SAI BABA GITA – Part XIV – Answers for all questions

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TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Once you have gained true detachment, then even the

attainment of the highest heavenly worlds will seem trivial and insignificant

to you. Arjuna asserted, "Krishna, even if I were given rulership over the

three worlds and I were made master over all of creation, it would mean nothing

to me. I have no interest in any of these things." Embodiments of Love, Arjuna

had achieved great strength of renunciation at the time when he surrendered

himself and was ready to receive the Gita teachings. At that point, he had

detached himself from the world, and attached himself firmly to the

transcendent principle manifested before him in the form of Lord Krishna. Such

detachment from the world and its objects, and attachment to the divine

principle, which is your true essence, must become your goal also. This is the

destiny of every human being. In the course of your spiritual evolution, you

will, as will every other individual in time, develop renunciation and

dispassion towards the objects of the senses, and at the same time, develop an

intense aspiration to realize the atma within. Sense-Control, the Foundation

for Self-Knowledge If you were to construct a house, even a simple and ordinary

one, wouldn't you take great care to lay a proper foundation? If that is true

for a little house, then how much more care must you

take in laying down a solid foundation for the great treasure house of

self-knowledge. It is to provide such a foundation that Krishna, in his

teachings to Arjuna in the Gita, emphasized the need to control the senses by

developing a strong detachment from the objects of the world. This is an

essential requirement for building up a solid foundation. If the foundation is

not strong, the mansion of self-knowledge will not last long. It will soon

collapse. Renunciation does not spring up suddenly to become the foundation of

self-knowledge. Such strong detachment does not just happen on the spur of the

moment. This quality must be steadily developed and practiced, together with

devotion and sense-control. If you want to light a lamp, you will need oil, a

container to hold it, and a wick. In the same way, in order to light the lamp

of wisdom, there is a

need for detachment, devotion and control of the senses. Detachment can be

thought of as the container and devotion the oil. Sense-control may be compared

to the wick. If you bring these three elements together, the Lord himself will

come and light the lamp of self-knowledge inside you. Before lighting this lamp

in the heart of Arjuna, Krishna told him that he first had to establish complete

control over his senses. Such strict control over the senses is not something

which can be achieved by most people. Even if they were to make an effort in

this direction and achieve some measure of sense-control, ordinary people would

not continue with these efforts because they would be convinced that by giving

up sense enjoyments their very life would come to an end. They consider sense

enjoyments as the only true source of happiness. This is what they experience

day

after day. But, the unbounded joy of self-knowledge is something they have not

experienced even once. When you have a bird in your hand, would you let go of

it and try to catch the two birds which may or may not be hiding in the bush?

Reasoning in this way, they consider it madness to give up the sensory

enjoyments which they enjoy every day in order to gain the bliss of the atma

through self-knowledge, an experience which they have never known. Sense

Enjoyment is an Illusory Joy It is for these reasons that you will find many

people criticizing the doctrine of detachment and control of the senses which

is taught in the Gita. They say it is not really

useful and applicable for ordinary people in their daily lives. But this

criticism arises because they are ignorant of the real process that is taking

place. All the momentary pleasures which they enjoy are just reflections of the

true joy that always exists in the heart. By thinking again and again of a

particular person or object, the mind departs from its own resting place and

goes out to that person or object and takes on its form. Then it deludes itself

into thinking that it is enjoying that object. But this can never be real joy.

It is only a limited kind of joy which is imagined in the mind, a reflection of

the true inner joy which is the source of all joys. To make this clearer

consider an example. A small baby may be sucking its thumb and drinking its

saliva. It gets delight from this because it thinks that it is getting milk out

of its thumb.

But, the fact is that the saliva, which the baby thinks is milk, is coming from

its own mouth, not from its thumb. It deludes itself into thinking that the

source of its joy originated from outside its mouth. Consider another example.

A dog has found a hard bone. Once he has this bone it becomes very dear to him

and he does not want to share it with any other dog. So, he takes it to some

solitary place. There, he looks at it, admires it and starts gnawing on it.

Since it is an old bone it is very hard. With all his enthusiasm and strength

he goes on biting until he dislodges a tooth from his gums. Some blood spills

out and oozes onto the bone. The dog is convinced that the blood has come out

of that bone, and he immensely enjoys the taste of it. But the blood has not

come out of the bone; it has come out of his own mouth. The dog does not

realize the

truth. Just as in the case of the baby, he has become deluded by following the

imaginations of his own mind. All Joy comes only from the Self In a similar

way, the ignorant think that they are getting joy out of the sense-objects.

But, this limited joy that they experience does not come from outside of

themselves. Ever present within their own hearts is true joy. It is this

unchanging inner joy that gets superimposed on an object, making that object

appear as if it is the source of joy. In this way, they believe they are

deriving joy from the things of the world, but their joy is merely a small

reflection of the unlimited joy that is hidden within them. Once they

delude themselves into thinking that the joys and pleasures which they have in

the outer world are true experiences, and the joy which they might get from the

inner world is only an illusion, they lose all interest in practicing

detachment. Then they give up pursuing the transcendental joy and continue to

pursue only the worldly enjoyments which they believe can be obtained from

sense objects. If an object truly gave joy then everyone would experience that

joy to the same extent. If the joy were really inherent in the object itself,

then the joy derived from that object should be the same for all people. Yet we

know that this is not the case. If a particular object gives joy and pleasure to

some people, the same object may be repulsive to other people, giving

displeasure to them. For instance, some people may greatly enjoy cucumbers,

whereas others may not

like them at all. If joy were an integral part of cucumbers then there would be

the one experience for all. Cucumbers would not give a feeling of joy to some

and a feeling of dislike to others. Why is there this difference in reaction

between different people? Why are there things which you may like that are

disliked by others? It must mean that the joy you experienced was not directly

associated with the object but that this joy came from within. The feeling that

you experienced was but a reflection of your own inexhaustible inner source of

joy. Sense Objects can only give Temporary Joy These likes and dislikes that

you now feel, are just temporary phenomena. They

are not permanent. Consider for a moment that at some time you felt very hungry.

Now suppose that you were served some food which you found very tasty. What made

this food so delicious? If you examine this question carefully you would

conclude that it was your hunger that made everything taste so good. As long as

you were hungry you found the meal that had been served to you to be most

delectable. But after your hunger was satisfied, even if the most sumptuous

delicacies were placed in front of you, they would not have appealed to you.

When you are hungry, ordinary food will taste quite good, giving you great joy.

But once your hunger is satisfied, even the most delicious food is not at all

tasty to you. The only way that you can understand this change is that all

these likes and dislikes emanate directly from you, the individual. They do not

come from the objects as such. All your feelings of joy and sorrow emanate from

the inner being, not from the external

objects. Ordinary people think that the joy or pain which they get from being

with people whom they like or dislike comes from those people; but it is not

so. It is one's own likes and dislikes which are responsible for one's joys and

sorrows. It may be observed that when people have a strong liking for others,

holding them very dear, then whatever be the attitude or the actions of that

person, they will still like them all the same. What is the reason for this

unshakable fidelity, this affectionate regard one may have for another person,

despite a number of unsavory things which that person may be saying or doing?

The reason is that when you like someone, the things which that person says and

does will appear sweet to you. When you consider a person as very dear to you,

then you feel that you love that person very much. This quality which you call

'love'

is really a feeling of attachment in you that you are directing towards the

other individual. In such an attachment both the love and the joy which appear

to be present, originate only from you. Whether or not the other person has

similar feelings, the feelings which you actually experience come from within

you, only. They are not a part of the other person, at all. A similar thing was

told by a great sage to his wife, in the ancient scriptures. The sage said to

his wife, "Dear one, you do not love me for my sake but for your own sake.

Everything you love and hold dear, you love only for the sake of the atma, your

highest self;. The atma is the dearest of all, and it is for its sake that

someone is dear to you. These feelings you have for others are all just

manifestations of that great love you feel for your own true

self." Body-Consciousness taints the Pure Love of the Self In the whole world

each person, whoever he may be, will love another only for his own sake, not

for the sake of the other. If he loves an object, he loves it for the self

alone, and not for the sake of that object. That self is the atma, the true

self. But, when the pure love of the atma becomes tainted with body

consciousness, and the senses hold sway, attachment and selfishness arise. This

inevitably leads to sorrow. The body is impermanent. Death is certain for all.

Even if someone were to live for a hundred years, he would still have to face

death one day. Everyone knows that. But, isn't it strange that the would-be

dying are crying and feeling sorry for those who have already died? Everyone is

sure to meet death and so everyone may be thought of as among the dying. Yet,

even though they themselves are dying, people feel sorrow and grief when

thinking of someone who has died. It is as if death were a totally unusual and

unexpected thing, rather than the natural conclusion that must come to all.

This sorrow that comes on, particularly when someone near and dear has died,

can only be there because of attachment. After knowing full well that death is

certain, if you still worry about somebody, it must be due to the attachment

which you have developed for that body. It is this attachment which is

responsible for all your grief. Therefore, when someone has died the primary

cause for sorrow is attachment, not love. Basically, every human being, at all

times, is a seeker of joy. He thirsts for joy and does not ever want sorrow.

Man always aspires for profit, never for loss. That is his very nature. Profit,

joy and bliss are inherent in his makeup; they are at the very core of his

being. Every man, right from the beginning, would like to have only gain, not

pain. For a business man, the first thing he thinks of is his profit. Here in

India, when measuring out some staple such as rice, if the number of kg's goes

above six, then the shopkeeper will not say '7', but '6 + 1'. This is because

the word for seven also means 'weeping'. The shopkeeper will use another word

to avoid uttering this unhappy word. In this way, man never wants to face

unhappiness and loss. He wants only profit and gain, and the happiness they

bring.

justify">Self-Knowledge gives the Greatest Joy Of all the possible profits and

gains, the supreme profit of all, which gives the greatest joy, is

self-knowledge, the knowledge of the atma. That is the joy you must seek and

make your own. Consider a beautiful rose; the moment you look at a rose joy

emanates from your heart. Similarly, when you see a handsome person or any

beautiful thing in this world, you instantly feel joy. Many people undertake

trips to go sight-seeing. Why do they go? In order to derive joy from it.

Therefore, you can see beauty in nature and you can see beauty in people, and

you can derive

great joy from all the beauty that you see. But how long does this kind of joy

and beauty last? The rose that you picked today starts to dry out tomorrow;

then its beauty gets lost. The moment the beauty fades away, the joy that you

previously derived from it also subsides. It is the same with the different

stages of life: childhood, youth, adulthood and old age. Childhood may be said

to reflect divinity. During early childhood the individual does not suffer much

from hatred, jealousy, anger and so forth. Jesus said that since children do not

have any really bad qualities, they could be considered divine. During that

period of life, there are no bad thoughts or bad traits, either in the mind or

in the body. Little children are beautiful because they do not have impure

feelings arising out of impure thoughts. As they grow up they gradually develop

tainted

qualities. The moment such negative qualities grow, the beauty of the small

child fades away. Therefore, it is the coming in of impure thoughts which lead

to impure words and impure deeds, which then results in the child losing its

beauty. The Light of Atma Illuminates Everything During the day, the sun

illuminates the various objects of the world; at night, the moon plays a

similar though lesser role. Therefore, you can declare that it is the sun and

the moon that are responsible for the luminous nature of the world and its

objects. But during the dream state you also see various things; where are the

sun and the moon in that state? The sun that you see in the

daytime during your waking state is not there in the dream state; nor is the

moon there, nor is any other source of light visible there to illuminate the

various objects. Yet you can see an entire world, namely, the world of the

dream. What is it that illuminates that world? In the deep-sleep state there is

absolute darkness. There is neither knowledge nor wisdom in that state. But how

do you know that it is dark? What is it that enables you to apprehend this

darkness? The deep-sleep state has been described as the unconscious state; the

dream state has been described as the sub-conscious state; the waking state has

been described as the conscious state. There is a fourth state which transcends

all these other states; it may be described as the super-conscious state. In the

super-conscious state you are able to see everything, everywhere, and enjoy

bliss

supreme. What is the light that illuminates this bliss state and permits you to

experience this unmitigated joy? That light is the effulgence that emanates

from the atma. It is this light which illuminates all the other states as well

and enables you to see them. In the Vedas, the sages have spoken of this

super-conscious state. They declared, "We are able to see a state which

transcends the others, including the darkness of the dreamless state. Beyond

the dreamless state is the supreme light of the atma which illuminates the

waking, the dream and the deep-sleep states." To understand this a little

better, consider an example from the waking state. When you close your eyes for

a minute, what exactly are you seeing? You will say that there is nothing there,

only absolute darkness. But then the question arises, 'How is it that I am able

to

perceive this darkness? Since I seem to see it and am able to describe it, there

must be a light of consciousness which illuminates this state and enables me to

see even this darkness.' That light is the light of the atma It is only through

this transcendental light that all the other lights can shine. We celebrate a

festival of light in which we light a candle, and from that one candle go on

lighting all the other candles and lamps. This first light is the basis for

lighting the others. It is because we have this first light that we are able to

light so many others. For living beings, this first light is the divine light of

the one atma. With it, all the individual lamps, representing the countless

individual beings, are lit in turn. It is because of this divine light that the

eyes are able to see. It shines from inside and illuminates all

beings. But it is not only the source of all living beings, it is also the

source of all objects and all the external bodies of light, such as the sun and

the moon. You may wonder, since you cannot see this divine light, how can you be

sure that it illuminates all these other objects and lights. Here the example of

a battery will be instructive. You cannot see the electrical power which is in

the cells, but if you switch on the current flow you can see the light in the

bulb. If there had been no electric power in the cell, you would not have been

able to get any light from the bulb. The body may be thought of as an electric

lamp driven by this battery cell which is the mind your eyes are the bulb and

your intelligence is the switch which controls it. In this battery cell of the

mind, a very special type of energy derived from the atma is stored. In

ordinary electric batteries the power gets exhausted very quickly, but the atmic

current flows continuously through the mind. The Vedas have declared that the

mind is the receptacle for storing the atmic energy. It is this inexhaustible

source that provides the temporary flow of pleasure when some pleasing object

is perceived. The Joy of the Self is the only True Joy All the joys and

pleasures which you enjoy in this world are only temporary, and are just the

reflections of the immeasurable joy which is inside of you. Out of ignorance

you believe that your joy comes from sense-objects and that this momentary joy

is true. But only what is

permanent is true. These temporary joys which are associated with the things of

the world are not the true joy. Only the eternal bliss that is the atma, is

true; these others come and go. All the things that you see in the waking state

disappear in the dream state. All the joys and sorrows which you experience

during the dream state you leave behind when you come back into the waking

state. People and objects that you see in the waking state will appear as

changing reflections in the dream state, and then they get completely absorbed

and disappear in the deep-sleep state. In this way, your joy changes as these

states change. All the worldly joys which you think to be so permanent will

give you a great deal of trouble in the end and lead you to grief. "Therefore,"

Krishna told Arjuna, "pay attention only to your inner truth, the basis, from

which

springs all manifestations. Then outer appearances and sense-impressions will

not bother you." The basis does not change, whereas the manifestations which

depend on that basis continuously change. If the basis were changing along with

the manifestations, it would be impossible for you to even live. Consider this

small example. At various times you may have used different types of vehicles,

such as cars, trains or buses, to travel from one place to another. The car

might be moving fairly fast, so might the bus, and even if you are just walking

you might be going quite fast. In each case, this movement will be in relation

to the road which remains steady and unchanging. Suppose along with the moving

car or the moving bus, the road itself is also moving rapidly, as in violent

earthquake. Then what would happen? You would certainly be moving, but you

could end

up in any direction. You are not likely to reach your goal despite great efforts

and hardships along the way. In order to reach your goal the road must be

steady. It is because the atmic source, the indweller of every heart, is

permanent and steady that people are able to enjoy the things of the world,

which are impermanent and changing. But, Krishna warned Arjuna, "Do not be

satisfied with these furtive pleasures, which you mistakenly believe come from

the world. The world is fleeting. It is fickle and full of sorrow. It is the

ever-changing outer manifestation. It is not the permanent basis. It cannot

lead you to your truth. How can you count on the world for your support when it

is undergoing so many changes and modifications? Would it be possible for you to

derive permanent bliss from it? Let go of the world and turn towards the

transcendental

principle. Turn towards the atma. It is forever steady and unchanging. There you

will find the unending joy that you have been seeking futilely outside in the

world." Do not Drive with your Foot on the Brake Now, some of you may be

thinking that if young children are taught sense control they would turn into

inert, helpless human beings? But nobody is telling them that they should not

make use of their senses. It is only that they should learn to control them

properly. There are brakes in a car, and whenever there is danger you use the

brakes to stop the car. When Swami is asking you to control the senses and to

control the mind, some of you might be wondering

if you would be able to live at all and carry on your routine functions. Swami

is not asking you to drive with your foot on the brake, but to use the brakes

when necessary to control the car, whenever there is some danger. It is when

there is some danger, such as impure thoughts, impure feelings, impure sights,

impure hearing and so on, that you have to exercise control. If you do not have

any brakes at all you will surely come to grief. A bullock which cannot be

brought under control, a horse without reins, a car without brakes, a person

without sense control, are all extremely dangerous and heading for disaster.

"Therefore, Arjuna," Krishna said, "control your senses and your mind, and

recognize the defects that are inherent in all the objects of the world. When

you turn from the changing manifestations and establish yourself in the

unchanging basis,

then you will be able to live happily anywhere, because you will be established

in the source of all happiness, the atma, which is eternal bliss." The wisdom

teachings do not admonish you to give up your family or give up your worldly

duties. Be in the world. Use your senses. But do so in a proper and ethical

way, appropriate to each time and circumstance, never forgetting your true

purpose. The Gita teaches the importance of discipline, of observing limits in

all your activities. The brakes are used in a car for the welfare and

protection of the passengers, so that they can safely reach their goal. In the

same way, the senses must be brought under control and used for the welfare and

protection of the individual, so that it can complete its journey safely. That

is why Krishna was so insistent that Arjuna develop

sense-control. Detachment, Devotion and Sense-Control This sense-control is

something like the wick in the lamp of your heart. Merely having the wick of

sense-control is not enough. You must also have oil, which is the fuel for the

lamp; that is your devotion. And there must be a container which holds this

oil, and that is your detachment. If you have the container, the oil and the

wick, you will be able to light the lamp easily. Still, someone has to come and

light it. That someone is God. Once you have detachment, devotion and

sense-control, then the divinity will come and light the lamp in your heart. In

the case of Arjuna, it was Krishna who performed this sacred

act of lighting the lamp and revealing the splendor of the atma in Arjuna's

heart. Suppose you have some flowers, a needle and some thread, will these

automatically turn into a garland? No. There has to be someone to string the

garland together. You may have gold and precious stones, but without a

goldsmith to create it, you will not be able to obtain a beautiful jewel made

out of these articles. You may have a high intelligence, you may have books

containing the highest knowledge and you may have keen eyes to see them, but

without someone to teach you to read, they will all be meaningless and useless

to you. The atma is always present it never changes, it never comes and goes.

The spiritual teachings will also be

ever-present; they will be there waiting for you when you are ready to receive

them. And, inwardly, you may have an intense yearning for illumination. All

these may be there for you, but unless the true guru, the spiritual teacher,

comes and transmits the immortal knowledge to you, you cannot become

enlightened. If you are ready to realize the underlying reality of all the

objects of the world and to discover the divine principle within you, then you

need the true teacher, the highest source of knowledge to come and instruct

you. To gain the sacred knowledge of the self, that teacher is the universal

teacher. It is God himself who comes to guide you to your goal. He may take on

different forms. In the case of Arjuna, the divine teacher was Krishna, the

avatar of that age, and he started by teaching Arjuna sense-control. You must

take some

time to reflect on the deeper significance of all these teachings on

sense-control, which were given by Krishna to Arjuna, not in an ashram setting,

but on the battlefield, at the eve of a great battle fought to preserve

righteousness and to counter the forces of injustice and untruth that had

become rampant. TO BE CONTINUED With Sai love from Sai brothers –

‘’ Source: http://laluni.helloyou.ws/askbaba/saibabagita/

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