Sathya Sai Baba Geetha Vahini - Chapter 25

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Sathya Sai BabaGeetha Vahini

Chapter XXV

"Krishna! You say that those who recognise the world as mere world cannot claim

to know the Vedas; they must recognise it as God, Paramatma. The world is an

effect; so it cannot be different from the cause. How is this possible? The

world that is seen by us is subject to growth and decay. God or Paramatma is,

on the other hand, eternal, true, unaffected by change. There can be no

affinity between water and fire, is it not? How can these two be one? Please

tell me; I shall be most happy to hear you," said Arjuna.

"Well, Arjuna! In the cognisable world, every single thing displays its

characteristic, Guna. The Guna depends upon the owner, the possessor. There is

a basis, an Aadhara, for the characteristics possessed by every object and

being in the world. That Aadhara is the Atma. Fix your attention on the

unchanging basis - not on the fluctuating manifestations. Or else, you flounder

in the flux. Just as the seed is the basis for the trunk, boughs, branches,

twigs, leaves and flowers of a tree, the Prakrithi or Prapancha or world is the

tree that emanates from the seed, Atma; Prapancha is the permutation and

combination of the five elements which are latent in the basis, the Atma.

Consider the Atma, which is the base, as essential; for it is as its

manifestation that the world is expressed. He who has grasped this truth

through steady discipline deserves the name Vedavid, one who has mastered the

Vedas."

"But without deep inquiry, without discriminating between the real and the

unreal, if one mistakes the seen alone to be the lasting, and argues so, he is

losing his way. How can he reach the goal? How can he attain the reality? The

yearning to know this reality comes of Daivisampathi, God-ward attributes. The

Aasuri-sampathi (demoniac tendency) is the opposite tendency, which makes a man

argue that he has known when he has not, which keeps him away from all attempts

to know, which induces him to establish untruth as truth."

As soon as the Lord finished saying this, Arjuna raised his head in astonishment

and said, "Gopala! You were declaring so far that the Atma is the basis for all

characteristics and for all beings; that is to say, You were declaring that You

were that basis. Meanwhile, you have started talking about two distinct natures,

Daivisampathi and Aasurisampathi! I am getting confused. I am at a loss to

decide which to accept and which to reject."

"Arjuna! Your question is even stranger. You say that I never speak a word that

has no meaning or do a deed that has no significance; yet you worry over the

problem which among my statements you have to accept and which you have to

reject! This is senseless anxiety and hesitation. My dear brother-in-law, the

Devas and the Asuras are not two separate distinct groups; they are so divided

on the basis of the distinction in characteristics. Well, the characteristics

of Gunas are artificial; they are not of the essence of consciousness of which

I have already told you. The potter makes pots, pans and plates. These latter

are not essentially 'parts' of the clay out of which they were shaped. The pot,

pan and plate are artificial forms of the clay. The names too are artificial;

these names and forms are the Gunas or characteristics. The substance or Adhara

or basis is clay; the shapes-names-forms, the manifestation, the expressions are

pots, pans and plates. Clay is natural; pots, pans

and plates are artificial. Take it that the clay, the basis, the Sahaja, is My

Swarupa, reality. In the names-forms, the expressions, the pots etc. are not in

Me; but I am in them. I have no Gunas but I am in the Gunas, note this.

Therefore, do not try to keep clay and pots apart, as two distinct entities.

That cannot be correct. It is not possible either."

"Krishna! What is the relationship between your Swabhava (reality, truth) and

the Swarupa, Prakrithi, the objective world?"

"I have told you already that the five elements, earth, water, fire, air and sky

are My Swabhava, My attributes. What is this objective world except the

combination of the five elements? What else can you call it?"

"Krishna! Without the five, nothing can exist in this world, is it not? Then,

how can I deny them? Existence is bound up with them."

"When you accept the five elements, you have to agree to the fivefold

proliferation of each element, making in all 25 Thathwas or principles. Only

four elements, earth, water, fire and air are evident and perceptible; but

ether or sky is the basis for all. So too, Manas, Buddhi, Chittam, Ahamkaram

are all four cognised by experience; but the Anthahkarana which is their base

can only be inferred. All things of which we are aware are but manifestations

of a thing of which we are unaware. They derive their strength and support from

the unseen. That unseen basis of which you are unaware is I, Myself, the Atma.

All are based on Me.

"That which is based is subject to change; growth, decline and modification. But

the base or Aadhara should not therefore be taken as subject to change. For

example, consider the moon and its reflection in water. The image of the moon

in the water is not steady; it shakes and quivers. It is the water that shakes

and quivers, not the moon above. Ignorant people, who are like children, infer

that the moon is itself shaking. The transference of the characteristics of the

Aadheya to the Aadhara is the fundamental Aasuric quality. The recognition of

the eternality and truth of the Aadhara even in the Aadheya - that is the real

Daivisampath, God directed nature."

Arjuna listened intently and with steady attention to all this. Then he queried:

"Madhava! You said that it is the inherent quality of nature that distinguishes

these two. Which qualities make for Asuric and which for Daivi natures? Please

clarify."

Krishna replied: "Arjuna! I am ever willing to clarify; I only need listeners

who are steady and intent. Hear this with unwavering attention:

Fearlessness, Purity of emotions, Awareness of the unity of all creation,

Charity, Control of the senses, Sacrifice, Study, Asceticism,

Straightforwardness, Nonviolence, Integrity, Equanimity, absence of anger or

resentment, Detachment, Inner peace, Refraining from scandalmongering and

talking ill of others, Sympathy, Absence of greed, Sweetness and softness of

speech, Fear of Adharmic acts, Absence of fluctuations in the mind, Courage

during disaster, patience and fortitude, Steadiness, Cleanliness, Harmlessness,

Humility;

these twenty-five holy qualities are the traits of Daivisampath, the divine endowment.

"Pride, pomp, vanity, anger, harshness and absence of discrimination are the

components of the Aasuric endowment of man. Persons having these qualities are

infused with the Aasuric character. Though for all outward appearances they may

be humans, they do not deserve that name. Those who have the first-mentioned

twenty-five qualities are known as men with divine parts; those who have the

Aasuric attributes are known as Daanava-maanavas, demonic humans."

"Some men esteem themselves as part-divine but have they all the attributes that

should characterise them; or have they at least Daya (sympathy), Dharma

(morality), Paropakaara (service of others) and Santham (equanimity)? If they

have these at least in a small measure, they can be regarded as divine.

Instead, if the full battery of Aasuric equipment is evident in them, how can

their declaration be taken at its face value? It is sheer vanity to pretend so

or to claim as such. Vanity and pomp can never be classed as divine; they are

unquestionably demonic."

"Each one can easily analyse himself and decide to which class he belongs. The

class is not decided by physical appearance, possessions, status or authority.

For example, consider Ravana. He had the human form, he was an emperor, he was

greater than Kubera, the Lord of wealth; but can he be considered part-divine

for these reasons? No, He is declared a demon, on the basis of the Gunas he

had."

"Three qualities form the fundamental basis of all Aasuric or demonic natures.

They are Kama, Krodha and Lobha (lust, anger and greed). They destroy the self

and foster the demon in man. They have to be overwhelmed and overcome by the

divine qualities of Vairagyam, Santham and Thyagam (detachment, equanimity and

renunciation). They are the warriors to rely on in this fight. Foster these

warriors and they will, in a trice, wipe out the forces of demonic influence.

Any trace of the foes, Kama, Krodha and Lobha, left unsuppressed anywhere is a

potential danger; so they must be reduced to ashes. That leads to real success

in the struggle for the goal."

Desires and attachments are as roots to the tree of life. When the roots are cut

asunder, the tree dies; the rate of decline depends upon the speed and

effectiveness of the cutting asunder. It will keep sprouting even if a single

root is intact. It will not go dry or die. Remove every single root; then the

tree perishes and becomes deadwood. The boast of men that they have destroyed

all roots is vain, if the tree is green and growing! So too, the Maya that has

possessed the Jivi will perish in proportion to the uprooting of desire, the

desire that binds.

Some engage themselves in Dhyana after reducing, to some extent only, a few

urges and desires. They do not achieve full concentration. Nor are they tossed

by uncontrolled agitations. They are caught in the intermediate level. What is

the reason for this state of things? Full concentration can come only from full

control of desire. Hence, it is declared that Kama, Krodha and Lobha are demons

that harass man, demons assuming fearful and ugly forms.

But it is not a calamity to have ugly faces or frightful forms. At the worst, he

may be called 'repulsive' that is all. It is the repulsive character, the ugly

nature that marks the calamity. A person may be beautiful in appearance; he may

have a parrot-like chatter - that is sweet to the ear; but for these reasons, he

cannot be regarded as divinely endowed, born with divine parts, Daivaamsa. If

demonic nature simmers in them, physical beauty and sweetness of voice cannot

entitle them to divinity. The words that emanate from them are vulgarised into

hammer-strokes and dagger-thrusts! Thus, Aasurisampath and Daivisampath are

related to the qualities that compose the nature and behaviour of the

individual, and not to the physical form and appearance.

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