The
Charioteer
Lord
Krishna,
the sacred texts say, agreed in His mercy to be
the charioteer, the inner motivator for the
duration of the Kurukshetra Battle. Arjuna was
caught in the coils of attachment just when duty
called him to action. "My limbs droop down; my
tongue dries up. The bow slips from my hold; I
am unable to stand; my brain is in a swirl." He
wept. [See
also: The
Bhagavad Gîtâ of Order, Chapter 1,
verse 28 etc.]
Krishna
rebuked him for being overcome by weakness,
unmanly. Arjuna's discrimination was overpowered
by grief and delusion, pride and ignorance, a
sense of I and mine.
Krishna
removed the veil and taught him the secret of
successful living, the Yoga
of surrender, of non-attachment.
It is
significant that Baba named the monthly magazine
of Prasanthi
Nilayam
"Sanathana Sarathi" meaning the "eternal
charioteer." As
Krishna
came, Baba also has come, to rid man of grief
and delusion, pride and ignorance, and to
re-establish justice in the world. The word
"Sarathi" is an assurance from Baba that He will
guide the seeker if only he takes the initial
step of inviting Him to take over the reins of
his life. The word "Sanathana" is a reminder
that this has been the role of Baba since the
dawn of creation.
Baba's
writings are from His simply and directly spoken
Telugu. When one reads His articles, he can
picture Baba speaking in His intimate and
inspiring way. With questions between His
statements, He prods a reader or listener to
think for himself by injecting questions on the
problems He unravels. By the use of occasional
endearments such as "Child", "My dear man", "My
precious", "Dear fellow", He draws Himself close
to the seeker in order to instruct him in the
art of Godward pilgrimage.
Baba has
written, "How dejected will the farmer be if the
seeds he has sown do not sprout, grow and yield
a harvest! So too, if the seeds of the Words of
Truth that I sow, do not sprout in your hearts
and grow into fine saplings and trees yielding
fruit, I am also not happy. That harvest of
bliss is My sustenance, My food. This is the
only adoration I need. There is nothing higher
than this. By not casting away these good words
and truth written for your sake, if you put them
into practice and experience joy therefrom, that
joy is the food on which I sustain Myself. If
you thus act according to My words, and put them
into daily practice, I will gladly tell you more
and more, for that is the reason why I have
come."
Baba has often
said that He demonstrates His Divinity through
miracles only to instill the faith necessary for
men to listen to Him and follow His suggestions
for their own spiritual realization. He declares
that it is everyone's right to know this message
from Him. Thus anyone may approach Him without
fear or hesitation. His eagerness to remove all
doubts lurking in the minds of the people who
seek guidance from Him, His readiness to grant
them as many interviews as necessary to discuss
specific personal problems of the spiritual
pilgrimage, are evidence of His Grace and Mercy.
Revealed in
"Sanathana Sarathi" are the power, wisdom, and
grace of Baba. He warns against neglecting the
pennies in one's search for the dollars and
pounds, and cautions, "Be vigilant about the
small things; the myriad little things that you
indulge in every moment harden into habits and
warp character and personality. They shape your
intelligence, outlook, ideals, and aspirations.
Challenge your evil propensities even before
they enslave you. If you make a sincere effort,
you will certainly succeed.
"If your
faults are pointed out to you by anyone, do not
argue and attempt to prove he is mistaken, and
do not develop a grudge against him for that.
Reason out within yourself, examine your own
conduct coolly, and thankfully proceed to
correct yourself".
"When someone
causes you mental pain, do not give room for
anger; anger is enemy number one of reason and
discrimination. Repeat the Name of God for
awhile sitting in a lonely place, or sing hymns
in a raised voice, or, if you cannot do both,
spread your bed and go to sleep".
"Your own
experience is the best guarantee of truth for
you. Do not be led by what people tell of their
experiences; nothing can be as genuine as your
own".
"Develop
courage, confidence, hope, and enthusiasm. These
will stand you in good stead in the secular as
well as the spiritual fields".
"Man is
everywhere immersed in worry and trouble; is it
right to increase the agony? Already the sea is
rough; how can you have a mind to blow a typhoon
over it? Learn rather to spread a smile from
face to face. Why make the sad world sadder by
your lamentation and the tales of your own woe?
Adopt the course of the recitation of the Name,
of contemplation on the Form, to assuage your
own grief; overcome your own sorrow and be an
example to the rest".
The
elimination of harmful tendencies, impulses, and
habits, and the building up of character, are,
however, only preliminary to the practice of
spiritual discipline. For more than a year His
articles emphasized the contemplation of the
Form and its method of operation, which He calls
"the planned routine".
In His words,
"Perform contemplation until your mind comes
firmly under your control. When the mind starts
running about, be careful; do not follow it into
its vagaries, seeking to discover it and punish
it. Be still, do not pursue it. Then it will
return by itself when it is tired and exhausted,
because it is neglected by you. The mind is like
a little child; when the mother walks behind it
and calls out its name and is showing an
interest in its movements, the child gets the
confidence to wander about a little farther on;
but if the mother stands still, then reverses
her steps, the child is seized with fright at
this sign of neglect and runs back to her arms.
So, do not care for the vagaries of the mind.
Carry on the repeating of the Name and
contemplation on the Form that you like best, in
the manner you feel most conducive. You will
realize your heart's desire".
Words of
solace and encouragement such as these abound in
the articles written by Baba. As He says, "In
former ages, one particular group of persons or
one individual who had the monopoly of the means
of exploitation and enslavement, and the power
needed for them, was responsible for the decline
of moral behavior; hence it could be
re-instilled by the destruction of that group or
individual. Now the wickedness is a universal
feature, and I have to bring about a revolution
in human character, attitude, and behavior, and
teach people certain disciplines. People have to
be put back on the road to unity, harmony and
peace. The realization that everything in the
universe is the manifestation of the Lord, is
the very basis, the entire content, the warp and
the woof, the yarn and the cloth of all. This is
the right of every person, whatever be his race,
creed, class, or caste. You of this generation
are indeed lucky that you have the fortune of
contact with Me and the chance to receive the
guidance I have come to give".
Baba writes
strongly against teachers who compromise the
ideal for the sake of name and fame. One purpose
of His advent is to lead them back into
rectitude. He condemns partisanship and faction
in the sacred Name of God. He will not admit
that God can ever be angry or jealous.
Baba writes,
"Do not believe descriptions of the Lord in
which He is pictured as greedy, businesslike,
angry, jealous or vengeful. He is above all
pettiness and bargaining. When a pot of nectar
is hit by a stone, it leaks, but does the nectar
turn bitter? No, it can never change its
sweetness".
"When the
all-pervasive, all-inclusive pure Existence is
described, the matter and method depend on the
outlook of the speaker and the understanding of
the listener. When it is described through
attributes, it gets various names and forms.
When the spiritual student realizes that it is
beyond all attributes which the mind can
conceive, then it is referred to as Brahman".
All quarrel between sects is mere secular
rivalry, indulged in for the vulgar pleasure it
gives to inferior minds, says Baba.
Baba has also
pointed out that ascetics and monks deserve
respect only if they give up all desires, even
the desire to develop their hermitages or
institutions. The bondage to such places becomes
a burden for them. Instead of giving up all
ties, they have yoked themselves more tightly to
the plough; they have degraded themselves into
beasts of burden. He says that people have lost
faith because of the activities of such men who
continuously exert pressure on society in order
to earn name and fame. Religious leaders such as
these, Baba says, train many disciples; so they
must make a special effort to help the trainees
acquire the right outlook and get fully immersed
in contemplation of the Lord. Baba has also
pointed out the mistake of giving the teacher a
status higher than that which is due him. The
teacher should be respected as the person who
shows one the path, who looks after his progress
and is interested in his welfare, that is all.
The student should not assume that the teacher
is all-inclusive and all-powerful. The Lord
alone can be treated and felt as the Universal.
Baba always
emphasizes moderation. He does not advocate
asceticism for all. He speaks of the body as a
God-given instrument, and says, "Understand it
well; make it obey your will; never bow down to
it and follow its whimsical demands; train it
carefully to subserve your welfare. Be on the
lookout for the first signs of damage or decay.
Keep it in good trim by disciplined activities.
Moderate food, moderate sleep, an attitude of
love toward all, an outlook of fortitude in the
face of pain and anxiety and in the face of
success and good fortune - these are more
important than drugs to cure the illness of the
body. Even a capacity to discriminate, if
applied to one's physical condition, will help
him overcome disease".
Baba writes
often against starving the body advocated by
over-enthusiastic practitioners and against
foolish epicures who cater to the tongue that
demands seasoned food or a want on variety of
dishes.
Baba calls the
householder's life that of "the teacher", for it
is also through the toils and turmoils of the
family that people acquire the urge for the
higher life of the Spirit. He says that without
family troubles, many would not have come to Him
at all. After once meeting and knowing Him, they
cling to the Godhead whether their troubles are
set right or not. They gradually begin to feel
that such troubles should not be given the
importance they ascribed to them; they face them
with greater courage, confidence, and
understanding. He has written that the sugar
cane should welcome the cutting, the hacking,
and the crushing to which it is subjected,
because without these processes, its juice will
dry up and it will not sweeten the tongue. Man
must welcome trouble, for that too brings out
the sweetness of the Spirit within. He says,
"You desire an ornament and you go to the
goldsmith and give him the required quantity of
gold. But do you spend sleepless nights pining
for the heating and beating, the tugging and the
pulling, the cutting and the carving to which
the goldsmith subjects your gold? Why then do
you worry when the Lord, in order to make a
lovely jewel out of you, heats and melts, cuts
and carves, and removes your dross in the
crucible of suffering"?
Baba is the
Great Healer, the Restorer of drooping spirits,
the Unique Reviver. He insists on truth, because
falsehood has cowardice as its root. One hides
the facts from a person only when he is afraid
of him or hates him. Truth is based on strength.
It is, according to Baba, against the essential
nature of man to plead weakness or want of
strength. He does not permit people to say, "I
am sin, born of sin, a sinful soul". When a
devotee with contrition masses abuse on himself,
Baba immediately lifts him. "When I have come
for your sake, you should not feel this way", He
says.
Baba equates
strength with merit and weakness with sin; that
is, weakness is sin; strength is holy. Physical,
mental and spiritual strength are all three
essential, but the greatest source of all three
is faith in one's self, in the soul within. Baba
says, "Remember that and draw strength there
from. My mission is to give you confidence in
yourself, to give you the strength and endurance
that comes out of that. Despondency is the prime
cause of decline; therefore everyone should
cultivate the quality of joyfulness. For the
contented, life is one long festival. Envy eats
the vitals, spreads like poison all over the
body politic. Dedicate all, both joy and sorrow,
to the Lord; that is the secret of gaining
contentment, the most valuable of all treasures.
Baba instills
the spirit of service among His devotees, and
during Dasara,
a day generally devoted to social service, He
teaches the attitude of worship in which one
should render service. He writes and speaks of
the service to others as service ultimately to
one's self, and injury to others as injury
ultimately to one's self. In His words, "When
the Lord comes down in human form so that He may
be of service to man, how happy will He be if
man engages himself in that service? Devote your
time to the service of the world, irrespective
of the results thereof".
Baba is very
particular about the vision which must inspire
the devotee who takes up the path of service:
"Though the service of humanity is holy, unless
it is merged in the higher ideal of the Lord,
realizing the Lord immanent in all, adoring the
Lord in the form of everyone, there is no profit
at all. One should have full faith in the
divinity of man and service should be offered in
the uninterrupted contemplation of the Lord. Use
the power, knowledge and attainments the Lord
has endowed you with for the greater glory of
the Lord, with sincerity and without any
malingering. That is the service of the Lord,
whatever be the field of activity or the region
of duty where you are called upon to render
service".
Very often
Baba devotes an entire discourse to the
elucidation of the need for inquiry of blind,
unreasoning faith. He might begin: "You can ask
Me a question without hesitation. I am always
ready to answer, but I want only those people to
ask who inquire earnestly with a desire to know.
Without analysis and reasoning, the real worth
of things cannot be grasped, and renunciation
will not be possible at all. Sometimes you will
have to inquire even into the process of your
inquiry, for you might all the time be deceiving
yourselves by arguing that your actions are all
moral and pure, when an unprejudiced mind might
condemn them out right".
As
Lord
Krishna
did, He also tells people. "Think of all the
pros and cons; think also of your own
experience; then come to your own judgment. Do
not be led away by what others might say, by
what even I might say!
"At the gates
of heaven there are three sentinels who will
admit you inside, only if you satisfy them of
the validity of your credentials which are
contentment, peace and reflection. Even if one
of the guards is satisfied, the others will not
be very strict. So cultivate any of the three.
Basically, they are all interrelated". (Inquiry
brought into the realm of experience results in
peace -undisturbed contentment or bliss.) "Ask
Me about some discipline that you are eager to
engage in or some message that you can put into
immediate action. Seek something worth your
while". That is what Baba demands.
There is a
sense of urgency in His commands: "The time to
start on the path of discipline is now. Start
today the discipline that will have to be done
tomorrow. Start now the discipline that has to
be done today. Just as a child has to start the
alphabet at a tender age, so that it may be
proficient in arts and science when it later
enters, so too, the spiritual child must start
on the "alphabet" immediately and keep on with
the studies; no one can cope with the alphabet
in old age or on the deathbed. Every second, the
span of life is being shortened; the moment that
has gone is no longer yours; the moment that is
coming may not be yours at all; so put all your
efforts now, this very moment, to earn eternal
joy".
Among the
means to earn this eternal joy, Baba places the
recollection of the Name, its repetition, first,
though He speaks and writes also of the three
traditional Yogas
and the three traditional philosophical systems.
Baba has come to end all factions and He
emphasizes the harmony of these systems when He
exhorts, "I won't say that the way of dedicated
activity, the way of devotion, and the way of
knowledge are separate, or classify them as
first, second, or third in that order, or accept
even a mixture of all three. Dedicated activity
is devotion; devotion is wisdom. A block of
candy-sugar has sweetness, shape, and weight,
all three. So too, each individual deed of the
Godward man must have the sweetness of devotion,
the spirit of dedicated action, and the strength
of wisdom.
"Wisdom is the
product of devotion, and devotion is promoted by
the noblest dedicated activity, being
recollection and reflection of the Name of God.
The Lord can give the knowledge about Himself to
a devotee. He can remove the veil He Himself has
cast".
"A
thing and its nature are the same, not two
distinct things. Is it possible to see the
nature apart from the thing - sweetness apart
from sugar, light apart from the sun? So also,
Bhagavan has two characteristics. When we speak
of them as two, they are known as Spirit and
Substance, but they are really one. Substance in
Bhagavan is unmanifested, inseparable, knowable
only by experience, like sweetness in sugar. By
mere willing, this Substance envelops Bhagavan
and the cosmos is the result. That one Existence
is the basis or foundation for both the
Universal and the Particular, the totality as
well as the apparent parts. This manifested
total cosmos or Fullness arose out of the
Unmanifested Indivisible Reality, yet there is
no diminution".
Baba unravels
the most involved philosophical problems in
easily understandable ways. The listener sees
the solution in a flash of illumination
explained by a simile, metaphor, parable, or
epigram summarizing the elaboration of an hour.
In short, His advent is for everyone, for
forging all into disciplined seekers. As He
says, "The world can achieve prosperity and
peace only through such persons whose hearts are
pure and whose minds are free of prejudice and
passion, lust and greed, anger and
envy".
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