Beacon in the Dark
The reason why, today, this land is plunged in various types of distress is to be sought in our own deeds, behavior, and relations with others, which deny the faith in the innate divinity within us! Of what benefit is it to lament when stricken by disease? One ought to lament and be warned when the first false step was taken towards damaging the health. Ignorance of the rules of health, gleaned by the experience of generations, is the root cause of the illness which had laid India low. The ancients had discovered a cure for death itself and for birth which is the concomitant of death. They were votaries of M_rityunjaya_ (the Victor over death), not of death which many nations worship, today, out of their greed for glory.
We praise our ancient seers, but discard their heritage; we revere the texts they collected, but disregard their teachings. We expound their doctrines and discoveries, but decline to practice them! We are beggars living in a house of gold. The fact that it is precious metal that surrounds us is unknown. Discover it and you are saved!
This is called prapta-prapti (attaining the already existing). This mike was purchased from a shop; it was not in the possession of the man who wanted it. But, peace and joy are not like this mike. They are not available in shops; they are in the possession of the very men who are in need of these. A friend comes into your room when you are desperately in need of money and you ask him for a loan; but, just then, quite by accident, he finds inside the pages of a book from your bookshelf that he starts reading, a tenner that you had kept there and forgotten. It is your money, but you had ignored it; it was out of sight; he drew your attention to its existence and saved you from the shame of a loan. That is an example of prapta-prapti. The Guru reveals the treasure within.
Spread the Rules of Religion
More than the Guru, the guri (goal) is essential for attaining the Divine. The very pursuit of the goal will evoke the Sat_va-guna_ (quality of serenity) and weaken the hold of the inferior rajas and tamas (qualities of passion and inertia) in your composition. Danavatvam (fiendishness) is caused by tamas, and manavatvam (human nature) is stabilised by rajas; but, satva alone can guarantee the elevation into Divinity. Satva-guna fertilises the upward tendencies of man; it cleanses the mind, removing the weeds of evil. Satya is the very basis of S_atva-guna_. Satya and sat-karma (Truth in thought, word, and deed) are acts which are beneficial to others.
Religion, wherever it is practiced, irrespective of who established, lays down the rules and regulations by which the S_atva-guna_ can be fostered and the impact of the other two gunas (human qualities) lessened. Therefore, it is very necessary that the adherents of religion spread the knowledge of these rules, both by precept and example. Christians and Muslims carry on this work with great enthusiasm; but the followers of Sanatana dharma have no faith in its excellence which alone can induce them to talk about it to others, and to make others listen to their talk. I find many are ashamed to accept the principles of Sanatana dharma (Eternal Religion), like varnashrama (division of castes), vigraha aradhana (idol worship), etc.
While western aspirants find the ancient texts of Sanatana dharma valuable sources of inspiration and they adore Bharat as a beacon in the darkness, the children of Bharat admire the tawdry victories in the field of material research which other countries have won. The Vedas and the Shastras are the two eyes of Bharata-mata; by neglecting both, her vision is dimmed and damaged. Her vision can regain its clarity and sharpness, only when the Vedas and Shastras enter into the daily life of her children. Then, the children will have faith in the Supreme and in their destiny of ultimate merger with It. This will make them true devotees, for they will then be devoted to their true goal.
Bhakta is the Supremest Creation
When Narada once told the Lord that the earth was the grandest in creation, doubt was raised, because the ocean occupies more than two-thirds of it. But, the ocean was drunk dry by the sage Agastya, who is but one single star in the vast firmament. Can we then count the sky as the grandest in creation? No; for, Lord Trivikrama strode the sky with His one Foot! However, even the Lord, who encompasses the three ‘regions,’ is imprisoned by the bhakta in his heart. Therefore, it was decided that the bhakta is the supremo in creation. Such is the glory of the bhakta, a glory that is conferred by his close study and practice of the Shastras.
The Shastras are now kept at a distance, because people are unaware of the sweetness and light that they can acquire through them. They are condemned as outdated, as killjoys, as unduly restrictive and reactionary. But, all this is simply the patient’s condemnation of the doctor and the drug that can cure him. The patient is suffering from anxiety, fear, despair, cowardice, greed, envy and the consequent weakness of mind and body. The Shastras can confer on him peace, courage, confidence, contentment, and friendliness, if only he would take the first step of obeying their dictates. For, the very first lesson they teach is the immanence of God. God is in the heart of every being, and so, one has to love another, as one loves God. God is residing in one’s own heart and so there is no need to fear or despair. How can you hate another, when the God you adore is in him too? How can you covet his wealth? Or compete with him? Or be deaf to his entreaty?
Vedic Scholars Should Not Feel Scholarship As Burden
The body is the tabernacle of God, the chariot in which He is seated in all majesty. Do not identify yourself with it and its modifications and transformations. You are the Atma and so, you are above these affections of the body. Cleanse your mind of the temptations and tenets of ignorance; make it free from dust, so that God may be reflected therein. God cares more for the motive behind the deed, the ideal that prompts the effort - the bhavam (depth of feeling), not the bahyam (outer pomp). The goldsmith who is purchasing the golden idol offers equal sums for every gram of gold, whether the gold is the crown, the foot or the head of the idol. God too says, “I care for the depth of your thirst for Me. I do not care what Form you select for your adoration.”
This Prasanti Vidvan Mahasabha has been formed to teach men this path and this endeavor, revive this pilgrimage which is fast being overwhelmed by the pressure of paltry journeys into the wasteland. The V_idvans_ (scholars) are fast declining in numbers and influence. They must be revered and fostered. Do not say that this is a difficult assignment. I am not asking you to improve their material standard of living more and more; what I want you to do is to remove their fear that their scholarship is a burden. Use them, to learn the essentials of Sanatana dharma and they will feel happy and contented. Their estimate of themselves will then be proved true. They will live in peace, if not in plenty. Any good deed done with sincerity will be rewarded. Do not have an eye on the reward when you do it, that is enough. It is natural that you are agitated by the gathering of clouds over the Indian sky; but, prayer to God and the constant remembrance of His Grace will remove all anxiety. There is no other support in times of dire need than God. To know Him, to cling to Him, to merge in His immeasurable splendor - that is the highest goal of man. The Governor, the Chief Minister and other officers who are here plan and execute schemes to keep bodies free from disease, brains sharp and skilled; but the mind has to be tended by ourselves.
Prasanthi Vidwan Mahasabha: 1st Day, Hyderabad, 7-12-1964