SAI BABA GITA – Part IX – Answers for all questions

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allows you to introvert your mind and dwell on your inner beauty. Embodiments of

Love, Once you recognize the defects and weaknesses in the objects of the world

you soon lose your desire to possess them. The mind is very strong and fickle.

It is also very obstinate. It is forever determined to get its way. Arjuna

prayed to Krishna for help in controlling his mind. He lamented, "O Lord, the

mind is very powerful and wayward." Krishna replied, "Arjuna, if you practice

detachment you will certainly be able to control your mind." Control of the

Mind The mind can be compared to a poplar tree. The poplar leaves are always

shaking whether there is a wind or not. Similarly, the mind is always unsteady

and wavering. In addition to its wavering quality the mind is also strong and

stubborn. Take for example an elephant. It is very strong and it can be quite

cruel, too. However with the help of a goad you can bring it under control.

Likewise, the horse is rarely still. It is always moving its limbs, its ears,

its head or its tail. Being unsteady, it will first go one way and then

another. But with a bit, it can be controlled and made to go in the direction

that the rider wants. Another example is the monkey, which roams here and

there, the very picture of unsteadiness and fickleness. But with training, it

too can be brought under control. Therefore, just as with a goad you can

control an elephant which may be very cruel and strong, just as with a bit you

can control a horse which is nervous and unstable, just as with training even a

monkey can be controlled, in the same way the mind, which is also strong and

fickle, can be controlled by detachment and constant practice. Detachment True

detachment means realizing the temporary nature of objects and not allowing

your mind to get attached to these transient things. It does not necessarily

mean that you feel disgust or hatred for them. It means that you feel no mental

attachment towards them. Totally giving up all the objects of the phenomenal

world is not possible. However, you can give up your my-ness, your sense of

possessiveness. Once you give that up, then you can go ahead and enjoy the

various objects of the world. They will cause you no harm. In the phenomenal

world, every thing, every person and every object undergoes change. The world

consists of six types of change: birth, growth, maturity, decline,

degeneration and death. These are the changes to which all objects are

subjected. To delude yourself into thinking that this transient impermanent

world is permanent and become attached to the objects in it is very foolish

indeed. In the temple of Vishnu you will see statues and pictures of Garuda,

the eagle. Similarly, in the temple of Shiva you will find statues and pictures

of Nandi, the bull. And, in the temple of Rama, you will see a portrayal of

Hanuman, the monkey. In all these depictions the concentration of each of these

beings, Nandi, Garuda and Hanuman, is on the feet of the Lord; they see only the

Lord, not the world. All of these demonstrate the right kind of attachment.

Their attachment is to the Lord who is permanent. And their detachment is from

the world which is transient. The significance of all these symbolic

representations is that you should not care much for what is transient, but

always

concentrate and dwell on the permanent entity, which is the Lord himself. Once

you recognize the defects of objects, their transitoriness and impermanence,

then you will gradually lose your desire to have them. There are a number of

stories which show how emperors who had a lot of wealth at their disposal and

possessed all the luxuries and properties one could dream of, did not derive

much joy or peace of mind from them. In order to get peace of mind they would

go to the forest and perform penance. From this they ultimately derived the

satisfaction and inner solace for which they had been yearning. Make the Best

Use of Every Object Detachment involves more than just recognizing the defects

and weaknesses in objects which results from their transitory nature.

Detachment also involves the positive quality of getting the most out of the

objects of the world. You should always strive to make the best use of an

object and appreciate it for what it is. There is no point in just dwelling on

the limitation and sorrow that objects of the world produce, but you should

know to properly use objects to perform your duty in the world. Then you will

acquire some satisfaction. In the larger sense, it is really giving up worldly

sorrow and gaining the bliss of the supreme self that is true detachment.

Giving up family, wife, children and properties and then going to the forest

cannot be called detachment. Detachment is recognizing the weak aspects in the

nature of the objects, as well as accepting their positive and strong points.

Whenever you get into difficulty, whether physical, mental, financial or any

other type of problem, you may develop a sense of detachment towards the

objects causing this state. This is quite natural. For example, suppose a person

dies and his body is taken to the burning ground where it is cremated. When you

look at such a situation you develop a particular type of detachment,

philosophizing that the body has to come to an end some time or another. But

this detachment is only a temporary phenomenon, a temporary feeling; it cannot

be considered true detachment. Another example is when a mother is delivering

her first baby. Not being able to suffer the pain, she shouts that she would

rather die. This also is not true detachment. As soon as the baby is born,

suppose she has a girl, she immediately wants to get a boy the next time. A

similar situation develops when someone does not get his wishes fulfilled. Here

also he develops a certain type of detachment. All these attitudes are

temporary. Permanent detachment is something quite different. Permanent

detachment is an intense detachment, as opposed to dull or weak detachment. For

example, a person may have resolved to go on a pilgrimage to one of the holy

places in India, but then there may be a strong tendency to postpone it to the

next month. If it is a matter of doing something good such as going on a

pilgrimage, one will tend to postpone it. On the other hand, if it is a matter

of doing something bad, one prefers to do it right on the spot, without wasting

any time. People usually will not make very great efforts to perform good deeds.

This may be seen as a type of weak detachment which tends to postpone

implementing good resolutions and performing good actions. But such behavior

will not help you to reach your spiritual goal. It is intense detachment which

is essential for progress on the spiritual path. Harischandra and

Buddha If you decide that a particular activity is good and sacred, you should

not postpone it. You should immediately implement it and see to it that this

good action is successfully carried out. This was the royal path laid down for

all by the Buddha. Once Gautama Buddha realized that the body was impermanent,

that none of the worldly things were going to last, he resolved to seek out and

discover the unchanging truth. He gave up his family and his kingdom and went

into the forest to realize the ultimate reality. There was another great ruler

who had an intense sense of sacrifice and detachment. His name was

Harischandra. Although he was an emperor, through a series of unfortunate

circumstances he lost everything he had in the world, his kingdom, his wife and

family, and spent his days as caretaker of a cremation

ground. One day, when Harischandra first started performing his duties in the

cremation ground, the corpse of a rich man was brought there by a large number

of friends. They brought the body, set it on fire and immediately went back to

their homes. Usually when a body is set on fire, a little weight is put on it.

Otherwise, as soon as the heat comes, the body bends as if it was getting up,

and then lies down again. Only Harischandra remained in the burning ground that

day. No friends or relatives of the dead man stayed behind to keep a watch on

the body. Harischandra went to get a little more fuel to put on the fire.

Suddenly he saw the body lift itself up. He was surprised and went near it to

have a closer look. As Harischandra approached the pyre, he noticed that the

body had by itself returned to a prone position. For an instant he

thought that it was still alive as if sitting up to look for its relatives and

friends, but then he realized that the whole episode was just a momentary

illusion of a corpse appearing alive, caused by the heat of the fire.

Harischandra thought to himself, "In the same way that I mistook this corpse to

be alive, I thought this world to be real. But it is unreal, it gives only an

illusion of reality." Harischandra lamented that such a wealthy man whose

corpse was brought there had no relatives or friends to stay with his body

until the end. He thought, whatever may be the position and the riches of a

person, not even his wife or children retain any attachment to him after his

death. As a result of this experience, Harischandra developed an intense

detachment towards the objects and forms of the world. Worldly Attachments are

like

Poison Every day, at every time, there will be changes occurring in all the

objects of creation. These changes are not artificial, they are not imaginary,

they are natural and inherent in the very nature of the objects. Once you

recognize that the world is basically a stage for the continuous natural

occurrence of changes, and that change is inherent in the very nature of the

objects of the world, then you will become free from suffering. Anyone who

realizes that there is a lethal toxin contained in the fangs of a poisonous

snake will not casually go near it. If you see an approaching scorpion with its

poisonous tail held up, ready to strike, would you not run away from it? Only a

small, innocent child or a totally ignorant person would go near it, get stung

and die. You make every effort to avoid a poisonous creature because you know

its harmful nature. In the same way, you would make every effort to avoid

worldly attachments if you knew their harmful nature. The Lord taught in the

Gita, that instead of undergoing all the sufferings that go with developing

attachments and then getting disillusioned when the inevitable changes begin to

happen, it would be far better from the very beginning to remain unattached

towards the things and objects of the world. But now you go on planning many

things and attaching yourself to many things in order to gain some short-term

joys. You exhaust yourself thinking and planning, "I should do this, I should

do that" or "I should do this instead of that" and get yourself involved in

countless projects and activities. But you will have to bear the consequences

of all these actions in the future. The seeds you have sown by your actions

will mature and you will reap the harvest of those seeds. If the seed belongs

to one variety, you cannot expect to get back a different kind of result.

Whatever acts you have indulged in, the appropriate fruits thereof will be

given to you in the form of an invisible garland which is hung around your

neck. When you are born from the womb of your mother, no garland can be seen.

Neither a garland of pearls nor one of precious gemstones nor a necklace of

gold will be visible around your neck. Nevertheless, there surely is a garland

there. That garland is composed of the consequences of your past deeds which

you have performed during your previous births. That garland given to you by

the Creator will adorn your neck, although it will not be seen by the physical

eyes. The person who recognizes the truth, that for every action there will be

a resulting consequence, will take up only good activities and will spend his

life indulging only in actions that will earn him good results. This has been

taught by the Gita as a spiritual exercise of particular importance to devotees.

It leads eventually to developing indifference and detachment to the things of

the world, and it results in the acquisition of true wisdom. Here is an example

which illustrates this illusory nature of the world and the detachment you

should have to it. King Janaka's Dream King Janaka had acquired extraordinary

proficiency in the knowledge of God. He was called "the king devoid of body".

In other words, he had been able to transcend body-consciousness. One

particular night after dinner, he was discussing certain administrative

problems with his ministers. He got back to his bedroom a little late. A meal

had been set out for him but he did not touch it. He relaxed on a sofa while

the queen massaged his feet. Soon the king fell asleep. The queen asked the

various attendants present to leave the room and made sure that the king, who

was extremely tired, would not be disturbed in his sleep. She covered him with

a blanket and banked the light low, quietly remaining by his side. Shortly

afterwards, King Janaka quite suddenly opened his eyes, sat up, looked around

incredulously at his surroundings, and in a most peculiar way began to ask, "Is

this real or is that real? Is this the truth or is that the truth?" The queen

became a little frightened by his bewildered look and strange question. She

tried to find out what exactly he was asking, but he would not explain or

answer any of her queries. He just went on saying, "Is this the truth or is

that the truth?" She called for the ministers, counselors and other important

officials. They all assembled and began questioning the king. "Maharaja, what

is

your doubt? What exactly are you asking?" But the Maharaja would not respond to

them. Finally the ministers brought the great Sage Vashishta to the court.

Vashishta asked the king, "What are you asking? What is troubling you?" The

king was replying to all the questions with the same query, "Is that the truth

or is this the truth? Is this reality or is that reality?" Sage Vashishta being

omniscient closed his eyes and meditated for a while to find out the cause of

the king's strange behavior. Vashishta realized that the king had suddenly

awakened from a vivid dream in which he had forfeited his kingdom and found

himself wandering lost, alone and despondent in a forest. He was feeling very

hungry and also very tired and forsaken. As he wandered through that forest he

kept shouting, "I am hungry, I am hungry." It happened that there were some

robbers in that forest. Those robbers were just sitting down in a glade

nearby to have their meal, eating from plates made of leaves. Taking pity on

him, the robbers made themselves known and invited Janaka to join them,

offering him a portion of their meal. Just at that moment, a tiger came upon

them and they all ran for their lives. The tiger helped himself to all the

food. Again Janaka found himself staggering through the forest crying out, "O,

I am so hungry. I am so very hungry." When he woke up he discovered he was in a

palace, on a royal sofa by the side of the queen, with a silver tray filled with

luxurious food and dainties sitting on the table nearby, and he began asking

whether he was the starving, forsaken wretch begging food from robbers in a

fearful forest or whether he was a king living in a sumptuous palace surrounded

by all possible luxuries. "Is this true or is that true? Is this real or is that

real?"

justify">Maharishi Vashishta immediately recognized the king's confusion and

said, "King Janaka, neither beggar nor emperor is real. You alone are real.

You, yourself, are the truth. The you who was present as pure consciousness in

the dream state playing the role of the beggar and who is present in the waking

state playing the role of the king, this you who witnessed both these states, is

your true reality. Life during the daytime is a day-dream, during the night it

is a night-dream. They are both illusions. They are filled with defects and

flaws because they constantly change from one thing to another; so they cannot

be real. Only you who remain unchanged in all these states are real, free of

all change and illusion." This was also emphasized in the Gita, where Krishna

pointed out the important truth that the world is constantly changing and that

the atma alone is real and ever

unchanging. The Anguish of Separation from God Detachment does not mean leaving

behind everything to go to the forest and adopt the life of a renunciate.

Penance does not refer to certain postures or bodily deprivations. Penance

refers to the intense anguish you experience when you feel yourself separated

from God. Whenever that anguish of separation is with you, wherever you may be,

then you are engaged in penance. All worldly experiences are governed by

combinations of the three attributes, inertia or chaos, action or reaction, and

rhythm or calm. The anguish of penance with its intense aspiration for reaching

God, takes you into a state of being which transcends these three worldly

qualities. At that time, you will experience a deep inner serenity and unity of

thought, word and deed.

6pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Thought, word and deed are the causes of karma. They

are called the instruments of action. It is the union of these three

instruments of action which may be described as penance. When that union is

complete there follows an ineffable joy, which is the very bliss of the atma.

So true penance is the point at which the three instruments of action merge

together into one and you experience the eternal delight of your immortal self.

Consider the following example. Every day you enjoy the benefits of electricity.

In your room you may have an electric fan. There are three blades attached to

the motor of the fan. If they were to rotate in three different directions you

would not get much of a breeze. But when they rotate in unison, as if there

were a single blade going around, then you can enjoy a very good flow of air

from the fan. So, enjoyment of the cool breeze comes only when

all the three blades are working together and rotate as one. In the very same

way, when the three instruments of action, thought, word and deed, merge

together and work as one, you can enjoy real bliss. In this illustration your

heart may be compared to the room containing the fan. The three instruments of

action may be compared to the three blades of the fan. Your intellect may be

thought of as the electric switch. Your spiritual power, the energy emanating

from the supreme self, may be thought of as the electricity that energizes the

fan. Your spiritual practice is the process of clarifying your intellect, and

thereby turning on the switch. When the three instruments of action work

together in harmony, just as the three blades of the fan go around together,

then all your anguish becomes transformed into bliss. In this way, you can

convert your life-force and your entire spiritual power into

bliss. True Renunciation is Turning your Mind towards God Mankind has forgotten

the ability to perform penance. When you let your vision roam in the temporary

and transient world, your spiritual path spirals downward into inertia and

stasis. When you concentrate your vision and your awareness on the permanent

God, then you are practicing penance and your spiritual progress leaps ahead.

If a door is locked and you want to open it, you must put the key inside the

lock and turn it towards the right. Then it will open. But if you turn the key

to the left, the lock remains closed. It is the same lock and the same key. The

difference is in the way you turn the key. Your heart is that lock and your mind

the key. If you turn your mind towards God, you get liberation. If you turn it

towards the objective world, you remain in bondage. It is the

same mind that is responsible for both liberation and bondage. True renunciation

is turning your mind towards God. It means constantly bringing your mind back

from other thoughts to dwell on the permanent entity. Such mental detachment

and sacrifice must be developed into a very intense feeling. You should not

keep on postponing the practice to the next day, and then the day following

that, and so on. Suppose you expect to go to a marriage; you would keep certain

clothes ready several days before the occasion. Or suppose you had a chance to

go to the movies; then you will get ready very fast. Even for just going for a

walk you make yourself ready in a trice. Well, if you cannot go to the cinema

today you can easily postpone it to another day. If you do not go for a walk

now you can always go another time. But the Lord's journey cannot be

postponed or canceled. You must always be ready to accept whatever comes your

way. Time waits for no one. Time does not follow man. Man has to follow time.

Time flows on continuously and takes everything with it. The Gita teaches you

that you may enjoy the various objects of the world, but while enjoying them

you should not get yourself attached to them, thinking that you possess them.

This feeling of renunciation or detachment is one of the most essential aspects

of the spiritual philosophy propounded in the Gita. XII. Detachment - Unifying

Thoughts, Words and Deeds For the wheel of existence, the mind is the focal

point, the central hub from which all worldly activities emerge. To be able to

penetrate this focal point and obtain a

vision of the immortal self that is beyond, you must cultivate the practice of

non-attachment. Make every effort to develop this most important discipline.

Embodiments of Love, Renunciation or detachment can also be thought of as

non-attachment. Non-attachment is when the mind and the senses become

unaffected by the objects of the world and remain indifferent to their

attraction and repulsion. The mind covers the true self; therefore, the mind

can be described as a veil. It is a veil of ignorance, for it hides your true

self and keeps you unaware of its magnificent presence within you. But, the

mind, itself, is tied down by the sense organs, and the sense organs are

attracted to the objects of the phenomenal world, and get bound by them.

Therefore, the first step in realizing your true self is to gain control over

your sense organs. For

this, the practice of non-attachment is essential. Detachment leads to

Self-Realization Once you are free of attachment to the sense objects, then the

sense organs will no longer be able to bind your mind. A mind unencumbered by

the senses becomes pure and transparent. It no longer imposes its covering

influence over the atma. When the veil of the mind dissolves, your true self

becomes aware of itself. Then you are immersed in the unity of all existence

and enjoy the bliss which is your true nature. The Gita has taught that

non-attachment is crucial for realizing your true self. That true self is the

one supreme self. Detachment or non-attachment has also been emphasized in the

yoga classic of Patanjali, a great seer of ancient India. He

taught that detachment is the natural property of a mind which remains unswayed

by the sense organs and the objects which attract them. Such a mind, being free

from the slavery of the sense organs and sense objects, is pure and unaffected

by delusion. You gain a pure mind when you see all the objects of this world as

transient and changing. The ancient wisdom teachings have declared that from the

lowest creature in the phenomenal world to the highest, right up to the heavenly

beings, everything is ephemeral and undergoing change. Knowing this, you should

relinquish all attachments to sense objects. Any attachment will gradually but

steadily lead to bondage. Just as removing the firewood from the fire

automatically extinguished the flame, removing the sense objects from the

senses automatically renders them impotent. The wisdom teachings have stressed

in a most forceful way that only that person who does not care

for anything less than full realization of the supreme self, is a person of true

renunciation. Neither objects of the world nor even the heavenly abode of the

Lord could sway him from his one-pointed focus. There is a story related in one

of the ancient wisdom teachings about a very wise young boy, who, because of an

oath made by his father, found himself in the realm of death. The god of death

tried to win over the boy. He said to him, "I will give you complete mastery

and lordship over all the wealth and all the power of the world, and I will

give you all the pleasures of the heavenly world." But the boy replied, "This

world and all the worlds beyond are but transient; they will not last. I do not

want anything to do with that which comes and goes. I only want to have the

vision of the supreme self. I want to realize the ultimate truth, that which

never changes. The world with its bondage and all the sorrow

that goes with it is for the person who is swayed by the objects of the senses.

They do not interest me in the least." Attachment to Objects which you think

belong to You Let us suppose that you have been living in a particular house

for a long time. One day you have to shift to another dwelling. You pack all

your belongings and put them in a conveyance and bring them to the new house.

Now, it is a common experience that you even go to the extent of wrapping the

worn out slippers and the old broomsticks in newspapers to carry them with you

because you think that they belong to you. What is the reason for this

attitude? The reason is that you have become bound by your attachments to the

sense objects. You have so much interest in packing up all those old things and

taking them with you because you are attached to them. You feel they

are yours. But then, consider another example, that of a college principal or

the headmaster of a school. In every educational institution there will be a

number of valuable articles. For instance, in the lab there will be some highly

valuable equipment, many tables, chairs, other items of furniture, a wall clock

and so on. When the headmaster of that school retires or is transferred, he

feels no attachment to these things. And so he leaves with the same free mind

that he had when he came. He does not worry and bother himself about leaving

behind all those valuable articles when he goes. The reason is that he knows

perfectly well that none of those things belong to him. They belong to the

management or to the school trust or to the government. Therefore, with a sense

of detachment and indifference to those objects he leaves the school. Where

there is a sense of my-ness and possessiveness, there will be suffering. If you

do not have that feeling of possessiveness you will not be bound by anything

and will not suffer. Therefore, for all bondage, suffering and sorrow, it is

just the I-ness or my-ness that is responsible. Like the school principal, you

may make use of all the objects that you find in the world. Do not give up the

objects themselves, and do not give up your actions and activities. Just give

up the attachment that you have towards the objects and give up the attachment

that you have towards the world and your activities in it. Give up the Fruits

of your Actions Another way of saying this is, give up the fruits of your

actions. Perform your duty with a sense of complete detachment, realizing the

defects in the objects. Once you understand

the underlying laws that govern the world and recognize the defects that are

inherent in both the objects of the world and the relationships you have in the

world, you will quickly be able to overcome the attachments you have towards

them. Before you were born, who was the parent and who was the child? Before

marriage, who was the husband and who was the wife? Only after birth was there

a parent and a child. Before birth there was no such relationship and after

death there will be no such relationship. It is only during the short

transitional period in-between that the feeling of possessiveness and

attachment arises. This is all due to defects in your vision and defects in

your approach. It comes from a narrow-minded, short-sighted attitude. For all

your sorrows, it is your feelings and attitudes alone that are responsible.

Once you recognize the defects in objects and relationships you will have no

desire to

possess them. Try to understand the principle of detachment. You must reach a

state in which you do not have any kind of attachment and bondage even during

the dream and deep sleep states. If you encourage a sense of attachment during

the waking state, it will also be there in a subtle form during the dream state

and the deep-sleep state. The dream state may be compared to a reflection in the

mirror. Whatever you experience in the waking state will impress itself into the

dream state, and will be seen as a reflection there. Therefore, the waking and

dream states are something like the object and its image. If in the waking

state you take the right path, recognizing truth and conducting yourself in the

light of this truth, then you will be treading the right path even in the dream

state. To succeed you have to recognize the defects of the sense objects and

overcome them by giving up your attachment to

them. Everything undergoes Change Because of the passage of time everything

undergoes change. Food which is freshly cooked today is tasty and delicious.

While it is fresh, its potentiality for giving strength and health are very

good. But the very same articles of food become toxic after a lapse of two

days. Whatever food you consider to be good, to be useful, to be healthy and

beneficial, will after a period of time change into something bad, something

useless, something unhealthy and harmful. These changes are unavoidable. In the

context of change, you can also see the four types of devotees: the one who is

afflicted and seeks relief from pain and suffering, the one who seeks material

boons and prosperity, the one who seeks spiritual knowledge, and the wise one.

Over a period of time the very same person is likely to progress through all

these stages. We can also consider the changes that occur in the course of a

lifetime. Immediately after birth the new-born is called a baby; after a few

years it is described as a child; twenty years later the same person is

considered an adult; and after another 30 years it will have become a

grandparent. These are not four different people. It is the same person all the

time, but because of the passage of time different names are given, in

accordance with the different stages of life that the individual is passing

through. A human being's life, which is most difficult to obtain, undergoes

many changes as time goes by. When this is true for human beings, then how much

more must it be true for all the other beings and objects of the world? If you

ask what is the

greatest defect in a human being, you will find that it is the changes which

occur in one's physical being. Whether good or bad, these changes cannot be

avoided. As changes are inherent in everything in the phenomenal world, you

should not develop any attachment or any sense of my-ness for anything or

anyone. Who is the father? Who is the mother? Who are the children? Who are the

family members? Who are the friends? These are all changing forms. You cannot

answer these questions for all time. As you become aware of all these changes

that are constantly occurring in all these relationships, then how can you

develop any attachment to them? The Gita has taught that one has to recognize

all the changes that come about with time as fundamental defects and flaws.

Therefore, develop complete detachment from the defective forms which are

experiencing these changes. They have no permanence.

Constant Practice Detachment or non-attachment is the first important discipline

that should be undertaken. The second is constant practice. What kind of

practice can be called constant? One kind is austerity or penance. The moment

people hear this word austerity they get a little frightened. They inevitably

associate austerity with going into the forest, eating whatever fruits and

roots are available there and exposing themselves to all kinds of risks and

sufferings. Truly speaking, that is not austerity; that is just putting the

body through some suffering and punishment. It is not the body that must

undergo the suffering, but the mind. The mind tends towards either sloth and

chaos or endless activity, and is filled with the sense of doership and

possessiveness. Austerity is

putting such a mind with all these negative tendencies that cling to it, through

real torture, until all these tendencies let go their hold. Austerity also means

removing the defects that are inherent in the sense organs. This is the real

austerity. There are three types of austerity. One is the physical austerity of

the body, the second one is the vocal austerity of the tongue and the third is

mental austerity of the mind. The three Austerities, Physical, Vocal and Mental

Physical austerity refers to using the body to perform good actions, which

includes worshipping the Lord and expressing your sense of gratitude by serving

great souls. If you earn their grace, the selfish aspects of I-ness and my-ness

will slowly get reduced. Once these negative qualities decline, then

automatically positive qualities and actions will

develop. At that point, you will naturally be attracted to the company of

like-minded spiritual beings and be inspired to study the Gita and other sacred

texts. In addition to this, you will undertake charity for education, for

medicine and hospitals, for poor feedings and other good causes. And just as,

traditionally, the different types of charities such as giving away gold and

cows and land were the means for using the body in sacred activities, so also

you will now be using your body in a sacred way. Since you will not be doing

any harmful or prohibited activities, you will not put yourself under the spell

of the sense of doership and possessiveness. You will free yourself from bondage

to these two qualities. All of this can be described as bodily penance. Vocal

penance is the use of good and noble words. Even when you speak the

truth you should not be severe or sharp-tongued. You must be careful not to hurt

anyone. In this context, the Gita has said that truth must be sweet and

nonviolent. Use the sacred tongue which has been given to you for giving joy

and delight to others and for helping them. Do not give any suffering to

another's mind. Use your thoughts to help you concentrate and think of the

Lord. Use your tongue to describe all the glorious attributes of the Lord. Use

words which are highly helpful to others. Use your talk to show the right path

to others. Explain to others all the great and good spiritual experiences that

you have had. Correct people if they are going on the wrong path by using good

words and a sweet tongue. Make sure that no amount of falsehood enters your

heart, or enters your talk. This is the way to become an adept of truth and

nonviolence. Better be Quiet than Tell an

Untruth If you are following the path of truth there may be quite a few problems

that you will encounter. A particular sage performing penance had taken an oath

to take the path of truth and nonviolence, come what may. A cruel hunter who

heard of this tried to induce the sage to break his vow. The hunter pursued a

deer and drove it in such a way that it had to pass in front of the sage,

immersed in his austerities. The sage saw the deer hiding in the bush. The

hunter came running and asked the sage, "Have you seen a deer passing this

way?" The sage was in great conflict. If he told the truth he would cause harm

to the deer, but if he did not tell the truth he would be breaking his vow. On

the one hand, he would commit the sin of causing harm to another being, and on

the other hand, he would commit the sin of lying. The sage found a very

good way of dealing with this dilemma. He answered the hunter's query in a

somewhat enigmatic way. He said, "The eyes which see cannot speak and the mouth

which speaks cannot see. I cannot make that which has seen speak, and that which

can speak see. That is the truth." Even in such difficult situations one should

not tell an untruth, but one may not be able to tell the truth either. When you

are engaged in the vocal type of austerity, difficult situations of this kind

may arise. You should make every effort to see to it that you escape without

uttering any falsehood. Whatever be the circumstances, do not tell a lie. If

you cannot tell the truth then it is best for you to keep quiet and observe

silence, rather than uttering an untruth. Consider the third austerity, the

mental austerity. In this type of austerity you will have to develop good

qualities and virtues. Whatever thoughts may be flashing through your

mind, your face will show the reflection of them. That is why it is said that

the face is the index of the mind. All thoughts will be reflected on your face.

If you are grief-stricken mentally, your face will reflect that state. If there

are sacred thoughts in your mind your face will be very cheerful. The effect of

the mind and its thoughts can easily be seen in this way. Only when you have

sacred thoughts, sacred feelings and sacred ideas in your mind, will you be

able to live a happy and cheerful life. If there are bad thoughts torturing

you, then whenever somebody comes and talks to you, even if you try to smile,

your smile will be artificial and it will betray the disturbed inner state in

your heart. You should not allow yourself to be driven to such a state. Always

keep yourself happy. When will you be happy and joyous? Only when your thoughts

are good and sacred. In order to have such good and sacred

thoughts in your mind you should exercise control over your thoughts. Every day

observe a period of Silence At least for a few hours a day you should observe

silence. Then the mind will get some rest from words and thought waves.

Repetition of the holy name and concentration on the Lord can also be practiced

to give some rest to the mind. Repetition of the name and thinking of the Lord

brings about both inner and outer purity. Just as you bathe your body every day

and transform it into a clean outer vehicle, the mind, too, has to be given a

regular purification bath to renew its freshness and sacredness. Now you are

concerned mostly with physical cleanliness, but you must also engage in mental

cleanliness, which is equally essential to life. Good thoughts, good feelings

and good actions go a long way to bring about inner

cleanliness. Austerity truly means bringing about a physical, vocal and mental

unity by letting actions words and thoughts become one. This is the real

austerity. A great soul is one who has been able to enjoy the unity of all

these three attributes. If the thoughts, the words, and the actions are

different, then a person cannot be considered a great person. Worldly

experiences are governed by combinations of the three attributes. Of these,

inertia and chaos give rise to a slothful nature, action and reaction give rise

to an active, passionate nature, and rhythm or calm gives rise to a pure,

harmonious nature. Austerity refers to transforming the first of these two, the

slothful and passionate natures, into the pure, calm, harmonious nature. This

can be brought about by controlling sloth with the help of the passionate

nature and then by

controlling passion with the help of the pure calm nature. In this way you can

enjoy the harmony of all three natures, being joined together as one.

Ultimately, when all your actions, words and deeds have become totally unified,

you will have overcome all worldly attributes and you will be free even from the

limitations of the pure calm nature. For example, suppose you have stepped on a

thorn. If you want to remove the thorn from your foot there is no need to look

for a special instrument. Another thorn is sufficient to remove the first one.

Then you can throw both thorns away. In the same way, the two lower natures

which have been giving you so much trouble, can be removed with the help of the

thorn of the calm pure nature. Until you have removed these two lower qualities,

you need the calm quality. The calm quality may be described as a golden chain,

the passionate quality as a copper chain and the slothful

quality as an iron one. All three chains bind you in the same way. The value of

the metal of the chain may be different, but they all bind nevertheless. Free

Yourself from all Bondage If an individual is bound by a golden chain, will he

be happy in that situation? No! Bondage remains bondage, be it from a chain

made of gold or one made of copper or iron. So, even a pure, calm nature causes

bondage, and in the end you have to get rid of this also. You must free yourself

from all bondage. But until you reach divinity you need the pure, calm,

harmonious quality. Once you merge in the Lord, there are no more

distinguishing qualities of any kind. In that state the question of the three

qualities does not arise at all. When you have offered up everything and become

one with the Lord you rise above these attributes and become totally free of

all chains. The Gita has taught that in order to control the mind, constant

practice and renunciation, are essential. Practice does not refer to just the

observance of daily religious rituals. Practice means using the body, using the

tongue and using the mind in such a way that you do not develop attachment.

Practice means orienting your whole life towards the one goal of reaching the

divinity. Every word you utter, every thought you think and every deed you

perform should be pure and associated with truth. This is the essence of all

austerities. Truth and purity are the real instruments for success on the

spiritual path. My wish is that you develop these noble qualities and thereby

sanctify your life. TO BE

CONTINUED With Sai love from Sai brothers – ‘’ Source:

http://laluni.helloyou.ws/askbaba/saibabagita/

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