The Underlying Truths

This life, which begins with a wail, must end with a smile. When you were a little baby, all around you smiled though you kept on wailing. But, when you die, all around you must weep at the loss and you should smile in peace and quiet resignation. The bhoganandam (pleasures from sensual enjoyment) must finally be converted into yoganandam (happiness from divine union); the pleasures of the senses must gradually be left behind and you must develop a taste for the higher and more lasting pleasure, derivable from the springs of your own personality. For Yoga (divine union), Bhakti (devotion to God) is the main thing, the head and the crown; shanti and santosham (peace and happiness) are the other essentials.

The fire of sorrow and joy burns when the fuel of vasanas (impressions left on the mind by actions of past lives) is fed into the furnace of the mind. Take away the fuel and the fire dies out. Take away the vasanas, the force of the impulses, promptings, and urges and you become your own master. This is done in Yoga by various physiological and psychological exercises. But, Bhakti is the easier means for this end. Namasmarana (remembering God’s name) is enough; it is said that the name Sitarama sufficed in the Tretayuga, the name Radheshyama sufficed in the Dwaparayuga, and in the present Kaliyuga, I tell you, all divine names have that capacity.

Deindividualisation Is Moksha

When you recite Radheshyama, you should dwell on the significance of the name; the deeper mysteries of the word must be present before the mind’s eye: then, Namasmarana will yield quicker results. Radha is not an individual. It symbolises Dhara, meaning Earth or prakriti, the jada (creation). Krishna or Shyama is the Creator, the active principle: the chit (awareness), the Purusha (supreme being). Shakti (supreme energy) is Paramatma; the vyakti (individual) is the jivatma (individual soul); the ocean is shakti and the wave is the jiva. All the taste and all the forces and roar of the wave are derived from the ocean and they disappear into the ocean itself. The disappearance of the wave form and the wave name is called Moksha (liberation): i.e., merging of the wave in the ocean, from which it seemed to differ. Deindividualisation is, in other words, Moksha.

When you do Bhajan (group singing) and sing the names of God, you should contemplate on such underlying truths. The Namavali, ‘Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare; Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,’ has sixteen words and each of the sixteen signifies a virtue, which has to be cultivated along with that Bhajan. Baba recited a Telugu song, composed by Him on the spot, which indicated the sixteen qualities to be developed by a spiritual person.

Sixteen Qualities To Be Developed

He must be a

Bhakta,
tapoyukta,
samsaramukta,
padasakta of the Lord,
vihita,
danasahita,
yasomahita,
kalmasharahita,
Purna,
gunagana,
utteerana,
vidyavikirna,
jnanavisteerana,
svanta,
sakalagunakranta,
vinayavishranta, and finally,
padasvanta of the Lord,

or at least, he must pray with verbal repetition of each word, for the growth in him of these attainments, which will take him nearer the goal.

Baba meant that a spiritual seeker should be

full of devotion,
prepared to enjoy suffering,
free from attachment to the transitory,
eager to serve the Lord,
of correct conduct,
charitable,
having an unsullied reputation,
with no blemish on his character,
fully content,
endowed with good qualities,
equipped with all the virtues,
equipped with the fruits of learning,
ripe in wisdom,
self-controlled,
adorned with commendable social traits,
full of humility, and
fully surrendered to God.

If he has these virtues, Baba quoted the last line of the song he had just composed, “Vade nenaudu, nene vadaudu” – he becomes I and I become he. Then, there will be no difference between him and me.

Yes, you must struggle. You cannot go to the top without an effort. Have faith in ultimate victory; gather courage and faith from wherever you can get them; do not have contact with persons who sow the seeds of fear or doubt. Treasure all the confidence that you get here, foster it and guard it carefully. Do not let it slip from your grasp, the moment you get beyond this gate. The seedlings should be well cared for, watered, manured, and protected from insect pests. Can you pass an examination, without studying the texts? But, that is what you hope to do! You must liberate yourself from attachment to fleeting things, grow strong, and be above temptation.

Never Discuss Spiritual Standards Of Others

The fish are happy, because they are immersed in water; when thrown out of the water, they struggle and suffer mortal pain. So too, man is happy, when he is immersed in prema, shanti, and satyam (love, peace, and truth); those are the components of the water that gives him life; when he is thrown out of the water, he also suffers and feels terribly miserable. Life is ‘being’ thrown out of the water; Sadhana (spiritual discipline) is the struggle to leap back into the life-giving element. For success in this struggle, do not depend upon another; depend upon yourself and on the grace of God. Remember that Rama (Divinity) and kama (worldly desire) cannot be together; where Rama is, kama cannot thrive; where kama is, how can Rama enter? Every person must have, as a single dhara (stream), aradh (worship) as the adhara (basis); that is the easiest means of winning Shyama.

When you carry on such effort unbroken, the Lord Himself will come as your guide. When Madhurakavi was doing tapas (penance), he saw a big pillar of light in front of him, reaching up to the sky and he saw Dakshinamurthy in that light. Then, the pillar moved on and on, so that he could follow it and at last, the light led him to Nammalwar, who agreed to be his Guru (spiritual preceptor)! The Guru later made him realise the reality.

Vemana and Tyagaraja reached the heights of spiritual experience through the grace of the Lord and the encouragement they derived from His appearance. Pray to Him and He reveals Himself. He is the yarn in the cloth, the gold in this seeming variety of jewellery; he is the mud in all this pottery; he is that water that sustains all these waves. Once you have realised this, you will be filled with love and respect for all, for all are the same form as the Lord Himself.

Do not cynically talk about the sadhakas. What do you know of the mood of the Bhakta, that you so easily pass judgement thereon and label him as insane or out of his mind? Never discuss the spiritual standards reached by others; persevere in your own path. “Be moderate in talk, in sleep, in food.” - “Yuktahara viharasya.”

Smarana Is The Best Antidote For All Ills

Never be ashamed to sing the name of God, or to do Bhajan. Be proud that you get the chance, be glad that your tongue is put to the best use. When the artist sees a stone, he sees immediately the form of beauty hidden in that stone, imprisoned in it and he will not get peace of mind, until he releases that form from the clutches of the stone. Do not see the stone as stone, see the God in it, the basic reality underlying it.

Vemana did not visit any temple for years; for years, he was laughing at those who considered that the image was a symbol of Divinity. But, when his daughter died, he was one day holding her picture in his hand, weeping over the loss. Then, the idea suddenly struck him that if the picture could cause sorrow in him and bring tears, the image too can evoke joy and bring tears to those who know the beauty and the glory of the Lord. The image was just a reminder of the presence of the Lord everywhere and in everything.

The Lord is the Sun and when His rays fall upon your heart, unimpeded by the clouds of egoism, the lotus bud blooms and the petals unfold. Remember, only the buds that are ready will bloom; the rest have to wait patiently. Meanwhile, carry on with the companionship of the name of the Lord; Smarana (remembering) is the best antidote for all ills.

Akhanda bhajan, Bangalore, 10-7-1959