Sathya Sai Vahini - Chapter 15

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Sathya Sai Vahini

 

Chapter 15

Levels and Stages

 

The Hindu religion authorises the worship of a variety of Gods; this

has resulted in sectarian feuds and factions which fill the land with

fear and unrest. " All the infights and agitations in the country can

be traced to this one basic defect " - this is the unthinking verdict

of many observers. But, this judgement is not correct. It is a flimsy

flight of fancy, indulged in by persons devoid of the faculty of

reason.

 

In the West, the inhabitants of all lands are, more or less, adherents

of the Christian religion. Though all of them adore one God, they have

been slaughtering each other by methods far more horrible than wild

animals resort to. Do they not wage wars in which peoples remote from

the scene of conflict including innocent women, children and the aged

are wiped off the earth by merciless fire power? Is their religion the

basic cause for such heartless, disgraceful, stupid and demoniac

devastation and fratricide? Of course, they belong to one religion and

they adore one God but, there must be some poisonous trait lurking

behind the faÁade of adoration, polluting the entire personality.

Religion cannot be the cause even to the slightest extent, for

factions, fights, and wars.

 

Germany had no place for caste groups and sectarian conflicts. It had

achieved extraordinary progress in science and technology. It shone in

the forefront of nations by means of its strength, courage and

heroism. Such a nation was cut up into four bits by the four

victorious powers each bit being ruled by a separate nation! Japan

which has no problems of religious differences and sectarian

conflicts had to suffer the vengeance of the nations for some years!

What was the reason? For the downfall of nations, religion alone

cannot be the cause.

 

No one can even imagine a world in which differences do not exist.

Differences are born from the inner springs of intelligence and the

cumulative effect of impacts. The life of every being is the external

expression of this intelligence and this effect. Inert as well as

non-inert entities are but manifestations on different levels of this

Intelligence. The parrot casts its eyes in a distinct way; the crow

does the same, quite differently. The jackal reasons out situations

differently from the dog. The nature of animals is of one type; the

nature of human beings is of another type. Between man and man, there

are differences in the knowledge gained. Not only in knowledge but

even in physical characteristics and personal charm, there are

countless variations. Their likes and dislikes, their thoughts and

feelings are shaped in diverse ways by the knowledge they have and

the professions they are engaged in. We have no need to go so far.

Even twins growing together in the same womb are not often identical;

they manifest different natures. What is the reason for this? The

reason lies in differences in the development of the intelligence.

 

Therefore, at no time can mankind be free from differences; universal

equality is an impossible aspiration; the desire to have it

established on earth is a fantasy; it is a search for flowers in the

sky.

 

The animal lives with the awareness that it is an animal, the bird has

the consciousness that it is a bird. A woman engages herself in the

activities of the world, conscious that she is a woman; so also does

man. The consciousness one has, until sleep overwhelms, continues

without change after waking from sleep. The living being continues his

activities as before sleep. Man continues his activity where it was

broken off by sleep; so too, man continues in this life the activities

broken off by death, from where they were ended. " Yam Yam vaapi smaran

bhaavam, thyajathyanthe kalebaram. He gives up his body at the end,

remembering the feelings that moved him ever so strongly. " And in the

Gita: " Tham thamaivethi Kauntheya, sadaa thad bhaava bhavithah " - He

attains that status itself to which his feelings were all the while

directed. " The nature of the next life is in accordance with feelings

which occupy the mind when man casts off his corpse. For, those

feelings will only be in accordance with the feelings that motivated

his living days. On deeper thought, it will be evident that the basic

truth is just this: Everything depends on the progress attained in

the sublimation of intelligence.

 

Though in outer form, a certain uniformity may appear, there exist

vast and varied differences in inner nature. A genus or species is

mainly decided on outer characteristics, which are really the

manifested expressions of the inner intelligence. An individual is

primarily a form. Man, Tree, Hill, Sparrow, Fox, Dog, Cow, Snake,

Scorpion - these 'sounds' denote members of the species with these

forms. The Individuals may undergo destruction; but, the species will

continue. Men may die; but, mankind will persist. Trees may fall and

be reduced to ash or dust but the genus cannot ever suffer

destruction. The living genus is eternal; total destruction can never

happen.

 

If we analyse and inquire into even the small things that we

experience in our daily lives, these truths will be clearly evident

before us. We say that every one in the human species has human

characteristics but when we evaluate one person, we pay special

attention to his virtues and habits, present status and future

prospects.

 

Cows - all of them - belong to one species. But when we desire to

purchase a cow, we try to find out its parentage. We look for

auspicious marks on its body. It must give us plenty of milk; it must

be a pretty little quiet animal. We purchase only cows with these

desirable qualities. We are not attracted by the fact that it is a

cow like the rest of the species. We do not purchase a barren cow or

a wild unruly cow. Therefore, though all men are more or less

uniform, one is to be evaluated on the basis of one's qualities only.

 

When an inquiry in depth is made into another topic, it will be clear

that feelings of difference between high and low are natural

reactions. Though urine and faeces are uniformly unclean, the urine

of the cow is treated as holy. Sanctity is not attributed to the

urine or faeces of other animals; these are definitely unholy. Take

the instance of fire, Agni. Fire is fire, whatever the form. We light

lamps at home; we have fire in our hearths. We have the sacrificial

fire, rising up in flames. This Agni is revered and worshipped;

people prostrate before it. But, the fire in the lamp and the hearth

are not evaluated so high. When fire is raised to burn a corpse on

the cremation ground, the flame is not considered pure enough for any

other use. No one will bake 'rotis' over it; no one will revere it or

offer prostrations before it. For, it is treated

as 'low', 'unholy', 'polluted'.

 

Similarly, though men have the same physical form, the peculiarities

of each body and of the other sheaths in which he is encased, and the

nature of his qualities and activities, distinctions among them have

necessarily to be made. Some must be treated as " high " and some, as

" low " . Electric bulbs do not all emit the same quality of light; some

are bright and some dull. There is the same current in every bulb

though some express it in full strength and others are not able to do

so.

 

We have to accept that for the world to evolve, levels of awareness,

stages of excellence, distinctions like high and low, holy and unholy,

religious and irreligious are essential requisites; they are

inevitable. They are designed by Divine will.