Prema Vahini - Chapters 2

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Prema Vahini by Sathya Sai Vahini

 

Chapters 12 to 18

 

Study

 

Vedas and Puranas deserve to be read and heard. God's name is to be

recited and listened to. For some ailments, medicines are prescribed

for external application while for others, they are given for

internal use. But for this universal ailment of Bhavaroga, the cycle

of birth and death, Sravana and Kirtana and other medicines are

prescribed, for external and internal use. One has to utter as well

as hear the Lord's name. An aspirant might win God's grace, and the

Guru's grace and the grace of the devotees of the Lord. But all this

grace would be of no avail if he does not secure also another grace,

the grace of his own inner consciousness, his Anthahkarana. Without

this grace, he falls into perdition, for all the rest are no account

whatsoever.

 

The grace of God is not easily attainable. The feeling of I-ness,

Ahamkara, which makes one say " I am the Doer " , should be plucked by

the roots from the heart. Everyone, be he learned or illiterate,

should feel an overwhelming urge to know God. God has equal affection

towards all his children, for to illumine is the nature of light.

Utilising that illumination, some can read good books and others can

do their daily tasks, whatever they are. So too, uttering God's name

one can progress in the realisation of God, another can even do

wicked deeds! It all depends on how you use the light. But the Lord's

name is without blemish, always and for ever.

 

The Need for Sanathana Vidya

 

Have not men trained themselves in countless arts and skills and

sciences? Have they not devised countless machines? Have they not

accumulated vast tons of knowledge? Nevertheless, man has not attained

peace of mind, which is so essential for happiness. Instead, with

every passing day, this vidya is dragging man into deeper and deeper

waters and peace is receding more and more into the distance.

 

The reason can be stated thus. These arts and sciences have only

transitory value; these machines cater for worldly comfort; this

knowledge is all about temporary, transitory things. This vidya does

not reveal to one the Innermost Secret of the Universe. There is one

secret which if known lays bare all secrets; if that problem is

solved, all are solved, there is one knot which if untied, all knots

are loosened. There is one science, which if mastered, all are

mastered. That key science is Santhana Vidya.

 

If a tree has to be destroyed, its taproot has to be cut; there is no

use trying to kill it by plucking its leaves one by one. It takes too

long a time, besides, it may not work. The ancient Vedic seers knew

this Vidya, but, Indians are feeling ashamed to claim them as their

kith and kin. They saw God through their ascetic endeavours and won

His Grace. They expounded the Science which they had so boldly

discovered. Seekers from other countries perused these books and said

that India had blazed a trail for the whole world. This is a well-

known fact. The lamp illumines the house but just at the very foot of

the lamp, there lurks a dark circle. India does not know or care for

that treasure. Can we ascribe this to the play of Fate and keep quiet?

 

In the past ages Indians performed their daily rites, sat in a

purified place, surrounded by sacredness and immersed themselves in

the study and the practice of the teachings of the Vedas and the

Upanishads. Besides, they recorded their experiences in order to

guide others and in order to bring those experiences back again into

their own consciousness. But, their children and grandchildren placed

those books on the altar and duly worshipped them. Neglect has

reduced them to dust or lumber; the palm leaves have disintegrated

and rats have eaten into them. But, eager students from the West have

sought out this lumbers and realising that it enshrines incomparable

sources of illumination and priceless pearls of Wisdom, they lift it

reverentially above their heads and acclaim it as the precious gift

of Bharathakhanda to themselves and their children. They carry it

across the seas, with joy in their eyes and thankfulness in their

hearts.

 

Now shall I reveal what the children of India have been doing? They

neither open the pages nor peruse the contents nor even concern

themselves about them. Only one in a million reads them, but, even he

is ridiculed as a fool and a crank. The books are laughed at as a

conglomeration of lies and legends and they argue about the

historicity of the books and their authors. They dismiss the Sanskrit

language as " Very hard to learn " and pass on the treasure to scholars

from other lands. What a sad spectacle is this? It would have been

some compensation if they attended carefully to the study of their

mother tongue; but, even this they do not do; it is neglect, neglect

everywhere.

 

No. I do not condemn worldly happiness. I feel glad when people are

happy. But, please do not believe that this happiness is permanent. I

want that you should study all the arts and sciences for acquiring

worldly happiness. But, I want all to remember that this happiness is

not everlasting.

 

Permanent happiness can be secured only through one Vidya, the

Upanishad Vidya. That is the science of God-realisation, that is the

Teaching of the Rishis. That alone can save Man and grant him peace.

There is nothing higher than that; this is an indisputable fact.

Whatever your joy and sorrow, whatever the subjects you have

specialised in for a living, have your eyes riveted on Brahma Vidya.

If intelligence alone is sharpened, without the growth and practice

of virtues, and if mere information is stored in the brain, the world

cannot progress and its welfare will be in jeopardy.

 

But people now seem to be losing faith in virtues, for, the

educational system does not assign any place for spiritual teaching

or training.True education does not content itself with filling the

brain with cumbersome junk. That education alone is beneficial which

gives full scope for the blossoming of all the virtues which

distinguish man.

 

The Objective World is not Real

 

Actually, men see the shadow and take it to be the substance. They see

length, breadth, height and thickness and they jump to the conclusion

that they have an object before them. They experience a series of

sensations and memories and adding them all up they infer that there

are some objects producing them. This mistaking of Appearance for

Reality is misnamed Jnana. How can it ever be Jnana? Can the image of

a person ever be " he " ? If the image is taken to be " he " , can we call

it knowledge? Such is the nature of all knowledge now. What is

cognised as an object, is not real at all; its reality is not

cognisable.

 

The Adwaithin believes " Aham Brahmaasmi " , " I am Brahman " . How has he

acquired that conviction? Why does he state so! Ask him and the reply

is, " The Sruthi declares so, the Guru taught like that " . But, learning

it from these sources does not entitle him to make that profound

statement. If a person is a master of these three words Aham, Brahma

and Asmi, does he attain the unity with Brahmam? No, ceaseless

striving through countless births, loyal performance of scriptural

duties, these purify the mind. In such a mind, seeds of devotion

sprout and when tended with care and knowledge, flowers bloom, fruits

appear and ripen and get filled with sweetness and fragrance. When

the fruit is eaten, man becomes one with the Supreme, the power that

permeates all things, all religions and which is eternally present

and conscious and blissful.

 

A person may enunciate the formula " Aham Brahmasmi " correctly;

etymology may be perfect; but when he is ignorant of the 'world',

unaware of 'I' and completely in the dark about 'Brahmam', can he

ever taste the rare joy of a Jnani? It is not mastery of words and

their meaning that counts; it is awareness, experience - these are

the fundamentals.

 

Mud alone is real. The pot-consciousness is born of ignorance

regarding mud; mud is the basis, the substance of the pot. How can a

pot exist without mud? How can effect exist apart from the cause? The

world appears as multiplicity only to the ignorant. To a Jnani,

Brahmam alone, Brahmam upon which all else is superimposed, exists.

The Atman alone is cognised by him; there is nothing else. That is

the Adwaithic experience.

 

If the world is real, it must be cognised even during the stage of

dreamless deep sleep; but we are not conscious of it at all. So the

visible world is as unreal as the dream world. Just as through

illusion, a snake is imposed on a rope, the world too is imposed on

Brahmam. The snake and the rope are not seen at the same time; the

entire rope is the snake. So too, Brahmam is all this world, all this

vast variety of name and form. But, this imaginatively conceived

variety is fundamentally false, Brahmam alone is true.

 

The sky might be reflected in a pot of toddy, but the toddy does not

defile it. Similarly, in this vehicle, the body, the Atman dwells pure

and undefiled. The fruits of action, good or bad, fair or foul, adhere

to the vehicle, not to the Indweller, the Seer.

 

When such Jnana dawns, the dark shadows of the three types of Karma -

the Agaami, the Samchitha, the Praarabdha - flee before it. Yes; even

Praarabdha Karma can be overcome. For, the will of God is omnipotent

and for omnipotence there can be no limit or exception. When through

Sadhana, you win the Sankalpa of the Lord, you can with that Sankalpa

achieve victory over Praarabdha also. Do not be discouraged on any

score.

 

The sufferings and travails of this world are illusory and transitory.

Fix your mind firmly on this great fact and set out bravely on the

path of Sadhana, the Sadhana of Devotion.

 

Life is a Journey depending on Samskaras

 

Men are immersed in many activities and they are engaged in various

undertakings. This is a well-known fact. They are so many in numbers

that sometimes one may feel that the span of twenty-four hours is too

short for his daily activity. Drinking, eating, reading, walking,

sitting and besides, dreaming, hating, boasting, praising, weeping,

laughing, moping, hoping - all types of activities go on without end.

They fill up the span of life. These activities are all intimately

attached to the mind. This makes life a mere collection of Samskaras,

which make an impact on character and personality.

 

There are two types of activities, good and bad. The effect of both on

the life of man has to be considered. The acts of a body during that

tender age fade away like the writing of that boy on a slate. When the

events of one's own boyhood are thus consigned to oblivion, how can

the events of the past life be retained in the memory? Leaving this

point aside, it will be wrong to infer that only such events as are

remembered have happened, or have shaped character. The acts and

activities that have occurred and that have been thrust back into

forgetfulness by subsequent events have left a trace of their

consequences in the mind. The residue is there. When you try to bring

back to memory at bedtime the events of the day, everything that

happened from the insignificant to the significant will not answer

the summons. Those which are deeply embedded inside, these alone can

be recalled.

 

When such is the case with the happenings of a single day, when we

forget all events that are not associated with joy or pain, what shall

be said of events of last week or month or years? Only the chief

events are registered clearly. The rest turn hazy and recede and

disappear. These few are the Samskaras.

 

Performing innumerable deeds, gathering vast experience and knowledge,

learning a wide variety of lesson from a wide variety of activities,

man retains as his capital only a mere four or five of them, strong,

deep rooted, vital.

 

Engrossed in the Business of Life, Man earns just the Samskaras

 

A merchant calculates the debit and credit at the end of a week or

month or year and draws up the balance sheet, to arrive at one

figure - his earnings. So too, in this business of life, everything

ends in some bit of net earnings, all the giving and taking

concludes. At the very end of life, it is the small quantity that

will come into the memory. Those experiences that persist to the very

last moment, the two or three that well up into consciousness when

one recalls all that has happened in life, these are the real

sustainers, the genuine achievements.

 

This does not mean that all other acts and all other experiences have

been a waste. Forgetting them means only that their work has been

accomplished and their value realized.

 

When business is done with thousands of rupees, one's heart freezes

if a loss of a few thousands is sustained; the heart leaps in joy,

when a few thousands are gained. Such is the story of the business of

life. If at the point of death, one yearns to cater to the tongue, it

is proof that throughout life the tongue has to be the master. If at

the point of death, the woman remembers the child and seeks to fondle

it, the Samskara of child-love has been predominant, all through

life. It proves that all other experiences have been thrown into

oblivion.

 

Thus, of the Samskaras of life, some one or other, stronger than the

rest, stand out to the last. Life is like that; this has to be learnt.

The net result of all this living and toiling is that which comes to

memory at the last moment of life. Therefore, direct the entire

current of life towards the acquisition of that Samskara which you

feel best for the last moment. Fix your attention upon it, day and

night. The feeling that dominates the moment of death works with

great force in the coming life. This truth must guide man for the

journey of this life too, for Samskaras are the wherewithal for this

journey, as well as for the journey after this.

 

Therefore, from tomorrow, keep always before the eye of memory, death

which is inevitable, and engage yourself in the journey of life, with

good wishes for all, with strict adherence to truth, seeking always

the company of the good, and with the mind always fixed on the Lord.

Live, avoiding evil deeds, and hateful and harmful thoughts, and do

not get attached to the world. If you live thus, your last moment

will be pure, sweet and blessed. Disciplined striving throughout life

is needed to ensure this consummation. The mind has to be turned over

to good samskaras. Everyone must examine himself rigorously and spot

out his defects and struggle to correct them. When man realises his

own defects and uncovers them, it is like being reborn. He then

starts anew, from a new boyhood. This is the genuine moment of

awakening.

 

Life is eternally stalked by Death. But, yet, man does not tolerate

the very mention of the word " Death " . It is deemed inauspicious to

hear that word, though, however insufferable the word, every living

thing is every moment proceeding nearer and nearer that event. Intent

on a journey and having purchased a ticket for the same, if you enter

a train, whether you sit quiet or lie down or read or meditate, the

train takes you willy-nilly to the destination. So too, each living

thing has at birth received a ticket to Death and has come on a

journey; so, whatever your struggles and safeguards and precautions,

the Place has to be reached some day. Whatever is uncertain, Death is

certain. It is impossible to change that Law.

 

Man has taught the eye, the ear and the tongue, the luxury of constant

novelty; now, he has to teach them the opposite tendencies. The mind

has to be turned towards the good; the activities of every minute

have to be examined from that standpoint. Each such deed is the

stroke of a chisel, by which the rock of human personality is being

shaped. A wrong stroke may spoil and disfigure the rock. Therefore

even the tiniest of acts has to be done with great care and devotion.

 

For a drowning man, even a reed is some support. So too, to a person

struggling in the Sea of Samsara, a few good words spoken by some one

might be of great help. No good deed can go waste; no, not even a bad

deed, for, that too has its consequence. So, strive to avoid the

slightest trace of evil activity; keep your eyes pure, fill your ears

with the words of God and the stories of Godly Deeds, do not allow

them to listen to calumny. Use the tongue for uttering good words and

kind and true words. Let it always remind you of God. Such constant

effort must grant you victory. It is to earn these holy Samskaras

that one has to maintain the flow of high thoughts and feelings,

uninterrupted.

 

The hands should be used to perform good deeds. Have the Lord's name

within, and the practice of Swadharma without. With the hand busy with

Seva, let your mind be engrossed in all this - there is no harm. When

the rains pour on the mountain peaks and the water hurries down the

sides, no river emerges therefrom. When however the waters flow in a

single direction, first a brook, then a stream, then a torrent, and

finally, a flooded river is formed, and the rains reach the sea. Water

that runs in one direction reaches the sea; water flowing in four

directions gets dissipated and lost. Samskaras are of this type. Of

what use are they, if they merely come and go, this way today and

that way, the next? The holy stream of good samskaras must flow full

and steady along the fields of holy thoughts and finally abide in the

great Ocean of Bliss at the moment of Death. Worthy indeed is he who

reaches such a Goal.

 

Twenty hammer-strokes might not succeed in breaking a stone; the

twenty-first stroke might break it. But, does this mean that the

twenty blows were of no avail? No. Each of those twenty strokes

contributed its share to the final success; the final result was the

cumulative effect of all the twenty-one. So too, the mind is engaged

in a struggle with the world, both internal and external. Needless to

say success might not always be your lot. But man can attain ever-

lasting bliss by getting immersed in good works and by saturating the

mind with the love of God.Infuse every moment of life with that love.

Then evil tendencies dare not hamper the path. Since his mind ever

dwells with the Lord, he will be drawn automatically towards good

deeds only. The object of all Sadhana is the destruction of the mind

and some day, some one good deed will succeed in destroying it, just

as the twenty-first blow broke the stone. For this triumph, all the

good deeds done in the past have contributed; each little thing

counts; no good deed is a waste.

 

While struggling in the spiritual field, you should take Parameswara

Himself as your protector. To instill courage in the child, the mother

persuades it to walk a few steps and turn about, but she will not

allow it to loose balance, she hurries from behind it and catches it

ere it falls. Ishwara too has His Eyes fixed on the Jivi. He has in

his hand the string of the kite which is man; sometimes, he may give

it a pull, sometimes, he may loosen the hold; but whatever He does,

be confident and carefree, for it is He that holds the string. That

faith ever present, that feeling hardening into a Samskara, will fill

you with Premarasa.

 

The string is the bond of Love and Grace. The kite or Jivi is thus

bound to Ishwara. You must do and earn auspicious Samskaras in order

that the bond of Love and Grace may exist and get tightened.

 

The Samskaras make or mar the Jivi; they are the steps which take all

Jivis to the goal. Samskaras make the Jivi wade through loss and

grief. Through good Samskaras alone can man attain the Lord. So,

every Jivi has to be wholly engaged in Sathkarma. Sathkarma is the

authentic Puja. It is the best form of remembering the Lord. It is

the highest Bhajan. It spreads love, without distinction and

difference. It is service done as the duty of the Jivi.

 

Be engaged in such Karmas. Revel uninterruptedly in the thought of the

Lord. This is the royal road to the goal you have to reach.

 

Sanathana Dharma is the Divine Mother of Humanity

 

Sanathana Dharma is the mother of all religions, all ethical codes and

all Dharmas of this world; and Bharatha Desa is the home where the

Mother was born. Oh! How fortunate are the Bharathiyas! How sublimely

splendid is this Bharatha Desa!

 

The world in its entirety is the Body of the Lord of the world, and

this Bharatha desa is that Body's unique organ, the Eye. Without the

eye the body is not master of itself, is it not? Again, it can be

said that Bharatha Desa has been beautified by the two eyes; the

Vedas and the Sastras. On account of this it can be declared without

doubt that the Samskara attained by the Bharathiyas has not been

acquired by the people of any other country. Sanathana Dharma, which

teaches the truth of all religions and tolerance of all religions, is

the Dharma of all mankind. Born in various areas, flowing through

various paths, the rivers at last reach the Ocean; so too, born in

different lands, practising different ways of Dharma, people reach

the Ocean of the presence of the Lord, through different modes of

worship. Sanathana Dharma is the central location in which all these

various paths, moving in different directions, converge. Followers of

the different religions can practise this Sanathana Dharma, by being

truthful in speech, by avoiding jealousy and anger, and by acting

always with a loving heart. All those who so practise Sanathana

Dharma and, without faltering, achieve it, are entitled to be

called 'Bharathiyas'.

 

The Hindu religion is the only religion that has achieved and

maintained the foremost position among all religions from earliest

times and established itself permanently. The only people who have

survived without being destroyed, throughout the historic age, are

the Hindus. In this religion, more than in any other, people have

practised lives of love, equality and gratitude. The Hindus have

earned their Dharma through the discovery of philosophic principles

and through the Vedas. They have drunk deep the essence of the Vedas

which are without beginning and without end. A land so holy is a

veritable spiritual mine to the world. Just as the bowels of the

earth reveal in each area mines of different metals, in Bharatha Desa

is found in mine of Sanathana Dharma, the essence of all the

principles of all the Sastras, all the Vedas, and all the Upanishads.

 

As if by good luck of the Bharathiyas, along with the emergence of the

mine of Sanathana Dharma, which is as a home to them, from that moment

and for that very purpose, leaders, thinkers, commentators, apostles

and teachers have been originating in this land itself. Also from

this very Bharatha Desa arose seers, selfless karmayogis, wise men,

realised souls, and Divine personages connected with this religion.

It is through these persons that spiritual wisdom reinforced by

experience flowed all over the country. In this way loaded with

essence, Sanathana Dharma progressed throughout the world. But, to

whatever land it spread, the 'original home' is Bharatha itself.

 

Look at the world today: machines, cars, engines of some new type or

other are made in one country and are exported to others. But their

original home cannot be forgotten. Such cars and engines are

manufactured only on the basis of its experience. Nothing can be done

without that basis. So too, Sanathana Dharma arose in Bharatha Desa

and people of other countries benefited from its waters through the

great personages and the books they composed. Hence, the basis of the

original home cannot be ignored. That is impossible. But it is a

matter of some concern to see today, in this Bharatha Desa the

birthplace of those holy persons who nursed and fostered this sacred

Dharma, new modes being accepted as one's Dharma, and the Sanathana

Dharma, itself being assigned and kept aside for people of other

countries, by the persons who have not even tasted the sweetness of

the Dharma, who have not grasped its meaning, and who have smothered

it in empty disputation. The reason for this is, of course, the

absence of proper guides who could show the way. But even when there

are such guides, people yield to these modern modes and get attached

to them. These are really like bazaar pakodas. They attract by their

smell, and are bought by persons who do not discriminate. Though

their Swadharama is the pure Sanathana Dharma, the fascination

exercised by outward show is absent and so it gets neglected. Truth

has no need for such decorations. Taste is the important thing. The

basic reason for this is the fact that men today are motivated by

mere whim and fancy. It has become the habit to reject the reality

and accept the Dharama of another. This is a great mistake.

It is against Dharma for Bharathiyas to be attracted by external forms

and by outward show. No other Dharma has or will have Truth and

Highest Love, above and beyond that contained in Sanathana Dharma.

Sanathana Dharma is the veritable embodiment of Truth. It is the

Heritage of all. There can be no boundary for Holiness. Holiness is

one, without a second.

 

Those who have attained Liberation in this life by adherence to this

Sanathana Dharma, who have earned the grace of God, who have

understood the nature of Truth, who have achieved Realisation are all

Bharathiyas. Bharathiyas have adored those who have reached that holy

stage, without distinction of caste, creed, or sex. The holiness of

that stage burns to ashes all such limitations. It is only until that

stage is reached that it becomes impossible to consider everything as

equal. So, it is necessary to embark boldly on the realisation of

Sanathana Dharma. This is the birthright of Bharathiyas.

 

If we examine history since its very beginnings, we can know in detail

what great personages were born, in which sections of the Hindus.

Incarnations, Divine personalities and Jeevanmuktas like Rama,

Krishna, Balarama, Janaka and Parikshit, Rajayogis like Viswamitra

all arose among the Kshatriyas. Brahmarishis, great Pandits, Sastric

Scholars, Vedic Rishis, originated in the Brahmin section. Sudras

predominate in the epic books, like Bharatha and Bhagavatha. Among

the great devotees of the Lord, members of the lower castes form a

large number. To attain holiness without being affected by the world,

and to reach Paramatma, each one's Sadhana is important; other things

like caste will not be a hindrance at all. But, one should deserve

the Grace required for it; one should become regular and disciplined

in practice.

 

Many Bharathiyas, however, now bring endless disgrace on the Hindu

religion by neglecting the principles of life of the above mentioned

great personages, not studying them and following their instructions,

by modifying their way of life to suit the changing times and (as the

saying goes " The hour of ruin brings wicked thoughts " ) by becoming

slaves to name and fame and the craving for power and position and out

of concern to promote the well-being of their wives and children

through selfish means. Still, there is no dearth of persons who love

all in equal measure, who are devoid of selfishness, who are engaged

in the promotion of the welfare of all, who have dedicated themselves

to the service of mankind and who are ready to sacrifice everything.

But they are suppressed; they are not appreciated or placed in

positions of high authority for fear there will be then no place for

the wicked, the crooked and unjust.

 

However broad and deep the ocean, when the earth quakes underneath,

the waters part off themselves, and when the commotion subsides, they

resume their original position. So too these good men keep away

without being caught up in it during the earthquake of injustice,

unrighteousness, selfishness and ostentation; and as soon as the

hullabaloo subsides, they re-enter the world. Evanescent authority

and self-glorification cannot be permanent " To grow is only to

decay " , it is said. The present peacelessness is decay not growth.

For, see how the Bharathiyas who from the beginning, grew up in

righteous ways with pure feelings, with self-control and reverence

for the good name, who were fed on the breast-milk of the Vedas,

Sastras and Upanishads, who have welcomed and honoured even races

driven out of their own country and vouchsafed to them love in equal

measure, today, for love of power and self, accuse their own

brethren, one person impatiently envying the prosperity of

another, deceive their own brothers maddened by selfish greed, keep at

arm's length their real well-wishers, pursue only each one's selfish

end, multiply bad qualities hitherto unheard of in the Hindu fold,

follow wrong paths and ways of life, and become the target of conflict

and restlessness, on account of the absence of fear of sin, fear of

God, discipline, reverence and faith. The fall is indeed incredible.

 

Hindu Brethren! Children of Bharath! Followers of the Sanathana way!

Where have the manly qualities of old gone? Truth, Tolerance,

Morality, Discipline - when would you accept them? Arise, Awake, and

Establish once again Rama Rajya, resplendent with mansions of Sathya,

Dharma and Santhi. Love your Bharathiya brethren. Practise Sanathana

Dharma. Quench the burning flames of ignorance, Peacelessness,

Injustice and Envy with the waters of Love, Forbearance and Truth.

Develop the feeling of Mutualness. Sweep away all jealousy and anger.

Remember the rule of the holy personages, the characteristics of the

most eminent and of the reign of God. Each one should realise his own

faults, and understand there is no use in searching for faults in

others. That is mere waste of time; it also breeds quarrels. So, give

up that trait. If this opportunity is missed, what else can be done?

Do not yield to dejection, but say 'Finis' to all the unrighteousness

of the past. Repent sincerely and tread the path of Prayer to God,

Good Deeds and Brotherly Love. Establish the eternal Rama Rajya.

 

The 'Sanathana Sarathi' has been started to win this Rajya; its army

will help this effort by word and deed. Draw that chariot forward!

Gird up your loins and begin Narayana-sarana... Bharathiyas are all

the children of one Mother, Her name is Sanathana Dharma. Redeem the

debt due to the Mother. He is no son who forgets the mother. He

cannot be good who says the Mother is bad. Her breast-milk is the

very breath of our life... The giver of this Life, the Father of all

is Paramatma.

 

All are the children of the same parents. So, without blaming and

accusing each other, without wishing evil for one's kith and kin,

understand that your other brothers have the same attachment to the

objects they love that you have towards the things that you love. One

should not find fault with what another loves; nor should one laugh at

it. He should, on the other hand, try to love it. These are the

characteristics of the Truth and Love of Bharathiyas.

 

Sarvaantharyaami is One and Only One

 

The Vedas, the Sastras, and the messages of the Rishis, all have

proclaimed uniformly and without any possibility of doubt, from that

day to this, that Paramatma is Sarvaantharyaami, present and immanent

in everything. So too questions like the relationship between 'He who

is served', 'he who serves', and 'the wherewithal of service', viz.,

'Prakriti', have also been the subject of endless discussion. Every

Asthika has heard the Bhagavatha verse in which the great Bhaktha

Prahlada states out of his own experience that Paramatma, the

Sarvaantharyaami, need not be searched far and wide and that He is

very near the seeker himself.

'He is here, He is not there, give up such doubts;

Listen, Oh! Leader of the Danavas!

Wherever you seek and wherever you see,

There... and there... He is!'

People speak of the Lord as having a particular nature of

characteristic, as having a particular form and so on. These

statements are true only to the extent that imagination and guesswork

can approximate to Truth; they are not the fundamental Truth. Such

conceptions are valid as far as practical worldly knowledge goes; they

cannot be considered as valid knowledge of the Absolute. For, it is

impossible to see the Poornam or speak about it.

 

In spite of this, however, Bhakthas and aspirants have been framing,

each according to the stage of his own inner progress, some form or

other of the Divine as the basis of their devotion. They worship

Paramathma as existing in some Ayodhya or Dwaraka and nowhere else; as

found in places where some image or picture exists and nowhere else.

They worship that form itself as Poornam. Of course, it is not wrong

to do so. Only, Bhakthas should not proclaim that their belief alone

is the Truth, that those names and forms which they have ascribed are

the only names and forms of the Divine and that all other forms and

names are worthless and inferior. It should be realised that the

names and forms which are the ideals of others are as dear and sacred

to those others as other names and forms are to oneself.

 

When a form is idealised like this, it really becomes a symbol of the

Universal; but, how can a mere symbol of the Universal ever become the

Universal itself? Conscious always of this, every one should acquire,

without giving room to senseless hatred, the vision that all forms of

the ideal are equally valid and true. Without this, it is impossible

to realise the Poornam. All these gross forms of the ideal are fully

saturated with the subtle Divine Principle. The taste of the vast

ocean is to be found, complete and undiminished, in every single drop

of its waters; but, this does not mean that the drop is the ocean.

Though we recognise the 'drop' and the 'ocean' as separate entities,

the nature and taste of both are identical. Similarly, the

sarvaantharyaami Paramaatma and the gross form and name which

Paramaatma assumes and through which He is realised are not separate

entities; they are identical.

 

When this All-pervasive, All-inclusive Pure existence is described,

the matter and the method depend on the principles of the speaker and

the tastes of the listener; when the individual name and form imposed

by the Bhaktha are transformed into the Attributeless and the

Formless, it is referred to as Brahmam; when this same Brahmam

appears with attributes and forms, it is referred to as Rama,

Krishna, Vishnu or Siva. Do not the followers of even other religions

agree that when the devotee attains the Ecstasy of Mystic Union, all

distinction between him and God disappears? The Yogis, Philosophers

of other lands and other faiths,too, accept without demur that this

distinctionless experience can be earned through Parabhakthi. Even if

some little trace of difference is retained, it is due to the

individuals own taste and desire and not anything especially basic.

It is only when name and form come in that it is named differently as

Prakriti, Paramaatma and Bhaktha. When name and form are absent,

doubt and discussion whether it is masculine, feminine

or neutral will not arise at all. Then any description fits. For

something that is above and beyond imagination, any name and form can

be ascribed. In fact, It has no attribute and no form; it is All-

pervasive, Omnipresent. When this Subtle Omnipresence is

systematically worshipped through a gross form and as having

attributes, the devotee will clearly realise its nature through the

Sadhana itself. To vouchsafe the knowledge of this Sadhana and that

Truth, and to bless the Bhakthas with that Bliss, the Attributeless

Paramaatma incarnates in this world, assuming name and form, and

gives scope for all embodied beings to have concrete experience and

joy. Through these experiences, the Incarnations facilitate the

realisation that Paramaatma is Sarvaantharyaami and

arvabhoothaantharaatma, All-pervasive, the Inner Atma of every thing

in Creation. Lord Krishna showed in his own form the entire Creation.

Until he saw with his own eyes how Lord Krishna had contained in His

gross form of entire Creation, even Arjuna failed to understand that

Krishna was Sarvaantharyaami.