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- SATHYA SAI VAHINI: SPIRITUAL MESSAGE OF SRI SATHYA SAI
Dear Seeker!
Bhagavan has announced Himself as the Divine Teacher of Truth, Beauty and Goodness. By precept and example, through His writings and discourses, letters and conversations, He has been instilling the supreme wisdom and instructing all mankind to translate it into righteous living, inner peace and universal love. When the Ramakatha Rasa Vahini, the uniquely authentic nectarine stream of the Rama story, was serialised in full in the "Sanathana Sarathi", Bhagavan blessed readers with a new series which He named "Bharathiya Paramartha Vahini" (The Stream of Indian Spiritual Values). While these precious essays on the basic truths, that foster and feed Indian Culture since ages before history began, were being published, Bhagavan decided to continue the flow of illumination and instruction under a more comprehensive and meaningful name, "Sathya Sai Vahini" - the Ganga from the Lotus Feet of the Lord - "The Flow of Divine Sai Grace". This book, therefore, contains the two Vahinis that have merged in one master stream.
Inaugurating these series, Bhagavan wrote, for publication in the Sanathana Sarathi, "Moved by the urge to cool the heat of conflict and to quench the agonising thirst for 'knowledge about yourself' that you are afflicted with, see, here it comes, the Sathya Sai Vahini, wave behind wave, with the Sanathana Sarathi as the medium between you and me." With infinite compassion, this Sathya Sai incarnation of the Omniwill is giving millions of persons in all lands freedom from disease, distress and despair, narcotics, narcissism and nihilism. He is encouraging those who suffer gloom through willful blindness to light the Lamp of Love in order to see the world and the Lamp of Wisdom to see themselves. "This is a tantalising true false world; its apparent diversity is an illusion; it is One, but is cognised by the maimed multiple vision of humans as Many", says Bhagavan. This book is the twin Lamp He has devised for us.
Lord Krishna aroused Arjuna from the gloomy depression into which he led his mind, at the very moment when duty called on him to be himself - the far famed warrior, ready and eager to fight on behalf of right against might. Krishna effected the cure by reminding him of the Atma which was his reality and of Himself being the Atma he was. Bhagavan says that we too are easily prone to get caught "in the coils of cleverness and the meshes of dialectical logic. The key to success in spiritual endeavour (and, what is life worth, if it is not dedicated to that high endeavour?) is philosophical inquiry and moral advance, both culminating in the awareness of the Atma, the source and sum of all the energy and activity that is." We are all motivated by fear, doubt and attachments as Arjuna was. We are all hesitant at the cross-road between the This and That, the wave and the ocean.
But, as created by Him, we are "the miracle of miracles". Bhagavan says, "Whatever is not in man cannot be anywhere outside him. Whatever is visible outside him is but a rough reflection of what really is in him." "The Atma is free. It is Purity. It is Fullness. It is unbounded. Its centre is the body but its circumference is beyond the beyond." Man has been endowed with a superintellect that can recognise the existence of the Atma, strive for bringing it into his awareness and succeed.
However, very few are human enough to seek to know who they are, why they are here and wherefrom, and whither they go from here. They move about with temporary names, encased in evanescent ever-changing bodies. So, Bhagavan accosts us, "Listen! Children of Immortality! Listen! Listen to the message of the Rishis who had the Vision of the Most Majestic Person, the Purushothama, the Foremost and the First, who dwells beyond the realms of Illusion and Delusion. O ye Human beings! You are by nature ever full. You are indeed God moving on earth. Is there a greater sin than calling you 'sinners'? When you accept the appellation, you are defaming yourselves. Arise! Cast off the humiliating feeling that you are sheep. Do not be deluded into that idea. You are Atma. You are drops of Amrith, Immortal Truth, Beauty, Goodness. You have neither beginning nor end. All things material are your bondslaves; you are not their bondslaves, as you imagine now."
Bhagavan says, "Through the unremitting practice of Truth, Righteousness, and Fortitude, the Divinity quiescent in the individual has to be induced to manifest itself in daily living, transforming it into the joy of truly loving." "Know the Supreme Reality; breathe It, bathe in It, live in It, then It becomes all of you and you become fully It." A material object is not self-expressive or swathah-prakaasa. It depends wholly on the capacity for knowledge or chith-sakthi of the individualised Atma for its manifestation or prakasa. The relative world of objects is dependent upon the relative consciousness of the jivi or individualised Atma. When the object is further scrutinised and the true basis of the Plurality is grasped, Brahman or the Oversoul as the First Principle is acknowledged as a logical necessity. Subsequently, when sense control, mind-cleansing, concentration and inner silence are achieved, what appeared as a logical necessity dawns upon the purified consciousness as a Positive Permanent Impersonal Will (Prajnaanam Brahma), whose expression is all this.
Sathya Sai Vahini reveals to us in unmistakable terms that the self in man is 'no other than the Overself or God'. We are told that this is true not only of mankind but of all beings, everything and anywhere! In fact, "Will causes this unreal multiplicity of Cosmos on the One that He is. He can by the same Will end the phenomenon." "Being (God) is behind the Becoming and Becoming merges in Being. This is the eternal Play," says Bhagavan.
As Bhagavan writes, "the supreme end of education, the highest purpose of instruction, is to help us to become aware of the universal immanent Impersonal." Sathya Sai in His role as the Teacher of Teachers is instructing us herein for this supreme adventure of the soul. Seekers proceeding on this pilgrimage have in Him a compassionate guide and guardian, for He is the embodiment of the very Will that planned the Play.
As we are led through the valley of this Vahini by Bhagavan who holds us by the hand, He exhorts us to admire, appreciate and adore the seers and sages of many lands who have pioneered into this realm and laid down limits and bounds, preparatory disciplines and practices, to smooth the path and hasten the discovery of Truth. He writes of the Vedas and later spiritual texts, of the Forms of Worship that have stood the test of centuries of loyal acceptance, and of the Disciplinary Codes laid down for the four stages of human life and for humans with pronounced inborn characteristics - the vertical uplifting Sathwic, the horizontal expansive Rajasic and the dull declining Thamasic. He clarifies the role of Karma and its consequence. "Like a frail ship caught in a stormy sea, man climbs up a gigantic wave and reaches its froth-edged peak. The next moment, he is hurled into the trough, only to rise again. The rise and fall are both the consequences of his own deeds. They design the palace and the prison for man. Grief or joy is the resound, the reflection or reaction of one's own actions. The Jivi can escape both by cultivating the attitude of a witness, not involved in the activities he has to do." Bhagavan writes of 'Yoga' as the process of the "coming together of Jivatma and Paramatma, the Self and the Overself" and He elaborates on the path of Love (Bhakthi), of Selfless Activity (Karma), of mastery over the mind (Raja), of sublimation of Consciousness (Jnana). Bhagavan analyses the rights and responsibilities of the individual and society and reveals to us that they have the one underlying purpose of spiritual fulfilment.
To sum up, the Sathya Sai Vahini is the Geetha given to us by the Person who, as Sanathana Sarathi, eager and ready to hold the reins of our senses, mind, consciousness, ego and intellect, and guide us safely to Prashanthi Nilayam, the Abode of Supreme peace, the Goal of all mankind.
May we all be blessed by His Love and Grace.
- N. Kasturi
The process of living has the attainment of the Supreme as its purpose and meaning. By the Supreme is meant the Atma. All those who have grown up in the Bharathiya culture - the Bharathiyas - know that the Atma is everywhere. But, when asked how they have come to know of this, some assert that the Vedas have taught them so, some others quote the Sastra texts, and some others rely on the experiential testimony of the great sages. Each of them bases his conclusion and proves its correctness according to the sharpness of his intellect. Many great men have directed their intelligence towards the discovery of the omni-present Atma and succeeded in visualising that Divine Principle. In this country, Bharath, they have evidence of the successful realisation of the goals placed before themselves, by preachers, pundits, aspirants and ascetics, when they tried earnestly to pursue them. However, among millions of men, we can count only a few who have been able to visualise the Universal Atman.
No other living being has been endowed with intelligence and discriminative faculty, heightened to this degree, in order to enable it to visualise the Atma. This is the reason why man is acclaimed as the crown of creation, and why the Sastras proclaim that the chance of being born as man is a very rare piece of good fortune. Man has the qualifications needed to seek the cause of Creation; he has in him the urge and the capacity. He is utilising the Created Universe for promoting his peace, prosperity and safety; he is using the forces and things in Nature for promoting his happiness and pleasure. This is approved by the Vedas themselves.
The Vedas are the authority for the faith of millions. They are the very words of God. The Hindus believe that the Vedas had no beginning and will have no end. God speaks to man. They are not books written by authors. They are revelations conferred by God on many inquirers, of the ways of earning the Supreme Goal. They existed before they were revealed as valid paths; they will continue valid even if man forgets the path. They did not originate at any period of time nor can they be effaced at some other time. The Dharma which the Vedas allow us to glimpse is also without a beginning or an end. For, it refers to the Supreme Goal.
Of course, a few may argue that, though it may be conceded that the Dharma relating to the supreme goal has no ending, surely it must have had a beginning. The Vedas declare that the cycle of Creation - Dissolution has no point where it begins and no point where it ends. It is a continuous wheel. And, there is no change in the quantum of the Cosmic Energy - either increase or decrease; it is ever the same, ever established in Itself. The Created and the Creator are two parallel lines, with their beginnings unknown and their endings incomprehensible. They are moving at equal distances from each other, ever and ever. Though God is ever active, His Will and the Power behind it are not clear to the human intellect.
The Supreme, according to the Bharathiyas, (inheritors of Indian culture) is Vastness Itself. It rises to the high skies and roams free in that expanse. It was declared in clear terms, long prior to the historical period. The study of the concept of the Supreme and the propagation of this concept suffered serious setbacks in the course of history. But, it has confronted each of these with success and is today asserting itself alive and alert. This is proof of the innate strength of this revelation. The conceptions of the Supreme Goal as laid down in Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism endeavored to subsume into their categories the Bharathiya concept and transfuse it as part of themselves; still, it did not accept an alien status in its own 'birth-place'; on the other hand, it clarified to those religions themselves their own concept of the Ultimate and emphasised the Unity of all view-points, and established cordiality on the basis of the absence of difference. While the stream of knowledge regarding the Supreme Goal discovered by the Bharathiya saints flowed on the concepts of the other faiths remained as pools beside it.
In India (Bharath) itself many sects were born like mushrooms from out of the main faith. They tried to pluck by the roots or to cause mortal damage to the basic concept of Hinduism regarding the Reality, the Supreme. But, as in a terrific quake of land the waters of the sea recede only to return with thousand-fold fury roaring back upon the shore it had seemed to quit, this stream of Bharathiya wisdom was restored to its pristine glory, when it rose above the confusions and conflicts of history. When the agitations subsided it attracted the varied sects that distracted the mind of man, and merged them into its expansive form. The Atma principle of the Bharathiyas is all embracing, all-revealing, all-explaining and all-powerful.
Developing faith in the Atma Principle and loving it earnestly - this is the real worship. The Atma is the one and only Loved One for man. Feel that it is more lovable than any object here or hereafter - that is the true adoration man can offer to God. This is what the Vedas teach. The Vedas do not teach the acceptance of a bundle of frightfully hard rules and restrictions; they do not hold before man a prison-house where man is shut in by the bars of cause and effect. They teach us that there is One who is the sovereign behind all these rules and restrictions. One who is the core of each object, each unit of energy, each particle or atom and One under whose orders alone the five elements - ether, air, fire, water and earth - do operate. Love Him, adore Him, worship Him - say the Vedas. This is the grand philosophy of Love as elaborated in the Vedas.
The supreme secret is that man must live in the world where he is born like the lotus leaf, which though born in water floats upon it without being affected or wetted by it. Of course, it is good to love and adore God with a view to gain some valuable fruit either here or hereafter; but, since there is no fruit or object more valuable than God or more worthwhile than God, the Vedas advise us to love God, with no touch of desire in our minds. Love, since you must love for love's sake; love God, since whatever He can give is less than He Himself; love Him alone, with no other wish or demand.
This is the Supreme Teaching of the Bharathiyas. Dharmaja, the eldest of the Pandava brothers, as depicted in the Mahabharatha, is the ideal of this type of Lover. When he lost to his enemies his vast empire which included all India and had perforce to live in caves among the Himalayan ranges, with his consort Droupadi, she asked him one day, "Lord! You are undoubtedly the topmost among those who follow unwaveringly the path of Dharma; yet, how is it that such a terrible calamity happened to you?" She was stricken with sorrow.
Dharmaja replied, "Droupadi! Do not grieve. Look at this Himalayan range. How magnificent! How glorious! How beautiful! How sublime! It is so splendid a phenomenon that I love it without limit. It will not grant me anything; but it is my nature to love the beautiful, the sublime. So, here too I am residing, with Love. The embodiment of this sublime beauty is God. This is the meaning and significance of the love for God."
"God is the only entity that is worth loving. This is the lesson that the agelong search of our Bharathiyas has revealed. This is the reason why I am loving Him. I shall not wish for any favour from Him. I shall not pray for any boon. Let him keep me where He loves to keep me. The highest reward for my love is His love, Droupadi! My love is not an article in the market". Dharmaja understood that Love is a Divine quality and has to be treated so. He taught Droupadi that Love is the spontaneous nature of those who are ever in the awareness of the Atma.
The Love which has the Atma as its basis is pure and sublime; but, since man is bound by various pseudo forms of love, he believes himself to be just a Jiva, isolated and individualised, and deprives himself of the fullness and vastness of Divine Love. Hence, man has to win the Grace of God; when he secures that Grace, the Jivi or the individual will be released from identification with body and can identify himself with the Atma. This consummation is referred to in the Vedas as 'Liberation from Bonds' (Bandhavicchedana), or 'Release' (Moksha). To battle against the tendency of body- identification, and to win the Grace of God as the only means of victory, spiritual exercises have been laid down, such as philosophical inquiry, besides sense-control (dama), and other disciplines of the six-fold Sadhana. The practice of these will ensure the purification of the consciousness; it will then become like a clean mirror that can reflect the object; so, the Atma will stand revealed clearly. For Jnanasiddhi (the attainment of the highest wisdom), Chitthasuddhi (the cleansing of the consciousness) is the Royal Path. For the pure in heart this is easy of achievement. This is the central truth of the Indian search for the ultimate Reality. This is the very vital breath of the teaching.
The Bharathiya approach is not to waste time in discussions and assertions of faith in dogmas. They do not delight in the sight of empty oyster shells thrown upon the beach. They seek to gain the pearls that lie in the depths of the sea; they would gladly dive into those depths and courageously seek for pearls. The Vedas show them the ideal to follow and the road which leads to the realisation. The ideal is the awareness of the supreme Truth that lies beyond the knowledge gained by the senses of man. The Vedas remind man that the non-physical Atma is in the physical 'him', that embodiment of Truth is the Supreme Atman, the Paramatman. That alone is real and permanent; the rest are all transitory, evanescent.
The Vedas took form only to demonstrate and emphasise the existence of God. The Hindu siddhapurushas (those who attained the highest goal of spiritual Sadhana) have all travelled along the Vedic path and carried on their investigations according to Vedic teachings. The Sastras contain authentic versions of their experiences and the bliss they won. In the Sastras, and in the Upanishads, they assert, "We had the awareness of the Atma". Hindus do not aim at confronting a dogma or a theory and scoring a victory over it; they aim at testing that dogma or theory in actual practice. Their goal is not mere empty faith; it is the Sthithi (the stage reached), the Siddhi (the wisdom won). The life-aim of the Bharathiyas is to reach fulfilment, through constant Sadhana, the fulfilment that comes from the awareness of one's Divinity. Mergence with the Divine is the attainment of fullness. This is the Supreme Victory for the Hindu, the Bharathiya.
Questions may be asked, and doubts expressed by many, about the state of a person after he has attained fulfilment, the fullness of awareness. His life will be saturated with unexcelled Ananda, and he will experience one-ness of thought, emotion and knowledge with all. He will be in ecstasy, immersed in the One and Only, the Eternal Divine Principle, for, that alone can confer joy during the process of living. Genuine joy is this and no other. God is the embodiment of eternal ever-full joy. Those loyal to Bharathiya culture, whatever the sect or faith which they claim as their special mould, accept this axiom, that "God is the highest source of joy". This matha (conclusion) they accept as abhimatha (dearest and most pleasurable).
Fullness means wholeness. Wholeness implies One and not two or three. There cannot then be any place for the individual. When an individualised Atma or Jivi, the particularised differentiated self, has become full and whole, there is no possibility of his return to the consciousness of the objective world. Some doubts may arise in the minds of many.
But, this line of thought is not correct. When the individualised Jivi becomes fixed in the totality or Samasthi (the whole) he loses all ideas of distinction and is ever in the consciousness of the totality, the One that subsumes the many. He will then be aware that the reality of each is the reality of all and that Reality is the One Indivisible Atma. He will not exhibit any consciousness of distinction between individuals.
The Divine that he knows, as the core of each 'thing and being' is now recognised by him as the Divine that he himself is; and, so, he will be deeper than ever in the fullness of Ananda. How can he then experience separateness? No, he cannot. The rays of that ananda illumine all regions. The sages and the great rishis became aware of the Bliss. They communicated that experience to the world in easily understandable language. The unreachable moon is made known by pointing a finger in the direction where it can be seen! So, too, they brought within the purview of men, according to the state of consciousness which each of them had attained, the Truth that lies beyond the reach of mind and speech. Their teachings were not only simple, but varied to educate and elevate all levels of understanding.
A small example:
One feels happy when one has the knowledge that this one little body is his, does he not? Then, when he knows that two bodies are his, should he not be twice happy? In the same way, with the knowledge that he has an increasing number of bodies, the experience of happiness goes on increasing; when the whole world is known to be one body, and world-consciousness becomes part of the awareness, then the Ananda will be full. To get this multi-consciousness, the limited egocentric prison walls must be destroyed. When the ego-self identifies itself with the Jivi or Atma, death will cease. When the ego-self identifies itself and merges with the Bliss of the One, sorrow will cease. When it merges with Jnana or the Higher Wisdom, error will cease. "Material individual-ness is born out of delusion; this body which creates that impression is only an ever-evolving atom of a boundless ocean; the second entity in me is the other Form, namely, the embodied Self; when the ego of mine merges with the Self in me, then, the delusion disappears, through the upsurge of its opposite knowledge". When man's thought matures in process of time, undoubtedly all schools of thought have to reach this conclusion.
A tree's value is estimated, with reference to its fruits. Take idol worship, for example. Moralists, metaphysicians, philosophers, adherents of the path of Devotion, and the foremost among the virtuous in all parts of the world have all agreed that idol-worship is highly beneficial. So long as attachment persists to the material body and possessions, worship of a material symbol is necessary. It is but a means. But, many decry it as a superstition. This is not correct. It is not the right approach. Such an attitude is just an outburst of foolishness.
Is it not a fact that the belief in one's being the body, a superstition? Can the body last for ever? Is it not a skin doll with 9 apertures, in which life is so perilously existent that a sneeze may cause collapse? Again, should we not characterise the life people lead, believing in the reality of this world, is another superstition? Is not all the self-importance assumed by people who have positions of power and a great quantity of riches, another foolish pose? But, acts done on the basis of faith in the Atma, the Reality within, cannot be dubbed as superstitious or foolish. For every opinion one expresses, if proper reasons are given, all will rejoice. But, do declare as superstitious all that one does not like, is a sign of frenzy, foolishness or egoism.
We will find it impossible to love God or adore Him, unless we meditate on some Form; this is as essential as breathing for sheer living. That is a necessary stage in the process of living. One has to accept it as such. Childhood is the father of old age. Can old age condemn childhood or teenage, as evil? To experience the Divine Principle, idol-worship is and has been a great help to many. How then can the aspirant and the practitioner of spiritual disciplines condemn idol-worship after passing through that stage and deriving benefits from it? That would indeed be very wrong, and inappropriate.
The Bharathiya march towards the Supreme Reality is not from Untruth to Truth. It is from truth to Truth, from incomplete truth to complete Truth, from partial truth to full Truth. For, what are Sadhanas? Every effort made by men, from the remote forest-dwellers and the unsophisticated tribals, who adore the gross forms of Divinity, to those highly evolved seekers who adore the Full and the Absolute, is a Sadhana. Each such effort will take man a step forward in progress.
Each individual Jivi is comparable to a bird; it can, by longer and higher flights, rise up into the sky. And, a stage may finally be gained when it can fly right up to the full-splendoured orb of the Sun.
The basic truth of Nature is the One in the Many; that is the key to its understanding. The Bharathiyas grasped this truth; they held fast to this key. People of other countries were content to lay down certain axioms and enforcing belief in them. They insisted on the acceptance of these axioms and the observance of rules and regulations that arise out of them. They held one single coat before the individuals of the society where they lived and required every one to wear the same coat; if it does not suit the size of any one, there was no alternative coat for such people. They had to live without a coat to protect them against the chill wind.
The Bharathiya approach was quite different. For each aspect or variation of feeling and thinking, volition and action, they made available a distinct Name and Form, and provided modes of worship and ways of adoration, in accordance with the emotional needs and intellectual calibre of the aspirants and devotees. Of course, a few had no need for such special consideration and treatment. But, many took advantage of this concession, and advanced in their march towards wisdom and liberation.
For one thing, never was it laid down as part of the Bharathiya spiritual endeavour, that idol-worship is a must or that it is a stage that has to be gone through: But, there is one fact which each one must preserve in his memory, it is this: Bharathiyas may have attachment to their bodies; they may be attached to the upkeep and development of their standards of living; but, they would never yearn to cut the throats of others. The Bharathiya who is fanatic about his religion would rather immolate himself in flames raised and fed by him, rather than through hatred burn alive those who do not accept and revere his religion. Bharathiya spiritualism negated the destruction of the Atma, the One inextinguishable Truth.
For, the Bharathiya Religion fostered the faith that the Self in man is no other than the Overself or God. Bharathiya Religion directs long journeys by men and women, through varied paths, confronted and controlled by varied circumstances, but, encouraged and enlightened by various types of faith towards the goal of the splendour of God-consciousness or the Consciousness of the Divine. Though the practices and rites might appear on the surface to be crude, they are not opposed to the ultimate Truth. The seeming contradictions have to be interpreted as incidental to the need to inspire people with varied intellectual, moral, economic and social backgrounds. For example, the light that comes through a tiny piece of coloured glass is of the same origin as bigger clearer light. The extent, clarity, brightness etc. of light depends on the medium only. The source of all light is the One Truth, the Source of All, the Basis of All, the Goal of All, the Reality in All, and the Centre in All. As the thread on which pearls are strung as a rosary, God or the Overself is interpenetrative in all beings. In all beings - that is the message of Bharath. All beings everywhere, anywhere!
Examine carefully all the texts and scriptures that deal with Bharathiya culture and traditions. Find out whether in any of them there is mention that Moksha or Liberation or the Highest Realisation is available to those who are Bharathiyas only, and not to others. Can you produce a single statement on those lines? It can be emphatically asserted that you cannot discover a statement like that. Bharathiya Spiritualism has limitless vastness, and immensely high ideals; it is a full stream of sanctifying ideations, flowing along with no decline or diminution, straight and smooth to the Ocean of Divine Grace. The journey is direct, along a royal road towards the supreme Goal.
Another point: The source of all spiritual principles recognised and revered by Bharathiyas is God; He is the one supporting Pillar. Therefore, no other support is needed for faith. Bharathiya spiritualism is the very foundation of all other faiths; it stands on the very summit. It has achieved victory over many opposing faiths, confronting them with many valid arguments and theories. Bharathiyas have no need to follow any religion or spiritual discipline, besides their own. For, nowhere else can you secure a discipline or truth that is not existing herein. Other faiths have only adopted some one or other of its beliefs and principles and placed them before people as ideals to be adopted.
What has to be borne in mind is this: Bharathiya texts on spiritualism are the most ancient in the whole world; they are the earliest studies and discoveries of the Atma, on Personal and Impersonal God, and on Codes of Conduct, individual and social, based on those revelations and discoveries. In no other country, among no other peoples have such ancient teachings seen the light. There may be perhaps, some misty ideas or brief glimpses; but they do not deserve the name, spiritual text or literature. The Vedic literature pictures not only spiritual inquiries by the sages and Sadhaks and their results, but also, their lines of thought, their yearnings and aspirations, their secular struggles and temporal problems.
The very first experience in the history of Indian thought is the thrill of wonder. This is expressed in the Rks or hymns found in Rig Veda, the earliest revelations of the Bharathiya mind. The Rks are all about the Gods or the Shining Ones (the Devas). Of these Devas, there are many; Indra, Varuna, Mitra, Parjanya - these are the names of a few. They appear in these Rks, one after the other. Of these, Indra with the Thunderbolt (vajra) as his weapon is the chief. He is the mighty One who confers rain upon the earth. Indra is called so, since he is the Master of the Indriyas (the senses) of man, that is to say, he is the Mind which handles the senses. He is also known as Puruhutha - puru meaning 'often' and hutha, 'invited' - the entire name meaning, 'the God who is most called upon'. The Mind (which is identified with Indriyas, since it masters them) is also adored in the Vedas as Rudra. The Mind contacts the objective world and experiences it through the instrumentality of the five senses; this aspect of the Mind is the Indra aspect. It has also another capability. It can master the senses, and become aware of the Universal Inner Truth of the multiplicity called the Objective world. This aspect of the Mind is designated as 'Rudra'. This is the reason why the Vedas describe Indra and Rudra as the One with two names.
About the other Gods too, it is possible to quote many such descriptions. Yet ultimately, all descriptions lead to the same conclusion. The Rks adore Deities, first, as presiding over some function or other; then, these latter get transformed into different names and forms of the One God who has all the worlds in Itself, who is the Witness, resident in all hearts, and who is the Sovereign of all Creation. Gradually, all other meanings and reactions are suppressed, as not relevant. For example, an element of fear is associated with the deity, Varuna. The fear sprouts and spreads in some Rks, but, soon, the wisdom of the Aryas (Noble seekers) subjugates the fear. Many Rks are prayers to Varuna from people afraid of being punished by Him for their sins. But, the idea of a terrorising God cannot flourish on Indian Soil. Nor can many Gods of many natures. Bharathiya culture and spiritual outlook upheld the One God or Iswara.
Next, the Ekeswara! This axiom, that there can be only One and not many, is current in India since very ancient times. Even in the ancient Vedic and Samhitha literature, this faith is already evident as an age-long belief.
But, the notion of a personal God struck the thinkers and practitioners of this land as rather elementary, a kind of unripe stage in spiritual progress. It did not satisfy their highest aspirations. This attitude found in the revelations of rishis has not been understood or appreciated by scholars and writers of other countries who have studied and commented on the Vedas and affiliated texts. They still dwell on the earlier belief in 'many gods' or the later belief in 'one personal God'. Ignorance of this kind brings a smile to the lips of the Hindu.
Really speaking, even those who learn in their mother's laps to put faith in a God equipped with attributes, known by a name and having a recognisable Form, have later to rise to a stage higher than this and become aware of the One, that is spoken of as 'having many names and many forms'. The sadhanas are directed to the realisation of this Truth.
The One - in Him alone is all this flux, all this changing Cosmos, established. He is the guide and guardian of every consciousness. All such denotions touch only the fringe of the One. Westerners said that the intelligence of man can succeed in this venture. But, the seekers of this land showed a heroism that could not be measured or limited. This is a fact that cannot but be accepted. Western Philosophers renowned for their daring flights into the realms of the spirit have shown only a tiny spark of this heroism; so, they are amazed at the speculative and experiential heights reached by the sages of India. This feeling of wonder has been charmingly expressed by Professor Max Mueller. "Into whatever unknown realms of experience their causative and positive inquiry led them, the Indian seekers ventured boldly therein. They never hesitated to discard, for the sake of success in this adventure, whatever they felt as an encumbrance. They were not affected by fear of how others might judge them". Max Mueller exhorted people to involve themselves in Bharathiya Paramartha Vahini (the Nectarine stream of the search for the Supreme, flowing in India), for he felt the Indian sadhakas pursued the path of Right, the path of Truth.
Ekam sath; vipraah bahudhaa vadanthi. (One alone is; the wise speak of It as many). This indeed is most sublimely meaningful. This is the basic truth behind the spiritual efforts of India since ages. And, even the theistic principle and practice that will spread all over the world with unprecedented benedictions in the coming years have as their basis this great axiom laid down by the sages of India, long, long ago.
Rks arose on various Deities and Divine Forces, because the rishis knew that the "One that alone is", can be cognised by each one only from his own viewpoint, and that it is different for different persons, depending on the stage reached in clarifying and purifying the vision. They announced through that statement, their discovery that the One is the subject which all the sages and saints, seers and poets, hymnists and composers adored and praised in various languages, during various moods, through various styles of expression. Thus, from the declaration quoted above "Ekam sath; vipraah bahudhaa vadanthi", emerged consequences of the highest value to the world. For example, many are surprised that India is the one country where religious fanaticism is absent and no one hinders or harms the religious observances of another. There are, in this country, theists, atheists, dualists, non-dualists, monotheists, and others; they all live together in peace and harmony, without causing or suffering injury.
Materialists stood on the steps of temples (held sacred by Brahmins and resorted to by them for worship) and defamed and denied God. They called upon all to follow them. They declared that the idea of God is but an insane fancy. They condemned God, scriptures, codes of morality, righteousness and guiding principles and said that they were all superstitions designed and developed for selfish aggrandizement by the Brahmins. They roamed across the land and propagated these conclusions. And, no one hindered them. Buddhism, which systematically slighted Hindu rites and religious beliefs was allowed to co-exist in an atmosphere of respect. The Jains too did not accept the Vedas and the Vedic Gods. They asked in derision how such Gods can exist and be believed in. Examples of the spirit of tolerance rooted in the revelatory statement quoted above are innumerable. Until the ravaging Muslims sprang on this country no one in this land of Bharath knew what was meant by violence. It is only when foreign hordes fell upon them and resorted to violence that the people came to know how intolerant man can be.
Hindus helped Christians to build churches in India. They showed readiness to co-operate with Christians; this is evident all over the country. There was no bloodshed at any time in dealing with Christians. The stream of thought directed to the supreme Truth would not allow itself to be polluted by violence. To confirm this fact as well as to understand the validity of this attitude requires clear thinking and strength of intellect.
Buddhists who were the very first propagators of religion, spread their faith by travelling over the world. That religion entered all countries famed in those days as civilised. The monks who ventured into those lands were tortured; hundreds were killed by imperial decree. But, soon, good fortune smiled on Buddhism. Buddhism taught that violence has to be eschewed. Buddha was accepted as a God, as another Name for the One, which has many names, according to the Vedic dictum, "Ekam sath, vipraah bahudhaa vadanthi". He was Indra, He was Rudra. That was the unifying effect of the basic revelation of the sages. May this declaration be ever in the memory of man!
Bharathiyas, grown up in the culture of India, have deep faith in the equality of all faiths. Whether it is Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Zoroastrianism or Christianity, they believe that no one should talk lightly of the worship of God. They believe that when any one talks lightly on any One of the Names of God or any of the Forms of God whom others adore, they are insulting the One God. This was the message held forth by the Indian way of spiritual life. Those who have learnt this truth and adhere to it are the real sons and daughters of India.
This Truth is beyond the grasp of all; not all can achieve this knowledge: Who is the ruler of the Universe? Who is that stands outside It and guides it? What is the cause of the existence of this Cosmos? Whence did this originate? How did it happen? What caused this existence? The Vedas have many Rks dealing with these mysteries. Bharathiyas have probed into them.
Creation involves the putting together of substances; what is put together must come apart, in course of time and get liberated. The individual is created and so he has to disintegrate and die. Now, some are born happy; some are enjoying healthy, happy lives. Some are born miserable; others are born without hands or legs. Some are born feeble-minded or as defectives. Who hurt them or injured them? God is proclaimed as just and kind. It can be argued how such a God can ever be so partial and prejudiced? How can such differential treatment come into the Realm ruled by God? Such doubts are natural. But, the vision of the sages of Bharath who moulded the thought of this land revealed to them that God is not the cause of these differences; they are the consequences of the acts indulged in by the individual in lives previous to the present one. They result in happiness and misery, health and handicaps.
Good and bad are self-made, the effects of what was done in previous lives. Can the bodies of men and their conditions, the ups and downs men meet in life, can they not be the accumulated result of hereditary impacts and tendencies? There are two things that stand like parallel lines before us, when we consider this subject, mental and material. If satisfactory solutions can be found for the problems relating to human nature and its special qualities in materialism, then there can be no basis for believing that there is a factor called Atma or the Soul! But, it is impossible to demonstrate that the capacity to think, for example, has evolved out of the physical matter.
When an item of work is done again and again, it becomes a habit, a skill; isn't it? Therefore, the skill or habit that a new-born exhibits must be due to constant repetition indulged in long ago. Of course, such practice must have taken place in a previous life or many lives. So, it is necessary to posit the validity of the belief in past and future lives, for all living beings. This is a basic belief in Bharathiya spiritual thought.
The children of Bharath (Bharathiyas) believe that they are, each one, the Atma. They are aware that the Atma cannot be cut in twain by the sword, that fire cannot burn It, that water cannot wet It, and that the wind cannot dry It. The Atma has no bounds. Its centre is in the body, but, its circumference is nowhere. Death means the Atma has shifted from one body to another. This is the belief that every Indian has firmly in mind.
The Atma is not subject to material or worldly limitations or laws. By Its very nature, It is free; It is Unbounded; It is Purity; It is Holiness; It is Fullness. But, since it is associated with material, inert, bodies, It imagines that It is also a product of material composition. This is the wonder, the mystery, the miracle that It manifests! To unravel this mystery, and explain this miracle are beyond the capacity of any one.
How could the Full (Poorna) Atma get entangled in the delusion that It is 'not-full' (apoorna), 'a fraction', 'in-completely'? Some persons might charge the Bharathiyas who declare that the awareness of incompleteness itself can never arise, as persons attempt to wriggle out of an impossible situation. They might say that this is but a stratagem to cover up their ignorance of the Truth. How can the Pure, the Unpartitionable, lose Its nature to the slightest extent? The Bharathiyas are simple and sincere, and their nature is seldom artificial. They would never attempt to wriggle out of a situation by resorting to specious arguments. Thy have the courage to encounter in a manly way any problem before them. Therefore, the answer to the question posed is: The delusion cannot happen! There is no basis for the error of imputing 'incompleteness' for the 'complete'. The 'full' entity called Atma can never imagine Itself as 'wanting' or 'less-than-full' or feel that It is limited or controlled by the material sheath whose core It is.
Every person knows that he feels he is the body. Can any one announce how this feeling arose and persisted? No one can offer to answer this question. For, to say, as some do, that it is the will of God, is no answer at all. The plain statement, 'I do not know' conveys the same meaning, as the statement, 'It is the will of God.' One is no wiser at the latter statement than after hearing the first. What remains is this: "The Atma in the Individual, the Jiva-atma, is Eternal, Immortal, Full. There is no Death; what appears so is the shifting of Its centre."
Our present condition and circumstances are decided by the deeds done in previous lives. In a similar manner, the conditions in which we have to spend the future are determined by what we are doing now. Between one life and another, one death and the next, the individual either progresses or regresses, expands or shrinks. Like a frail ship caught in a stormy sea, man climbs the froth-rimmed peak of some gigantic wave and, the next moment, he is hurled with terrific speed into the deepest trough. The rise and the fall result inevitably from his good deeds and bad. O ye! Children of Immortality! Listen! Listen to the answer given in the message of the Rishis who had the Vision of the Most Majestic of Persons, the Purushottama, who dwells beyond the realms of Delusion and Darkness: "O, Ye Human Beings! Brothers! For you to liberate yourselves from the succession of deaths, the only means is 'knowing Him'. Do not imagine that you are sinners, for, you are heirs to eternal Ananda. You are 'images' of God, sharers in undiminishable Ananda. You are by nature holy, ever full; you are indeed God, moving on earth. Is there a sin greater than calling such as you, sinners? You are dishonouring yourselves, defaming yourselves, when you acknowledge the appellation, 'sinners'! Arise! Cast off the feeling that you are sheep. Do not be deluded into that idea. You are Atmas. You are drops of Amrith of Immortality, that know neither beginning nor end. All things material are your bondslaves; you are not their bondslaves."
These are the words of the rishis. How can those who have not themselves delved into this Truth appreciate this Bharathiya interpretation? Indians are the fortunate ones who have achieved great strength in spirit holding God as father, mother, guru, friend, and the beloved. They have adored God as dearer to them than anything or any one, here or hereafter. How can those who are aware only of mere sensual pleasure know this supreme Truth? The craving for sensual pleasure veils the truth from the inner eye. That craving manifests in multiple ways, creating more and more desires and laying down more and more urges to action. These hide the truth like a thick curtain.
The recognition of this curtain is a big stage in spiritual progress. This is the Maya Principle of Vedanta. From immemorial times, though the Truth was self-evident, this curtain has hidden it from man. This has been discovered as the prime obstacle by Indians, since ages. How to remove the curtain and cognise the Truth? Indians knew that the solution does not lie in the objective, external world, and so, it would be futile to seek it there. The search in the external world even for ages cannot ensure success. For, experience alone can guarantee conviction.
To gain experience, Indians entered into austerities and disciplined inquiry, until they 'identified' the Truth, and announced it to the world. They discarded the urges of the senses and the manifold attractions of active involvement in the objective world. They taught the world this lesson. The mind of man was the instrument for the Indian seekers to discover this secret, which is the basic principle of Wisdom as treasured by them. It became imperative for them to use the mind itself and study its nature and characteristics. They realised soon enough that the study of the external world led them nowhere. They diverted their attention to the internal 'regions' of their consciousness. Thus they laid the foundation for the Vedantic structure; this was the beginning of the Vedantic inquiry.
There is no need to seek Truth anywhere else. Seek it in man himself: he is the miracle of miracles. Whatever is not in man cannot be anywhere outside him. What is visible outside him is but a rough reflection of what really is in him! The ancient belief was that Ishwara (God) ruled over the World, with Himself being outside it; this, the Indian seekers put to test through Sadhana and revealed that God was and is in the world and of it. This is the first contribution of Indians to the spiritual world - that God is not external to man, but his very inner core. They declared that it is impossible to remove him from the heart where He has installed Himself. He is the very Atma of our atma, the soul of our soul; He is the inner Reality of each.
Those who desire to grasp the supreme vision of Vedantic philosophy have to understand a few fundamental ideas. Philosophy is neither a book nor the work produced by one person. The supremely great Manu has named this Bharath as Brahmavartha, the Region of Brahma, the spiritual area where the quest of the One immanent and transcendent Principle originated and succeeded. The festive cavalcade of saints engaged in the quest began its march over the continents from this Bharath itself. Like mighty rivers from huge mountain ranges, the stream of spiritual Sadhana for the discovery of the Higher Truth sprang from this land itself. This land has announced to the world its Spiritual Message with the confidence and courage of thunderblasts emanating from the womb of clouds. When inimical forces blasted into Bharath, this holy land bore the brunt of the blow; it had to present its heroic chest before the attack and absorb the initial impact. Many times this land had to bear these invading thrusts and suffer fierce injuries. But yet, this land has not fully lost its fame and glory and its steadfast strength on this path.
From this land, the Embodiment of Equanimity and Compassion, Nanak the Great, preached his highly wonderful message of Love. His all-embracing heart blossomed in this land. The Bharathiyas, Children of this Land, Inheritors of this Culture, spread their arms to receive in loving embrace not only the Hindu world, but the Islamic world too. Among those who shone as heroic supporters of the Hindu culture unto the last, the foremost was Guru Govind Singh. Undeterred by tortures that forced him to shed his own blood and the blood of his own beloved, deserted by those for whom he had undergone such torture, he did not utter a word of blame against his compatriots, but, entered the Deccan and gave up his life, as the King of Beasts does when his heart is hurt. May that great person's fame persist for ever on earth! Such eminent leaders render the whole of mankind indebted to them, for they serve the best interests of all men everywhere.
As each individual is a unique entity, so, each nation too has a unique individuality. Each person is different from others in certain matters and is endowed with some special characteristics which are his own. So too, each nation has certain special features, not found in others. Each individual has to play a role as part of the system; his own previous Karma or activity has determined a special line or path for him. The history of nations too is the same. Each has to play a role already laid down by its destiny. Each nation has to deliver a special message of its own to the world community. Therefore, it is important that Bharathiyas must recognise, before everything else, the role that this nation has to play, the tune it must sing, in the World Orchestra of Peace and Bliss. You must have heard, while listening to childhood tales, that there are gemstones in the hoods of some serpents and that, so long as those gems embellish the hoods, it is not possible to kill those serpents. Keep this story in your memory; then, you can understand the most miraculous event in human history, the survival of Bharathiya Spiritual Culture.
The Sanathana Dharma had to meet the determined opposition from Islam for centuries; political subjection to Muslim dynasties added to the problems. The cry, 'Allaho-Akbar' rose to the skies, and challenged the very existence of the Bharathiya Culture that had been fostered since ages by seers. No other nation suffered so long and so deep from such fear. But the eternally fresh and vital Dharma of this land has stood the test and even today, Sanathana Dharma is as potent and valid as ever. It is ready to meet any challenge from any new quarter. From the signs of the times, it is evident that this Culture is today dominant and powerful; why, it is prepared even to march forward and expand its area of constructive influence. Expansion is the sign of 'life', isn't it?
This day the principles and practices laid down in Bharathiya Culture and the attitudes and feelings enshrined in it, are not lying low within the boundaries of this sub-continent. Whether we like it or not, they cross over to other lands and establish themselves there. The main ideas, the essential outlooks, penetrate the literatures of those peoples and permeate their thought processes. In some lands, among some peoples, they have won even dominant roles, with no opposition. For, Bharath is offering as its contribution to the peace and prosperity of the World, an invaluable body of spiritual wisdom. This contribution is more elevating than that from any other country. It is more necessary, more basic and more precious than what any other nation can give. This fact is becoming clearer to all mankind.
The ancients of this land were not averse to the examination of other problems too. They tried, like other peoples, to unravel the mysteries of external Nature. And, this amazing nation achieved even in this field, results, through the exercise of their sharp intellect, which are beyond the fondest dreams of men in other countries.
The supreme end of education, the highest purpose of instruction, is to make aware of the 'universal immanent Impersonal'. This is the truth that is loudly proclaimed in the Vedas. The seers and sages of Bharath courageously entered upon this adventure. The ever-changing aspects of Nature, the appearance and disappearance of its working, may be a fine subject for study. But, the ancients of Bharath proclaimed that the science of the Transcendent Principle that permeates the Universe, the Unchanging Eternal, the Embodiment of Everlasting Everfull Ananda, the Residence of Unaffected Undiminished Peace, the Ultimate Refuge for all Time of the Individual Jivi, that Science is the highest Knowledge that man must gain.
The knowledge of the principles governing objective Nature can at best provide man with food and clothing; it teaches man ways and means of gaining them; it leads to the exploitation of the weak by the strong. If the people of Bharath had bent their energies towards the discovery of the secrets of the world, they could have easily acquired mastery.
But, very soon, the people of Bharath recognised that this search was but secondary and that the prime position should be assigned to the spiritual. They decided that pursuing the secrets of external Nature was not the real sign of Bharathiya. This resolution brought glory to this nation. Others cannot even approach the fringe of this problem. Like Prahlada, of the legends, Indians have been able to survive ordeals of fire and escape unhurt the torture of ages. Those who had no spiritual out-look or aspiration were not reckoned as Bharathiyas. Many in foreign lands believed that Indians were more politically minded, an inference that was misleading; they felt that only a small fraction of Indians was spiritually oriented. But, Bharath always insisted that a spiritually directed way of life was the first and foremost duty of every Indian. Whenever the chance offered itself, after discharging this duty, Indians felt that they should collect and confirm the spiritual potency that they had. This was exactly what happened in the past.
National integration meant in those days the concentration and commingling of all the spiritual forces and urges that were scattered among seekers all over the land. The word, 'nation', meant in India the grouping together of hearts that beat time to the same song and that respond, by similar vibration, to the same spiritual call. The basic truths that this faith expounded were as broad as the sky, as eternal as Creation. Those Truths were described in many subtle ways and commented upon very close and deep. But, as a result of the very breadth of the vision that discovered them, and laid them down, it was inevitable that many faiths emanated on the basis of the beliefs they encouraged.
Diversities in attitudes and practices are natural and ought to be welcomed; there is no need for an iron-clad hard Faith. Only, there is no place for one over-all Faith. Rivalry among those following different paths cannot bring peace and prosperity to any country. Without the freedom to adopt faith, the world cannot progress. India taught that a small group can never command the inexhaustible resources of the world, that for the effective functioning of the community it is necessary to divide the work of the community among sections of the people, and allot the task of contributing its share of the common good to each section of community. This gave facilities for diversities and for mutuality. Diversities were approved for the sake of the practical application of spiritual powers and potentialities; so, there is no need for factionalism and fights. The diversities too are but superficial; they are not really real. There is an entrancing sense of mystery that can explore these diversities and discover the key to visualise the One that underlies the many. This is what the ancient texts proclaim as the most precious revelation. "Ekam sath, vipraah bahudha vadanthi" (The One alone exists; wise men describe It in manifold ways).
Therefore, it can be asserted that the Faith of the Bharathiyas is the one Faith that accepts and reveres all Faiths. When we shelter factionalism and fanaticism in our hearts, in relation to our own specific faith or the faith of others, we, as descendents of those fathers are bringing disgrace on ourselves. Whether we are adhering to the classical Vedantic faiths or whether we are adopting recent trends in that Vedantic thought, we have to bear in mind certain basic universally accepted truths. All those who bear the name, Hindu, have to believe in them and shape their lives accordingly. May they have the will to do so.
The first of these is: "Bharathiyas do not insist that everyone has to be bound to one attitude; or that every one must abide by one interpretation or commentary only, to the exclusion of other possible explanations or points of view, or that the way of life with all its implications has to be the one approved by some one individual or group". The Bharathiya culture lays down that it is a heinous sin to exercise force upon any one, in matters of the spirit.
2. Next: "The Eternal Universal Dharma or Religion is taught by the Vedas. The sacred body of teachings, referred to as Vedic, is coeval with Creation, without ascertainable beginning or end. With it, all inquiry into the spirit and the ramifications of faith have to find fulfilment and close. One cannot escape this conclusion, if he studies and practises the Vedas. For all problems involving differences in spiritual attitudes and aspirations, we can get solutions that are convincing, from the Vedic texts themselves. The viewpoints differ about what portions of the Vedas are authoritative for each; persons affiliated to one sect might regard some portions of the Vedas as holier and more sacrosanct than others. Inspite of this, all are brothers and co-sharers of the teachings and the lessons imparted by the Vedas. All that is elevating and beneficial for us today, all that is holy and sacred to us, all that is pure and ennobling, have been made available to us from and through these wondrous texts of old. So long as we hold to this latter belief and proclaim it aloud, what can little differences of opinion over matters of minor importance do to cause rifts? For this reason, we have to announce these lessons and principles so that they spread beyond all horizons.
3. The Vedas are concerned with and they expound the Supreme Person, the Iswara who created this Universe, who fosters it, in whom It merges in accordance with the process of time, and in whom is again manifest as His Form this amazing Universe. We might have diverse beliefs about the nature and characteristics of this Iswara. One person might picture Him as having human nature and characteristics. Another might believe that He is the embodiment of non-human attributes, formless, Iswara. Every one of these can find in the Vedas declarations supporting his viewpoints. It is a fact that, though they hold diverse views, they all have faith in Iswara, the Godhead. That is to say, they believe that there is undoubtedly One transcendent eternal Power and that all this has originated from It, and that all this has to merge in It again. This belief is the hall-mark of a Bharathiya; he who has not acquired this belief is not entitled to the name, Bharathiya. He does not deserve to be called a Hindu.
Of what nature, with what characteristics, is the Iswara you teach? This question is irrelevant to us. It is not so important. Let us not dispute about the various points of view that divide persons. Enough for us if Iswara is accepted and emphasised. For even though one description and delineation might be better and clearer than another, no delineation and description can be 'bad'. One declaration would be 'good'; the second one would be 'better' and the third one, 'best'. But in the stream of Bharathiya spiritual Adventure, no description or picturisation can be pronounced 'bad and unacceptable'. That is the reason why, Iswara confers Grace on all those who teach any Name and any Form that can attract and inspire man, as sacred and valid. May this faith grow from more to more. For, it brings more spiritual progress, the more it is acted upon. Only, the aspiration must be related to God or Iswara.
4. For spiritual exploration and discovery, there can be no qualification like wealth or disqualification like poverty. This truth has to be handed down to the children by Bharathiya parents. They have to grow up with this broad feeling.
5. Bharathiyas do not accept the belief, held by persons belonging to other countries, that the Universe was manifested a few thousand years ago and that it will be destroyed finally and for ever, at some future date. Bharathiyas will not accept the theory that the Universe arose out of Nothing. They believe that the Universe or this objective Creation is beginningless and end-less, and that, according to the laws of evolution in time, it will recede from the gross into the subtle stage and, after being in that stage, for some period, it will again recede into the causal stage from which It emerged. From the One into which it merges, it will gradually manifest itself as Many, through the subtle and the gross stages of expression.
This wave-like movement of proceeding and receding, of merging and emerging, has been happening since Time; it will happen till Time ends; it is eternal in its feature - this is the belief of Bharathiyas. Man is not just this gross body; in it, there is a subtle component called mind; inside it, as its prompter and spring, there is an even more subtle principle called the Jivatma (individualised Soul); this Jivatma has neither beginning nor end, it knows no death, it has no birth - This is the basis of the Bharathiya faith.
One other article of faith: This is a unique feature of Bharathiya mental equipment. Until the individualised soul gets liberated from the individualisation and merges in the Universal, thus attaining moksha or liberation, it has to encase itself in one body after another, and go through the process called living. This idea is held by no other people. This is the Samsara idea, which the ancient texts or Sastras of India reveal and propagate. Samsara means "the movement into one form after another". All the different schools and sects among the Bharathiyas accept this fact that the Atmas (apparently individualised) are eternal and incapable of being affected by change. They may differ in describing or denoting the relationship between the Atma and Iswara or God. One school of thinkers may posit that the two are ever separate; another may declare that the Jivatma is a spark in the universal flame of fire that Iswara is; a third may assert that the two are undifferentiated. But, the Truth remains that the Atma is beginningless and endless; since it is not born, it has no death. Its individualised image has to evolve through a series of bodies, until it attains fulfilment in the human. All schools are one in upholding this faith, in spite of the variety of their other interpretations.
We shall now come to the foremost among the glorious Truths, the most astounding of the basic Truths that the human intellect has attained in the spiritual field; the Atma is by its very nature, Purity, Fullness and Bliss (Parisuddha, Paripoorna and Ananda). This is the belief that animates all schools of thought, whether they are the worshippers of Sakthi, or Siva, or Vishnu, or whether they are Buddhists or Jains. Every Hindu acknowledges it. The Dwaithins (Dualists) believe that the fundamental genuine nature of the Atma is Ananda; this is diminished and desiccated by the consequences of human actions, in life after life and therefore, has to be restored and revitalised by the Grace of God. The Adwaithins (the Monists) believe that there can be no diminution or desiccation. They assert that the Atma is fully splendorous; only, through the influence of the deluding effect of ignorance (Maya) which superimposes false impression on what is really true, it appears as if it has diminished. Whatever may be the differences in interpretation, when we take our stand on the central core of the Truth on which all agree, between the "East" and the "West", there will be discerned a vast deep passage, where both do journey to the goal. The people of the Eastern countries seek in the inner regions of their selves the realisation of this gloriously beneficent consummation. While worshipping, we close the eyes and endeavour to visualise God inside ourselves. People of the West lift up their faces and visualise God in outer space, in the beyond. They believe that their scriptures have been recorded by Persons under the direction of God. Bharathiyas believe that the Vedas - their sacred scriptures - were the very breath of God conveying meanings to the sages who had installed Him in their hearts.
There is another point which we have to understand: We have to hold fast to it always. Unless a belief is held unshaken throughout night and day, it cannot be used to achieve victory. No success is possible otherwise. When a person asserts that he is low and mean and that he knows but little, he become low and mean and his knowledge shrinks. We become what we believe we are. We are the children of Almighty God, endowed with supreme Power, Glory and Wisdom. We are Children of Immortality. When we dwell in this thought, how can we ever be low and ignorant? Bharathiya spiritual culture enjoins on every one to believe that the real nature of man is supreme and that he should ever be conscious of this truth.
The Bharathiyas of past ages had faith in their great Reality. They achieved victory in their endeavours as a result of this faith and rose to lofty heights. They reached the peak of progress. We have slided down into the present decline, mainly because we have lost faith in the Atma in us. This was the beginning of our fall. For, loss of confidence in the Atma or Self involves loss of faith in God Himself. That Omnipresence, that Inner Motivator of all, who is the warp and woof of our body and mind, our emotions and intellect - strengthening faith in Him is the only means of realising the highest goal of man. This is the lesson that Bharathiya spiritual history longs to teach.
Children of Bharath! Teach your children this life-preserving, glorious and heart-expanding Truth from the early days of life. The sanctifying vision that Bharathiyas secured is this: the Atma is full and free. It is a wonderful discovery, a thrilling thought! The Atma is by its very nature full; fullness need not be attained or accomplished and added to It. If fullness is added to it, it can also be subtracted by the passage of time; what is built up must disintegrate. If man is impure by nature, even though he may succeed in achieving purity for five minutes, he has to wallow later in impurity, for the purity that comes in the middle will be easily swept away by circumstances. So, all Bharathiya spiritual thinkers declared that Purity is our very nature and that Fullness is our genuine reality. They said that we are never really 'wanting'. This was the lesson that Bharathiyas taught the world. This is the stream of spiritual strength that flowed from India and fertilised the world.
At the end of life, one should bring to the consciousness the great thoughts one has attained in life, the high feelings one entertained; this was the directive of the sages of India. They did not demand that one should bring to memory the faults and errors one committed in life. These are inevitable and universal. But, the sages declared that one should be aware always of one's Reality and one should be engaged ever in contemplating its grandeur and glory. That, they said, is the greatest step to progress.
There is another fact that we have to pay attention to, more than all else. For Bharathiyas, religion means 'experience' and nothing less. It is indeed pitiable that we forget this important fact, very often. This secret must be imprinted on the heart of every one. Only then can one be safe and secure. Not only this. It is not the way of thought of a Bharathiya to say that all things can be attained by self-exertion; the Bharathiya knows that Divine Will is the basis of everything. Religious principles have to be practised and their validity experienced. Listening to their exposition is of no use; learning some one set of arguments and conclusions and repeating them parrot-like are not enough. If they appeal to one's intellect and are approved by it as correct, that will not help at all. It must transform us. The reason why Bharathiyas posit God and declare that God is Being and Becoming is their experience, which is the highest proof. The declaration does not originate from the head, from the faculty of reason, the yukti. The forefathers asserted that there is the entity, Atma, in each and that the Atma is but a spark of the Universal Atma, for they had become aware of it, deeply and without doubt. There were, in the past, thousands who had sought the experience and won it. Even today, such persons are not absent. In future too, they will be present. It is a thirst that affects man. Unless he contemplates God and confronts Him in bliss, unless he wins the awareness of the Atma that is his reality, man will be tormented by the thirst, the agony that he is 'lacking completeness'.
Man must first grasp the Truth. All religious factions and fights will vanish, as fast as man grasps the Reality. For, the name 'follower of theistic code of morals,' can be allotted only to one who has experienced God and realised His Glory. Only those who have realised Him in their hearts can have the bonds, that chain their hearts to the wheel of birth - death, broken. Mere platform orations do not indicate awareness of the Truth that has to be attained through religion.
Theistic faith is based on genuine experience. Once we accept this, self-examination starts and one is able to measure how far he has journeyed towards the goal or away from it. He will then realise that He is groping in the dark and dragging others into darkness to grope with him. Only then will men give up factional hatreds in the name of religious war on those professing different faiths. Those who revel in religious wars should be asked: "Have you seen God? Have you become aware of the Divine Atma? Or else, what authority have you to decry or deny this name of God? Are you, struggling in the darkness, attempting to draw me too into that darkness? Can a blind man lead another blind man along the road? That is an impossible task. Therefore, understand your Truth before you defame or deny mine".
He who has visualised the Atma principle that animates all can never condemn the religion of any one. He will never enter any religious squabble or conflict. He will never talk lightly or demeaningly of another's faith. He will never disturb or despise the faith held by another. Only the ignorant with no spiritual experience, only those who do not know the depths of truth, will embark upon the condemnation of the faith of others. It is very unbecoming of man to indulge in or encourage religious conflicts, to ridicule the rites and ceremonies through which others adore God, and to label the religious practices of other people as 'superstitions'. For, each one has accepted the practice and holds on to it, since it confers Ananda on him!
The One is spoken of, by those who know, as Many. The same thing is seen and experienced in different ways, by different people, according to the angle of vision and the level of intelligence and awareness. Different persons describe the same thing or experience differently. How can any one declare that they should not do so? Or that what they describe is wrong? No one has the right to disparage or deny.
Only those who strive to transcend the here and now and become aware of the Transcendent Principle of Godhead deserve the name Hindu. Those who revel in hurting others do not justify that name.
The inner core of Bharathiya culture is this realisation of the Unity of Atma principle that fills each heart with Universal Love. Those who are aware of this Unity and are well established in it, are kith and kin of Bharathiyas, whichever country they may live in, whatever language is native to their tongues. Many human communities have, as the basis of their beliefs, the theory that man is a bundle of matter, and that this matter is subject to the laws of physics and chemistry. In the languages of the West, death is denoted as "the act of giving up life or Jiva", whereas in the language of Bharath, it is "giving up the body or the Deha". This is due to the faith of the Westerner that he is the body and the faith of the Bharathiya that he is not the body. The Bharathiyas assert and know that they have Atma as their Reality and that the Atma is enclosed in a body. The two views are widely disparate. A civilisation that is built on the shifting sand of worldly pleasure can last only for a little while. It will disappear from the surface of the earth. On the other hand, the civilisation of Bharath and of the countries that value and follow the civilisation of Bharath have survived for centuries and are vital even today. They show new and refreshing signs of more creative life. This fact has to be kept in mind by those Bharathiyas who have dedicated their lives to the imitation of other civilisations and cultures.
Imitation cannot build a stable culture. It can never become 'civilisation'. It is a sign of cowardice, not a quality that can ensure progress. It is the royal road to downfall. How can man draw inspiration for uplifting himself, if he is engaged in hating himself and devaluing his achievements? The Bharathiyas should feel no sense of shame, when he brings back to memory his forefathers, and the elders and teachers of the past who built the culture that nurtured him.
Instead, he ought to feel proud of his forefathers and the elders and teachers who shone among them. He must be proud that he has such persons as his ancestors, that his nation is of such holiness, and that his country is one that is endowed with such sacred characteristics. The children of Bharath have to fill themselves with the proud consciousness that in their native land were born wise persons who had attained the heights of self-realisation, as well as many others who had risen to peak of perfection.
Manifest the power that lies in self-exertion! Do not resort to the weak stratagem of imitating others. Instead absorb the good qualities that others may possess. We plant a seed in the soil. Then, we supply it with the ingredients it needs - water, air, manure. The seed sprouts; it grows into a sapling; it becomes at last a huge tree. You will notice that it does not become either soil, or manure, or air or water. These it makes use of; but, it sticks to its own nature and grows into a tree.
May you too live like that tree. Of course we have much to learn from others. There is no need to doubt this fact. Those who refuse to learn thus, declare themselves fools. Whatever can promote your spiritual advance, you can learn from others. Imbibe them to the full, according to the lines laid down for your own progress in your own moral path or Dharma. You must live as you, not as some one else. Do not allow any one to divert you away from your innate nature. Be immersed in your God, in your own imaginings and feelings, in the Bliss that springs from your own heart, and in the delight derived from your Sadhana. When others try to prevent you from doing this, whatever plans they weave and whatever contrivances they employ, resist them at the cost of your own lives. Do not deny yourself that Divine Awareness and that Divine Ecstasy. This is the exhortation that echoes through the Paramartha Vahini of the Bharathiyas. Pull down the barriers that stand in the way and obstruct the free flow of the culture of this land that confers such sweetness and strength. Clear the channels through which it flows and cleanse them. Then it can flow its course, unimpeded.
Sai has willed that this country, Bharath, has to take this Sadhana. For too long a time the theistic Dharma of this land has stopped moving. Its characteristic has been for a long time, static. Now, it has to be made dynamic. It must vitalise the daily life of every human being. It must enter and fructify the palatial Rajbhavan and the lowly hutments of the poorest in the land.
It is the treasure of every one; everyone has the right to inherit it and benefit by it; having been born as man one has a valid claim to share it. For this reason, Bharathiyas have to take it before every door and welcome everyone in each home to share it. As the air we breathe is, in God's creation, available to all, the Dharma of the awareness of God and His Power and Mercy has to be available to all. Bharathiyas must hold on to this wide outlook and the Universality and Unity of this message, the conflicts between disparate faiths and beliefs will disappear of themselves and peace and love will be restored on earth.
Imagine a house full of darkness since centuries. You may enter the house and pray to the darkness to leave the premises; or, you may shower abuse on it for days together; or, frighten it by threatening force. The darkness will stay; it cannot be diminished at all. It will not yield to your tactics, it cannot be scared out. But, light a lamp, and it will flee that instant. The lamp of wisdom can save man from age-long darkness. This truth has to be well recognised by man and, once recognised, he has to shape his life accordingly.
Man has an immensity in him; this is the core of Bharathiya thought. It is really a mystery how man came to regard himself as one condemned to fall! A person might strike us as demonic or as divine; in both the Atma is the Reality, to the same extent. You cannot say that Atma in one is less and in the other, is more. When faults are found in any one, you will have to conclude that there are deficiencies in behaviour, that is all. Do not conclude that there is no Divine Atma in him. As a result of the company he keeps or the inefficiency of the society in which he grew, faults have grown in him. They are not native to his nature, which is Atmic. You will have to provide him good company and beneficial surroundings and persuade him to enter them. You should on no account condemn him as a born incorrigible, and keep him apart.
The body is composed of cells, which are made up of atoms. The atoms are also physical phenomena. They are fundamentally jada, or composite or un-feeling. The Vedanthins speak of a subtle body, separate from this gross body. That too is physical. It is the centre of subtle skills and force. It is in this body that all the subtle mental feelings and agitations take place. Every force can work only through some medium or other, which is physical. The same power that operates the gross body works through the subtle processes of thought. They are not two different entities. One is the subtle form of the other, that is all.
What is the source of these powers? If we delve deep, we will find that there are two things in nature, Akasa and Prana. Akasa is the source of all the gross and subtle material one encounters; when Prana or Life-force contacts it, due to the impact, the Akasa principle transforms itself into either gross or subtle, in varying proportions. Prana too is omnipresent, like Akasa; it can also penetrate everywhere, and everything. Like the blocks of ice that water becomes and that float on water and that move about on water, the Prana acts on Akasa and bodies appear. Prana is the force that moulds the Akasa into various forms. The gross body is the vehicle of the Prana that it has shaped out of Akasa. The subtle body is of the form of thought, feeling etc.
When the subtle body is transcended, the awareness of the Reality becomes manifest. Just as the nails on the fingers persist, however often we pare them, as part of our gross body, the subtle body too is an integral part of man's make-up.
A person can discard as many gross bodies in which he takes temporary residence, as the number of times he pares his nails. But, the subtle body cannot be changed; it lasts and persists. This is the most secret doctrine of Bharathiya spiritual thought. Going further along this line of discovery, it can be revealed that man means: a complex of the gross body, the subtle body and the Jivi (the Individual). The Vedantic philosophy would declare that the Jivi shares the quality of Eternal unchanging Everlastingness (Nithya). Prakrithi or the objective World is also eternal, but, with a difference, It undergoes perpetual change; it is never the same; but, it persists for ever. The basis for the objective world, namely, Prana (the life force) and Akasa (Space or ether) are eternal, but, they act and interact without rest and manifest variously and manifoldly.
The Individual Atma (the Jivatma) did not have its origin in either Akasha or Prana; it is not material in nature. So, it is eternal, without any change. It did not happen through the impact of Prana on Akasa, or Akasa on Prana. Things brought together will disintegrate. But things that are 'themselves' ab initio cannot so come apart. For, disintegration means 'resuming the original nature', 'becoming what it originally was', 'reducing itself to its native substance'. The gross body is the result of the combination of Prana and Akasa and so, it dissolves itself into its components. The subtle body too dissolves but, only after a long long time. The Jivi is not brought together, so, it cannot fall apart. It has no birth. It cannot be born. A unitive part-less being can have no moment of origin.
The objective world or Prakrthi, consisting of billions and billions of varied things, forces and events is governed by the Will of God. God is All knowing, All-penetrating, All-pervading; He is activating Prakrthi and acting through Prakrthi, all the time. Prakrthi is ever in His care. His sovereignty is beginningless and endless. This is the doctrine of the Dualists, the Dwaithins.
This gives room for one question. When the world is ruled by God, how does He permit it to be so wicked and vile? The answer given is that God is not responsible for the grief and the pain. The sins we commit are the progenitors of the grief we suffer. Joy and sorrow are the consequences of the good and the evil that man perpetrates. God is the Witness. He does not punish, nor does He cause grief. The Jivi is beginningless, that is to say, he has no birth but, he involves himself in incessant activity and so he has to go through the inevitable consequences of that activity. This is the experience of every one, the characteristic of every one's mind. This is the unbreakable law of the objective world or Prakrthi. Grief or joy is the image of the activity one engages in. It is the resound, the reflection, the reaction. The Jivi can be the witness without concerning himself with the good and the bad of the activity. When involvement happens, good will have to be experienced when good is done, and evil will have to be experienced when evil is done.
The Vedanta asserts that the Jivi is by its very nature, pure and unblemished. This is the accepted doctrine according to Bharathiya thought. But, this truth has been befogged by ignorance and neglect. So, maya pollutes the experience and the shade of ignorance breeds evil. But, when sathkarma or beneficial activity is engaged in, the clouds of maya are scattered and the Reality of the Self is realised. All beings, all jivis are by their very nature pure. Good acts can remove the taints of evil deeds and preserve its essential purity. Then, the jivi is led into the Godward path, the Devayana. The Godward urge will transform the words, the thoughts and the deeds of the individual.
We cannot think without words; words are the essential material for thought. When the individual drops the body, the words enter the mind; the mind enters the prana or life-force and the prana merges in the Atma. The Atma (Individualised in the body) when it liberates itself rushes to the Suryaloka, the Region of the Solar Principle, the Surya. From thence, it reaches the region of Brahma, the Brahma-loka. Having reached that region, the individualised Atma or Jivatma has no more concern with Prakrthi. It will exist there till the end of Time. It will experience boundless Delight. It will have all powers except the powers of Creation.
The authority to rule over the Cosmos is exclusive to God. God is free from desires of all varieties. Man's duty is but to offer Him Love and worship Him through Love. This raises man to be highest status among beings. Those who are unaware of this status or incapable of discharging its responsibilities belong to other categories. They too offer and worship, they too engage themselves in beneficial activity. But they crave for the fruits they hope to gain; they perform acts motivated by a desire to benefit from the results that emerge therefrom. "We have helped the helpless; so, our path will be smooth and safe. We have uplifted the downtrodden; so, we can avoid troubles on our road. We have busied ourselves in singing the Lord's Glory in chorus (Bhajan); so, we are sure of Heaven" - these are the calculations of people of this nature who engage themselves in 'good acts'. When such people give up their bodies, that is to say, when such people die, their words will merge in their minds, their minds will merge in their Prana, and the Prana, thereafter will merge in the Jivi, and the Jivatma will travel to the Region of the Moon Principle (the Chandra-loka), that is to say, the Loka of the Presiding Deity of the Mind... suggesting that they have to enter again the realm of the mind with all its agitations and turmoils of wants and wishes. In the Chandra-loka, such Jivis will experience some satisfaction and delight, until the consequence of the good acts lasts. That is why it is said in the scriptures: Ksheene Punye, marthyalokam visanthi. (When the acquired merit is spent, they enter again the world of mortal men). The Jivatma encases itself in a body equipped with sense organs etc, appropriate to the earned consequences of the deeds of the previous body, and starts another life-career. The residence of the soul in the Chandraloka is what the Hindus refer to as the time spent as a Deva in Heaven or as an Angel according to Christian and Islamic religions. The name Devendra given to the Lord of these Devas is an indication of a position of authority. Thousands have risen to that position.
According to the Vedas, when the highest good is observed, that person is elevated to the position of Devendrahood. The soul raised previously to that position will descend to the earth and resume its career in human form. Just as on earth monarchs change, in heaven too rulers cannot escape rise and fall. The residents of Heaven too are subject to the law of ups and downs. It is only the Brahmaloka that is free from birth and death, rise and fall, ups and downs. This is the basic doctrine of Bharathiya thought, its eternal nectar, administered to humanity.
When the Jivatma is as a Deva in the Chandraloka, it cannot manifest any Karma. Only man can express himself through Karma which binds him by its consequence. Karma means activity undertaken with desire, with an eye on the result. When the soul is in Chandraloka as a Deva, it is content and satisfied and so, it will not crave for activity for earning pleasure or achieving some success. The residence in that Loka is the reward it has secured for the good deeds done by it in the past, or it may be the prize won for such goodness. When the delight emanating from the good deeds is experienced and spent away, the balance of the consequence accumulated has to be suffered and so, the soul has to come as man on earth. Then, attaining the highest good and engaging himself in acts of highest potency for merit, he can cleanse his heart and reach Brahmaloka from whence there is no coming back.
The word Naraka can nowhere be found in the Vedas. The conception of Hell is foreign to the spiritual thought of the Bharathiyas. The idea of Hell and the various descriptions of Hell are all later additions in the Sastras and Puranas. The authors of these texts believed that religion will be incomplete if it does not posit Hell. They laid down diverse tortures as part of Hell, but, they laid down one limit to the pain Hell inflicts. They declared that there can be no death in Hell. The purpose for which Hell was created was only to incite fear among the people in order to make them desist from sin.
But, Adwaitha does not posit Heaven or Hell. It is concerned only with Bondage and Liberation, Ignorance and Illumination. It is known as Vedanta. There is no faith higher than what Vedanta stands for.
The Jagat or Cosmos was created by God out of Himself so that He is the originator as well as the material of the Cosmos. As a result, He is Full (Paripoorna). The Creation is also Full and the Individual Atma is also Full. Therefore, many full entities are postulated. God made the Cosmos manifest from Himself; when this declaration is made, the doubt may naturally arise, "How could God become these walls, these tables?" God is supremely pure; how could He become these impure things? This is another doubt that comes uppermost to some.
Let us seek the answers. Man is fundamentally Atma; but, he has the encasement of a body, hasn't he? From one point of view, man is not distinct from the body, is he? In spite of this, however, man feels that he is not This body, that his reality is distinct from it, that he is not the baby he was or the old man he is, that he is neither male nor female, and that he persists through babyhood, boyhood, middle age and old age, masculinity and femininity and all the other stages and changes. So too, the Cosmos and all Creation are but the billion bodies of God. He is all this and in all this, but, He is changeless and eternal. Nature is amenable to change. The Atma too can contract or expand, blossom or fade, shine or be befogged. Bad deeds will diminish its splendour by clouding its brilliance. Its innate and genuine Truth and Wisdom may be hidden by evil thoughts and deeds. Those acts and practices that can disclose the native splendour and glory of the Atman are termed 'good'.
The Atma is 'unbound' at first; but, later it is seen as limited and restricted. Through good deeds and activities, it resumes its vastness and boundlessness. Everyone without any difference has the opportunity to achieve this transformation. When the time gets ripe, everyone can succeed in this and liberate himself from the bounds and bonds. But, the Jagat (Cosmos) will not end. That is eternal, incapable of being destroyed. This is the explanation of the second school of philosophy in India. The first one is the Dualist or the Dwaitha. The second one is the Visishta-adwaitha or the Special-Adwaitha. This is a higher stage in spiritual enquiry and experience. It posits three entities - God, the Atma, and Nature, and speaks of an integration of the three. The Dualists posit that the Cosmos is a vast machine designed and operated by God. The Visishta-Adwaithins declare that it is a phenomenon that is interpenetrated and imbued with the Divine. But, the Adwaithins or the Non-Dualists assert that God is not outside the Cosmos, that He became the Cosmos (Jagat), and that He is all that is. There is nothing except God, no Other, no Second. This truth has to be accepted by all. This is the highest Truth. To say that God is the Atma and the Cosmos is as the Body which He operates and lives in, is not correct. To assert that the Atma (God) is eternal and changeless but the Cosmos which is His Body can be subject to change and transformation is also not satisfying.
What does it signify when it is said, "God is the Upadana-karana, the Proximate Cause of the Cosmos"? Proximate cause means the cause which produced the effect. The 'effect' is the 'cause' in another form. It cannot be separate from the cause. Every effect that we notice is but the cause that has assumed a new form. The Cosmos is the effect, God is the Cause - these statements only stress the fact that the Cosmos is but God in another form. When it is argued that the Body is limited and subtle, and that It leads one to the Cause, that is, God, or it was from God that it has evolved and taken shape, the Non-Dualists would reply that it was God Himself who manifested in the form of the Cosmos.
It may be doubted whether all this multiplicity of things and beings are really God. Yes. It is the Truth. All these that the senses cognise, that come into the awareness, are God. There is nothing else but He. Our bodies, minds, intellects, consciousness - all are God.
Here, another doubt may arise. Why should God be so many individualised beings? Why should He be so many Jivatmas? Will God, who is of one Form, manifest Himself as so many? How did this happen? If God had transformed Himself into the Cosmos, He should have subjected Himself to change; all things in Nature that are by their very composition subject to change, suffer both birth and death. And, if God has come within the precincts of change, does it mean that He too has to die some day? Has he to undergo change and ultimately end? Keep in mind this point also. Then, there is another point to be considered. How much of God, what portion of God became the Cosmos?
The Adwaithins say, "Whatever the portion you may allot, or guess about, remember this: The Cosmos does not exist. It is an illusion. It never is, has been or will be. The Creation of the Cosmos, the dissolution of the Cosmos, these billions of individuals emerging and merging, all this is but a dream. There is no individualised Jivatma at all, no separated Atma. How can there be billions of Jivatmas? There is only One Indivisible Complete Absolute. Like the one Sun reflected as a billion suns in a billion lakes, ponds, and drops of water, the Jivatmas are but reflections of the One in the minds that it shines upon. This is what Bharathiya thought emphasises most clearly through the Adwaithin thinkers. Those who cannot grasp this truth are under the influence of Maya or Delusion, it can be said.
Dreams too have to be based on reality. Without a basic reality, the 'dependent idea or fact' cannot exist. Without a basic thing, subsequent things cannot emanate. Without a basic being, subsequent beings cannot manifest. That base is God or Iswara. He is Full, He is the Mind, the Body, the Atma. You are only as real as a dream. For the eye that can see reality, the Cosmos is, not this multiplicity of name and form, but, mere Sath-Chith-Ananda, Being-Awareness-Bliss. Just think of your dream. It does not arise from somewhere outside you nor do the varied images and activities disappear into some place outside you. They arise in you and disappear into you. While dreaming, you consider the events and persons as real, and you experience, as really as in the waking stage, the feelings of grief, delight, fear, anxiety, and joy. You do not dismiss them at the time as illusory. The Cosmos is the dream of God; it arises in Him and merges in Him. It is the product of His Mind. These lives, and repeated arrivals, all are the fanciful weavings of Maya, unreal fantasies, illusory agitations, unreal appearances. You are the Full, you are God. God is You. Those who have experienced this highest wisdom can attain oneness with the One, here and now.
There are three steps in the progression of philosophic enquiry (or Vedantic thought) in India. They are the Adwaithic, the Visishta-Adwaithic and the Dwaithic. It is not possible to advance beyond these three steps by any human endeavour. Adwaithic thought is beyond reach of the common man; it is not so easily comprehensible. To conceive it with the intellect is itself hard. To experience it, a powerful faculty of penetration is needed. Therefore, it is best to start with the Dualist or Dwaithic step, and experience it as the reality behind things; then, the second stage of Visishtadwaitha is rendered easier to reach.
The individual must progress as fast or as steadily as the community. We pass through boyhood, childhood, adolescence, youth, middle age and old age; it is an imperceptible but inevitable progress. We experience each only when we are passing through it. So, too, with these three stages of philosophic discovery. Each of these views is latent in the rest and each proceeds out of the experience of the previous stage. It is not possible to be aware of all three at the same time. Based on our Sadhana and the experiences gained therefrom, each of these viewpoints comes into the consciousness and forms the spring of action and thought.
Those who assert that the Universe is real, but, declare at the same time that the existence of God is but a dream, are only proving themselves foolish. For, when the effect, namely, the Cosmos is real, it must have a Cause, for, how can there be an effect with no cause? God can be denied only when the Universe is denied. God can disappear, only when the Cosmos disappears. What now appears as the Cosmos is really God; this is the Vision that the true Sadhaka will get when he succeeds in his endeavour. As a matter of fact, the Universe we experience is the dream. When we awake from the dream, the Truth of its being God will shine in the consciousness. From the beginning of time, the God whom we posit outside ourselves has been the reality inside us also. This Truth too will become steady in the faith of man.
Of course, there is no philosophy existent that can be satisfying to all types and levels of mental equipment. Each has a distinct value. The stages of intellectual development, or the powers of reasoning are different from each other. So, the three schools of philosophical interpretation mentioned above (the Dwaithic, the Visishta-dwaithic and the Adwaithic) attain acceptance among different temperaments and different groups of people. Therefore, no one school has the right to claim superiority and impute inferiority. Only those who are unwise will resort to such tactics.
When people approach us with fanatic views, we must meet them with a smile, eager and yearning, filled with devotion to God. One can get intoxicated, of course, but, only as a result of quaffing the wine of Prema. When some one who is frantic for work approaches us we must share with him our skill and strength and join with him in work. By this means, it is possible to bring harmony between followers of various faiths and philosophic thoughts. It will bring together schools of thought and belief. If only this principle of harmony and harmonious co-operation had become a permanent asset of each man, how excellent it would be? How happy the world would have been, if every one had this knowledge that his view point can at best be only partial and that it requires the harmonious commingling of many other facets to posit Truth?
Yoga means 'coming together'. In India, where yoga is flowing in the veins of every one since ages, it is possible to have the harmonious co-existence of many faiths and beliefs, which is the ideal type of Universal Religion. Those who can heroically put their faith into daily living can accomplish this 'together-ness' in the human community. Togetherness or Union can be established between one's outer behaviour and inner nature. The Sadhaka, intent on the path of Prema, can strive for Union between himself and the embodiment of Prema, namely, God. The Vedantin can achieve the Union of all that is in the one concept of God. The path of Yoga is designated differently in Sanskrit under different contexts; but, those who are able to conceive and execute the Union are revered as Yogis.
Those who strive through activities and achievements to establish the Union are the Karma-yogis; those who follow the Prema path, are the Bhakthi-yogis; those who strive to manifest their latent powers and canalise them are the Raja-yogis; those who stick to logical analysis and rational interpretations and attain intuitive perception are the Jnana-yogis. In the Bharathiya spiritual history, these four types recur again and again.
First, the Karma Yogi. He adopts the path of establishing union with Godhead by elevating and sublimating acts. We meet in the world many who seem to have been born, just to accomplish one particular mission or project. Their intellect is not satisfied with mere imagination or planning. Their minds will be full of actual concrete achievements which they yearn to realise. For such people, a guide-book or Sastra is needed to direct them along beneficial paths. Every one in the world is seen engaged in some activity or other, all the time. Yet, very few know the significance and worth-whileness of Karma; or, how best to realise the best results out of this inescapable trait. Hence, life is being made banal and barren. Karma-yoga teaches man the awareness of this significance and guides him along to achieve the maximum benefit out of the activity. Where, when and how Karma has to be done, how spiritual urges can reinforce strength of mind in the performance of Karma, and how Karma is to be taken up so that spiritual development can result - these are taught to us by the Karma-yoga.
There is one great objection raised by some people about this and we have to pay some attention to it. The objection is that Karma Yoga involves too much physical strain. But, basically, it is the company that one keeps that decides the strain and the stress that the mind and the body of man are subjected to. "I like very much to engage myself in only this task"; "I sought only to do good to him, but, he ignored my desire and tried to injure me"; these are the usual causes for the strain and stress mentioned above. Such disappointment makes one lose interest in activity. It wants to do good and it seeks to do good to some one in some way, hoping to derive joy therefrom and distribute joy. When such joy does not arise, despair sets in.
But, without getting attached, without being aware as to whom the Karma helps or how, the lesson that Karma Yoga teaches is - do the Karma, as Karma, for the sake of the Karma. Why does the Karma-yogi fill his hands with work? That is his real nature; he feels that he is happy, while doing work. That is all. He does not bargain for results; he is not urged by any calculation. He gives, but never receives. He knows no grief, no disappointment; for he has not hoped for any benefit.
The second Path: Bhakthi-yoga. This is congenial for those who are emotionally oriented. It is the path for those capable of filling their hearts with Love. The urge is to have God as the Beloved. His activities will be different, for they relate to incense-burning, gathering flowers for worship, building shrines and temples where he could install and adore symbols of Beauty, Wisdom and Power.
Are you inclined to remark that this is not the right means of achieving union with Divinity? Remember that saints and sages, great spiritual leaders and guides throughout the world have emerged just from this devotional and dedicatory stage of spiritual endeavour. Some faiths tried to imagine God as formless, and described worship of God through various such acts as blasphemy, tried to suppress the Bhakthi cults and in the process, they slighted the Reality and Its Power and Majesty. The belief that God cannot be symbolised in a Form is evidence of blindness; the charge that such worship is barren is a hollow charge. The history of the world is the witness to the efficacy of Bhakthi. It is not proper to ridicule these activities, ceremonials and rituals and the descriptions of the lives of sadhakas who adhered to them in order to earn Union with Divinity. Let those who yearn after the joy of worshipping the Form do so; certainly, it will be a sin to shatter their faith and treat it as infructuous.
The glory of the great heroes of the spirit, those who have scaled the highest peaks of Realisation, and those who attained spiritual fulfilment is exercising immense influence on the mind of mankind. It is as a result of a long line of such seers that the spiritual Message of India has attracted the attention of all nations. If India has been able to earn the reverence of the world, the reason has to be sought in the precious treasure that they have earned and preserved. Here, love of God and fear of Sin have been the chief pillars of life and the everlasting guides for living. Bharatha has won a name for being a holy land, a land steeped in renunciation and in spiritual sadhanas aimed at union with the Absolute, renowned for thyaga and yoga. The urges that this culture encouraged were all directed to the conquest of the vagaries of the mind.
Can the explanations offered by this culture on the nature and characteristics of Reality be palatable to those afflicted by agitated feelings and passion? To the great builders of this culture, God was tangible Truth, the one and Only Real Fact, the Goal of their entire Love. So, the inheritors and followers of this culture treat the nihilist arguments based on the inescapably limited 'reason' as the fool is treated in the story. The fool saw an idol, and eager to discover the God he broke it to pieces with a hammer!
The Bhakthi Yoga will teach such people the path of Love. It will tell them not to love with a view to gain profit. Love all; love all as you love yourselves. No harm can come to you then. It will only spread joy and happiness to all. God is present in all beings as love. So the Love is directed to and accepted by, not the individual but by God who is resident there. The seeker of God who relies on the path of devotion and dedication soon becomes aware of this fact.
Some love God as the Mother, some others as the Father, and some love God as 'dearest and closest Friend'. There are others who regard God as the Beloved, the Only desired Goal. They all endeavour to merge their Love with the Ocean of Love that God is. Wherever Love is evident, take it that it is God's own Love. God is the greatest Lover of mankind. Therefore, when any one decides to serve man whom He loves, God showers Grace in plenty. When the human heart melts at the suffering of others and expands as a result of that sympathy, believe that God is present there. That is the sign of the validity of the path of devotion, the Bhakthi Yoga.
Now, about Rajayoga: Rajayoga means the process of establishing mastery over the mind. One need not surrender one's intellect or follow the guidelines of religious leaders. There is no chance of being misled or mistaken. At every step, one has to rely on one's own intellect and experience, as tested by oneself.
Every being has three varieties of instruments for acquiring knowledge, and through that knowledge, wisdom. The fact is 'instinctive'; this is very strong, active and advanced in animals. This is the earliest, the lowest and therefore, the least beneficial of the three. The second is the 'rational', the instrument that seeks the cause and the effect thereof. This is most evident in man. The instinct can operate only in the limited field of senses and sensory experiences. In man the instinctive knowledge is largely subordinated by the rational instruments. The limits of the rational are very thin; reason can range over vastly wider fields. In spite of this, reason too is capable of very poor performance only; its reach is restricted. It can proceed only a certain distance. It cannot venture further. The road that logic takes is not straight. It is more circular, returning again and again, to the place where it started from.
Take for example, our knowledge of the objective world, of the elements and energies that compose it. That which urges and prompts the objective world and its components does not stop with just this much. It absorbs also that which is immanent outside the objective world. And so, the extent that reason can spread over and explain is as the 'consciousness' that is imprisoned in the tiny molecule, as compared with the vastness and grandeur of the transcendent fullness.
For us to go across the boundaries of reason into this full, free realm of intuition, certain spiritual exercises and disciplines are essential. They can be grouped under the name, God-propelled Jnana. For, we have only three stages of Jnana - Sahajajnana (Native, derived from the senses of action and perception), Yukti-yuktajnana (Knowledge derived by the process of discrimination and evaluation), and Iswaraprerithajnana (God- induced knowledge gained through Grace by inner vision or intuition). The first of these is the knowledge possessed by animals; the second is the characteristic of man and the third is the special treasure of high-souled individuals. It is possible for eve