Swami teaches... Part 1. Take part in the Divine Play with awareness

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Light and Love Swami teaches... Part 1. Take Part in the Divine Play with Awareness

 

 

 

The Motto I am not merit nor sin. Neither happiness nor sorrow. Neither mantra nor holy water. Neither Veda nor Yajna. Neither food nor the enjoyer of food. I am Sath-Chith-Ananda Swarupa;* Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram. (*Swarupa - form, essential nature, true nature of Being). The Universe is the visible manifestation of the invisible Supreme Self. The Divine is effulgent in every human as Sath-Chith-Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss), the Cosmic Consciousness. Oil is present throughout the sesame seed. Ghee is present in every drop of milk. Fragrance is present in an invisible form in a flower. A fruit is filled with sweet juice. In every piece of wood fire is latent. In the same manner, the Divine is immanent in the entire Cosmos in a subtle form. Like visionin the eye and hearing in the ear, God is present in the mind as Chaithanya (Cosmic Consciousness). Reflections of the Sun shining in the sky can be seen in the oceans, rivers, the lakes and in wells.Though the reflections are varied, the Sun is one alone. The Divine is present in human like the unseen thread, which holds a garland of gems together. Nothing in the world, no object, no human being, no creature can be found wherein God is not present. Though human appears in the world in different forms, speaking different languages, the essential humanness is common to one and all. There is only one race, that is the human race. God is only one. He is Sath-Chith-Ananda. That is Full. This is Full. When Full is taken from the Full, Full remains - this is the Upanishadic axiom. The Divine is Full; Creation is Full; even when Creation happened and the Cosmos appeared to be produced from the Divine, there was no diminution in the Fullness of the Full. Fullness is the attribute, the nature of the Supreme. Fullness is the quality of the Divine; it is found in part or portion or in half or whole. Quantity is not the criterion; quality is in the visible world that has been taken from the substance of the Divine, this quality is found equally Full. We shall not consider the world as anything less than God.

(Of course, there are scholars who proclaim that the world is a hollow zero, that it has no latent or potent strength, being but a dream and a delusion). In the Gita the Lord announces, "I am human among living beings, the cow among animals, the lion among beasts, the cobra among snakes, the eagle among birds, Prahladha among rakshasas (demons). No item is discarded as not worthy of God. There is no body that He does not activate, no Form that He does not reside in. He is fragrance, brilliance, sweetness and taste, intelligence, valor, austerity, fame, contentment - an desirable and even undesirable things and qualities. Adi Sankara's doctrine of Adwaitha declares, "The Absolute is one alone, not two." There is no second, but there is the appearance of an enormous multiplicity. How, then, can oneness be claimed? Here is an example. You have the number one and the number nine. Of the two numbers which is the bigger? The natural answer will be nine. But one is really the bigger number 1 + 1 + 1 + 1..... up to nine, make up nine. Hence, the Vedas declare, "I am One; I willed to be many." Sankara declared that many is subsumed by the one this is the unity in diversity. Beings are many, but the breath is the same. Nations are many, but the Earth is one. Ramanuja (11th century spiritual teacher; proponent of the ultimate oneness of the differentiated, Visishta-adwaitha, believed in a personal God reached by devotion and faith and the everlasting self-identity of the individual soul in communion with God as the goal of life) asked the question, "How long can the sweetness of the juice last?" Not for long. If the sugarcane juice is converted into some other lasting form, it could be used for sweetening many things. The conversion should be in the form of sugar, which could then be used for making any sweet preparation. Without the sugarcane, juice there can be no sugar. The sugarcane juice represents the Adwaithic principle and sugar represents the Visishta-adwaithic principle. Without some kind of flour, the sugar by itself cannot appear in different forms. Flour of the sort or another, combined with sugar, can serve to produce any number of sweets. However, it is not the flour is the source of sweetness. It is the sugar in the sweet that is made out of the flour, which accounts for the sweetness. This is the analogy employed to explain Dwaithic (the dualistic doctrine) principle. Sankara is the exponent of Adwaitha (nondualism) school of philosophy. Ramanuja as the exponent of Visishta-adwaitha (qualified non-dualism) and Madhva (13th century exponent of dualist philosophy, author of Vedantic works, the expounder of Dwaitha or dualism), stood out as great teachers who taught the path of spirituality to the world. However, there is common sweetness in all the three schools of philosophy. With regard to Adwaitha, however, it is possible only to experience it as a conscious feeling, but not to apply nondualism on carrying out one's activities in daily life (as has mentioned in in previous compilation "Swami teaches...First for the Mother..." Part 3). The ancient sages regarded human life as full of fragrance to be enjoyed. They considered life as full of nectarine sweetness. Human struggles in a myriad ways to secure sensual enjoyment, but there is sweetness, which transcends these physical pleasures. Thyaga (sacrifice) is the sweetness in humanness. The scriptures declare' "Only through sacrifice can human realize the eternal Divine." The Universe is the Field where God sports. God also assumes the mind, the intelligence, the ego, and the magnificent Leela is inaugurated. God's Leela is evident in the smallest flower and the most distant star. Be aware of this fact, every moment of consciousness, and there is nothing more you need for a happy existence. For, you will then contact God in every thing through every thought at every place and at every moment.

The Sun cannot illumine God; God is the source of the illumination of the Sun. The waves can say they belong to the Sea; but they cannot claim the Sea belongs to them. The individual can say, "I am Yours" to God; he/she cannot say, "You are mine.” God is the support; you are the supported. "In consequence of this Divine initiation we became spectators of single and blessed visions, resident in a pure light; and were ourselves made immaculate and liberated from this surrounding garment which we call the body and to which we are now bound like an oyster to its shell" (Plato). In the world human is a seeker of happiness, an aspirant for bliss. In every sphere human desires two things: enjoyment of happiness, removal of sorrow. What is the inner significance of perennial quest for happiness? The answer is given both in spiritual and scientific terms. Human's natural state is bliss. Human is the embodiment of happiness and therefore entitled to seek happiness. If a rose loses its fragrance, it ceases to be a rose. Likewise, if human loses own natural condition of happiness and bliss, he/she has forfeited the human state. For instance, if one notices on the road a person with sad looks, one enquires why the person is miserable, what is the cause of his sadness. This enquiry is made by every passerby because it is not natural for a human being to be sad. In the bazaar, somebody is going in joyous mood; no notice is taken and no one questions to him/her why person is not sad. Joy and gaiety are regarded as natural condition and cause no surprise. Krishna has said in the Gita that He is ever by the side of the joyous being. Be joyful yourself and make others too share in that joy. Cultivate the attitude of unattachment, of indifference, of bypassing the urges, through prayer and systematic practice. This will lead you to Dharma (righteous behavior) and Truth; you are then entitled to the Dharma sthambha, or Sathya sthambha (the Pillar of Righteousness or Truth). This is also referred to as the Vedanta's point of view. Vedanta does not mean, running away from home and the company of people and escaping into the solitude of the jungle. (Home is certain to haunt you, wherever you may take refuge). It implies recognition of all this as Divinely Poornam (full) and dedication of all thoughts, words, and deeds to the Divine. When you have the Vedantic vision, the place where you are will thereby be Kailas (Shiva's mountain abode) for you. Human has endowed with the body, the senses, the mind, and the buddhi (intelligence) to experience the natural state of bliss. However, unfortunately, because these agencies are polluted and misused, human is plunged in misery. The body is enveloped in the tainted cloaks of raga and dwesha (attachment and hatred). The senses are shrouded in the soiled cloth of desires and sensuous pleasures. Human believes that the physical and worldly pleasures and attachments and aversions are natural states. Like the bitter skin of the fruit which is sweet which casts the cover of ignorance over the precious juice within, so too the bitter skin of envy, egoism, hate, malice, greed, lust and pomp does not allow the sweetness to be patent to all. Here is the legend about the Gods. It was a fine day in Heaven; Narayana and His consort Lakshmi were talking away the hours, when Narada, the wandering minstrel, entered and attracted their attention. Narayana asked Narada whether the denizens of the Earth were happy. Narada replied that since they worshipped Him and won His Grace, people everywhere were quite happy and prosperous. At this, Lakshmi (who was the Goddess of Wealth) was afflicted with jealousy and anger. She challenged Narada to prove that Narayana was more adored than Herself down on Earth. Narayana accepted the challenge. Donning ochre robes, He transformed Himself into a monk and went down amongst the villages and towns, preaching the Path. Thousands flocked at these meetings and listened to the enchanting oratory. They followed Him from place to place and adored Him with effusive enthusiasm. He was being carried along on a huge wave of devotion and adulation. Lakshmi saw this and could not contain herself: She was overwhelmed by envy. So, she too donned the sanyasi (ascetic person) robe and came down to the very region which Narayana had conquered for Himself. The people were drawn towards Her by the effulgence of Her presence, many came away from the meetings addressed by Narayana to bask in Her Presence. A few invited Her to their homes for dinner. She agreed but declared that it was a vow she had undertaken, not to eat out of plates other than her own. She said, she would bring Her own plate, cup, drinking vessel etc. The host was only too glad to comply with Her request, for, that helped him to overcome one bother among many. Lakshmi took with Her when She went to the houses of Her hosts, a plate of gold, a cup and a water-vessel, all three of gold. The host admired and adored Her the more for this display of pomp and wealth. But, he was astounded and delighted, when, after dinner, Lakshmi said that She was leaving the plate etc., at the host's home, since that too was part of Her vow. When the news spread that it was highly profitable to invite Lakshmi to Dinner and to adore Her, there was a huge clamour for Her Grace and millions deserted Narayana's discourses and hovered around the giver of gold. People prayed to Narayana to go back to whence He came, for, they had no time to Him. Lakshmi was monopolising their attention. So, Lakshmi came back to Heaven, to meet Narayana who was already there. She asked Narada, "Who is being worshiped more, Narayana or Lakshmi?" Narada replied with another question: "Whom are You worshiping, please?" Lakshmi answered, "Why? I worship Narayana." Then, said Narada, "Know that it is Narayana's Grace that is helping you to bestow those gifts of gold, which make people worship you." Lakshmi's pride was humbled; but human's foolishness continues. Human worships mere earthy riches, indwelling divinity. There are four stages in securing the Grace of the Lord. 1. Attaching the mind to God, 2. Loving tile Form of God to which the mind has been attached, 3. Installing that Form in the heart and 4. Dedicating all that one has and does to the Form so installed.

You have a great example of one who successfully traveled through these stages and realized the goal of life, in the Mahabharatha, namely Ekalavya. Though Dhronacharya refused to accept him as his pupil, Ekalavya attached himself mentally to him as guru; he installed him in his heart; and finally, he offered at his feet all the skills and fame that he had won through the grace of Dhronacharya. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 13. "Full minus full," Chapter 16; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 21. "From Annam To Ananda," Chapter 9; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 23. "Lessons of a debate," Chapter 17; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 26. "The juice, the sugar and the sweets," Chapter 15; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 28. "Offer everything to God," Chapter 24). Namaste - Reet