Sathya Sai Baba Geetha Vahini - Chapter 27

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Sathya Sai Baba Gheeta Vahini

Sathya Sai BabaGeetha Vahini

Chapter XXVII

As the healthy glow of the body is hidden from sight by the clothes that cover

it, the individual soul obscured by Ahamkara or egoism is not able to reveal

the splendour of the Brahmathathwam, which is its treasured possession. For

egoism is at the root of all evil, all defects, all deficiencies. It is born in

desire, or Kama. Be free from egoism too.

The state of desirelessness is really the state of egolessness. And what is

Moksha or liberation except liberation from bondage to the ego? You deserve

liberation when you break away from the bond of desire.

Men engage themselves, by and large, in activities prompted only by the desire

to benefit from the results. They withdraw from acts that bring no benefit. But

the Geetha condemns both attitudes. For whether consequences follow or not, one

cannot escape the obligation to be active. Man cannot completely give up

activity. How then can man avoid being caught up in the mesh of consequences?

The Geetha teaches that Karma-phala thyaga (giving up all attachment to the

fruit of Karma) is the greatest Sadhana designed for this purpose.

Whether desired or discarded, hoped for or not hoped for, every act ends in some

consequence, if not immediately, at least after some time. It is inevitable. The

consequence may be good or evil; but if the act is dedicated to the Lord,

neither will affect the doer. By that sacrament of dedication, the deed is

transmuted into a higher order and made divine, holy, sacred. On the other

hand, acts performed under the inspiration of the ego will be fraught with

bondage.

Those who are sincerely seeking to realise God, to achieve Him, have to become

free from the taint of desire, Mamakaara-sunya, elimination of the feelings of

"I" and "mine", you attain Moksha, salvation. That is the achievement of the

goal of life. The stage knows no joy or grief; it is above and beyond them

both. Krishna willed that His friend and devotee Arjuna should reach that state

and so He endeavoured to save him, by teaching him the ways and means through a

variety of methods. Moreover, He used him as an instrument to receive this

precious gift for the good of all humanity.

 

Before concluding the sacred counsel, Krishna addressed Arjuna and said, "Give

up all Dharmas and surrender to Me. I shall liberate you from all sin." That is

to say, give up Ahamkara and Mamakara, pride in the ego and in possessions and

feelings of I and mine. Destroy the identification of the self with the body,

which is only its cage or prison; get firm in the belief that all this is

Paramatma and nought else. So, there is nothing else to be done except bowing

to His will and surrendering to His plan. Man has to give up the twin

activities of commission and omission, Sankalpa and Vikalpa, resolving and

refusing. He has to follow the Lord's commands; He has to accept His will, be

happy wherever He has placed him, however He has shaped him. He should keep

himself far from the inquiry into the appropriateness or inappropriateness of

his acts, but do them as acts of worship to the Lord, acts for which no reward

is expected. That is the sum of his duty.

Some dry Vedanthins decked with strings of beads take advantage of this teaching

of Krishna to give up all Dharmas and, with this assurance that He will liberate

them from all sin, idly stretch their legs and loll with closed eyes. They shirk

their legitimate duties and eat, sleep and roam about as much as they like or

can. They do not discriminate between what is good and what is bad; their

excuse is that the Lord has commanded them to transcend Dharma. When elders at

home or experienced seekers question their conduct, they answer, "Alas, that

you too should blunder thus! Do you not know what the Lord has said in the

Geetha? I have accepted as the basis of my conduct, His command, 'Sarva

Dharmaan Parithyajya.' I have no need for advice from persons with lesser

authority." They feel very proud of their devotion and orthodoxy. Such people

select from the words of the Lord only those portions which favour their

inclinations. The word before and after are conveniently ignored because

they are unpleasant, though they are inseparable portions of the same

injunction. They ignore the vital part of the command, in spite of the claim to

be staunch votaries of the Geetha.

Giving up all Dharmas, "Maam ekam saranam vraja" says the Lord. That is

"surrender to Me alone." Have they surrendered thus? No. Have they at least the

deep yearning for liberation? No, for if they had it, they would not have

neglected their legitimate duties. They would not have fallen a prey to the

demands of food and sleep. Such men are glorious only in gossip; they are great

only in glittering. They do not put the Lord's command into actual practice.

They are too idle to do so. Not even an atom of spiritual endeavour can be seen

in them.

 

True aspirants can discern valuable truths in the divine words spoken by the Lord:

Sarva dharmaan parithyajyaMaamekam saranam vraja;Aham thwaa sarva

paapebhyoMokshayishyami, maa suchah,

Note that the Lord has said, "Sarva Dharmaan Parithyajya," not, "Sarva Karmaan

Parithyaja." What then is the meaning of this statement? It means, perform all

acts enjoyed by the Lord, or His glorification, without getting involved and

lost in discussions of Dharma and Adharma.

Though you know that there is nothing for you to acquire, for you have placed

complete trust in the Lord and live only as an offering to the Lord, still like

Janaka and others, you have to engage yourselves in activity for the well-being

of the world, Lokasangraha. The Sarvabhoothaantharaathma, the soul immanent in

every being is not distinct from the Atma or soul that is in you. So, be

Sarvabhootha-hithe-rathaha, that is to say, eager to promote the well-being of

all beings. Perform all acts enjoined by the Sastras and scriptures for this

sake, in the spirit of dedication, with no eye on the fruits thereof. This is

the true Nishkama-karma.

Understand the Geetha well and, observing its injunctions establish yourselves

in the attitude of Nishkamakarma. Do all duties as acts of worship,

Hari-prasadam. That is the sole task. Leave the rest to Him: the fruit, the

consequence, the result. Then, you receive the grace of Hari and your life on

earth is sanctified and becomes worthwhile.

For those who follow the path of Dharma ultimate victory is certain, in spite of

diverse difficulties that might hamper them. Those who stray away from the path

of Dharma might have wealth and comfort for long, but they will be overpowered

ultimately by disaster. The Kauravas and the Pandavas are the brightest

witnesses for this truth.

The Kauravas steeped in Adharma were so blinded by conceit that they subjected

the good Pandavas to various tortures; but they met with total destruction.

They had the support of all types of parties but since they did not earn the

strength of the grace of the Lord, they were deserted by fate and ruined beyond

repair. The Mahabharatha teaches all people of Bharath this one lesson: Nothing

can equal the grace of God, not even the mightiest array of arms. This is the

most valuable message that it embodies.

 

The Geethabhavanam (mansion of Geetha) is the mansion of Sathya and Dharma,

erected on the soil of India, for the benefit of the world. Study it with faith

and devotion. Experience the curative and restorative effects of its teaching by

actual practice. For the Atmarama, (the Atma so full of the spring of sweetness

and bliss) will be ever present as a reality. The Lord will shower on him His

favours in a trice. Pray to the Lord who has all the fourteen worlds in Him and

you can certainly become master of the eight treasures which give happiness here

below; and what is even more desirable, Kaivalya (which is the fountain of

Nithyananda, of Nithya-sathya and Mithya-jnana).

Why wander about for Ghee, when you have butter with you? Acquire butter, that

is to say, the grace of the Lord, by implicit obedience to the rules of life

laid down by Him. When that grace is won, one need not pray separately for

Moksha or liberation. He knows best what you should get and when. He will

confer what you deserve and what is beneficial. Yearn for Him, suffer anguish

for Him; there is no need to yearn for Moksha then. If that is done with no

second thought, He will destroy all sin. Hold fast to Him; He can make you

immortal, like Arjuna. Those who seek to escape from this cycle of birth and

death must obey the command of the Lord as laid down in the Geetha and

surrender to Him. Then, they will be crowned with success in every undertaking.

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