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Satyopanishad
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"Upanishad" evokes a setting marked by harmonious and reverential pursuit of the Supreme Wisdom under the care of a loving Guru. It is my good fortune that Bhagawan Baba has permitted me to participate in an Upanishadic retreat in Kodaikanal during four summers. A select band of students and a visitor or two were present. Baba encouraged them to come forward with their questions and doubts. Patiently and lovingly, He responded to questions on a wide range of topics political, economic, social, psychological, metaphysical, ethical, educational, scientific and cultural. By his divine inspiration, I felt like writing them down in my diary chronologically. These conversations, indeed, constitute an Upanishad. Therefore, I prayerfully have named it Satyopanishad.
Anil Kumar Kamaraju
CONTENTS
- Chapter 1: The Indian Eternal- Chapter 2: Trends in Society
- Chapter 3: Youth
- Chapter 4: The outer Door
- Chapter 5: Concepts
- Chapter 6: Parallels and Polarities
- Chapter 7: Sadhana. The Inner Door
- Chapter 8: Human Values
- Chapter 9: Scriptures and Baba - Ramayana
- Chapter 10: Scriptures and Baba - Mahabharata
- Chapter 11: Scriptures and Baba - Bhagavata
- Chapter 12: Scriptures and Baba - Baba
Q1) Swami! India (Bharat) is the land of religion and spirituality. All the incarnations have taken birth in Bharat. What is the reason behind this?
Bhagawan: Bharat is yogabhumi, the land of spirituality. Bharat is punyabhumi, the sacred land. Bharat is karmabhumi, the land of sacred activity. Bharat is tyagabhumi, the land of renunciation. Here saints, sages, seers, aspirants, seekers and devotees pray to God to enjoy His proximity. This necessitates the descent of God in human form or incarnation. In response to their fervent appeals and prayers, God, out of His grace and compassion, descends on earth or incarnates and moves amidst us. Devotees, then, experience bliss and follow Him.
Here is an illustration. You asked why Bharat alone has always been the birthplace of the incarnations. You know that the train has an engine in the front with several carriages connected to it. The power or energy generated there in the engine pulls the carriages forward. Where do you find the driver? Naturally, he sits in the engine monitoring the train, does he not? Similarly, in the train of the world, Bharat is in the position of an engine and the carriages are the several countries attached to it. God is the driver. The engine is His place. Just as we find heat and power generated there, we also find the same elements produced as a result of sacred rituals such as yajnas and yagas performed from time to time in this land of Bharat.
In the great epic, the Mahabharata we find Arjuna and Bhima always following Dharmaja. Here, Arjuna stands, for intelligence, while Bhima symbolises physical strength. Now, Bharat is in the position of Dharmaja. America is Arjuna, while Russia is Bhima. Just as you find Bhima and Arjuna obeying the command of Dharmaja, America and Russia should follow Bharat.
In the very name "Bharat" we have three letters. (Written in Telugu, "Bharat" comprises three letters). Bha, the first letter stands for bhava or feeling, ra, the second signifies raga, tune, or melody, and ta, the third indicates tala or beat. Thus, Bharat is the country where the glory of God is sung with bhava, raga and tala. This country has another name Hindudesam which means a country that shuns violence, 'Him' himsa or violence, ' du' du ra or shuns. For these reasons God has chosen to incarnate or descend in human form in Bharat.
Q2) Swami! We find people of every religion following a specific sacred text and a particular path. But in Sanatana Dharma, we have numerous paths, texts, and procedures such as dualism, qualified non-dualism and nondualism, the nine paths of devotion, the six Darsanas, the four Vedas, numerous Sastras, and so on. How are we to understand these and practice the principles of Sanatana Dharma?
Bhagawan: Sanatana Dharma is the most ancient spiritual way of life. Its diversity matches the spectrum of human behavioral tendencies, temperaments and mental attitudes. It is practical and confers divine experiences.
A small example. You buy a piece of cloth and give it to a tailor to make a suit for you. The tailor will get your suit ready according to your measurements, does he not? You cannot wear a dress made for someone else. It may be too lose or too tight, too long or too short. Therefore, your dress must be according to your size. Similarly, some may like Rama, some Siva, Krishna, and so on. They find it easy to concentrate on the deity of their choice, whereas the followers of other faiths may have to wear one dress of one and the same size.
Another example. You may know the nadasvaram, the South Indian musical instrument required to be played on every auspicious occasion. To maintain srti or rhythm by way of an accompaniment, one person plays an instrument in the same way all through. On the other hand, with nadasvaram you can play any number of ragas or tunes. Sanatana Dharma is like the nadasvaram.
Another example: Whatever, the combination of optional subjects you may take in Science during your undergraduate programme, be it 'M.P.C.' (Maths, Physics and Chemistry) or "C.B.Z." (Chemistry, Botany and Zoology), you get a B.Sc. degree. Similarly, in the university established by Sage Vyasa, you can opt for any course like the Sastras, the Vedas, the Upanishads, etc. This is the significance of our ancient Sanatana Dharma, which gives ample freedom for you to select and follow.
Another example: A pharmacist and a cafe owner got headache on the same day. Seeking relief, the pharmacist went to the cafe for a cup of coffee, and the cafe owner to the medical shop for a tablet. So one has faith in a cup of coffee while the other trusts a tablet. In the same way, you should follow the spiritual path you believe in, and the text that is convincing and appealing to you.
Q3) Swami! Muslims go to a mosque every Friday to pray (namaj), and Christians go to a church every Sunday. Then, how is it that Hindus do not meet in a temple like other religious groups?
Bhagawan: You are wrong if you think Hindus should. They are not required to specially meet on a specific day like others. Why? Every Hindu has a puja room or an altar in his home particularly meant for worship. He prays there every day. So there is no need for him to assemble for mass prayer or to pray on specific days like people belonging to other religions.
Q4) Swami! Since God is omnipresent and omniscient, do we need temples and should we go on pilgrimage to holy places like Shirdi, Puttaparti, Tirupati, and so on?
Bhagawan: This is a foolish question. You are exhibiting your ignorance and your 'fashionable' way of thinking which, more often than not, is perverted. There is no relationship between what is said and what is experienced. You say that God is everywhere. But it is merely an expression, vocal and verbal. Do you really have strong faith that God is present everywhere? Do you have that experience of the divinity, which is all pervasive? You are simply speaking like a parrot.
I give you here a simple example. Blood circulates throughout the body of a cow. But you can draw milk only out of the udder! You can't squeeze the ear or twist the tail of a cow to get its milk, can you? Therefore, the all pervading God can be visualised and experienced in a temple and at a holy pilgrim centre.
Q5) Swami! Why did the ancient rishis, sages and saints, choose forests to undertake tapas or penance? Why did they prefer solitude?
Bhagawan: There is significance undoubtedly. Why did they choose forests for penance? Here is an example. Suppose an exhibition is organised in a city. Naturally, the stalls there and the articles kept there for sales attract you. The music, eatables, clothes, etc., draw you. The exhibits attract your senses since you find them right before you. But, in a forest, there is nothing to attract or distract your attention.
Solitude helps you to maintain the inner peace and tranquility needed for meditation. It provides a congenial atmosphere for spiritual life. So, saints and sages always did penance in forests. In other words, "forest" is "for rest" spiritually.
Q6) Swami! We don't find any understanding between any two persons, but only mutual bickering and differences. We hardly find any unity or brotherhood between man and man. What is the reason?
Bhagawan: There is one thing you should clearly know when you think of unity and differences among people. What is the reason? Today there is no understanding between any two persons. The absence of understanding is the main cause of all the conflicts, enmity, and differences. Therefore, people do not adjust with others. Adjustment is possible only when there is understanding. But, today you are moving in the opposite direction. You think that you can adjust first and then understand each other. But, that is wrong. You must first understand and adjustment then becomes easy.
Here is a small illustration. When there is perfect understanding between you and your wife, she does not mind if you return home late from your office. She pities you and sympathises with you. With all her concern and love, she brings you a cup of coffee. But, if by any chance, there is a slight misunderstanding, and your return from office is delayed even by five minutes, there will be a civil war at home. Why? Misunderstanding is the cause of her inability to adjust. It makes her put questions like: "Where have you been till now? Where did you go? With whom did you spend the time?" etc. So understanding is very necessary for proper adjustment. Many problems of society today can be solved if this is realised.
Q7) Swami! Hindus are criticised for worshipping idols, trees, etc. Many think that this is all superstition and blind faith. What do you feel about this, Swami?
Bhagawan: Bharat is the spiritual centre of the world. This is the country that practised, preached and propagated that divinity exists in all the living and the nonliving, right from an atom to the entire cosmos. You will notice that here, in this country, putta, anthill, gutta, mountain, chettu, tree and pitta, bird are objects of veneration and worship. An anthill is worshipped as the abode of Lord Subrahmanya, a bird is respected as the vehicle of Lord Vishnu, a mountain is spiritually important as it is viewed as Govardhana lifted by Lord Krishna, and a tree is worshipped as the asvatthavriksa. All objects are divine according to our scriptures. This is not superstition. This is not in any way blind faith. Sanatana Dharma wants us to view, feel, and experience divinity everywhere. This is the spiritual path. This is the highest and noblest experience.
Q8) Swami! Kindly tell us what is to be done in our country now?
Bhagawan: You don't have to protect your country now. You should protect and uphold Satya and Dharma. You should of necessity follow these twin principles. They will protect the entire universe. You should develop love for the universe in all its vastness and magnitude.
Love all and serve all. You should rise above the narrow limits of caste, creed and nationality. You should believe in the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God. You should never waste time. Gratitude must be expressed by rendering service to the society in which you are born, grew up, made money and earned reputation. Be patriotic and strive for integration, harmony, peace and security in society. You should follow and uphold the great and unique Indian culture.
Cultivate human values and realise the divinity within you. Politics without Principles, Commerce without Morality, Science without Humanity, and Education without Character are not only useless, but also dangerous. You should be a perfect, ideal man. You are from God. You are the spark of the Divine. Hence, your qualities should be daiva, divine and not dayyam, demonic. You say, "I am a human being". This is only half a truth. The other half is, "I am not an animal". You should give up animal qualities. If you have both bestial and human qualities, it means your mind is dual. The man with a dual mind is half blind.
If you place a ceiling on your desires, you will be happy. He who has many desires is the poorest man. The man with contentment is the richest man. Guna, virtue is more important than ana, coin.
You should know the purpose and the goal of life. Life is not for eating, drinking, and sleeping alone. Animals also do the same. What is your specialty, then? God has gifted you this life in order that you may know, experience and realise the divinity within you. Morality and integrity are very important. Nitiye jati, morality, indeed, is national character. A Telugu verse runs as follows:
adi vadalitiv o kotikante hinud avu,
jati gauravamu ni tipai nilucunu
ni ti kalugu jati nijamaina jati .
Without character, you are worse than a monkey. The prestige of a nation depends on its morality. That nation alone deserves to be called a nation when it truly maintains high standards of morality and individuality.
You should always remember these three important points. The first is: do not trust the way of the world. Sometimes it not only deludes and distracts you, but betrays you also. The second is: never forget God who is always with you, in you, above you, below you. Nay, you are God. The third is: do not fear death, as it is sure to take place. In fact, death is the dress of life. Follow the sacred path in life by maintaining unity in thought, word and deed.
There is one more thing I want you to note. Open your heart and close your mouth. Today, people speak what they don't really mean; their hearts are full of jealousy, pride, envy, and what not. I want you to open your heart and be free from all those that pollute it and close your mouth. Dedicate your life to service. Keep God as your ultimate aim and goal. This is what I mean when I say, "Hands in society and Head in the forest" .
You should share your precious knowledge and valuable experience with others. You should share Sai's message with others. Have faith in yourself first and then you can trust God. The real cause of the problem of the present day lies here. You don't have faith in yourself. You have no selfconfidence.
Consider gramaseva, rural service as Rama Seva, service to God. Explain clearly to the villagers issues like hygiene, health, cleanliness, and organise medical camps. Ensure to everyone water supply, especially drinking water supply. Tell them about the evil effects of smoking and drinking. Help them to get rid of these bad habits. If you work and serve mingling closely with the local people, in course of time, they will be able to work independently and become self reliant. Service to man is service to God. Service is a greater and higher spiritual path than meditation, penance, worship and chanting. Serve the poor and the needy.
Don't be selfish. Don't give any scope for jealousy, pride, and attachment. Develop virtues like devotion, adherence to truth, discipline, broadmindedness, and never yield to pomp, pride, and egoism. Bad qualities are like tigers while noble qualities are like cows. Will tigers allow cows to live? No. So, don't have any evil tendencies in your heart. You should imbibe human values more and more, and live up to the ideals you cherish.
Q9) Swami! Kindly tell us about Vasishtha and Visvamitra the two sages who are very prominent in the Ramayana?
Bhagawan: In ancient days, kings were always guided by their preceptor. They consulted him on all major issues. That was how satya and dharma were maintained and upheld. History shows instances when kings approached their gurus for blessings and guidance, and thus became great. You know how King Krishnadevaraya was guided by his mentor and preceptor, Vidyaranya, and Emperor Sivaji by Samartha Ramadas.
Rama and Lakshmana followed Sage Visvamitra, learnt archery from him and killed demons like Khara and Dushana who were obstructing and desecrating Vedic rituals like yajnas and yagas in the forest. Thus, Visvamitra was instrumental in demonstrating to the world at large the valour and expertise of Rama and Lakshmana. Visvamitra also taught Rama the most sacred mantra, the Gayatri. Visvamitra was also responsible for the divine wedding of Sita and Rama, which was in essence a union of prakriti, matter and purusa, energy, the Absolute one. He was and is the mitra, friend, of visva, the entire Universe, and so the name of the sage has been so apt and befitting.
Visvamitra was the one who gave Gayatri Mantra to mankind. As he was growing in spiritual stature, he wished to be called Brahmarshi by Vasishtha. He was always competitive and envious of Vasishtha to the extent of even resolving to kill him. On a full moon day he planned to kill Vasishtha and was holding in his hand a big stone to be thrown on his head. Meanwhile, he heard Vasishtha tell his wife Arundhati how bright and beautiful the moonlight was and how it was equal to the power of the penance of Visvamitra. His mind immediately changed and he fell at the feet of Vasishtha and the latter addressed him as Brahmarshi since he had conquered his ego.
Q10) Swami! Among the sages, how is Valmiki noteworthy?
Bhagawan: The Ramayana was both composed and recited during the time of Rama's incarnation. As for the great sage and ascetic Valmiki, besides being a contemporary of Rama, he, as the author of the Ramayana, is the very first poet. He gave shelter to Sita, renowned for her virtue and chastity, brought up her sons, Lava and Kusa, and taught them archery and all the arts. Thus, he played a vital role in the Ramayana.
Having completed the Ramayana, he thought deeply about popularising such a great work. At that juncture, Lava and Kusa came forward and took a vow in the presence of Valmiki and other distinguished sages that they would themselves sing the Ramayana and offer its nectar to people all over the world. Thus, Valmiki has the unique distinction of composing the divine Ramayana as Rama's contemporary and having it sung in Rama's presence. Valmiki proclaimed to the whole world the ideals and divinity of Rama, the protector of the world and the inspirer of His muse. Thus, it was only from the Tretayuga that the divinity within humanity began to shine forth.
The purpose of the incarnation of Rama was to pass on to mankind the whole duty of man. What is happening today is exactly the same phenomenon. You would have noticed how in the present avatar too, biographies are written by contemporaries, and the Divinity is acknowledged, worshipped, experienced, and celebrated all over the world. That all this is happening during the time of the incarnation is another parallel to Rama's descent. The same Ideal! The same Love! The same Message, viz., the practice of Satya and Dharma.
Q11) Swami! We heard about King Dasaratha, the yoga called 'putrakameshti', and so on. Kindly tell us something about King Janaka.
Bhagawan: Janaka was a Rajayogi, a man of great wisdom, utterly devoid of the sense of the body. Therefore, he came to be known as videha, one without attachment to the body. As the daughter of that King, Sita came to be known as Vaidehi. Janaka was an ideal king possessing immense devotion to the preceptor, extensive knowledge of the Sastras, and the spirit of renunciation. He performed Sita's marriage as his bounden duty. Later on, Rama left for the forest along with Sita and Lakshmana. Though their stay in the forest stretched into years, Janaka never set foot in the forest. Such was Janaka's abounding wealth of jnana and vairagya.
Q12) Swami. We hear that Adi Sankara died at a young age. What could be the reason?
Bhagawan: It is true that the founder of the doctrine of advaita, nondualism, died young. He wrote commentaries on three important sacred texts known as Prasthanatraya, viz. the Upanishads, the Brahmasutras, and the Bhagavadgita. Besides, emphasising jnana, he composed a large number of hymns on bhakti. He travelled all over the country and established pithas centres of worship and spiritual learning. He symbolises Sanatana Dharma, the ancient, timeless spiritual culture of this land.
Adi Sankara went to the ancient pilgrim centre, Kasi where he prayed to the presiding deity, Visvanath to pardon him for the three mistakes he had committed. The first mistake happened to be his behavior contrary to what he had been stating all along. While saying, Vasudevas sarvamiti, God is everywhere, he had come to Kasi to see God. The second mistake was that even while knowing that God is beyond our comprehension and description, yato vaco nivartante, he tried to write books on divinity. The third mistake was that while knowing that one God manifested Himself as many, ekoham bahu syam, and that the same God is present in everyone, atmavat sarva bhutani and that awareness is in everyone, prajnanam brahma he organised mathas, centres of learning considering his disciples separate from him.
You may also have heard another episode connected with his life. He prayed to his mother for permission to become a Sannyasi, a lifelong celibate. She didn't accept the proposal initially. One day Sankara went to a nearby river to have a bath. Suddenly a crocodile caught his feet. Then he started crying, "Mother! Mother! This crocodile is pulling me into the water. It is not going to leave me until you permit me to become a sannyasi". His mother at last gave her permission and Sankara was released by the crocodile. The inner meaning of the episode is that the river is comparable to samsara, worldly life in general, and the crocodile to visaya, sensual pleasure. Man is dragged into the river of life by the crocodile of worldly pleasure. Release is renunciation or detachment.
Sankara shuffled off the mortal coil soon after completing the tasks he had set for himself, because he was sure that his mission would be carried further by his disciples, the torchbearers of his philosophy and that his theory of advaita, nondualism would be widely spread and propagated. His disciples too were of the stature and eminence to carry on his mission successfully.
Q13) Swami! Tyagaraja, very well known as a devotee of Rama, composed kritis (hymns in praise of the Lord) which are sung even today. What is special about them?
Bhagawan: There are many names of devotees who composed devotional songs all over the world. God also responded to them. Those songs make you ecstatic and sublime. But the hymns of Tyagaraja have a specialty about them. Every song of his is related to an incident in his life.
For example, when the King of Tanjore sent him jewels, provisions and costly presents, Tyagaraja mildly and politely rejected them and put to himself a question in the form of a krti, nidhi cala sukhama ramuni sannidhi seva sukhama, is it money that makes you happy or is it nearness to God? Once his brother threw all the idols worshipped by Tyagaraja into the Kaveri river. Tyagaraja cried and cried for this loss. One day when he was taking his bath in the Kaveri, he could get by the grace of Rama those lost idols, and holding them in his palms he brought them home singing, rara ma inti daka raghuvi ra sukumara : "Lord Rama! Please come home." In a music concert in the court of a king, he sang paying obeisance to all the distinguished people present in the assembly, endaro mahanubhavulu andariki vandanamulu, "there are many noble and great people here, my humble pranams to all of you." Like this, every song composed by Tyagaraja is associated with some real life occasion or incident. The hymns of Tyagaraja reflect practical devotion and surrender.
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Q14) Swami! Right now, we are in Kodaikanal. Tamilnadu is known for its renowned devotees. We often hear about Manikya Vachakar and Tiruvalluvar. We want to hear from you about these two illustrious sons of Tamilnadu.
Bhagawan: Manikya Vachakar is the personification of forbearance, forgiveness, patience, and devotion. One day the son of a very rich man came to him. You know, Manikya Vachakar was selling saris and maintaining his family. This boy who came to him was a pampered spoilt child. Picking up a sari there, the boy asked, " What is the price of this sari?" Manikya Vachakar said, " Twenty rupees, sir" . The boy tore the sari into two halves and said, " What is the price of this half sari?" The sari seller said, " Rupees ten, sir" . The boy tore it further into two halves and asked, " Now what is the price of this quarter sari" ? The former patiently replied, " Rupees five sir" . The mischievous boy was very much taken aback by Manikya Vachakar's patience. He then asked, " How is it that you are so patient in spite of my mischief?" Manikya Vachakar smiled and said, " 1 am a devotee of God and I have full faith in Him. He is responsible for my peace and calmness" .
In Tamilnadu there was one devotee by name Tiruvalluvar. He was highly reputed and is known even today for his devotional composition, Tirukkural. In those days, the Pandya king had youngsters serving him as ministers. Tiruvalluvar was one of them. The Pandya king had a great liking for horses. He liked to have a number of horses of different breeds from all parts of the country. He called Tiruvalluvar, gave him some money, and sent him to get new breeds of horses from all places. The latter agreed and proceeded.
On his way, Tiruvalluvar found a temple in a dilapidated condition. He decided to renovate it. In so doing, he had spent all the money he had with him. Having come to know what he had done, the king became very furious and wild. He kept Tiruvalluvar in prison as a punishment. There in the prison Tiruvalluvar composed his famous Tirukkural. The king repented later for his hasty and wrong decision. He requested Tiruvalluvar to come back and resume his duties as a minister. However, Tiruvalluvar politely refused to take up any responsibilities in the kingdom. He spent the remaining part of his life wholly in spiritual pursuits.
Q15) Swami! God is attributeless. He is above sattvika, rajasika, and tamasika qualities. But, we are bound by these three attributes. How can we realise God, then?
Bhagawan: The Divine has two aspects. He can be experienced as the one with attributes and also as beyond them. You should know one thing chiefly. God is in the attributes. But, the attributes are not in Him. Attributes or traits cannot function and operate without divinity in them. Gold is in the jewellery. But, jewels are not in gold. Pots are made of clay, but not vice versa. Silverware, like a glass or a plate, is made of silver. But, the glass and plate are not in silver.
Another example: You know, an electric bulb illumines, and a fan revolves. Radios, TVs work by electricity only. They are electrical gadgets. Electricity is the main cause of their functioning. But, none of these gadgets are there in electricity. Likewise, God is present in the attributes. They are not present in God. So in a way we can say that He has attributes and at the same time He is attributeless, saguna and nirguna.
Every man has three qualities sattva, rajas, and tamas. But, the one that dominates the other two decides his thinking, feeling and action. But, unless we transcend these three qualities, we cannot experience divinity in the true sense. Here is an example. If you want to see your own chest, what should you do? You should first of all remove your coat, then your shirt, and finally even your banian, to look at your chest, isn't it so? So also, to see the chest of divinity you should first remove the coat of tamasika quality, the shirt of rajasika quality and the banian of sattvika quality.
Q16) Swami! We pray to you to tell us about the two aspects of God, with form and without it?
Bhagawan: It is here that many are confused. Without a form, from where do you get the formless? How is it possible for you to visualise the formless? Since you have a form, you can only think of God with a form. For example, if a fish is to think of God, it can visualise God only in the form of a bigger fish. So also, if at all a buffalo thinks of God, it can think of God only as a bigger buffalo. In the same way, man can think of God only as existing in human form, the form of an ideal man.
Even the formless aspect of God can be meditated upon basing on the aspect of God with form. You cannot derive the formless without a form. Here is a small example. You are all here seated in this hall in front of Swami today in Kodaikanal. You are listening to Swami's words. This is an experience with a form. Later, you go home and after a few days you begin to reflect on what had happened here. You recall the entire scenario. In fact, has Swami come to your place physically? Would you find this room at your place? Have all of you gone there? No. But this direct experience is pictured mentally, which gives you the indirect experience of being here. What you see here is the sakara and what you experience there is the nirakara. So, the formless is based on the aspect with form. One cannot exist without the other.
Another example. Here is milk. You want to drink it. How do you drink? Don't you need a cup or a glass? Similarly to worship God (milk) you need a form (cup).
Swami, of these two ways of worship, the aspect with form and the other, the formless, which is greater?
Bhagawan: In my opinion, both are equal. One is not in any way greater than the other. Now you are in Coimbatore. Here the land is plain, without any ups and downs. The level of the land is the same throughout. Nobody levelled it. Nobody prepared the ground like this. The form of Coimbatore is like this. Its design is like this. But Kodaikanal is located on the hills. Nobody assembled hills there. Its form is of that sort. Coimbatore and Kodaikanal are different from one other. Each one is full, but in its own way.
So also, the two methods of worship one with form and the other formless are equally beneficial to the seekers of truth and aspirants of spiritual enlightenment.
Q17) Swami! Scriptures declare that God is omnipresent; God is everywhere. Kindly explain this aspect of Divinity? How are we to understand this?
Bhagawan: The Bhagavadgita says, "bijam mam sarvabh utanam, God is the seed of this entire creation. God is the seed of all beings." For example, you see here a mango seed. You sow it in the ground. The seed, as days pass, germinates. In the process, the seed produces a root, then a stem, a leaf, branches, and flowers gradually. The seed is latent in every part of the plant, as all parts directly or indirectly emerge from it. Finally, in the hard seed of the fruit also the initial or the original seed is present. So, God is present in the entire universe. The whole world is a tree, God is the seed, and fruits are the beings or creatures born of the tree of the world.
Q18) Swami! When the same divinity is present in everyone, why should differences exist? Divinity being the same, why are we so different from each other?
Bhagawan: Ekamevadvitiyam brahma, " God is one without a second" , says the scripture. Then, how do we account for the variety, diversity, differences, and so on? A small example to understand this. Power supply being the same, don't you find the difference in the voltage of the bulbs that illumine? A bulb with a low voltage gives you light of low intensity and a bulb with a high voltage illumines more brightly. Don't they? But, at the same time, electricity is one and the same. Bulbs are different in their voltage and this determines the intensity of light. Similarly, our bodies are like those bulbs with the inner current of the same Divinity.
Swami! You said that divinity is in everyone. Then, before we were born where had it been? Does divinity exist even after our death?
Bhagawan: The Divine exists. Divinity is imperishable, pure and unsullied. It has neither birth nor death. It is eternal and stable. It is beyond time and space. Divinity transcends all physical laws.
Now, your question is: where did divinity exist prior to your birth and where will it be after your death, while it is in you during this lifetime? You see, there is an electrical wire on the wall, and also holders here and there to which bulbs are fixed. You get light only if a bulb is fixed to a holder and not otherwise. Why? The current passes through the wire that enters the bulb fixed to the holder. If you hold the bulb in your hand, it does not illumine, as there is no power supply. What you have to understand is this. The current has not been newly produced to get into the bulb. It was already there in the wire. If you remove the bulb, what will happen to the current? It will be there in the wire only. The only difference is that you will not experience its presence as illumination. Similarly, the bulb is the body, the current of divinity flows into it as the illumination of life. When this bulb of the body is removed, even then, the current of divinity persists hidden or latent, so much so divinity has all along been there before you were born, during your lifetime and will even be there after your death like the current of electricity.
Q19) Swami! It is said that God is hr dayavasi, dweller in our heart. Is it the same heart, which is on the left side in on our chest?
Bhagawan: No, no. That is the physical heart. But the seat of God is the spiritual heart, which is also called hrdaya. It means hr + daya = hrdaya. The one filled with compassion is hrdaya, heart. Today compassion is a matter of fashion. People put on kasayavastra, ochre robes but they have kasayihrdaya, hearts of butchery.
The physical heart is on the left side while the spiritual heart is on the right side. The spiritual heart is the temple of God. In the Gita, Lord Krishna says, isvarah hrddese arjuna tisthati which means God resides in the altar of your heart. Knowledge, be it physical, secular, scientific or technological, relates to the head and not to the heart. But love, compassion, truth, sacrifice and forbearance concern the heart.
Q20) Swami! Can divinity be probed into? Is it possible to know it by reasoning?
Bhagawan: All worldly experiences are bound by time and space. Your senses help you to experience all that is in the outer world. Science and Technology investigate the five elements, make certain combinations and permutations, and provide certain additional conveniences and comforts for mankind to lead a better life. These include electronic gadgets, computers, and so on. A scientist conducts an experiment, but a spiritual aspirant's experiences of divinity cannot be conducted in a laboratory. How do you expect to convey anything about divinity, which is beyond expression? How do you imagine divinity, which is beyond comprehension? How do you investigate and experiment upon divinity which transcends all your reasoning and senses? Science is based on experiments, and religion on experience. In science, you analyse, but in religion, you realise.
Q21) Swami! What should we do to receive God's grace?
Bhagawan: There is no way other than devotion. Your wealth, scholarship, authority and physical personality cannot please God. It is only your devotion that He looks into.
Don't you know Guha in the Ramayana? What scholarship had he to please Rama? Nothing. He was not even educated. You also must have heard of Sabari, an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. How rich was she to be close to Rama? Nothing. She was in rags at that time, the poorest of the poor. What made that bird, Jatayu receive the special blessings of Rama so as to deserve performance of the last rites at the divine hands of Rama? Even Rama's father, Dasaratha, was not as fortunate as this bird Jatayu, because he died when Rama was in the forest, far away from Ayodhya. How about Hanuman, a monkey? By implicit faith in and total surrender to Rama he could be successful not only in the task assigned to him, but also came to be worshipped by the devotees of the Lord and his worship has been continuing since the days of the Ramavatara.
The Mahabharata clearly portrays Draupadi, the queen of the Pandavas as Lord Krishna's devotee of the highest order, always, in times of success or failure, pleasure or pain, calm or turmoil, anywhere, either on the throne in Hastinapura or in the forest. The Pandavas are known for their deep devotion and abounding love for Krishna. They are the best examples of equanimity and total surrender to God such that Krishna identified Himself completely with them by saying that Dharmaja was His head, Arjuna His heart, Bhima His shoulders, and the two youngest brothers Nakula and Sahadeva equal to His two feet. This is true devotion. This is the ideal stature of a devotee.
In the Bhagavata you come across the Gopis (the cowherd girls who were rustic, innocent, and unlettered) whose madhurabhakti, total attachment to God, was backed by unconditional love and surrender. Their devotion was noble, pure, nectarine, and exemplary. They saw Krishna in bushes, thorns, leaves, branches, and flowers. Is theirs not tadatmyabhava, total identification? Isn't theirs the advaitabhava, nondualistic state? They could not bear the pangs of separation from Krishna even for a split second. This is the level of their devotion.
Have you not heard about Tyagaraja, the South Indian saintsinger and composer, who had put the question: 'nidhi cala sukhama ramuni sannidhi seva sukhama '. Is it wealth that gives you happiness or proximity to God? Ramadas, Surdas, Kabir, Tulasidas, Jayadev, Tukaram, Mira, and others were the very personifications of devotion. They are remembered to this day. By reading about them, you will not only be the recipient of God's grace but even have a claim on God's grace. You know, the moment you marry, your wife will have a claim on your property. This is due to the mangalasutra, the sacred knot tied at the time of the wedding. Similarly, devotion is bhaktisutra the knot of devotion, which empowers the devotee to claim from God His grace. Therefore, for everything, devotion is most important. For most people, it is the proper and noble approach to Divinity.
Q22) Swami! Why are we not the recipients of Divine grace?
Bhagawan: It is not proper to feel so. You are wrong if you think so. God's grace is equally available to all of you. He makes no distinctions of caste, creed, sex, nationality, and so on. You should know that the defect is in you. You have to cleanse the tumbler of your heart. For example, it is raining heavily now. If you want to collect water in a vessel, what you do is to keep it straight. However, if you turn it downwards or put it upside down, is it possible to collect water? The downpour of rain will be of no help at all. Therefore, we have to keep our hearts always pure and ready to receive the rain of grace. We have to turn it towards the rain of God's Love in order to collect it. Is it not so?
Q23) Swami! Our fortune is immeasurable, how many people get this opportunity! This is all your grace. But, how are we to preserve this?
Bhagawan: Look! Out of the millions of devotees how many are able to be here? Is this proximity possible for everyone? Merit from several past lives had made you fortunate enough to be here. Out of a few thousand in our institutions, how many students are lucky enough to be here? Only a few of you could follow me to this place, Kodaikanal. This you will have to preserve and sustain carefully.
A small example. Here is a roll of thread, which is the product of much rotating and winding. A time consuming job, really! If they take up this process in haste, and drop it in the middle out of neglect or carelessness, all the thread will lie scattered on the ground. Similarly, your fortune is like this roll of thread carefully and laboriously wound like the merit of the good deeds you had done in your past lives. If you neglect this fortune and lose it by any mischance, you can't get it back. All the effort you have put in will go waste. The thick pad at the centre of this roll is like your faith round which your meritorious deeds are wound. So, never neglect this good luck, nor take it for granted, nor view it as simple and ordinary. Negligence and carelessness are harmful to spiritual aspirants.
Q24) Swami! How does your Grace affect our destiny and our prarabdha, past karma?
Bhagawan: God's grace and God's will can change anything. God is love. His infinite compassion makes Him change your, pra rabdhakarma or the ka rmic effects of your past lives. A devotee can arrest God in the jail of his heart. In this world, there is nothing that you can't achieve with devotion. God's grace can cancel all your karmic effects or the evil effects of your past life. Nothing untoward can happen to you.
A small example. You see many medicines kept for sale in a medical shop. On each of the medicines you find the date of manufacture and of expiry. The medicine will not act with efficiency beyond the date of expiry. It becomes just useless. What God does is exactly the same thing. He simply stamps on the medicine bottle the date of expiry cancelling your prarabdhakarma the suffering you are going through in this life. Right then your suffering ends. This is how Swami, out of His sheer grace and compassion, gives you relief.
Q25) Swami! Can we be sure of God's grace if we do sadhana regularly?
Bhagawan: Certainly! As sure as anything! Why do you doubt? For example, you have a pet dog. You feed it every day and you will notice that it will get habituated to come to you exactly at the same time every day to be fed. Is this not true? When regularity makes a dog respond, why not God? You will definitely receive His grace.
Q26) Swami! We are here in your presence because of your infinite grace and mercy. Your blessings have brought us all here. We bask in the sunshine of bliss bestowed on us by your Divine dars' an , spars'an and sambhas an. Do we still need merit from past lives and the samskaras ?
Bhagawan: The present state of bliss and the merit from past lives are both essential and they should go together. They are closely interrelated. Take this example. Here the soil is sandy. When there are heavy rains, water sinks into the soil or gets absorbed in the soil. The same is the situation with you at present. Therefore, devotion doesn't remain steady. But, suppose there is a flow of river water, what happens when it rains? Water will flow with greater vigour than before. Similarly, your present blessed opportunity of being with me is like rainwater. If you have good samska ras from your past life like the water flow of a river, the blissful state you are experiencing now will continue with more vigour.
God's grace is like a shower of rain. Your merit from the past will enable you to contain it. So, I tell you often to retain the good luck, the opportunity, and the privilege given to you. You draw water out of the well in a bucket. But you have to pick up the bucket full of water yourself. On the other hand, if you drop it in the middle, what happens? You can't collect water, can you? However, there is one important thing. If you love God intensely, you can achieve anything. As human effort increases, God's grace also lends strength and intensity to the effort, which ultimately leads man to success.
Trends in Society
Q27) Swami! Manis not behaving in the way expected of him. He is losing his very humannature. How should he transform himself at this juncture? How about society, if he remains like this, Swami?
Bhagawan:You do not know that you areusing certain words without knowing their meaning. If you understand the wordsthat you utter, you will notice that they are selfexplanatory and conveytheir meaning in unambiguous terms. What is the meaning of this word manava, man? â 'Ma' means maya or illusion, 'na', 'dati '(Telugu), 'va', vartincu (Telugu). In other words, ' manava 'means 'the one who crosses maya and conducts himself accordingly' anddefinitely not one who is enslaved by maya. It can also be interpretedin another way. The word 'manava' means, 'ma ', not, 'nava', new. Thus 'manava ' means 'not new'. Man had many births earlier andthe present one is not new.
Man is also called narah(Sanskrit). Na means 'not', and rah means 'perishable'. Thus, narah, means 'not perishable'. Obviously, the one, which is imperishable, is eternal that is, immortal, or atma, Truth. There is another word vanara (Sanskrit) denoting a â 'monkey'. Va denotes vala or tail. So narashould be viewed as man without vala or tail. Man is saksara : sa, divine and aksara, undiminishable or permanent. Thus, saksara is one who is undiminishable, permanent or eternal, Atma. He whohas the awareness of such Atma is saksara. But alas! Man today isbehaving as raksasa, demon. Man is expected to have dama, control of senses, but he is full of mada, pride and conceit. So, whenwe understand the meaning of these words, we shall know that man or vyakti, the individual, should exhibit and express the quality of atma, which he trulyis.
A community or a group ofindividuals makes a society. A single vr ks a, tree , cannot make avana, forest. A single grha, house cannot make a grama, village. What is the meaning of samaja, society? Sama, equalityor equanimity, ja, born out of. Thus samaja, is that whichmaintains equality and equanimity. What are needed for ideal society? They are samaikyata, unity; samagrata, coordination; samarasa, integration; saubhratrata, fraternity; and samanata, equality.These are the features of an ideal society.
We hear people saying thatsociety should change. However, in my opinion, it is wrong. If the individualchanges, society will automatically change. A small example. A fatherpresented a map of India to his young son. The boy, by mistake, tore it topieces and was reprimanded by his father. After some time, the son brought themap intact. When asked by the father how he could do it, the boy replied thaton the reverse side of the map there was the picture of a man. He said theonly thing he did was to correctly assemble the torn pieces of the man to makeit into the original picture. Then the original map formed itselfautomatically.
Thus, when individuals reform, society will automatically get reformed. Every person should know that thehappiness of the individual depends on that of society. Man's welfare, progress and prosperity depend on society. This truth must be fully understoodby everyone. For example, when there is a fire in the neighbourhood you makean attempt to extinguish it. Why? If you do not, your house will not be safe.When all the other houses in the neighbourhood are burnt down by the fire, your house too will be burnt. When there are epidemics like cholera, you willbe extra careful; otherwise, you will also become one of the victims. Similaris the relationship between an individual and the society he lives in.
Q28) Swami! May be due to theimpact of the Age of Kali, we don't find in these days, any understandingamong the members of a family. Instead, we find differences in many families, even conflicts, complexes, competitions; and sometimes matters become so bad as to drag a family tothe courts. Please suggest a way out of this sad plight, Swami!
Bhagawan:In this world though diversity is apparent, there is an inherent unity.Multiplicity may be patent. But the underlying unity is latent. The whole ofnature shows both these aspects.
Take the earth; it is not thesame throughout. There are hills, mountains, and valleys. However, in ourexperience we clearly visualise unity. Are the five fingers of the same handidentical? No. Similarly, the members of one and the same family are not alikeor uniform. They are not stereotypes. All the same, there cannot be any validreason for the absence of fraternity, unity, and love among the members of thefamily.
A good example from our epics maybe cited in this context. You analyse Siva samsaram 'the family ofour Lord Siva'. Siva has Ganga, water, over his head, and fire on his foreheadbetween the two eyes. He is, therefore, Trinetra or 'the threeeyed'God'. 'Water' and 'Fire' are also opposed to each other in their nature anddon't coexist. Siva is pannagadhara, nagabhusana for He hasround his neck venomous serpents. The vehicle of his elder son LordSubrahmanya is a peacock. Snakes and peacocks are enemies. The vehicle ofGoddess Parvati, consort of Siva is a lion. She is simhavahini. Thevery face of Siva's second son is that of an elephant. Ganesh is calledGajanana for this reason. An elephant can't even dream of the sight of a lion.Parvati has all the jewels, but her Lord, Siva is digambara, naked, bhasmabh u s itanga with vibhuti smeared all over the body, andsurrounded by bhutas or devils. Though Siva's family is full ofopposites and contradictions, there is integration, coordination, harmony andunity.
Similarly, in your families, themembers may differ from each other, yet you should be able to live in perfectharmony like Siva's family. This is the lesson that over the ages Lord Sivahas been teaching the world.
Q29)Swami! Today the whole world is strifetorn. We hear of racial discrimination, class conflict, bloodshed, war, and so on. Kindly give some message to thepresent day world.
Bhagawan:Today we have many intellectuals who find diversity in unity. There are only afew who notice unity in diversity. This is the reason for the present daytroubles, turmoil, conflicts, wars, and so on in the world. Manava, manis behaving like a danava, demon. So we find violent, demonic, bestial, and inhuman tendencies among people. The moment man recognises and experiencesunity in diversity, peace, comfort, safety, security, and happiness areensured.
The composition of human blood isthe same all over the world. All breathe oxygen only. All tread the sameground. Hunger is one, be that of a rich man who may dine in a fivestar hotelor of a beggar who appeases his hunger with mere starch. Thirst is one and thesame, be that of a rich man who will have a cool drink or of a poor man whodrinks tap water in the street. Both feel happy in moments of joy and bothgrieve in times of difficulties.
The human body is composed of thefive elements: earth, water, air, fire, and space. The body is inert. Webreathe air into it. There is also fire within, keeping the body warm andhelping us in digesting food. There is space within accommodating all parts ofthe human body. There is plenty of water in the body. So the five elementsoutside are also inside you. Everyone has them in the same proportion. Allthat you have is also present in everybody else. Then, why do you stretch yourhand begging everyone? What for? What is it that you don't have which theother man has? Basically nothing! This is the philosophy of unity indiversity. This unity is divinity.
The experience of this sort ofspiritual unity is liberation, whereas the feeling of multiplicity, pluralityand diversity is bondage, dualism, and attachment.
Flowers are many, but worship isone, Cows are many, but milk is one
Jewels are many, but gold is one, Paths are many, but the goal is one, Stars are many, but the sky is one, Beings are many, but breath is one, Names and forms are many, but God is one.
This is oneness or unity. Yarn ismultiple, but when interwoven, it becomes a piece of cloth. This is how youshould find out and experience unity in order to realise divinity. Peoplefight in the name of religion. What a shame it is! No religion tells you tospeak lies, to harm or kill others or do any such things. All religions layemphasis on love, brotherhood, sacrifice, peace, truth, and so on. So, itisridiculous to fight in the name of religion. In fact, matulu mancivainamatamedi ceddadi, (Telugu) if your mind is good, which religion is bad?
There is only one religion, thereligion of love. To have differences based on language or race is bad. It isa sign of narrow mindedness. There is only one language, the language of theheart. It is very mean to have differences on grounds of caste. You are notborn with a signboard indicating your caste. What is the caste of the air? Towhich caste does water belong? What is the caste of fire and earth? Therefore, there is only one caste, the caste of humanity. Wars are fought in the name ofGod. Don'tyou know that many Gods are not there; God is one without a second.You may call Him by any name. There is one God who is omnipresent.
Ekam sat viprah bahudha vadanti, Truth is one, but interpreted in many ways by scholars. There are nodifferences in divinity. With cittas'uddhi, purity of heart, you canexperience the principle of unity or oneness, which is the path to divinity.First, develop purity. That helps you to achieve unity and attain Divinity.
Q30)Swami! In reality, the entire human race is one and the same, its basic corebeing divinity. Why then do we not react in the same way? Why do we think andact differently?
Bhagawan:Humanity may be one, but people act in different ways. No two are alike. Thisis the law of nature. Thought, words and actions depend on time andcircumstances. Here is an example. A tender fruit is sour in its taste; anunripe fruit is astringent, while a ripe fruit is sweet. All the three are thestages of the same fruit, aren't they! It is sour, then astringent and finallysweet. How does it happen? Why? The change of taste is due to the passage oftime. No one has filled the ripe fruit with sugar. So, I say "yetti matiyo, atti gati. yetti sthitio, atti sampatti" (Telugu verse). As is the mati, mind, so is the gati, destiny; as is the position, so is the sampatti, affluence.
In human life there are threeimportant aspects, 'doing', Body, 'thinking', Mind, 'being', Atma. Bodydesires, mind thinks and atma experiences. You should have broadmindedness.You should never be narrowminded. When examination results are published, whydon't you feel happy that so many have passed the examinations? If in thespirit of a large heart, you look for your result, you will definitely findyour number in the newspaper along with those of other candidates. It is butnarrow-Âmindedness if you look only for your own number unmindful of others.
Another example. Suppose you feelhappy that in a group photo everyone has figured nicely. If you then look atyour own figure, you will be known to be broadminded.
Human life is a combination ofthree attributes trigunas . The three work in perfect union as thethree wings of a fan. Just as a chutney is made of tamarind, salt and chillieswell ground, so also human life has ' trigunas, ' well mixed. You alsomust have known pan, which Indians chew. It has three ingredients, betel leaf, betel nut and lime, of green, brown and white coloursrespectively. When the ingredients of three different colours are chewed youget the red colour.
Similarly, in human life all thethree gun as are intermixed. But spiritually, basically andfundamentally, the core of the human being is sat, 'being', cit, 'awareness' and ananda, 'bliss'. Sat and cit together confer ananda.
An example.Here are two separate things, water and sugar. When you mix the two it isneither sugar nor water, but syrup. So also water is sat, sugar is cit, forming the syrup ananda. The triune trigunas (threeattributes) and the basic nature of sat, cit, and ananda mixedwith deha, 'body, ' manas 'mind, ' and buddhi 'intellect, 'interacting with pravrtti, ' the external world' lead to anekatva â 'diversity or multiplicity or plurality'
Q31) Swami! We hear the words, "rajanitiâÄù and "rajakiyam. " Are these, in fact, one and the same? Howshould we name what we see around us?
Bhagawan: "Rajaniti" and "rajakiyam" can never be the same. Look at "Rajayoga" .Among the yogas, the one most highly revered which stands kinglike isgiven that name. Similarly the very greatest among moral codes, equal instatus to a king among men, is called "rajaniti" . The king of animalsis the lion, you know. "Rajaniti" is conjoined with Satya, bound byDharma, and confers all welfare. What you have today are not "rajaniti" or rajakiyam political strategies, at all, but rajakayyamsbattles royal, born of malice, envy, and hatred. All these are kayyams, bitter fights. Therefore, they are "rajaki yams" .
Q32)Swami! We have people of varied temperaments, views, ideas, outlooks, ambitions and interests. Conflict becomes inevitable. Each one wants things tohappen in his own way. What should we do then?
Bhagawan: Munde munde matirbhinna , Heads vary. No two people look alike: notwo think in the same way. It is quite natural that ideas differ. Each onefeels that he is correct. But you should maintain the spirit of unity, equality and equanimity.
A small example. Once upon a timeall the five fingers of the palm started claiming superiority over oneanother. First, the little finger said to the others, "Look! As you do namaskar, I come first. Therefore, I am important " . The ring finger then said, "What! Don't you know my value? Costly diamond and gold rings are wornround me!" Then, the middle finger said, "Very funny! What are you talkingabout? I am ready to wear costly rings. Why not? Some do that way also.Further, don't you see me, who am taller than all of you? Isn't that enough tosay that I am superior to all of you?" The forefinger started saying, "If youwant to direct anybody, I come first. People show me to direct people.Further, even to warn or caution others, I come first. Don't you see this?" Then, last but not the least, the thumb smiling said, "I have been watchingso long all that is happening! Unless I join, even if the four of you standunited, you cannot function. While eating anything, can you manage without me?Why go to that extent? When you shoot an arrow, I have to pull the stringbackwards with force. Else, the arrow will never go far. So mine is thehighest position among us" .
This is how we find peoplestaking their claims for superiority over one other. You should always beready to receive the good from anybody. You should work in cooperation andharmony with one another. No one should feel superior to anyone. Otherwise, because of the domination of one over another, groups, factions, rivalries, controversies and conflicts arise. As a result, the sprit of love totallyvanishes from the scene. Unless all the five fingers join, you cannot doanything, you see! Society can never progress if there is no cooperation, integration and unity among its members.
Q33)Swami! When we say, 'men and women are equal', why then do we find differencesand discrimination between the two sexes?
Bhagawan:Physically men and women are different. But spiritually, i.e., from the atmic point of view, both are equal. In fact, God is the only male whileall others are females. The deham, body, is also called puram, dwelling place. It is the principle of atma that works from top to bottom. Youknow, Colleges for Women celebrate Anniversary Functions during which theypresent cultural items like a play. Here, girls play all the different roleslike those of a soldier, a minister, a king, and so on. Similarly, all but Godare women in this world. A similar thing happened in the life of Mira, thegreat devotee of Lord Krishna. She was stopped at the main entrance of a Krishna mandir atBrindavan and was told that women were not permitted to enter a temple of God.Then Mira replied, "Oh! Is that so! Where are men here? I find only women. Godis the only male person. "
However, from the worldly pointof view, for the division of work, men and women are different from eachother. Everything and everyone are Divine. Even though it is your own body, you don't put slippers or footwear on the head or hands. Functionally, all theparts of the body are different from each other, though they may belong to thesame person. So also physically and functionally, men and women are separateentities though spiritually they are one and the same.Q34)Swami! We hear many funny statements in present day society. People speakabout Women's Liberation Movement. Some say that women have not been giventheir due place since times immemorial. They complain that there has alwaysbeen discrimination on grounds of gender and never was a fair deal given to awoman. Women now fight for equal rights with men. We pray to you to describeto us the role of women in our society?
Bhagawan:This is not true, spiritually speaking. There is a physical difference, butAtma or the spirit is one. However, each one has to discharge duties expectedof him or her. In a social order, man and woman are like the two hands, thetwo eyes, and the two feet. One is the positive, while the other is thenegative for the current to flow and operate. Lord Siva is called ardhanaris'vara, androgynous God (half of his body being that of a woman)to explain this unity. Man and woman are like matter and energy. A woman isdescribed as adis'akti, par a s'akti Supreme Power, InfinitePower.
You alsonotice in the history of Bharat the place given to women. Many of them areknown today for their sacrifice, wisdom, devotion, and many of them could givebetter and sane advice to their husbands. Characters like Savitri, Mandodari, Sita, Anasuya, Tara, Damayanti, Madalasa, and Draupadi are very well known.Draupadi served her five husbands most faithfully, never said 'no' to whateverwork was assigned to her, and led a life of contentment. When there was adebate between Adi Sankara and Mandanamisra, it was the wife of Mandanamisra, Ubhaya Bharati, who played the role of a judge and pronounced Adi Sankarawinner at the end. In ancient times, Gargi and Maitreyi were known for theiroutstanding scholarship and spiritual excellence. In recent times, have younot heard of the role played by the mother of Emperor Sivaji and of Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, in moulding their character and personality? Theylearnt lessons of life in the lap of their mothers! It was due to the love andinspiration of Kausalya and Sita towards their respective sons, Lord Rama andthe twins Lava and Kusa that the latter could earn undying reputation andstand till today as ideals to the entire world.
In our daily prayers we say matr devo bhava, Mother is God. Don't you see the names of women comefirst and those of men next in compounds like SitaRama, GauriSankar, LakshmiNarayanaand so on? In the past, there never was an instance of women being humiliated, neglected or treated with disrespect. Don't you hear words like 'motherland', 'mother tongue' that speak highly of women?
The Bhagavad gita refersto seven types of power enjoyed by women as a matter of right. She has quite afew titles that underscore her contribution to the family and her specialrole. A housewife is called illalu, the one who takes care of the houseor illu. She is described as sahadharma carini, the one whoguides her husband along the path of Dharma. She is praised as gr halaks mi, the very embodiment of the wealth, peace and prosperity of the family. Sheis called ardhangi, representing a half of man, the better half.
Woman stands for patience, sacrifice, forbearance, respect, humility and obedience, the qualities, whichare usually missing among men. A woman is prepared to die for her child orhusband. She slogs and struggles for the progress and the well being of thefamily. She is the backbone of the country. She is the light and the delightof the family.
Q35)Swami! A change is very much needed in every field of our activity. Almost allwalks of public life are nowadays polluted, disgusting and disappointing. Howis change to be brought about?
Bhagawan:Truly speaking, villagers who are unlettered, innocent and rustic are livingin greater peace and cooperation, more intimate relationships, and mutuallove than the socalled urban, sophisticated, educated, and seemingly culturedpeople. The latter are full of ego and jealousy. To bring about a change, theyneed to work for it. They must put in enough sincere effort to overcomequalities like egoism pride, jealousy, and hatred. Butter is no doubt verysoft. But in order to make ghee out of it, you must heat it. Similarly for anychange, you have to work for it. You should first of all listen to all goodthings from good people. This listening, s'ravan a is the first step.It is not enough if you simply listen. You should remember, recall, recollect, and recapitulate the good things you have listened to. This is called manana. The third thing is to practice what you have listened and learnt.This is called nidhidhy a sa . Take a small example. First of all, yourfood must be cooked in the kitchen. Then it has to be brought and kept on thedining table and served. It is then that you eat it. Further, the food thatyou eat must be digested, assimilated, and the nourishment is to be suppliedto different parts of your body. Is it not so? Similarly, s'rvan a , listening is like cooking, manana, remembering is the same as foodkept on the table, whereas nidhidhy a sa , practicing what is heard islike eating and digesting.
Q36) Swami! We are always in ahurry. We have to rush to so many places to catch up and to keep pace withtime and work. In this type of fast life, is it possible to be spiritual? Canwe hurry here in the spiritual field too?
Bhagawan:Today, many of the diseases are due to the three factors very common amongyou: hurry, worry, and curry. Haste makes waste, waste makes worry. So, don'tbe in a hurry. Patience is very important and essential. In my previous format Shirdi, I laid emphasis on sraddha and saburi, sincerity and patience.
It is very common to find peoplerunning to catch a train or a bus to go to office, and so on. You wait for anylength of time standing in long queues in front of cinema theatres. But here, you begin to look at your wrist watches wondering why Swami has not yet comeout for dars'an ! So, you must be patient enough to enjoy real bliss.For anything to happen, there is a proper time, preordained, predetermined, and designed by God. You know Arjuna had to wait till his 74thyear in order to listen to the Bhagavadgita, the Song Celestial, from Krishnaalthough both of them were moving together for years very intimately.Similarly, you too should wait. You should not feel, "What is this! Why isSwami not talking to me?" At the right time, I will do the appropriate thingfor you. See, how a fruit falls down on the ground soon after it is ripedetaching itself from the tree! You will have to wait till the time is ripefor you. You can't and shouldn't be in a hurry in the spiritual field.
Q37)Swami! The growing trend today is to earn more and more money. Ego and prideare growing beyond control. Would you kindly give us the solution for thistrend?
Bhagawan:The earth revolves round the sun. So also, man today is revolving round money.In fact, money provides only comfort and conveniences. There are many thingsthat money cannot do.
'Withmoney you can have delicious food in a five star hotel, But how about your appetite?
You can buy a beautiful bed, But can you buy sleep? You can have the latest, costliest medicines, But can you with your money extend the life of a dying man?'
You think money makes manythings, but it is not so. It leads you on to vices. People have two importantresources 'Head' and 'Heart'., Head carries with it responsibility. It hasall the knowledge of pravrtti, the external world, but heart stands for nivrtti, right internal awakening. Values like sacrifice, truth, charity, love, compassion, come out of the heart. All that you find outside isonly 'art', but 'heart' is inside. Don't be carried away by the outer 'art'.
The breeze you get from a numberof electric fans is nothing compared to natural breeze. Tank water, riverwater, and lake water can never equal rain water. God is infinite. Where doesman stand in front of Him? Why are you egoistic and proud? What for?Mountains may be of high altitude. But, water from the mountain top flows onlydownward. Similarly, you may be a great scholar or occupy a good position. Ifyou are proud and egoistic, your fall is near. Light travels upward. So also, the fire of knowledge takes you to the heights. In fact modern man is muchworse than cats and dogs. When they are sick they do not eat anything, theyfast or starve. However, man is for a feast even in times of sickness. Henever â 'fasts'. He likes â 'feasts' only. Therefore he falls sick frequently.,
The cycle of creation goes by thethree attributes or Gunas: tamas, inertia, rajas, passion, and sattva, piety represented by the triune, Brahma, creator, Vishnu, sustainer, and Siva, annihilator. Among the eighty-four lakhs of species, thehuman being is very special. He is blessed by God, his creator with mind andintellect. But man has become so egoistic and proud that he even doubts, questions, and denies God, his creator. This is the significance of theepisode of Mohini Bhasmasura in our epics.
There was one demon king by nameBhasmasura. He did penance and pleased Lord Siva. He prayed to Siva to granthim a boon that would give him the power to turn anybody into ashes the momenthe lays his hands on his head. Siva granted the boon. Thus, intoxicated withthis new found power, Bhasmasura began laying his hand indiscriminately on theheads of all those persons he found near him. Naturally, according to the boonhe got from God, they died and were burnt to ashes. He became so bad, sohorrible, and so highly egoistic that he decided to place his hand even on thehead of Siva, the very giver of the boon. Then Lord Vishnu took the form of abeautiful dancer Mohini, and started dancing in front of Bhasmasura who, excited by her enchanting beauty, also started dancing along with her. In thecourse of gestures and postures, Mohini had suddenly put her hand on her headand Bhasmasura did the same thing. The moment he placed his hand on his headhe died. So by denying God, man is ruining himself.
Modern man is like Bhasmasura. Heharms the person who helps him. Whatever is said, thought, and done by him isfull of selfishness. He has lost the value of fundamental discrimination, which is applicable to all and beneficial to everyone. He lacks divinequalities like truth, peace and love. This is the flaw. He lacks divinequalities and possesses demonic qualities like jealousy, pride, and hatred. He "kills" knowledge. He has to 'skill' his knowledge to maintain balance. Thisis the reason for all his troubles .He removes the letter 'S' that stands for'Sai' from the word 'skill' and loses balance. Ego, avarice, jealousy, andsuch bad qualities are due to our ahara, vihara, and samparka:food, company, and interaction. When you control and discipline yourself, youwill find the solution.
beneficial to everyone. He lacksdivine qualities like truth, peace and love. This is the flaw. He lacks divinequalities and possesses demonic qualities like jealousy, pride, and hatred. He "kills" knowledge. He has to 'skill' his knowledge to maintain balance. Thisis the reason for all his troubles .He removes the letter 'S' that stands for'Sai' from the word 'skill' and loses balance. Ego, avarice, jealousy, andsuch bad qualities are due to our ahara, vihara, and samparka:food, company, and interaction. When you control and discipline yourself, youwill find the solution.Q38)Swami! In an organisation where we have to interact with people, most often wecome across people criticising each other and blaming each other. This is veryfrustrating, and divides people into groups. Sincere persons become frustratedbecause of uncharitable criticism. It looks like character assassination andmud slinging. How are we to take this evil prevalent everywhere?
Bhagawan:It is a sin to criticise others. It is a sign of weakness and inferioritycomplex. You shouldn't criticise or hate anyone. In fact, no one has anyauthority to criticise others. To tackle this, first of all, one should put aquestion to oneself: "Who is being criticised?" Then, you don't feel upset anylonger. Why? If the criticism applies to your body, you don't need to feel badbecause the body is temporary and ephemeral. You should be indifferent to yourown body, which lands you in many difficulties and problems. The other man isdoing service to you by criticising your body. You should be thankful to himfor doing so on your behalf. Is it then, the spirit or atma that is criticised?This is not possible because the same soul or atma is present in the criticalso. Atma is Self, the same in all. Then, who is the critic and who iscriticised? It all amounts to the criticism of one's own self. Ego andjealousy are the root causes that provoke a person to criticise others.
You have put another question.You want to know how you should react to criticism against you. A smallexample. Suppose you receive a registered letter. If you don't want to acceptit, you can refuse to take delivery. The registered letter will then go backto the sender. Will it not? Similarly, criticism against you is a registeredletter. Don't acknowledge and receive it. Refuse it so that the sameregistered letter of criticism will go back to the sender, the critic himself.If anyone speaks loudly and belligerently against you in public, it is alllost in the air or in your vicinity. If anybody accuses you secretly, it goesto the accuser himself.
What I feel is that one has to bejudged by one's merits and not by one's faults. I ask you repeatedly to seekout your own faults and others' merits. If you enquire deeply, you will noticethat personal criticism is nothing but the "reflection of the inner being" .You spot the bad in the outside world, because of the bad in you. There isnothing that you can find outside yourself. Duryodhana was asked to go insearch of a good man. He returned saying that he had found none. If you wantto know any good person existing in this world, it is yourself only. Dharmajawas asked to go round and bring a bad person. He returned saying that therewas none who was bad other than himself. This is the difference in theattitude of two persons with different views of life. As is your vision soappears the creation. As is the colour of the glasses you wear, so is thecolour of the world you see. If you are aware of this truth, you will nevercriticise anybody.
Sarva ova namaskarah kes'avamprati gacchati, whomsoever you respect and revere, it amounts to reverence unto God. Since Godis in everyone, if you respect anyone, it means, you respect God. Similarly, sarva jiva tiraskarah kes'avam prati gacchati, whomsoever you hate, itamounts to hatred of the Divine Himself. If you deeply look into the eyes ofthe man standing in front of you, you see your own reflection. Therefore, heis not a separate person but your own reflection.
There is only one without thesecond, i.e., God who is present in all. When you point out your forefinger atthe mistakes of another man, three fingers of yours are turned towards you, reminding you of your own mistakes. If you understand this, you won'tcriticise anybody or blame anybody. God gives and forgives. I often tell you, past is past and it is beyond recovery. Hence, be careful hereafter.
Q39) Swami! Aswe think of the way in which our life is going, we find it confusing anddisheartening. We also doubt if it is going in the right direction or not. Youare our only refuge. Kindly guide us.
Bhagawan:You know mrdangam, the South Indian musical instrument, which like adrum, has to be beaten on both the sides as you play. Your life is like a ratcaught in that mrdangam. If the mrdangam is beaten on one side, the rat runs to the other side and, vice versa, as there is no way out for it.Similarly having been fed up with this world, you think of God. When God testsyou, you again drift towards the world. Your movement between the world andGod is like that of the rat. This is not the proper way.
A small example. Two studentscompeted with each other in a tournament of eating bananas. One student wantedto eat the outer skin of every fruit first so that he could finish eating thesoft pulp part next. The other student planned to eat the soft part first andthe skin next. Accordingly, they started eating. The first student havingeaten the outer skin of every fruit first had his belly full of that stuff andhe could not eat any sweet pulp. So he was defeated, and suffered fromstomachache and indigestion. The second student ate a bellyfull of the pulpof every fruit and hence couldn't eat the skin of the fruits. So, he too lostin the competition. All the same, he remained healthy.
Similar is the case with thosepeople who are after worldly desires and sensual pleasures. They will have toend their lives in misery finding no cure for bhavaroga, the ailment ofworldly attachment. This is equal to the condition of the first student whoate only the outer skin of the banana first in the tournament. But those whothink of God are like the second student who ate the soft pulp. They growstronger in divine life.
Life should start from the pointof dasoham, I am your servant. Fill its middle with the relentlessenquiry, koham, "Who am I?" End it with full awareness of the identityof the individual self with God soham, I am God. This is the correctway of life.
Man should realise that thehappiness and peace he essentially needs are not present in this mundaneworld. A simple example. A person went to a hotel. The bearer asked him, "Whatshall I serve for you" ? The person said, "I want idli and sambar" . Then the bearer taken by great surprise, said "What Sir! Have you not seenthe board hanging over there! This is a military nonvegetarian hotel. Sir!" Likewise, how can you expect items like Palav, Biriyani and Chicken in anUdipi Brahmin vegetarian hotel?
In the same manner there is aboard attached to this world, anityam asukham lokam, "This world istemporary and full of misery. "How do you expect peace and happiness in thisworld? That is why in the Bhagavad gita Krishnasays, 'mam bhajasva' meaning, 'Think of me or worship me or be immersedin me or surrender to me'. You should lead your life in full knowledge ofthese facts.
Q40) Swami! How should we conductourselves socially? What are social norms?
Bhagawan:You should forget two things: the help you have given to others and the harmothers have done to you. Moreover, you should remember two things: the helpthat others have given to you and the harm you have done to others. Then therewill be no ego, pride, jealousy, envy, hatred, and other evil tendencies inyou.
You should also note anotherimportant thing. However small a fault or mistake there is in you, take it asa very big one. At the same time when you notice a big mistake in others, youshould consider it a very small one. Take your own goodness as tiny and thatof others as mighty. This attitude helps you to correct yourself, improveyourself, and enable you to forgive and forget the lapses of others.
But, today quite the opposite ishappening. Everyone magnifies his own goodness and minimises that of others, considers his own Himalayan blunders small as an anthill, while he givesHimalayan magnitude even to the smallest mistakes of others. This is the causeof all conflicts and infighting.
There are still two more extremecategories of people. Some of them portray their lapses as merits, projecttheir mistakes as right things, and try to focus on their virtues, which areactually missing in them. Then, there is the last category of people who areeven worse than demons. These are the people who attribute faults, mistakes, and defects to others, which are all false, and totally ignore their merits.Correct your own mistakes first. Judge others by their merits and not by theirfaults. Seek out your own faults and others' merits.
Q41) Swami! Many people feel thatthey are too busy to have rest. How, then, is one to take rest?
Bhagawan:Change of work is rest. You should never be idle. You should not be lazy.Laziness is rust and dust that ultimately bursts. But work is rest and best.If you are tired of a particular piece of work, change to another. Change ofwork is rest.
Q42) Swami! We worry a lot.Sometimes we fall sick also due to worry. What is worry? Please tell us hownot to worry?
Bhagawan:In my opinion, there is nothing like worry. If you enquire in depth, you willknow that there is no worry at all in this world. It is merely psychological.Worry is fear mentally created. That is all! Nothing more! It is all yourimagination.
At times you feel guilty. So, youworry remembering your past, which is beyond recovery. By no effort can yourecover it. Past is past. Then, why worry about the past? Is there any sensein it? You may worry about the future. This is also useless in my opinion.Why? Because the future is uncertain, anything may happen. Who knows? Thefuture is unknown. Why, then, should you worry about the future? What do yougain by that?
Understand clearly thateverything is in the present. It is not simple present, it is omnipresent.How? In the present lie the results of the past. The present is the foundationof the future. The seed of today is out of the tree you grew yesterday, and itwill germinate and grow into a tree tomorrow. So, worry is useless. Hence, never worry about anything.
Q43) Swami!Nowadays many educated people waste their time, money and energy in towns andcities. Bhagawan, we are eager to know your views on this subject.
Bhagawan: "Time is God" . In your prayers you say, kalaya namah, kalakalaya namah, kalatitaya namah, and so on. Time is divine. You should not waste time. Itis a sin to waste or misuse time. Everybody must follow time. God is themaster of time. Time waste is life waste. Haste makes waste, waste makesworry, so do not be in a hurry. We should perform good actions and thus spendour time
in a sacred way. Youth and ariver will never flow backwards. When you pass the stage of youth, it will notcome back. The river water flowing forward will never retreat. Therefore, youshould consider time a very precious commodity.
You have also pointed out thatmoney is wasted by many educated people. This is very bad. Waste of money isevil. You should not misuse money. Remember always, much money makes many morewrong things. Much money leads you into bad habits. You should spend money onwelfare programmes. You should express gratitude to society, which has beenresponsible for your present status, by spending money on service activities.You should sacrifice for the poor and needy. Na karmana na prajaya dhanena, tyagenaike amrtatva manasuh. You attain moksha or liberation onlyby sacrifice. No action, no offspring, no possession or property ever equalssacrifice.
In the human body, blood shouldalways circulate. Similarly, money should circulate in society. It should notstagnate in the hands of a few persons. If blood does not circulate, theredevelops on the body a boil or a tumour. If you run short of money, it isdifficult to manage things. At the same time, too much money spoils you. Itshould be like your shoes that fit your feet exactly. If the shoes are loose, you cannot walk; if they are tight, then also you find it tough to walkfreely. Your shoes always should be of the exact size of your feet. So also, money should neither be too little nor too much for you. Bear in mind what Itell repeatedly and caution you. Money comes and goes, but morality comes andgrows.
Morality consists of properutilisation of energy and other resources. You should not waste energy in anyform. You should not waste water. Do not waste food;annam brahma, Food is God. You can eat till your hunger is appeased. There is nothing wrongin it. There are many who are starving. There are many who do not have enoughfood to eat. What is the prayer you say before you take your food?brahmarpanam brahma havih brahmagnau brahman a hutam, brahmaiva tena gantavyam, brahmakarma samadhind. aham vaisvanaro bhutva praninam dehamas'ritah, pran apana samayuktah pacamyannam caturvidham.
"Oh God! You are in the form ofVaisvanara. You verily digest and assimilate the food that I eat. I offer thefood that I eat. I offer the food to you. You alone supply its essence to allparts of my body" . This is the meaning of the prayer that you say before youtake your food. Therefore, you should not waste food. It is a sin to waste it.
I want you to place a ceiling onyour desires. This is possible only if you decide and pledge not to wastetime, money, food and energy. All the five elements of nature earth, water, air, fire, and space are divine. You should be highly reverential and gratefulto these five elements. Always consider them divine.
Q44) Swami!When we are not happy with the type of education and the money we receive, isit right to feel that they are useless? Should we give up these two? What isthe way out?
Bhagawan:It is not correct. In this world, nothing is useless. Everything depends onyour mind. Your thoughts and counterthoughts are responsible for all that youfeel, say, and do. God created this world for the benefit and the bettermentof humankind. Use, abuse, and misuse depend on your mind. Therefore, you gothrough certain experiences and the corresponding results. In fact, ineducation there is nothing wrong, for prajnanam brahma , Knowledge isGod. So education can't be defective. When your mind is pure, your educationconfers wisdom and spiritual awakening on you. But a polluted mind makes useof education for its selfish gains. Hence, education being the constant, itsutility depends on the nature of the mind. This is true of money as well.
A sacred mind prompts you tosacrifice: But a polluted mind makes you waste money by taking to vices. Itmakes you a slave to all sorts of bad habits. Ultimately you lose your goodname. Here also money being constant, its utility depends on the mind.Therefore, it is necessary to keep your mind pure, sacred, Godward, and fullof selfless divine love. This process is sadhana, spiritual endeavour.Body attachment, doubts, jealousy, hatred, ego, and selfishness pollute themind, and lead to the total ruin of life. Therefore, these evil tendenciesmust be got rid of forthwith and your mind filled with love instead. Thus, your education and money are well utilised. They would prompt you to undertakeservice activities enabling you ultimately to experience Divinity withinyourself.
Q45) Swami! Ourcountry, Bharat, is famous politically for its secular constitution. But, political parties interpret "secularism" in a variety of ways. Some offerdistorted comments. I pray for your clarification.
Bhagawan: "Secularism" does not mean atheism. A secular nation is not the land ofHiranayakasipu, but one where each citizen follows his dharma, propagates andprofesses it freely without criticising other people's faiths and dharmasunder any circumstances. Sanatana dharma does refer to the "secular" . SriKrishna remarks:
Svadharme nidhanam s'reyah paradharmo bhayavahah
In other words, you should follow'svadharma' and not 'paradharma'. But, there is a subtle point here. 'Svadharma'does not mean the dharmas relating to one's caste, stage in life, orprofession, as you imagine. 'Svadharma' is Atmadharma, the dharma based onAtmaconsciousness, and 'paradharma' is Anatmadharma based on nonatma orbodily consciousness, devoid of the spirit.
Q46) Swami!Today a number of international organisations are striving for peace. It looksas though the guiding principles of these organisations are not focusedproperly. How then is peace to be achieved?
Bhagawan:Their approach, is defective. Where is peace? Peace is within you. You are theembodiment of peace. Peace is not to be found in the world outside. What liesoutside is not peace, but pieces. First, achieve peace as an individual, thenspread it in your family. Gradually you will enjoy peace in the community andthen in the nation. Many countries stockpile atom bombs and other weapons ofmass destruction, and ceaselessly go on chanting peace aphorisms. Is thispeace?
Q47) Swami! Inthis modern age, many of us consider our ageold religious rituals like yajnasand yagas meaningless, ridiculous and outdated. Why has this happened?
Bhagawan:Ignorance is the main cause, the utter ignorance of thoughtless speeches. Asimple example. A District Collector went to a village on official work. Therein a field he saw a farmer who was just throwing paddy grains on his plot ofland. The official felt that this was the reason why India was so poor. 'Whata funny man is this rustic fellow throwing away paddy grains at a time whenpeople are starving, " he thought. He finally decided to ask the farmer why hewas doing like that. The farmer responded, "Sir, I am not wasting these paddygrains. Today it looks as though one bag of paddy is just thrown to the winds, but later you will get fifty bags of paddy out of this one bag" . Then theCollector understood that he was mistaken.
Likewise, watching sacred ritualslike yajnas and yagas, one might feel that ghee and lots of other materialsare wasted by being put into the sacrificial fire. It is not so. The smokethat comes out of this fire as these materials are poured into the fire, andthe Vedic mantras chanted simultaneously cleanse the polluted air. The wholeatmosphere is purified. So it is foolish to consider these rituals asoutdated, ridiculous, and meaningless. They ensure timely rains and harvests.In fact all these rituals prescribed by our Vedic texts are meant for thewelfare of mankind and confer peace and bliss.
Q48) Swami!Kindly instruct us in the main principles making for progress in spheres suchas Science, Politics, Ethics, Religion, and Spirituality.
Bhagawan:If you follow three main principles, all round progress is ensured. You willundoubtedly progress in all fields of activity, individual and collective.
The first principle is daivapri ti, Love of God. The second is papabha ti, Fear of Sin.The third is sanghan i ti, Morality in Society. Unless you love Godimmensely, you cannot fear sin. With fear of sin, morality gets automaticallyestablished in society. Thus, the three principles are interdependent andinterrelated.
I often tell my students, "Beforeyou do anything, just put this question to yourself: Will Swami approve thisaction? Is this going to please Swami? " Your intense love for Swami will notallow you to do anything wrong. Evidently, love of God leads to fear of sin.We find turbulent and raging waves in the sea dashing against boulders thatstand steady and unshaken. In the same way your faith should be steady, strong, unshakeable, and unwavering, irrespective of losses, failures, defeats, troubles, difficulties, and problems. For instance, if anyone saysto you, "There is no God, " what reply should you give? You should reply inthis way, "All right, you don't have your God, but what right do you have todeny my God?"
Never forget God, remember pancaksari, the five lettered mantra ' devudunnadu ' (1) de, (2) vu, (3 ) du , (4) nna, (5) du , (Telugu sentence with five lettersmeaning God exists). In order to see that you don't doubt this, repeat astaksari , the eight lettered Sanskrit mantra, sams'ayatma vinas yati, (1) sam, (2) s'a, 3) ya, (4) tma , (5) vi, 6) na, 7) s'ya, 8) ti which means'doubt is death'. Never doubt God. In a sentence like this, "God is nowhere" reflects your pitiable plight of being denied His presence. Now, take out 'w'from the beginning of the fourth word 'where', and join it at the end of thethird word 'no'. Then the sentence reads, 'God is now here'.
Man most unfortunately commitssins but is not prepared to face their consequences. He expects pun yam, merit, the result of good actions, but does not refrain from doing papam, sin. Nor would he do any meritorious deeds to get good results. Is there anylogic or rationale for him to get good results? How foolish are suchexpectations? How do you expect one kind of result from an altogetherdifferent and opposite kind of action? Always bear in mind the whole thingcomes back to you in the form of reaction, reflection, and resound. You cannotescape them. When you fully realise this, you will not commit sins or involveyourself in harmful deeds. So you should 'Love God' and 'Fear Sin'. With thesetwo, there will be 'Morality in Society'.
Q49) Swami! Many speak ofculture? What is the value of culture?
Bhagawan:Culture is very important because your life and its value depend on it.Culture is a way of life. Culture enables you to experience divinity in yourlife. Culture helps one to know unity in diversity. Without culture, manbecomes a demon. He falls down in stature and ultimately ruins himself.
You know thatsea water is saline or salty. Human life is like a vast sea. God's grace islike sunlight that falls on the sea. The seawater because of the heat of thesun becomes vaporised. This is the vapour of bliss that settles as clouds inthe sky to fall down to the earth as rain. It is the rain of love. Theseawater is salty but the rainwater is sweet. Why? Where does the differencelie? Seawater is refined by sunlight. So also, our life must be cultured andrefined. The value of life will then go up. A piece of iron worth less than arupee can be made into a beautiful costly watch after it is processed andrefined. This is due to the culture it has undergone. So long as a boulderremains itself, it is bound to be neglected. But, once it is in the hands of asculptor, chiselled and hammered, and shaped into a beautiful Krishna idol; itstarts receiving respect and worship. Why? It is only culture that makes allthe difference. A boulder, once trodden by everyone underfoot and now in theform of an idol, occupies a place at the altar in a temple and is worshippedeveryday. This is the value that culture confers.
Without culture, one develops afoolish view of life finding diversity in unity. For example, take a needle.It stitches pieces of cloth into a garment. The needle stands for culture. Butscissors cut the cloth into pieces. This is the condition in the absence ofculture.
Q50) Swami! Have people comecloser to God in this modern world?
Bhagawan:The modern world is completely superficial and artificial. Outwardly, all say'hello', 'hello' to each other. Everyone says 'thanks' for every small thing.This is all mechanical, routine courtesy, and those words don't mean anything.You find utter selfishness everywhere.
Modern science has enabled man toland on the moon. But, man has forgotten to step into his neighbour's house.Yes, he can reach chandra, the moon, but can't see Ramachandra in hisheart. Modern man can swim in water like a fish, and fly like a bird, butcan't walk a mile with his two legs on the ground. With his physical eye, which is not even two inches in size, he is able to see a galaxy severalthousand miles away from him, but he is not able to see himself. The eye andthe ear are so near but they don't see each other!
Do they? God reclines on the ks i rasagara , 'ocean of milk' located in your Heart, but today we findthat the 'Heart' has become ks arasagara, 'ocean of poison'. How do youexpect him to realise Divinity?
Even afterhaving become a very rich country, France, lost the great war. Why? It wasbecause of her reckless youngsters and the vices of the day. This trend isincreasing today among people. Man is living and working for the fulfilment ofhis as'alu, lowly desires, but he should live for as'ayalu, ideals. People with high ideals alone can come closer to one anotherspiritually.Q51) Swami! How can we come up inlife?
Bhagawan:You have to work for it. It may be difficult, but it is desirable to achieveit. In fact, everyone should strive to come up in life, So, it is said, 'Aimhigh. Low aim is a crime'. One has to travel in the right direction and reachthe goal. Birth as a human being is meant for this purpose. Man has to realisethat he is essentially divine. One has to attain Divinity. But this is not aseasy and as simple as it seems. After all, a fall is easy and quick too.
Take this example. As you come toKodaikanal by bus climbing the hills, the bus makes a lot of noise. Lorriesalso struggle and make loud sounds climbing these hills and reachingKodaikanal. But, the very same bus or lorry finds it easy to go downhill. Sois the case with human life too! You have to struggle and work hard to come upin life. But to fall from a height and ruin yourself is easy, simple, andquick.
Take another example. When youshoot an arrow, the more you pull it backwards closer to the string, the arrowgoes farther. Similarly, if you work more, your success will be equallygreater. A rocket, the moment it is launched with force, jerks backwards andthereafter it gets released into space where it rises with burning flames. So, in life the amount of effort you put in decides your rate of success.
Q52) Swami! Kindly tell us how toachieve greatness in life?
Bhagawan:Never allow this sort of idea to get into your head. You are mistaken if youthink that you have achieved something very special and unique by becominggreat. No, not at all. Becoming great in life should not be your aim. Thereare several great people in society. I don't think this is important or thatthis matters most. Goodness is superior to greatness. Instead of aiming to begreat, try to be good. It is far more important to be a good man than a greatman.
What is the difference betweenthe two? A great man sees man in God, while a good man sees God in man. Ravana, as portrayed in the Ramayana, was undoubtedly a great man. Heconsidered Rama, the Lord, a mere man. But, Rama was an ideal good man. Ramasaw divinity in a bird like Jatayu, in squirrels, and even in rakshasas likeVibhishana. Women like Sabari, illiterate people like Guha as well as saintsappear to Rama like his own reflections. So, Rama was good. So, you should tryto get the reputation that you are a good man and not a great man.
Q53) Swami! What is an idealgovernment?
Bhagawan:In an ideal government everyone willingly observes the rules and regulationsof the State. Everybody discharges his or her responsibilities. 'Godment' issuperior to Government. But, today we see people fighting for their rights, forgetting their duties.
You should not give any scope forlaziness. All employees should work most sincerely doing justice to thesalaries they receive every month. Otherwise, they will be cheating orbetraying their fellowbeings or the government. People should cultivatesdmarasyam, integration, samagrata, coordination, samaikyata, unity, andsaubhrdtrata, fraternity.
Look at this piece of cloth. Thisis very strong because the threads are closely interwoven. But if you separatethe threads, you can cut it with your finger. Everybody should know thatstrength lies in unity. India could achieve independence but not unity. Youare free to walk waving your walking stick, so long as it does not hit thenose of another pedestrian and your freedom does not rob the independence ofothers.
Fundamentals applicable to allmust be followed. The individual is less important than the community orsociety. It is always better that you manage to employ yourselves in learningthose things that are needed for society. Your education should help you tobetter the community.
Q54) Swami! This gentleman is afamous journalist. Many say that he reports well for the newspapers.
Bhagawan:Is that so! Good! Who is a journalist? He who writes a general list of mattersin papers is a journalist. What is news? All the information from North, East, West and South forms news. It is good to know the news that comes from theoutside world. What about nuisance that comes from within you? Know that andcorrect yourself.
Q55) Swami! What is essential forus now?
Bhagawan:If you have love, it is enough. Everything will be added unto you. Service, sacrifice, humility, devotion, discipline, etc are contained within love. Itis only love that prompts and promotes all virtues. Where there is love, therewill be no ego, hatred, jealousy and such other low mean, animal qualities.
There was a lady in Paris. Sheled her life with the little money she had. She saw one day some helplessfootpath dwellers shivering in the cold. She was deeply moved by this sight.Everyday she used to take a few blankets along with her and offer them tothose poor, needy and forlorn. This had gone to the notice of the elders andfinally the government. They decided to honour her. A few youngsters came toher to congratulate her. She said that she was not happy since she could nothelp everyone, when the compassionate Almighty God was helping everyonealways. She further added that she felt ashamed and frustrated, as her helpcould not be extended to everyone.
I will tell you another story.There was in an army a soldier who lost both his legs in a war and had to movewith the help of crutches. Since his service was relatively short, he was noteligible for all the retirement benefits. The Major of his unit gave him somemoney and asked him to return. The soldier, on his way back home, had to stopin a village and take shelter in a choultry as it was raining heavily. Themoney on hand also was exhausted. Next morning, a schoolgirl happened to passthe same street, saw this soldier, and made enquiries. The girl was deeplymoved by his plight. Since then, she used to go to school an hour earlyeveryday, collect some fruits on the way, sell them, and purchase a fewchapatis for the soldier.
After a couple of weeks, theMajor happened to pass the same way and noticed the soldier. The major wassurprised to see him, for even after a long time he had not yet reached homedue to paucity of funds. The Major found out how the soldier was managinghimself all these days. In the meantime, the girl came and served chapatis tothe soldier. The Major followed her and went to her house. On seeing him herparents thought that their daughter must have done something wrong and so hehad come to make an enquiry. When they were about to punish her, the Majorintervened and said to her parents, "You are indeed very lucky! How many of ushave such children with magnanimity, love, concern for the needy, and thespirit of service?" He was about to give some gold coins to her parents whosaid "Sir! We don't want all this. We can live with our hard earned money. Whocan guard these gold coins at home? Please leave us alone, Sir!" The Majorfelt happy and left for his native place where he found an eligible bridegroomfor this girl and performed her marriage. This is the true wealth of love.'Expansion of love is life. Contraction of love is death'
Q56) Swami! We go to colleges and universities for studies and acquire knowledge. We take up some employment thereafter. We draw our salaries, but, the pity is whomsoever we meet starts saying, "I don't have peace of mind" . Why is this so? What is to be done?
Bhagawan: Mere education will not give you peace of mind. Sage Vyasa compiled all the Vedas, wrote the great epic Mahabharata, the eighteen Puranas and the Brahmasutras. Yet, his mind was restless, without peace. At this stage of Vyasa's anguish, sage Narada advised him to write the Bhagavata, a work, which incorporated the lilas of the Lord and life sketches of some of the most outstanding devotees of the Lord who sang the full glory of His miracles. It was only then that he enjoyed peace and bliss. Neither position, nor status, nor scholarship, nor influence, nor wealth, nor fame, no, none of these achievements can ever give you peace of mind. It can't be received from anyone nor can it be located at a place. No external objects, articles, or possessions can give you peace of mind.
The root cause of loss of peace is the bundle of desires. So, I often tell you "less luggage, more comfort, make travel a pleasure" , the maxim of the Indian Railways. Therefore, a ceiling on desires is most important.
"Don't feel sad that you don't have koti , one crore of rupees, but be happy that you have enough for ro ti " (food)
"Don't feel unhappy over not having a car, but be happy that you have a kalu " (leg). .
"Don't cry over a scorpion bite, but be happy that you are not bitten by an enormous snake" .
"Don't grieve that a snake has bitten you, but be grateful to God that you didn't die because of that" .
It is in contentment that peace and happiness are present. Who is the richest man? The man with contentment is the richest man. Who is the poorest man? He who has many desires is the poorest man.
Many come to me and say, "I want peace" . I tell everyone, "The answer is in your request itself. When you say, 'I want peace', there are two components 'I' and 'want'. 'I' is mamaka ra or the 'ego' or attachment, and 'want' is kama or desire. When you give up these two 'I ego' and 'want desire', 'peace' is already there.
Q57) Swami! Many of us are helpless when we interact with youngsters. They often say, "Don't interfere with Bhagawan: our freedom. We are independent and act in the way we choose. " We find it difficult to convince them about what we think is right, and to guide them in the right direction. What should we do in the present circumstances?
Bhagawan: From your statement, it is very clear that modern youth do not know what freedom is. They use terms like sveccha , freedom and svatantra, independence, indiscriminately without knowing their correct meaning.
What is freedom? What is independence? If freedom means behaving as we like, without any norms, in what way then are we different from birds and beasts which act as they like? They move about freely without any restrictions. They also procreate producing dozens and dozens of young ones. If that is what the youngsters mean and want by 'freedom', insects, birds, and animals, without attending any universities and getting degrees are able to manage to secure food and shelter and live freely as ordained by nature. Then in what way does your freedom benefit you? What is your specialty? What for is your education? Animals are better than you as they have some reason and season. You have neither reason nor season.
What is sveccha, freedom? If the Sanskrit word sveccha is analysed properly sva+iccha is sveccha. Sva means 'yourself', i.e. soul, spirit, atma, iccha means 'will'. Thus, sva, atma plus iccha will means the will power of atma. So this relates to our atma. Is it that sveccha that our youngsters want today? The pity is they do not know the meaning of the word they use.
Then, modern man says, "I have svatantra, independence, to do anything I like. Can't I be independent?" Here also youngsters do not know the meaning of svatantra. Does svatantra mean reckless, careless, and irresponsible behaviour? No. If you think that moving and roaming around, eating and drinking anything to your liking, are the signs of independence, don't you see that cats and rats also enjoy themselves in the same manner? Does independence mean food and drink? You are spending your entire lifetime any way on these two, food and drink. Life has come down to the level of just loading and unloading.
Then what is svatantra, independence? You have to remember in this context one important point. True, you have independence. But, there is a limit. Your independence should not come in the way of the independence of others. So you have independence up to the point that it does not affect the independence of others. A small example. A gentleman on a fine morning started his stroll, waving his walking stick and swinging it freely. After some time a man passing that way pointed out, "Do not swing your walking stick like that!" Then this man said, "Why not? I have independence and can move my walking stick in any way I like" . But, the other said, "Sir, it is true. But your independence to swing your walking stick ends where my nose begins to appear because while swinging your walking stick, I am afraid, you might hit my nose" . This is the limitation of your independence.
We also hear people say, "We are celebrating svarajya, Independence Day. " Is it true? No. Here sva means 'self'. Have you mastered yourself? Do you have control over your senses? Usually svatantra means becoming independent of foreign rule. You break the chains of slavery under the yoke of the rulers and declare independence. This is political independence. This is not enough.
Spiritually also you should be independent by controlling your senses, conquering your weaknesses and checking your evil tendencies.This is independence in the kingdom of Atma. You become truly independent only after you have conquered desire, lust, greed, anger, hatred, avarice, sense of vengeance, etc. You have to understand the meaning of svatantra in this sense.
Q58) Swami! What is the ideal ambience of a classroom?
Bhagawan: You should follow your ancient traditional culture. A student with vinaya, humility, and vidheyata , obedience will