itself by merging with the other two. It is the commingling of

these three that is called Triveni. It means the disappearance of the mind, the

"becoming-one" of the three Gunas; it brings about the destruction of the ego.

However, there are many who are ignorant of these basic facts. They dip in water

twice a day and go through the morning, noon and evening rituals, worship the

household gods, draw lines of ash or sandal paste on their brows, arms and

chest, put dots of saffron on their faces and wear strings of beads and

rosaries round their necks and roam about from temple to temple or from one

spiritual teacher to another. They circumambulate holy shrines. They attend

many discourses, puranic recitals and readings of scriptures. The best we can

say about such persons is that they are engaged in good activities; we cannot

say they are Bhakthas.

Bhakthi has no relationship with dress and speech. On the basis of mere raiment

and religiosity of expression, we cannot call a person "devotee of the Lord".

Bhakthi is a matter of the inner consciousness, of feeling rather than external

behaviour or conduct. Where there is smoke, you can infer there must be fire.

But there are some types of fire which do not emit smoke, though there is no

smoke which does not originate from fire. There is a possibility that acts will

be done without feeling; but you cannot say that all feeling must be expressed

through outer show. Even without pomp and outer show, it is possible to have

sincere feeling. The pure feeling is positively harmful to progress if one

aspires at all for progress!

The question that Arjuna asked drew this further answer: Of course, there are

two different types of Bhakthas: the Saguna Bhaktha and the Nirguna Bhaktha,

the votary of the formful one and the votary of the formless. Among the

devotees, the Aartha (distressed), the Artha-arthi (the poor) and the Jijnaasu

(the inquirer) are all eager about the nameful and the formful aspects of

Godhead. Just as for every auspicious act the right foot is placed first, the

right foot of Nirguna-Bhakthi must be used for the attainment of liberation.

That is the "all-auspicious." That is to say, the Sadhana of the formless

Godhead alone gives illumination. Both aspects have value and are

indispensable. How long can any one have one foot inside and another outside?

Even if that were possible, of what avail is it? So Saguna Bhakthi has to be

adopted as Sadhana and Nirguna Bhakthi as the goal to be reached.

You can either see the whole universe as God, the whole Viswa as Visweswara, or

you can see Viswa and Visweswara as separate and distinct. But both are the

same. You may see the cloth as yarn or you may see yarn and cloth as separate

entities. But, whether you realise it or not, yarn is cloth; cloth is yarn.

To see yarn and cloth as distinct is the Saguna Upasana, the worship of God with

attributes. To see yarn as included in the cloth and the cloth as a collection

of yarn and the two as identical, is to worship the Nirguna aspect.

This Bhakthi is not something that can be imported from somewhere; it is not

something that is supplied by someone. It does not grow from the ground or fall

from the skies. It wells up from oneself, it is selfless attachment to the Lord.

The attachment, the love that is inherent in man, should not flow wildly in

diverse channels; it should flow uninterruptedly in the direction of God; then

it becomes Bhakthi. This love is in every living being; birds and beasts,

insects and worms - all have love, inspiring them, filling them, to the extent

that is appropriate to each. In short, life is love; love is life.

Each member of all living species has many-sided love towards offspring,

parents, comforts and guards, its food and drink, its joys and plays. Each of

these types of love or attachment has a distinct name suited to the objects on

which it is fixed. It is called affection when directed towards offspring; it

is named infatuation when it is directed towards persons who are less

fortunate; comradeship when flowing towards equals; attachment when extended to

goods or places; it becomes fascination in some cases, friendship in others.

When it is directed towards elders and teachers and parents, it becomes

reverence, humility, etc.

But Bhakthi is a word that is used only with reference to love as directed to

the Lord. When this love is broken up into many streams flowing in many

directions and towards many points, it causes only grief, for it gets fixed on

mortal things of the moment.

Instead, allow the love to flow single-pointedly to the ocean of the Lord's

grace: this is the Sadhana called Bhakthi. Why waste life in the salty marsh of

Samsara? Strive rather to reach the vast ocean of grace. There you realise

yourself; you attain Sath-chith-anandam. Great is that consummation; how filled

with bliss!

The Gopikas strove and succeeded in this Sadhana. Every moment, under every

condition, every thought, word and deed of the Gopikas was dedicated to the

lotus feet of Sri Krishna. That is why the Gopikas are called "Yogis". When

Lord Krishna Himself addresses the Gopis as Yogis, you can gauge the height of

spiritual Sadhana they had achieved.

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