Dharma Vahini, Chapter 7 - By Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

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Chapter VII

All that is visible shines as Gayathri, for Vaak is Gayathri and all objects or

Bhuthas are Vaak, indicated by Vaak and subsumed in Vaak. Vaak is speech or

sound. It is Vaak that describes them, it is Vaak that declares them and it is

Vaak that denotes them. All objects are also of the World or Prithvi. Nothing

can go beyond it. This world is the body of Man; he cannot leap out of his

body. There is the Prana that sustains him; breath or the Prana is inside the

Hridaya or "Heart". And, the Prana cannot move outside and beyond the Hridaya.

The Gayathri has four feet and six categories. The categories are: Vaak, Bhutha,

Prithvi, Sariram, Prana and Hridaya - Speech, Objects, World, Body, Breath, and

Heart. The Purusha that is extolled by this Gayathri is indeed exalted, sacred,

glorious. All this objective multiplicity, as has been said, is but a fraction

of His Body. The number and nature, the measure and the meaning of the objects

or bhuthas are beyond understanding; yet all this is but a quarter of His

Magnificence. The other three quarters are His Effulgent Immortal Form.

It is impossible to grasp the Mystery of that splendour-filled Form. This

Purusha indicated by the Gayathri is indeed referred to as Brahmam. He is the

Aakaasa, beyond the comprehension of man; He is spoken of as, "Bahir

dhapurushaakaasah." This is the mark of the Waking Stage; that Purusha is the

Aakaasa, inside the personality of man. He is "Antah purushaakaasah". That is

the mark of the "Dream Stage". He is the Aakaasa inside the Hridaya of man; He

fills it and fulfils it; that is the "Deep-Sleep Stage". Whoever knows this

Truth attains Fullness and Brahmam. That is to say, he who knows the Three

Avasthas of Wakefulness, Dream and Deep Sleep (Jagath, Swapna and Sushupthi) is

himself Brahmam. How ridiculous is it that Man known as Purusha bearing the name

of this Atmaswarupa should become the repository of egoism and consequent

impurity, busy in the unholy pursuit of injustice! How calamitous! At least for

being known even today as a "Purusha", man should try to practice the

path that will endow him with an atom of that Glory.

 

Then, what to speak of Purushadharma? How can purushas who have not cared to

earn even the infinitesimal glory of the Primal Purusha be expected to practice

Purushadharma? Not even the most diligent search will now reveal a fraction of

it! As the ancient Rishi said:

Samdhyaa heeno suchirnithyamanathas sarva karmasuYad anyath kuruthe karmo no

thasya phala bhaag bhaveth

That is to say, when the twice-born gives up the Sandhya-worship, he falls into

perdition; so say all the Smrithis. Those who neglect the Sandhyaa-worship have

no right for any other type of ritual. It is because the sages of ancient times

performed the Sandhya-worship for many years that they acquired long life,

fame, glory, wisdom and the splendour of Divinity; this is mentioned by Manu

also. Therefore, from whatever point of view we consider, no Brahmin can

deserve that status if he does not meditate on the Gayathri.

Of course what is meant by Brahmin in this context is the man who has realised

the Brahmathathva and who has purified himself by the practice of the

Brahmopasana, the ceaseless contemplation of the Brahmam. This has nothing to

do with caste and even religion. But, those who have inherited the name Brahmin

have a special responsibility in adhering to the Sandhya-worship and the

Gayathri.

What exactly is Sandhya? 'Sam' means well and 'dhya' is derived from 'dhyan' and

so Sandhya refers to the proper dhyana or intense meditation on the Lord. It

means concentration on the Godhead. To fix the mind on God, the activities have

to be controlled. For, success in that process of control one should overcome

the handicaps of the Gunas, the Sathwa, the Rajas and the Thamas. When these

faces of natural impulse predominate and try to direct along their channels,

one must pray to God to negate their pull. That is the first duty of the man

who strives towards God. It is the rule of nature, that the morning is the

period of Sathwic quality, the "noon" of Rajasic nature and the "evening" hour

of dusk of Thamasic nature. At dawn, the mind is awakened from the comfort of

sleep, liberated from agitations and depressions and so, the mind is calm and

clear. At that time, in that mental condition, the dhyana of the Lord is very

fruitful, as everyone knows. This is the reason why the

Praathah-Sandhya is prescribed. But ignorant of the significance, men continue

doing the ritual in a blind mechanical way, simply because the ancients have

laid down the rule. The second duty of man is to perform the Sandhya-worship,

after realising the inner and deeper meaning of the same.

 

As day progresses, Man is infused with the Rajoguna, the active effortful

nature, and he enters the field of daily work and toil. Before he takes his

noonday food, he is directed to meditate on the Lord again and to dedicate the

work as well as the fruit derived through it, to the Lord Himself. He can start

eating only after this act of devotion and grateful remembrance. This is the

meaning of the Maadhyahnikam, the Noon-time worship. By observing this ritual,

Rajoguna is kept in check and it is overpowered by Sathwa nature. This is the

third duty of all men.

Then, man is possessed by a third nature; the Thamas; when evening descends, he

hurries home and eats his fill and sleep overpowers him. But, there is one duty

still awaiting him. To eat and sleep is the fate of idlers and drones. When the

worst of the gunas, the Thamas, threatens to rule, man must make a special

effort to escape its coils by resorting to prayer, in the company of those who

extol the Lord, reading about the glory of God, the cultivation of good

virtues, and purposeful nursing of good rules of conduct. This is the evening

Sandhya-vandanam, which is prescribed.

Therefore, the mind that emerges from the vacancy of sleep has to be properly

trained and counseled; it must be made to feel that the bliss of Dhyana and the

joy of being unaware of the outer world, are much grander and more lasting than

the comfort one gets by means of the daily dose of physical sleep. This bliss,

this joy can be felt and realised by all; discrimination will bring this home

to you. This is the fourth duty of man.

The man who, so long as he has life in him, observes the thrice-a-day Samdhya,

is indeed of the highest type; he is ever glorious; he attains all that he

desires. Above all, he is liberated, even while alive; he is jeevanmuktha.

Care must be taken to see that the Samdhya is not taken as a routine ritual, one

among many laid down for observance. This is to be carried out, aware of the

significance, dwelling on the inner meaning. One should clearly grasp the sense

of the Gayathri Manthra. It is necessary to feel the Identity between that

Effulgent Being, the Atmaswarupa, mentioned therein and oneself. It is only

those who are ignorant of its meaning that will neglect the Gayathri.

Manu lays special stress on just this: he has declared the Gayathri is the very

life-breath of the Brahmin. It is not his declaration only; it is the Truth.

What is more efficient for spiritual uplift than Dhyana on the Effulgence that

illumines and feeds the Intellect of Man? What is more vitally fruitful than

the prayer, which pleads for saving the mind from sin-ward tendencies?

 

For man, there is no better armour than the cultivation of virtues. Manu states

that the Brahmin will not lose his status so long as he holds on to the

Gayathri and is inspired by its meaning; he says that, if he is too weak to

pursue the study of the Vedas, he must at least recite the Gayathri and adhere

to it, till the very end. The Smrithi too says that there is no treasure richer

than the Gayathri.

Soul-force can accomplish all the tasks of the world; and since the Gayathri

confers inner strength, to foster that force, it has to be cultivated with care

at the right moment, without neglect. For the growth and development of the body

pure Sathwic food is very necessary, is it not? So also, the effulgence of the

Sun has to be drawn, to reinforce the inner effulgence of man in the form of

Bhaavana, or creative imagination.

When soul-force waxes, the senses too are activated and directed along fruitful

lines. When it wanes, the senses fail and fail you. So, if the solar energy is

drawn at that very juncture, it will be as seeds planted in season, the harvest

is assured. Can darkness hide and confuse when the sun has risen and bathed the

earth in splendour? Can sorrow prevail, when we have infused ourselves with

that effulgence? How can we be devoid of strength, the strength derived from

the very fountain-head of Brahman? The technique of this process has been laid

down by the ancients, for the benefit of all aspirants. Learn and practice it;

by your own experience, you will be able to witness the Truth of their path.

Of what purpose is the Upanayana sacrament? Which is the Manthra that you are

initiated into that day? Why has that Manthra alone to be taught then? Why are

other mystic formulae not given equal prominence? Reflect on these matters and

then you will find that the Gayathri is the Monarch of Manthras. You will also

find the rituals shining with a new meaning, the rituals and restrictions full

of purpose; the deeds and activities of the ancients will seem worth while. If

you do not try to know the significance, you will interpret them as your fancy

leads, and land yourselves in tricks and stratagems, to escape the obligations

of life. You will be caught in injustice and negation, Anyaya and Adharma.

 

Well, what is the real meaning of the word Gayathri? Does any one try to know it

today? The word is taken to mean either a Goddess or a formula. Gayathri is that

which protects (Thra) the Gayas, or Pranas or the Indriyas, beginning with Vaak.

Besides, it is said "Gaayaantham thraayathe yasmaad gayathri, thena thathyathe".

That is to say that which saves those who sing it, or revere it and repeat it or

meditate on it is called Gayathri. It is this sacred Manthra that transformed a

Rajarshi like Viswamithra into Brahmarshi. The Vedamaatha, the mother that is

the Veda, will confer all boons on all those who worship Her. That Goddess is

described in glorious terms in Brahmanas and in the Dharmasuthras; if you

understand these clearly, you can realise it, unaided.

Dharma imbued with such deep mysteries, is today rationalised and interpreted

willfully in various paltry senses, that is the reason why the decline of

Dharma has come about. So, it is imperative to revive Sanathana Dharma and the

principles of interpretation natural to the Atmic Truth which is the basis of

Dharma. Otherwise, the meaning will be changed out of all recognition and the

whims of individuals will prevail. Every act will be stamped as Dharma whatever

its nature!

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Sathya Sai Baba Dharma VahiniTranslated from the Original TeluguPublished by Sri

Sathya Sai Books and Publications TrustIndex:

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