See The One In The Many

Embodiments of the Divine Atma! 
For all living beings on earth, the earth is the basis of life. The Life Force for the earth is water. Out of water come sasyam (food grains). Food grains sustain Purusha (man). Speech is the highest expression of man. Rtam (the Cosmic order) is based on Vak (the Divine word). Rtam is cognised in Rks (Vedic hymns). The beauty of Rks is found in Sama (one of the four Vedas). Omkara (the primal sound Pranava) is the essence of Sama.

Human existence arises from the Divine, is sustained by the Divine and finally merges in the Divine. Omkara has three constituents. Akaram, Ukaram, and Makaram (the three syllables—A, U, M). Akaram represents the vital principle Prana-tattvam. Ukaram represents the Mind. Makaram represents the body. Omkara is thus the unified expression of the Atma, the mind, and the Body.

The cosmos emerged from Akaram. It is the Prana (Life-Force). The Mind principle came from Ukaram. The Body emerged from Makaram. The Atma, the Mind, and the Body, which emanated from the three syllables “A,” “U,” and “M,” permeate the sun, the firmament, and the entire universe. Omkara is the essential basis for the entire creation.

The Three Forms Of Omkara Principle

The Omkara principle has three forms: Nada, Bindu and Kala. Nada is the sound that comes from the life-breath. This means that Omkara is associated with the sound coming from the life-breath. The five kinds of life-breath—Prana, Samana, Udana, and _Vyana_—are expressions of the life-principle. These five represent the Pancha-bhutas (five basic elements). Bindu is the unified form of the Atma, the mind, and the body. Kala is the reflected image of the Paramatma (OmniSelf) through the Buddhi (intellect). The triple principle _Nada, Bindu, Kala_—permeate the entire universe.

What is the purpose served by these three? All three are forms of maya (deceptive appearances). Even the sounds, “A,” “U,” and “M,” are deluding. Prana, Mind, and Body are also forms of maya (delusion). Hence, the ancient sages declared: “Tasmai Namah.” Salutations to the One that transcends all forms. The Yogis prayed to the One who is beyond *Nada, Bindu, and Kala (Nadabindukalatita).

The cosmos, thus, is made up of Nada, Bindu, and Kala. How is man to recognise this fact? The sages declared that satsanga is essential for this purpose. Satsanga is commonly understood as referring to good company. This is not the proper meaning. Sat refers to that which is permanent, pure and unchanging. It is unaffected by time. Satsanga means association with Sat in this sense.

Sat refers therefore to the Cosmic Consciousness which is present in all beings. The consciousness present in an individual cannot be called Sat. Sat applied to that collective Cosmic Consciousness which is present in all beings. Satsanga means the cultivation of association with this Cosmic Consciousness by the individual. Most people consider that coming together with other individuals for the purpose of prayer and other devotional acts is satsanga.

This is not so. Satsanga represents the striving by man to establish union with the all-pervading, omnipotent, Universal Consciousness.

The Inner Meaning Of Moha

There is, however, an impediment in the way of achieving this, known as moha. Moha does not refer to attachment to wealth, property or children. Man can get rid of moha only when he understands its inner meaning. Moha is derived from the words Ma meaning “finite,” and uha, meaning, “imagining that which does not exist.” Moha means, “finite conception of the unreal as real.” This is divorced from any concept of divinity. Moha is totally related to the Prakritam (phenomenal world). It is associated with kama or desire. Kama signifies transient pleasure based on worldly desires. Lasting happiness can only be got from Divine feelings related to the Chaitanya (Cosmic Consciousness). This consciousness itself is based on the transcendental Sat-chit-ananda. Sat is that which is eternal—the Being that is permanent. Chit signifies Paripoorna Jnana (total awareness or knowledge). Chit is total awareness of what Sat represents. Both these transcend the phenomenal world. But these transcendental entities are present in the phenomenal objects. How are the two to be distinguished from each other? The transcendental element in the phenomenal world must be recognised as reflected images, like the reflections of the sun in a pot of water. The body is like a vessel in which the Divine is present as reflection—like the reflection of the sun, which is permanent, in a vessel which is impermanent. The Divine is present inside and outside everything in the Cosmos. In the body, that may be compared to a vessel, the reflection of the Life principle, or the Atma, can be seen in the mind, which corresponds to water in the vessel. While the body and the mind are finite, the Atma is Infinite.

All the prayers, Japas, Yagas and Yajnas performed by men today are confined to the achievement of temporary pleasures and rewards. They are related to a life which is itself impermanent. The mind and the phenomenal world are equally impermanent.

How To Recognise Unity In Diversity?

The Universe is called _prapancha_—a manifestation of the _Pancha-bhutas_—the five basic elements, ether, air, fire, water and earth. As these elements are impermanent and subject to change, all human life is related to impermanent objects and pleasures. How is one to achieve that which is lasting within the framework of the impermanent? This should be done by breaking down the separation between the permanent and the impermanent and recognising the permanent in the impermanent—the One in the many, unity in diversity.

How is one to recognise unity in diversity? We see the manifoldness of bodies, with a multiplicity of names, forms, speech and feelings. But in all of them there are the five elements common to all. But these are gross elements. Besides these, there is the spiritual element, Chinmaya (Consciousness). The Vedantins described the body as a doll of clay. Because of its predominant earthy nature, the body by itself is unable to raise itself to a higher level of existence. For this purpose, it needs the power of mantra or yantra. An aeroplane is yantra (a machine) which is able to lift man far above the earth.

Development Of Life-Principle In Man

The predominant earth element in man is constantly pulling him downwards. To lift himself above the mundane level man has to reduce the earthy element in him and increase the other four elements, air, fire, water and ether. The fire element that has to be increased is the _Jnanaagni_—the Fire of Wisdom. Similarly, man has to reduce the Apana-vayu in him and increase the Samana-vayu. This is the development of the Life-principle in man.

What is the purpose of the Navaratri celebrations? It is to acquire mastery over the forces of Nature and use it for obtaining mental satisfaction. Contentment in the mind is not easily secured. As soon as one desire is satisfied, another crops up. There is no limit to kama (desires). Even the aspiration for moksha (liberation from mundane existence) is a desire. As long as desires remain, man is bound to the mundane existence.

Prema Is Love Of God

Moksha means the disappearance of moha (attachment). Liberation signifies freedom from fleeting pleasures. What is it that man should aspire for? There is a Divinity that is permanent and unchanging. That is known as prema (Divine Love). This prema is not related to the physical. Men experience this love in its worldly form as affection or attachment. All love in human relationships today is not prema but anuragam (attachment). It is inherently of a passing nature—interludes in the human journey. All attachment arises at one stage—between mother and son, husband and wife, and so on—and drops away at another stage. As against these transient attachments, the love of God (Prema) is something totally different. God is eternal—existing before man’s birth and continuing after his death. The Divine is without a beginning or an end. True love means the Love of God. When a man and woman wed, we call it “marriage.” But when the Jivatma (the individual Self) unites with the Paramatma (the Omni-Self), it is called merger.

During the Dasara festival, the three Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and _Saraswati_—are worshipped according to certain traditional practices. The tenth day of the festival is celebrated as the Day of Victory. The celebration has its roots deep in the ancient history of Bharat. In the Dvapara-yuga, when the Pandavas had to spend one year incognito, they hid all their astras (weapons), on the advice of Krishna, in a Jammi tree which is thick in foliage and whose branches are filled with latent fire. Vijayadasami was the day on which they retrieved the weapons from the tree and used them to win victory over the Kauravas.

Earlier, in the Treta-yuga, Sri Rama’s coronation, after his victorious return to Ayodhya from Lanka, was performed on Vijayadasami day.

Durga represents the prodigious Prakriti-shakti (power of Nature). As against this power of Nature is the Para-shakti (the power of the Spirit). When spiritual power is predominant, the power of Nature is kept under control. When spiritual power is weak, the power of Nature becomes predominant. This is illustrated by the example of smoke and fire. When smoke is predominant, the fire is suppressed. When the fire is blazing, the smoke vanishes. Hence, to enhance the power of the Spirit and limit the power of Nature, man has to cultivate vairagya (detachment). To the extent the power of Nature is under control, to that extent spiritual power grows.

The Need To Develop Will Power

Ichcha-shakti (the potency of Will) arises from thoughts. This Ichcha-shakti is the source of several other potencies like intellectual power, the discriminating capacity and others. To develop this Ichcha-shakti (Will power), one has to worship Devi. This calls for the cultivation of tyaga (renunciation or detachment). For instance, if one has a desire for various drinks, he can bring the desires under control by giving up, to begin with, the desire for some of them. Thereby the Ichcha-shakti (Will power) is developed and in due course it becomes easier to give up other desires. In Vedantic parlance, this is described as vairagya (renouncing all attachments).

Vairagya is not abandonment of hearth and home and retiring to a forest. It means developing Godly thoughts and reducing worldly feelings. It is when this balanced development takes place that one acquires Prakriti-shakti (control over the power of Nature). When these powers are got, the mental power in a person increases.

Durga represents the Prakriti-shakti and Lakshmi represents the Thought power—Sankalpa-shakti. Vak-shakti, the power of speech, is represented by Saraswati. It is to acquire these three powers that the various forms of worship are performed during the Navaratri festival. But prayers alone are not enough. Prayers issue from the lips. They should emanate from the heart. The Hridaya (heart) symbolises the Kshira-sagara (Ocean of Milk). Lakshmi emerged from the ocean of Milk. When Lakshmi emerges, purity of speech follows. Whatever you speak conforms to truth.

The Concepts Of Satya And Rta

There are two concepts: Satya (truth) and Rta (conduct based on unity of thought, word and deed). The triple purity of mind, speech, and body is Rta. To adhere to Rta and speak and act accordingly is Truth. What is uttered with this triple purity is alone Truth, not other words. The ancients have declared that adherence to the truth is dharma (Righteousness). There is no higher dharma than Truth - “_Satyannasti paro dharmah_”. Without the firm foundation of Truth, the mansion of dharma cannot stand.

A life built upon sankalpa (desires) cannot last. The mansion of desires must be converted into a Mansion of Divine Will (Ichcha-bhavanam). When the Ichcha-shakti (Will Power) is converted into Kriya-shakti (power of action), it results in Jnana-shakti (the power of Wisdom). It is through this Divine Wisdom that spiritual liberation Kaivalyam is secured.

Divine Potencies Of The Three Goddesses

The Navaratri festival should not be observed as a festival for worshipping the consorts of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. These Goddesses symbolise Divine potencies. All these potencies are derived from Vishnu. The entire cosmos is a manifestation of the myriad forms of Vishnu. People must recognise this oneness underlying the different forms. All beings breathe the same air as their life-breath. Likewise, all the five basic elements are common to all. These elements are the stuff of Nature. But in the Para-tattvam (the Supreme Principle, the Divine), these do not exist. The elements are mortal. The Divine is immortal. To proceed from the mortal to the immortal, the easiest means is the cultivation of prema (Divine Love).

The heart is like a sky wherein the clouds in the form of thoughts hide the buddhi (the intellect) and the Mind representing the sun and the moon. Vairagya is the means to get rid of thoughts and the desires arising from them. The Devi Puja performed during Navaratri is intended to get rid of worldly attachments and divert the mind towards God.

There are four different qualities in man: humanness, the animal nature, the demonic nature and the Divine nature. When man follows the dictates of the body, he is a prey to his animal nature. When he is subject to the vagaries of the mind, he becomes demonic. When he is following the Atma, he is manifesting his Divinity. When he is governed by all three—the body, the mind and the _Atma_—he is human.

The Way To Enter The Spiritual Path

When Ravana fell a victim to the promptings of the mind, his demonic nature predominated over his other good qualities as a worshipper of Shiva and a master of many sciences. Whenever a desire arises in the mind, one should exercise the power of discrimination and decide whether it is good or bad. This is the way to enter on the spiritual path.

Each person has to decide for himself in which of these four states he is placed. The Atmic principle is fundamental and everyone should strive to fortify the heart for spiritual ends. This heart is not the physical heart. It is the abode of the Spirit and is located in the spinal column between the ninth and twelfth vertebrae. It shines like lightning in the core of a dark cloud. This is called Sushumna.

Sushumna refers to the state in which all the sensory organs are subdued and the mind and desires are under control. It is not the state of deep sleep, as is interpreted by some. The terms used by the Vedantins (spiritual philosophers) should be understood in their deeper sense. This is a difficult exercise. The easier path is to love God with a pure and unwavering mind. Tukaram confessed that he was unacquainted with the techniques of meditation or the rules for performing sacrifices. “Oh Rama! The only method I know to attain you is to love you with a pure heart! Let me have your grace for cherishing this love,” he declared.

The Ozone layer above the earth faces great danger owing to atmospheric pollution and intensive afforestation is essential for controlling this pollution and safeguarding the Ozone layer.

Seek The Kingdom Of The Spirit Within

The Navaratri festival was celebrated by kings in olden days for propitiating Nature before embarking on wars of conquest. The Navaratri festival has another significance also. It is intended to secure victory over the Nava-grahas (nine planets). Saint Tyagaraja, however, declared that if only he has Rama’s Anugraha (grace), the Nava-grahas would be utterly powerless.

Men today should not seek the earthly victories sought by the ancient rulers. They should seek the sovereignty of the Atma-samrajyam (Kingdom of the Spirit) within them. This calls for control over the senses and the eschewing of bad qualities like anger, greed and jealousy. This sadhana must begin from now itself when you are young. Do not put it off for your old age.

The students are well behaved while they are here. But they should carry their good conduct wherever they may be. Only then will they serve to reform the world. Just as people of all faiths live in harmony here, you should live in harmony with people of other faiths in whatever country you may live. You will be serving your Motherland well only when you set the example to the world.

Prasanthi Mandir, 4 Oct 1992