The outstanding contribution of the Bhagavad Gita, a sermon by God-incarnate Krishna Himself on the battlefield, is the incorporation of ten commandments of Hinduism which if followed diligently will purify a spiritual aspirant's mind. Three distinctive paths - of Duty, Devotion and Knowledge - to reach God's kingdom have been prescribed and their merits explained by the Lord.

Devotion in a broad sense has two meanings -- love of God and spiritual discipline adopted by a seeker to attain the goal of freedom or liberation. There are three levels of exercises which he has to go through -- devotion in the form of acquiring knowledge. Devotion as duty brings mental purity, as meditation fetches one-pointedness and reaches culmination when knowledge is gained. Lord Krishna spells out four types of devotees but of them, He likes best one who has crossed these stages and emerges as a supremely wise man (Jnani).

Meditation can again be divided into five stages. In the first, the seeker goes through the general preparation to achieve success in this field. Meditation cannot be gained in a few minutes. A mind which behaves unruly for nearly 15 hours a day, cannot be easily controlled say, in 15 minutes. In the second stage, he resorts to the preparations just immediately before meditation. The third stage explains the nature of meditation. This is followed by knowing its benefits. In the last, he realises the obstacles in its course. If the mind is to be made conducive to meditation, ten disciplines have been laid down, five positive and the remaining negative, classified as Do's and Dont's, which can be called the ten commandments.

Swami Paramarthananda, in a lecture, said these guidelines would lead to a smooth condition which could be used in any direction. The five negative aspects refer to the avoidance of hurting others through thought, word and deed. One should never speak disparagingly about other men. Second is the avoidance of uttering falsehood. Every lie spoken connoted as disturbance in the mind and only a harmonised and disciplined mind can meditate. Thirdly, no one should possess anything which does not legitimately belong to him. The fourth emphasises sexual restraint. Lastly, he should not possess anything too much. The five musts are: entertaining only positive thoughts; contentment, a person learning to be satisfied with what he has; practising austerities, the mind maintaining equanimity during opposite experiences; reading the scriptures because the statements have spiritual potency and the last, the act of surrendering to God. The ten directives are equally grouped as Yama (abstention from doing) and Niyama (practices which ought to be upheld).
                                                                          April 2, 1994

Total faith needed in upholding codes

Hinduism expects that the directives contained in the fundamental authority - the Vedic revelations, should be accepted and upheld by one and all, because being Divine utterances, they apply under all situations and for every one, without being questioned because man has neither the qualification nor the right to do so.

The Hindu religion believes in the validity of these statements and people have faith in them. Proper elucidations for the pithy aphorisms have been made by sages wherever necessary. One of the doubts raised by some relate to the need for ceremony to be conducted for departed souls who have left the world years ago and as how the offerings through the medium of fire will reach them whose subsequent births may not be traced. The mantras have the power to transmit the oblations to the concerned. Hence those who lack belief can, instead of asking 'why' these rites are performed, should seek as 'How' they are done. Traditions should be respected and spiritual values honoured. The Ramayana teaches us these aspects while referring to the outstanding merits of Rama who was zealous in the observance of proprieties. He proved the uniqueness of the lofty ideals.

While God-incarnate Rama was being compelled to return from His exile and take over the reins of administrations, one of the sages, in his anxiety to prevail upon Him, expressed some views which resembled those of atheists. Rama's reply was contained in a carping attack: "I wonder how the emperor (Dasaratha) tolerated an unbeliever like you in his court". He said the sage's suggestions were opportunistic and that one who acted contradictory to established code of ethics of a perfect man are capable of being followed by us even today if there is a will. They can be copied to the extent possible, said Sri Chinna Sriman Narayana Ramanuja Jeeyar Swami in a discourse on Rama's qualities.

Another glorious trait displayed by the Lord was the tenacity with which He stood by the promise He had held out. Invariably, circumstances may arise when one may be tempted to give it up. But Rama was unwavering in carrying out His commitments. All that one has to do is to declare his helplessness once and seek His protection and God will unconditionally extend His refuge. Rama assured the sages in the forest that He would safeguard their interests. When Sita gently reminded Him hat this promise could have been avoided, Rama replied that if need be, He might even give Her up (and Lakshmana too) but not His resolve to protect the innocent sages, "To honour His pledge is indeed a weakness in Him," said Sita later to Ravana while asking him to seek at least His friendship if not offer surrender.
                                                                          July 11, 1994

Devotion leads to a life of purity

The methods to develop devotion which have been made available to mankind by sages and saints are many, such as visiting temples, offering of worship, meditation, chanting names and reposing confidence in the words of spiritual leaders, honouring them and abiding by their advice. A devotee is given the option to choose any one among them and hold on to it tenaciously. The main purpose of adhering to these paths is to ensure that a person spends a life of purity realising the value of righteous conduct.

It is in the context of preserving the Moral Law, spiritual values and religious prescriptions that India has been a torch-bearer. The way of life based on values shown by "Bharath" was followed by other countries and they enjoyed prosperity. India's hoary traditions originally formulated by sages and carefully nurtured by saints, had enabled India to establish its superiority in the cultural and spiritual realms. Sanskrit language can even now be found in use in some foreign countries (words like Garuda and Kubera), revealing how its glory had spread. The wealth of knowledge which the ancient texts contained were utilised by some nations to their advantage by adopting the technical and other excellences contained therein for the development of science and technology.

Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, Kanchi Sankaracharya in a discourse said, like Sanskrit language, the philosophy of Adi Sankara has also come to be praised all over the world. Sanskrit served as a treasure-house of knowledge. There were universities, libraries, and institutions for research in theology and scholars who had doubts or who needed clarifications visited these centres of learning. Emperor Bhoja was known for his interest in promoting scholarship and disseminating knowledge. India has provided the base on which great traditions were built. The hoary culture and rich heritage of India should hence be zealously preserved. People should follow the path of righteousness in their lives. God is bound to extend His blessings to those who cherish ancient spiritual values.
                                                                          February 8, 1995

Devotion invokes God's grace

There will be occasions when even ardent devotees who offer their sincere prayers at the feet of God feel disheartened that their pleas have not been entertained by Him. What should be remembered in such cases is that the prayers should be backed by greater intensity. The deficiency lies in the devotees and not with the Almighty.

But worship itself is intended to get rid of desires. When God is approached with deep devotion, there will be no scope for desires to spring within but the devotees must enjoy bliss. The mind needs to be tuned towards the Supreme Being. While conducting worship, the entire thought must be on God and His qualities. There is no need to display one's opulence nor such a worship offered to earn fame. God did not viist Duryodhana's palace though he had made elaborate and extravagant arrangements to welcome Him but went to the cottage of Vidhura as his heart brimmed with absolute devotion.

Appayya Dikshitar, the servant says in a hymn that a devotee need not take extraordinary trouble to organise his daily worship. Just a Bilva or a Basil leaf will please the Lord. It is wrong when someone states that desires do not get away in spite of his prayers or that they have not been fulfilled. The example of a couple who were totally dedicated to the Lord proves that His mercy has no bounds and that the delay in receiving His response is due to the need for further concentration while praying. The man felt that they have not been blessed with a child despite the sincere demonstration of their faith. But the wife said that God should not be criticised and that the blame should squarely fall on themselves only and that their prayers should be further strengthened. They earned the grace of the Divine and their child became the torch bearer of Hinduism, viz. Adi Sankara.

Sri Bharathi Thirtha Swami of Sringeri in a discourse said, the life of Adi Sanakracharya reveals that even when a devotee chooses the path of knowledge, devotion can co-exist. That was why Sankara composed several hymns. The Lord in His Gita explains how four types of people approach Him. They are: the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the one who needs wealth and the wise. Of them, the wise ever steadfast and devoted to the Lord, excels. "Excessively dear am I to the wise and he is dear to Me." Not that others are not noble but this man strives to reach God with firm faith. Sage Suka was an ascetic who excelled his father Vyasa. He recited the Bhagavatham thereby showing that the wise (Jnani) can extol the Almighty through hymns.
                                                                          May 17, 1995

Meditation is a mysterious ladder

There are certain basic questions which everyone muses over at some stage in his/her life. What is the purpose of my birth? Why do some people have an easier time than other? Where did I come from and what is my destination? People often struggle to find the answers and those who do so, derive contentment. For this, one should dive deep 'within'.

Yielding to worldly distractions, people seldom try to notice what goes on 'inside'. If they contemplate they will see that the mind is being constantly bombarded by sense perceptions. Very often, it is not until a person reaches a point of great distress that he realises it is time to take stock of his life. It is in this context that meditation comes in. It is a practice by which there is constant observation of the mind. It is a mysterious ladder which leads from earth to heaven, from falsehood to truth, from darkness to light, from pain to bliss from restlessness to abiding peace, from ignorance to knowledge and from mortality to eternity (according to Swami Sivananda). It helps to discover that the infinite well of wisdom that lies inside men.

However, the mind is an elusive animal difficult to be tamed. Meditation creates positive channels in the mind and eradicates destructive influences. It is a scientific process but, the goal is spiritual. Through it, the play of the mind can be seen, Good and evil, friend and enemy are all in the mind only. Every man can create a world of virtue or vice, pleasure or pain, out of his imagination. There is a power or an energy in each persons and this can be tapped. Meditation unleashes this immense potential in each individual.

A virtuous life prepares the mind as a fit instrument of concentration and meditation. Without the aid of meditation, one cannot liberate oneself from the trammels of the mind and attain immortality. During this experiment (of meditation), worldly thoughts are shut out and the mind is filled with the Divine presence. It is no doubt a trying discipline but intense training will bring success.

Swami Vimalananda, in a lecture, said that, in this spiritual exercise, thoughts should be fixed on God and the mind gradually withdrawn from worldly objects. One can get the meditative mood easily if the practice is systematic during the same hours daily. But no violent effort should be made to control the mind; it should be allowed a little freedom for a while; Divine thoughts should flow gently. After some time, one who takes to this path will realise that it acts as a tonic opening the avenues of intuitional knowledge and helps develop a strong will power -- while an inner voice will guide him.
                                                                          August 9, 1995