Cultured mind only
can grasp truth
Scriptures emphasise that
human birth is rare to get and it is only after several births in
the lower order of creation that one evolves to the human state.
This face must constantly remind us to make the best use of this
opportunity given to us to realize the goal of all human endeavour –
to realize our spiritual nature which will liberate us from
rebirths.
All actions we perform in
our daily life must be oriented to this goal and for this it is
essential to understand how we must lead our lives. What
distinguishes human life from animal life is the pursuit of values
and righteous conduct, guided by the gift of discrimination we are
endowed with, which animals do not have. Otherwise if we allow our
instincts to dictate our lives we will not be different from
animals.
In his address Sri
Jayendra Saraswathi Swami said, Hindu religion emphasized that man
could rise to the level of the Divine. Before we can aspire to
realize the Divinity in us we must atleast learn to live like human
beings. It has become imperative to emphasise this point because
modern life has become so divorced from
values.
Man is today after
ephemeral sensual pleasures which give momentary gratification. To
wean the Senses away from material objects it is necessary to have
control over the mind. For this we have to find ways to develop
one-pointedness of mind. Fine arts like painting and music help in
achieving mental concentration. Lofty and noble sentiments are the
outward expression of a highly developed mind which is known by the
term ‘culture’.
We have had a long
cultural tradition within the fold of Hinduism which has expressed
the spiritual ideal through various arts which have flourished since
the Vedic times. Instead of debasing the natural instincts of man,
pursuit of fine arts seeks to enrich the mind. Culture thus must
actualize the inner spiritual potential of man and not push him to
the level of a beast.
It is the pure mind that
has become one pointed which can grasp abstract ideas necessary for
understanding subtle philosophical truth. So, in our cultural
tradition our pursuits are all wedded to the highest ideal of
spiritual perfection and this fact should make us pursue and take
pride in our culture.
Dharma or righteous
conduct which is the basis of our culture and religion must express
itself in the life of man. It is not something to be pursued
divorced from our daily life. If we abide by Dharma it would protect
us said, Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swami in his address. When we
adopt Dharma in our personal lives, it leads to the well-being of
the society and prosperity of the entire world.
March
13, 1996
Man reaps the results
of his actions
What is the relevance of
the ancient Law of Virtue when we are now achieving tremendous
advancements in the scientific and material spheres? Such a question
is being asked by some and their doubt arises about the lack of
understanding regarding the nature of this Law and its greatness and
about the sublimity of the Vedic revelations which are the source
for this eternal Moral Law.
Millions of years ago, the
Vedas declared that the stability of the entire universe, in fact
its very survival, is dependent on righteous conduct. God has
prescribed it for us in the form of the Vedas. Some raise the query,
“Does God appear before us and give these instructions. If not, what
then is the meaning of Divine grace?” The fallacious reply by a few
is, “All these appear to be concocted by some to deceive the common
man.”
But the ancient spiritual
authority has provided the suitable explanation, “God’s grace does
not mean that He will go about with a staff in His hand, as a
shepherd does when he derives his animals to a meadow. On the other
hand, He bestows on us the proper motive for action. Every move we
undertake is stimulated by an urge to do, which arises out of a
desire to perform that particular action. Without such a spur, we
will not act at all.”
Where does this desire and
urge for action stem from, is the next question. The only
satisfactory answer is that it comes from God. If so, the skeptics
say, such an urge should only be for the performance of pious deeds.
Why then some have the tendency to indulge in wicked acts? Does God
ask you to do evil acts? Will He, who is the object of our
veneration, goad us to perpetrate bad deeds? Here too, the Law
provided the answer.
Sri Bharathi Thirtha
Mahaswami of Sringeri in a discourse said, since a person reaped the
consequences of the evil acts he had perpetrated in his previous
births, God gave him the appropriated desires to make him experience
the fruit thereof, God does not therefore become responsible and He
cannot be blamed. In the succession of births one experiences the
fruits of actions done in previous lives in the subsequent ones. The
process is continuous and hence the concept of reaping the result of
past actions is neither improper nor
unscriptural.
If a sword is handed over
to a young man for use in case of a war, and he chops off his own
head with it, whose fault is this? Likewise, if a man who is asked
to uphold the Divine commands (contained in the Law) does not use
the power of discrimination and does not understand the teachings
contained in the sacred texts, the fault is man’s. Man should hence
decide on the correct course of action.
April
3, 1996
Do
not yield to worldly pulls
Forgetting that he has come from God and that
his duty is to return to Him, man yields to worldly temptations
which are too strong for him to resist. He may not like to indulge
in trivial pleasures but is drawn towards them and finally finds it
difficult to secure release from their clutches. A spider weaves its
web to catch the moths to eat them. But, later it finds itself
trapped in its own web. Similar is the case of a human
being.
Man’s life and efforts
should hence be directed towards achieving four aims – to conform to
the Law of Righteousness, to earn wealth and to enjoy benefits and
ultimately to gain salvation. No one is asked to be indifferent to
worldly activities. Life on earth should be lived in full measure
but man’s deeds should be regulated by the vision of righteousness
keeping always the goal of liberation in view. Hence young men
should take greater interest in religion and have faith in the words
of spiritual leaders, more so as they have a full span of life
before them.
Human birth is a special
gift as man alone can meditate on God and realize Him. Man’s life is
a journey towards this end. Even as a traveler goes through all
formalities when he has to reach a foreign country, a person in his
spiritual journey should also get himself fully equipped. Through
prayers and in the company of saintly men, one can achieve
fulfillment in life. Otherwise, he will remain entangled in mundane
affairs and will forfeit happiness. In this connection, Sri
Ganapathi Satchidananda Swami narrated that the Creator allotted 40
years of life each to man, donkey, dog and owl. While man felt that
the years assigned to him were not enough, the others requested the
Creator to curtail their lease of life. For the first 40 years, man
leads a normal life. Ultimately man was asked to live for 100 years,
while the animals were each given 20 years of life. From 40 to 60,
(the years taken away from the donkey and added to him), he labours
to earn for his family and carries a big load of imagined
responsibilities making life a drudgery. From 60 to 80, like the
dog, he is ever worried and develops irritability. From 80 to 100,
he becomes dull, losing his faculties and blind like the owl with
scarcely any interest in his very existence. Hence man, to lead a
god-centered life, should engage himself in religious pursuits from
his early days. He should develop devotion by following the path of
virtue. The mind is the cause for both bondage and liberation. To
stop its vagaries, the methods of persuasion and punishment are
available. Like taming a naughty child, it has to be brought under
control with vigilance, Congregational prayer has the power of
checking the mind’s vagaries.
June 1,
1996
Human life must be
meaningful
Man is born with Divine
qualities. Just as a sapling grows out of a seed, a flower from the
sapling and a fruit from the flower. God is the seed of the entire
cosmos. Like the oil that exists in a seed, like the presence of
ghee in milk, fragrance in a flower, juice in fruit and fire in a
piece of wood, so does the Divine permeates the universe. Man is
intrinsically a combination of morality, righteousness and
spirituality. Unfortunately, he has forgotten these basic qualities.
When the sacredness of human birth is considered, it is a pity that
man has descended to a low level.
In this land where virtues
like truth, righteousness, forbearance and compassion are held in
high esteem, today, cruelty, selfishness, intolerance and
ill-felling are rampant, Love is hardly present anywhere. For all
the troubles and difficulties, conduct alone is responsible. Bad
actions will lead to disastrous consequences. Hence people should
develop noble thoughts and associate themselves with pious souls.
Indian culture is based on the two fundamental principles, “Speak
the truth, uphold righteousness.” Under the influence of the Kali,
two diseases have grown – insatiable thirst for wealth and craze to
wield power and position. Desire for the same is not wrong as such.
But both wealth and power should be used for right causes. The
occupation of a cobbler is as worthy as a top
executive’s.
In a lecture Sri Sathya
Sai Baba stressed the need to engage oneself in good deeds and lead
a meaningful life. God alone is man’s unfailing kinsman throughout
life and even beyond it. He is the only constant companion. One of
the methods to cultivate humility is not only to bow before God but
also prostrate before holy saints and obtain their
blessings.
Once Emperor Asoka was
going round his capital accompanied by his minister. When he saw a
Buddhist monk, he placed his head at the latter’s feet and bowed, an
act which was not liked by his minister. Sensing this, the ruler
asked him to fetch the heads of a goat, a tiger and man’s. When they
were brought he asked the counsel to sell them in a market. While
the heads of the animals had buyers, no one came to purchase that of
the human being. There was none even to take it free. The king then
said, “This head has value only when there is life in the body.
Hence when there is an opportunity, place your head at the feet of
noble men and secure their good wishes.” Men should look at the
world with the vision of peace, love and compassion. When their
hearts are filled with such genuine love, they will experience the
Divine everywhere.
October 23,
1997
Ignorance makes us
criticize God
Very often people accuse
God as being cruel since he has created this world full of
sufferings. While some enjoy prosperity, others wander about, driven
by hunger and poverty. If God, as described in holy texts, is
extremely compassionate, why should He enact this
“drama”?
God is neither partial,
nor iron-hearted nor unconcerned about humanity’s ills, as some
allege. He is ever merciful and will always be ready to protect
them. A safe path is shown by our parents for our worldly progress
and if we do not follow it, we will fail in our lives. Likewise God
in scriptures, has prescribed certain directives for our good. If we
transgress these Divine commands, we shall meet with problems. To
blame God, for our difficulties, and attribute cruelty to Hi, all
the while committing violations of God’s words, is hence wrong. The
cause lies within us.
A
mother once sent her two sons (called Viveki – discrimination, and
Aviveki – non-discrimination)to the town, asking them to take the
strong bridge to cross a canal on their upward journey and return by
another bridge which was weak, but use sticks as supports. The
former obeyed what his mother had said and came back safe. The other
defied her warning and fell down, because of his indiscrimination
and arrogance. This parable applies to mankind also. God, who has
created us, has also provided us with the ephemeral. Without making
a distinction between the two we commit follies resulting in misery.
As told in the story above, we are not willing to use the stick of
discrimination given by God. If everyone obeys His orders, there
will be happiness and peace.
In her discourse, Mata
Amritanandamayi said, our ignorance makes us criticize God of being
indifferent to us. It is akin to constructing a dam across a flowing
river and diverting its course and complaining of shortage of water,
forgetting that it is man’s own making. Likewise, we have built a
dam of ignorance and blocked the flow of God’s grace to us and then
we blame God, though we are ourselves responsible. If His commands
are followed, He will surely extend His protection. We should offer
our prayers and submit ourselves to Him pointing out that we have
unfortunately been thrown into this forest of transmigration. Like
the ferocious wild beasts, latent wicked tendencies within us
threaten to devour us. There is none to take care of us amidst such
situations and God alone is our eternal companion who is ever ready
to extend His grace.
December
10, 1997
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