Aadhara and Aadheya

Of course, you all like this daily programme of speeches and discourse, for you feel that it is this and not the wearing of new clothes, or the eating of extra dishes that really makes a festival; this is a spiritual banquet that you are relishing. But, you must listen carefully and later, you should dwell upon what you have heard in the silence of your own heart and try sincerely to act upon at least a few of the precepts that you have gathered. That is the wise man’s way of benefitting by pilgrimage to a holy place; his way of making himself holier.

Bhadram, in his speech, quoted some shlokas (hymns or verses), where some types of men were laughed at as “asses and dogs.” I do not like such shlokas, for they are cruel and wrong. It is wrong to call the children of immorality, the embodiments of divinity in such degrading terms. Do not develop this kind of habit; do not descend to such sacrilege. A person may have obstinacy, humility, or patience, but that does not make him an ass. He may have a sweet voice, but that does not give him wings. Poetic fancies make things more confused; they make everything glitter and cause doubt; sometimes, they even spread a curtain of fog!

Impressions Of Many Past Lives Warp The Mind

Man can reach the height of Maadhava only by trampling down the mind and making it ineffective. The nature of mind is Nirmala (pure); the sensory impressions colour it and soil it with likes and dislikes. The mind of the animal is unaffected by the many attachments and attractions, the aversions and dislikes that hamper and haunt man’s mind. These vaasanas (latent impressions) warp the mind, already bent by blows and buffetings suffered in birth after birth. It is no use laying all the blame on the mind. It is like a Gurkha watchman. Impress upon the watchman that the Lord is the paymaster and then, he will obey not only the Lord, who is his master but even the friends and companions of the Lord. Join the group divine and see whether the mind continues to be intransigent. It will not disobey you then. It is all a question of proper training; if the Gurkha comes to know that you are unrelated to the Lord, he will disobey you and take to his own misadventures! If the Prabhu (Lord) is on your side, the watchman too is your man. Then, you can tell the Lord that His servant is exceeding his limits and draw upon His grace to bend him to your side.

Bhadram tried to give the meaning of the name, Naaraayana, in a very roundabout manner, saying Na meant this and Ra meant that, and so on; it all sounded very learned and is really very clever, but one can go on endlessly in this way, saying Na means either this or that, according to the fancy of the moment, or the taste of the other. Naram means “water” and nayanam means “eye”, and the implication is that only tears can win God for you. That is the inner purpose and meaning of the Naaraayana mantra. Other mantras (sacred formulae) too have their own latent meaning, like this one. Just as a G, an O, and a D add up not to the sound Geeodee, but God, so also A, U, and M, meaning Bhur, Bhuvah, and Svah, the three planes of existence and consciousness, add up to the Praanava, Om. So too, Naaraayana is the Lord of the naram in the nayana, who is won by tears of repentance and who rewards you with tears of joy. Win Him, and then, He becomes as visible as all this; in fact, He is all this, only you do not see it so.

Only Tears Can Win God For You

He is the aadhara (the base). You are generally carried away by the aadheya (the burden), not the bearer. Samartha Ramdas says that when Sri Rama returned to Ayodhya, everyone acclaimed with unbearable joy the sight of the flag on the horizon, for that was the signal for the arrival of the Lord back to His city. But, Ramdas says that the populace, in their exultation, forgot how thankful they had to be for the flagstaff, for if Rama was the flag, certainly Lakshmana was the staff that held it aloft against the fiercest storm. You cannot have a flag without a staff, an aadheya without an aadhara, a thing contained without a container. Grief is the container, and what is the thing contained? It is joy, remember. A smile is a rose that grows on the thorn of a sigh. Shed tears, but only for joy; joy that you are released from the chain of desire. Durvasa was a formidable ascetic, no doubt, but he was afflicted with pride and envy. He tried to pull Ambarisha down from the pedestal of glory, only to have his anger recoil on himself with serious results. Desire leads you to doom.

External Insignia Are Not Essential For Aspirants

Of what avail is the shaving of the scalp, while leaving inside it a multitude of desires clamouring for satisfaction? This kind of sanyaasa (asceticism) is a fraud on the person entering it and on society. No Avataar, you will note, has granted sanyaasa to any aspirant. These external insignia are not essential or even necessary. Non-attachment born out of wisdom and fostered by the grace of the Lord, that is the precious capital for spiritual advance. There are some Gurus, who take pride in the number of sanyaasis (monks) they have launched on society, as if that is an achievement to be congratulated upon! If sanyaasa is heaped upon a head, which has not received the qualification of vairaagya (non-attachment), it is a burden on the recipient and a blot on the giver. The Guru and the shishya (disciple) are both prisoners of their incompetence; when both are prisoners of their desires, who is to release whom? He who put them in alone can grant reprieve or pardon.

The sanyaasi (monk) has to declare his death, perform obsequies for himself, and bury his past. He destroys all that binds him to the rest and his past: his name, his history, and his fame. He avoids any reminder of his erstwhile adventures, in pursuit of sensory joy. He flees from his friends and foes, his habits and habiliments, his hobbies and prejudices. But, we find men, who have taken the vow of sanyaasa, still clinging to their long-established practices and habits. Instead, they must completely break with the past.

That is why in the Geeta, karma-sanyaasa (renunciation of action), and not the other types of sanyaasa, is prescribed. Karma-sanyaasa leads to mano-sanyaasa (mental renunciation). To teach persons, then as now, the assurance is, “_Yogakshemam Vahaamyaham_” - “I shall look after the well being of all, who renounce the ego and take refuge in Me.” Remember, this is not a partnership, it is either you or I. If the dancer trips, he blames the drummer, as the saying goes. That is not right in the spiritual field. You have to climb the peak alone. The I comes up at the first provocation; “I am blamed,” “I am neglected;” the ego is up in arms against the world.

To put it down, you must see Krishna in everyone, everyone who is blaming, praising, neglecting, or honouring you. Some of you quote the Telugu stanza of the Sumati Shatakam, which advises you to give up “relatives who do not come to your help, horses which do not gallop as soon as you are in the saddle, and Gods who do not shower blessings when you fall at their feet.” But, remember the person, to whom the poem is addressed! Who is to do as advised? Sumati, is it not? Now, Sumati means “a person, whose intelligence is mellowed by wisdom”. Such a person will certainly be helped by relatives and will certainly be blessed by the Gods. So, the advice is unnecessary for Sumati. The contingencies contemplated will never arise for a Sumati.

The ‘Furniture’ That Is Left In Charge Of Man

Wait for that grace in readiness. That is to say, do not cling too fast to things that please the senses, or get caught in the coils of the attractive and the pleasant. Bhadram spoke of the headmaster of a school. Yes. He is a good example of the attitude you should develop. He knows all the time that the chairs, tables, and benches are not his, but nevertheless, he knows that it is his duty to see that no item of furniture or equipment is lost or damaged; that it is all handed over intact, when he leaves.

Therefore, he keeps vigilant watch, though unattached The senses, the intelligence, the heart, the mind - these are the furniture put in your charge; look after them with care; if any is damaged by oversight, make the appropriate entry in the list and explain the circumstances, and crave for grace.

Reference was made by Bhadram to women having bhakti, jnaanam, and vairaagyam equal to men. Still, I know there are many, who are worried when they hear women reciting the Praanava (Om), during the Brahma-muhurtham (auspicious time before sunrise) every day, at the Nilayam. They forget that shabda (sound) itself is fundamentally Praanava, that all breath has Praanava immanent in it; now, can women avoid or keep away from Om, which is ever-present in the aakaasha (ether) and which their breath is reciting every moment?

Make Your Life A Mountain Of Auspiciousness

As a matter of fact, prakriti, the feminine principle, comes first, and the Purusha (masculine principle) is second. You say Sitarama, Lakshminarayana, and Gowrishankara, not putting prakriti in the second place. Women have equal chances and equal rights to attain God-head. Just as every breath reminds you of Om, every little act is an act of worship, remember. Every tiny thought, every faint whisper has to be so directed, that it may curb the vagaries of the mind and help in guiding it Godward. A hundred little naya paisa add up to a round rupee. Distil divinity into every moment. Like the uninterrupted line of Ganga water that flows in Rudraabhishekam (consecrating with Rudra Japam) on the Shiva-lingam, let every moment be hallowed by the thought of Shiva. Perform that Rudram (vedic hymn in praise of Shiva) and make your life bhadram (safe); why, let it become a Bhadrachalam, an unshakeable mountain of safety.

I find you reading and appreciating the prema of the Rishis (sages), the gopis (milk-maids of Dwaraka), and the vaanaras (monkeys) of past ages, but you ignore your present responsibility. For example, examine, each one of you, how far you have put into practice what you have heard from Me. How far have you profited by coming to Puttaparthi now, or so often in previous years? How far have you shown prema to others, the prema that you find to be My all? Naama-smarana (remembering the Lord’s name), I have told you often, is the best exercise to acquire prema towards God and all that is great. But, have you tried that recipe? Has it become as essential for you as the very breath? That is the test of your sincerity and the success of your pilgrimage to Puttaparthi, this Dasara.

Prasanthi Nilayam, 24-10-1961