Importance of developing
devotion
The
Hindu Scriptural literature, particularly the Upanishads deal not
only with metaphysics but ethics and religion also, pointing out how
man should know what he ought to do and what many hope for and also
offering solutions, which, when followed will be soul satisfying.
Various textual authorities provide us with a complete chart of
tackling every fundamental problem and teach us the doctrines as
regards the nature of God, Man and the World and the relationship
between them. One of them spells out two paths that are laid before
us -one to gain ephemeral pleasures which will entangle human beings
in worldly activities (Preya) and the other, teaching Divine wisdom,
enabling to cut asunder, the knots of worldly bondage (Sreya). Those
who are fortunate will take recourse to Sreya whereas those who are
devoid of any spiritual merit and without any pious disposition will
tread Preya and will naturally be deprived of spiritual gain.
The
Upanishads proclaim: “ Arise and Awake, approach a preceptor and
learn from him about the means of God- realisation”. The Upanishads
have been described as the deep,
still,
mountain tarns, fed from the pure waters of the everlasting snows,
lit by clear sunshine or by night, mirroring the high serenity of
the stars. In one of them, eight traits of the Soul have been
mentioned devoid of sinful links with ignorance (want of true
conception of the Self); freedom from aging; from death; no
affliction for loss of desired objects; without any longing for food
or enjoyment; no hankering after any material object; adherence to
Truth and capable of achieving anything.
Swami
Yati Maharaj, Chief of Gaudiya Math, in a discourse said,
individuals in bondage will be naturally inclined to indulge in
material enjoyment and hardly one among them will possess the
inquisitiveness to reach Divinity. So long as there is no awakening
of devotion, one has to undergo rebirths and experience endless
suffering. The highest gain in human existence is to approach God
through devotion. The Kathopanishad say: that God is free from any
inauspiciousness. He is the store house of all that is good. Sriniad
Bhagavatham adds: listening with rapt attention to soul-enlivening
narrations of the Supreme Being from the lips of devotees gives rise
to unshakable faith in God, removing forthwith evil propensities
from the heart and giving scope for developing a deep desire to
realise Him.
December 18, 1990
Spirituality is service of
man
“It
is good for us to see that the animal within us dies so that the man
within us can live”, is a profound statement by a modern scientist.
Man becomes man only when he is able to rise beyond life in the five
senses, Until this century, Science believed that through the senses
alone, reality could be investigated and apprehended. The truth
discovered through sense perception were considered unchallengeable.
But the cocksureness is gone today. Biologists, especially, have
started thinking at another level.
For
long, evolution was organic. Progress was marked by species
developing new, more complicated organs. But with the appearance of
man, a revolution has taken place. The growth in man is marked not
by new organs but by changes in his psyche. An animal is governed by
instincts, but men, by values. Human evolution is the story of man's
search for values. The world of the senses can give us the comforts
and facilities that characterise consumerism, but not the eternal
values that enrich the soul. This has been clearly stressed by the
Upanishads, which speak of two types of knowledge, the “relative”
and the “absolute”. When sage Narada approached Sanatkumara for
instruction, the latter asked him what he knew already. Narada
reeled off an impressive list of 18 sciences he had mastered.
Sanatkumara pointed out that these constitute only the relative. The
“absolute” is that by which the Imperishable is attained.
Swami
Ranganadananda in a lecture said, our misery results because of
identifying ourselves with the body. The first step in spiritual
discipline is transcending the body consciousness. Our instinct is
to be selfish. In social and political life we see how selfishness
rules the roost. Sri Ramakrishna, whose life was a veritable
spiritual laboratory wherein he personally tested and revalidated
the Upanishadic dicta, speaks of the 'unripe ego' and the 'ripe
ego'. The former is the 'selfish gene' which has consideration only
for itself -and Devil taking. The ripe ego, on the contrary, is a
refined one, which has expanded in unselfishness and cares for the
others. Real spirituality consists not in conventional piety but in
the readiness to be of service to fellowmen, not minding personal
inconvenience and sacrifice.
March 25, 1992
Inner peace is essence of
life
The
universe is vast but vaster is the world within. Science probes
nature but the Vedanta (science of total human potentialities)
continues the search inwards. It seeks the ultimate, imperishable
reality that is not affected by space, time and casuality. In this
inward life, there are two main streams -knowledge and devotion
-which follow different paths but finally they merge. As Sri
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had said, pure devotion and pure knowledge
were not distinct. One led to the other. The Bhagavad Gita affirms
that the two paths are like the left and right eyes. Both are needed
for proper vision.
The
Chandogya Upanishad, which describes the process of “knowledge”,
says: if what goes into us -material food as well as mental pabulum
-is pure, the mind turns pure, the wisdom steadies and right
knowledge dawns. Then all complexities vanish and the individual
experiences total freedom and joy. Boys and girls should be
encouraged to self-reliance. Physical, mental, intellectual and
spiritual strength should be instilled in them.
Swami
Ranganadananda in a lecture said the scriptures emphasised devotion,
which was natural to us because the ability to love was innate and
did require a sharp intellect. Among the techniques of 'Bhakti',
repeating the Lord's sacred names is the easiest and most rewarding.
The Bhagavatam says that when Krishna's name is chanted, all
impurities in our hearts are wiped out. In pure devotion, avarice,
pride and lust
disappear. The mind turns serene and one becomes disinterested.
These steps of devotion direct one along the path of knowledge. “I
do not consider one a Hindu, unless one is spiritual” said Swami
Vivekananda. Many believe that spiritual life is only for the aged,
but in truth, it is for all who look for harmony. Tension and
conflict, hatred and frustration, greed and jealously are unnatural.
The natural life is when the spirit flows smoothly, in
peace.
April 3, 1993
Simple
and yet profound Upanishads
The
Upanishads, which constitute the end-portions of the eternal Vedas,
inquire into the nature and description of the' absolute “Reality”
(God).
The
subjects dealt with therein are means to cross the ocean of
transmigration. The method adopted by the seers to state the facts
and convey the message is unique. To enable the earnest student to
comprehend these profound but sometimes recondite statements, the
“story” has been chosen as the medi urn. The seers, proficient in
psychology, had insight into man's interests, his capacity to digest
profound truths and his inclination to be guided by simple
directives conveyed through stories.
The
contents of the Upanishads have thus been simple narratives like
sugar-coated pills. Even as medicine enters the stomach without it
being aware of the hitter taste, the sublime instructions couched in
the form of the stories, enable the sincere inquirer to get at the
problems and their solutions in this life-journey. The aim of all
the Upanishads is to show humanity, the path of liberation and the
ultimate bliss. The attainment of bliss is not possible by a mere
perusal of scriptures. The stories and their esoteric significance
are to be learnt through spiritual guides. Reflecting on such
teachings will culminate in subjective experience.
One
of the stories refers to a scholar who first refuses to transmit
spiritual knowledge to a king but later conveys it to him. Was he
carried away by the blandishments of the king? No, said Sri
Ganapathi Satchidananda Swami in a message. Impressed and satisfied
with the zeal and ardent faith shown by the king, the sage changed
his views. Lord Krishna in the Gita says “He who is full of faith
attains knowledge”.
The
king (Janasruti) was famed for his benevolent, administration. One
summer night when he was enjoying the cool breeze, reclining on his
couch on the terrace of his place, he heard two swans praising the
knowledge of a sage called Raikva. The next day, the king asked his
men to trace the sage, who was ultimately found in a village, Far
from being impressive, the sage's body was full of sores and
scabies.
The
king, who was keen on learning meditation from the sage, offered him
chariots, cows, jewellery and other material wealth. Raikva rejected
them but, on seeing the king's real interest, initiated him. A king
may be deeply respected in his country but a Divine personality
(scholar) will be revered at all places.
December 2, 1993
Self-realisation
gives everlasting bliss
The
source of the highest joy lies within everyone of us. Without
realising this truth man searches for happiness in the material
world seeking fulfilment in sense pleasures which give only
temporary satisfaction. Many of us do not in the first place believe
that true bliss can be discovered only in the realisation of our
Self and not in worldly objects.
Like
a businessman who does not get any return from his investment
realises that he must take steps to increase his profits and acts
accordingly, a wise man understands the futility of a life given
only to the pursuit of material ends and takes steps to progress
spiritually. Those who follow the dictates of their desires without
utilising their intellect and will for self-improvement will only
get further enmeshed in bondage.
That
human life is meant only to realise the highest bliss of the Self,
becomes clear, when the ephemeral nature of material life gets
firmly ingrained in the mind. Approaching a Guru for guidance is
very essential to progress spiritually because there are innumerable
pitfalls on the path which can be surmounted only with Guru's grace.
By
the performance of our actions as duty, without attachment, the mind
becomes purified of baser qualities life selfishness, thus becoming
fit to receive subtle spiritual knowledge. Even worldly ends can be
achieved only with concentration of mind but if we have to derive
spiritual benefit from our actions we must act with detachment. So
what is required is only a different orientation to life, clearly
under- standing our goal.
In
his lecture on the Kenopanishad, Swami Gautamananda said, the
awareness that we are essentially spiritual and not the body must be
constantly reinforced mentally. This Upanishad opens with an
invocation for physical well being. One may rightly wonder why, when
the subject matter of the Upanishad is about the supreme infinite
consciousness it opens on a different note. Here it is very
essential to understand that the body is the instrument to realise
the Divine and hence must be fit to pursue this
objective.
January 6, 1996
