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When one is pious,
noble and humble
The
thoughts, words and deeds of a man should be in perfect unison and
consistent. If there is such a harmony of these three, he will be
pious, noble and humble. A person who has particular plans, says
something different from them and acts contrary to the plans and to
what he has said, may be likened to a beast. Man should maintain his
equanimity and not try to show himself off, or be pompous. Our
scriptures and sacred texts are our treasures and contain ancient
wisdom. Their study will enable us to acquire knowledge and keep our
mind balanced.
Saints and mighty personages have expounded the
doctrines contained in our religious literature while
non-conformists and atheists have questioned their veracity. But the
sayings therein remain lustrous. Hindu scriptures are comparable to
an ocean --Both when its water is evaporated by the sun's rays and
given back to the people as potable water or when the waters of
several rivers empty themselves into it, it maintains its level.
Sri
Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi, in a discourse here, said a mere
study of the Sastras will not by itself lead a man to perfection. He
must experience the presence of Divinity by knowing their contents.
They should transform him into a virtuous human being. Acquiring
knowledge of the Sastras without learning to be humble will be
purposeless like music without melody or friendship without
gratitude or knowledge without wisdom.
The
Bhagavad Gita suggests three steps for a devotee --listening, seeing
and experiencing --indicating that the scriptures should be
digested. God's presence is witnessed and Divine bliss is
experienced in the end. Then he will maintain internal harmony and
balance. In this connection. "Sath Sangam" --association with men of
integrity and piety who can help in the process of purifying the
mind is recommended for all.
August 4,1982
Man should work like a refinery
Lord
Krishna's message in the Song Celestial is that even in the midst of
work, a man can see the divine. The teaching is based on the
"Philosophy of action" and is concerned about the "man at work".
Humanism has been there for a long time, but the real test is to see
whether we behave in a human way. Humanism seems to have been
forgotten over the years. The Bhagavad Gita inspires us to tap the
humanistic impulses. The "infinite" manifests itself in all human
beings like the Sun whose reflection can be seen in ponds, lakes and
pools. Man is the centre of infinite possibilities because his soul
is pure, has no hatred and does not give room for violence. Religion
is the manifestation of Divinity in man and there is spiritual
background because it is in his very nature. What is needed is that
he should learn the science of unfolding the tremendous at any time,
As the Upanishad says, we should "march on."
In a
lecture, Swami Ranganadananda referred to the process of crude oil
being tapped, refined and then made the end product. Likewise, the
human body should be converted into a refinery of experience. By
removing the dirt, we should be refined, converting hatred into
love. "We have to create a humanistic social order;" There should be
concern for others and we must ponder whether we have prayed at
least once for others.
The
Gita says that "work and workship" are the same. If some one is
offensive in speech, we should not retaliate. Forget it for a day or
two, your mind will become calm and you will never retaliate. We
should enrich society by good work. The study of Gita helps develop
character. We should think that everyone is our neighbour and do
everything to help remove the sufferings of others. The greatest
task is to destroy all anti-human feelings.
September 12, 1989
The Gita is Vedas in
essence
The
statements made in the extensive Divine, self-revealed, Vedas are
categorical, eternal, irrefutable and have permanent validity. These
utterances clearly indicate who the Supreme controller of the world
and humanity is and how He can be perceived and realised. To study
the vast lore and to determine the gradual steps of duties in life
are difficult for men. Hence, a succinct, simple, scientific and
definite conclusion regarding Vedic principles was needed. The
Epics, Puranas and other sacred works were contributed by sages and
saints through narratives incorporating the directives given by God
for men to avert rebirths. If one follows them, one will get the
reward. Disobedience will naturally attract punishment.
The Mahabharatam contains
all the revelations, explained directly. In this monumental
scriptural text, the Bhagavad Gita is enshrined, dispelling man's
doubts and affirming the "Reality", paving the way for man to return
to God. There are several commentaries on the Gita, one differing
from another and sometimes one found even opposed to the other. But
the Gita was delivered by the Lord Himself and so is in strict
conformity with the Vedic teachings. Being infallible, its contents
cannot be given "twists" to suit erroneous beliefs and views. Doubts
in interpreting certain sayings may arise but the clarifications
have to be only in consonance with basic source --the Vedas and
Sastras.
Srimad Andavan Swami in a
discourse on the Gita, said Ramanuja has written a brilliant
commentary drawing inspiration from Alavandar's crisp work. Ramanuja
learnt the secrets embedded in the Lord's poem, 18 times which only
shows how important it is and how God has enabled men to recover
from drooping faith. If Alavandar (Yamuna) had laid a foot path to
reach God's abode, Ramanuja had made it a royal road. Vedanta Desika
has also rendered the Gita's message, explaining that Sri Krishna in
this celestial song, has removed the confusion in Arjuna's mind.
Scriptures point out that digesting the Gita, taking a dip in the
holy Ganga, chanting the Gayatri mantra and reciting the name
Govinda (the four- Gs) will prevent re-birth.
November 9, 1991
Three levels of
austerity
The term penance or
austerity which finds frequent reference in our holy books (as
Tapas) should not be mistaken to be merely the act of standing and
meditating on one leg in the region of the Himalayas or adopting the
posture of stretching the body upwards, with the head on the floor.
It is an intelligent activity in which a person withdraws the energy
which he was hitherto spending in wrong channels but conserve the
same, preserve and reserve, rediverting it in a beneficial manner.
It does not mean torturing oneself.
Three levels are involved
in observing the austerities physical, vocal and mental. Those
intended to propitiate the Gods, preceptors, the truly wise and true
devotees and those which include purity, simplicity and
inoffensiveness appertain to physical 'Tapas'. Austerities not
unpleasant to anyone, truthful and full of soft words and conduct
relate to the speech while those which are conducive to the serenity
of the mind, silence and purification of the heart are categorised
as mental. The ethical conduct of man can be summed up to fall under
the purifying agents --sacrifice, austerity and charity.
Emphasising how people
should respect those teachers who profess wealth of knowledge, (when
conducting austerities), Prof. C. G. Vasudevan in a lecture said
they should descend to the level of students allowing them to
discover the morals from the stories narrated. The 'truly wise' as
Lord Krishna points out in His 'Gita', may not teach in its strict
sense but will be full of worldly knowledge and commonsense. A story
is told of a bishop who became rich which made the king envious. He
challenged the former to reply to his three queries or face
execution. Seeing the bishop's grief, a shepherd volunteered to
deputise him. To the first question, 'How long will it take for me
to go round the world,' the answer was 'If you rise with the Sun,
and go with it one full day.' "What is my value in the world", was
the second to which the commoner said, "29 pieces of silver". Why
29? "Because Jesus was sold for 30 and you are worth about it."
Thirdly, he was asked, "What is God thinking of now"?" How foolish
are you, as you are listening to a shepherd before you!"
May
30, 1992
The wise are fearless
Life is a continuous experience and people
should ever be optimistic. It is in their power to respond to any
type of situation. There may be critical tests but they should be
taken as opportunities and the challenges faced. Wisemen will not be
concerned about happiness or grief nor about pleasure and pain. They
will maintain the balance of mind. "Never grieve" is the advice
tendered by the Lord Himself. Be cheerful and keep smiling, He adds.
The Lord's words flowed when His disciple, a
hero, suddenly became dispirited and dejected. Seeing him crest-
fallen, Sri Krishna (in Bhagavad Gita). wondered why this
disgraceful delusion of his, giving room for cowardice. This
despondency was due to his over-attachment to the kith and kin.
'Give up this pusillanimity of heart and rise to the occasion' the
Lord exhorted him (Arjuna). Still unable to discern right from
wrong, he sought the remedy for his grief. The Lord's reply is
applicable for mankind, at all times. 'Despite your talking like the
wise, you are really mourning for those who are not worth mourning,
because the truly wise lament neither for the living nor for the
dead" said the Lord. "They alone are wise who know the Self. We
shall certainly continue to exist even after the death of the
bodies. We are eternal in all the three periods of time (past,
present and future)." The "Self" passes unchanged in the present
body into the three stages (childhood, youth and age of decay), all
distinct from one another. So too, the Self goes into another body
without change. The Self is thus eternal."
Swami Bodhananda Saraswathi in a lecture said,
men of pure intelligence (Pandita), according to Lord Krishna, will
not deplore the loss by death of this temporary tabernacle of the
soul. Sense-perception is either pleasant or painful; what is
pleasant in one set of circumstances may be painful in another. That
person to whom both are alike, who neither exults nor feels
dejected, who is a man of wisdom, who is not affected by anything by
virtue of his vision of the eternal Self, will be able to attain
immortality.
The physical body of flesh and blood is
ephemeral but the Self (individual soul) is real. Grief and
infatuation are the properties of the body and mind and not of the
soul (Jiva); they spring from our fleshy affinities, they do not
exist in the transcendental plane. Fearlessness is hence a hallmark
of the wise.
June 10, 1992
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