Unify Worldly Life With Spiritual Life

Sadhana Signifies Divine Wealth

We must ponder why wickedness is prevalent in the world today, and why selfless love is on the decline. What is the reason for all abnormalities and aberrations?

Embodiments Of Divine Love!

God and Nature are not different from each other. It is not proper to segregate worldly life from spiritual life. In fact, spiritual path implies integration of the two. Purity and Divinity are derived from this unity. To consider the worldly life as fraught with pain and sorrow, and the spiritual life as filled with security and safety is a wrong notion. Pleasure and pain are inseparable. Whenever there is pleasure, it is invariably followed by pain, and as pain cannot last long it is followed by pleasure. Absence of pain is viewed as pleasure and vice-versa. Pleasure is an interval between two pains.

Know Thyself

Here is an orange fruit. This fruit has sweet juice inside. But its outer rind or skin is bitter and unpalatable. There can be no protection for the sweet juice without the outer bitter rind. Both sweetness and bitterness are there in the fruit. Fruit is a combination of these two aspects. Similarly, human life is a combination of worldly life and spiritual life. To escape from worldly life in order to pursue spiritual life is a sign of weakness. When peace and happiness prevail in worldly life, spiritual pursuit can be joyful too. Worldly life is a worthy means that should culminate in spiritual life.

Human life progresses through a sequence of mother, father, teacher and God. What is the inner significance of this sequence? The first person a newborn baby comes in contact with is the mother. The baby does not know the father. As the baby grows, the mother shows him the father. The father takes care of the upbringing of the child and leads him to a teacher at an appropriate time. After imparting secular, ethical and spiritual education to the child, the teacher leads the student towards God. Thus, the life which starts with mother must end with God.

At birth, the baby cries, “Koham Koham”? (who am I, who am I)? After passing through several stages of life and well before the time of death, one must be able to find the answer to this question ‘who am I’? The enquiry which begins with Koham should end with Soham (That I am). Only then human life has real significance and fulfillment. If we spend the entire life asking the question ‘who am I’, then what is the use?

Ignoring this vital aspect, man goes on enquiring about all that happens in the world. He reads newspapers to know what is happening all around the world. He listens to the news of all countries, but he is never interested in knowing about his own Self. Without knowing the Self, what is the use of knowing everything in the world? One must endeavour to know his own Self. Instead of questioning himself as to who he is, man goes on asking others, ‘who are you’?

Socrates was a great Greek philosopher. Most of the time, he was engaged in enquiring as to how the body came into being, and who he really was. One day, he was deeply absorbed in thinking even while walking on a road; and inadvertently dashed against an officer who was coming from the opposite direction. The stranger asked him in anger, ‘who are you’? Socrates first offered his apology for his offence and then replied, ‘I have been all along asking myself the same question, ‘who am I’? Can you please let me know who I am?

Spiritual Evolution Begins With Devotion

No outsider will be able to tell you who you really are. Neither the scriptures nor the teachers will be able to vouch for your reality. Any amount of external search or investigation cannot be of any help. One has to find this truth through observation and self-enquiry. You say this is my body, my mind, my intellect, my senses and my conscience. This consideration of ‘my my’ itself is an acceptance of the fact that you are different from your body, limbs, senses, mind, etc. You are not the body nor the senses nor the mind. When you enquire like this, you can know the truth. In fact, everything is present within man. Man is endowed with mighty power. Basically, there is sacredness and divinity in man.

Similar to the sequence of mother, father, teacher and God, there is also a sequence of devotion, wisdom, spirituality and liberation as propounded in the Bhagavata. Spiritual evolution begins with devotion. Devotion will gradually transform into wisdom and wisdom leads to renunciation. Renunciation leads to spirituality, and spirituality is the key to the realm of liberation. In the very name ‘Bhagavatamu’, the five letters (Bha-ga-va-ta-mu) indicate this truth. These denote the five Indriyas (senses), the five elements and five Koshas (sheaths) pertaining to a human being. What is the significance of the five letters contained in the word ‘Bhagavatamu’? ‘Bha’ stands for Bhakti (devotion) and ‘Ga’ signifies Jnana (wisdom). As devotion is fostered, it will lead to Jnana (wisdom). ‘Va’ stands for Vairagya (renunciation). Vairagya will lead to realisation of truth (Tattvamasi – That thou Art) denoted by the letter ‘Ta’. The last letter ‘Mu’ indicates Mukti (liberation). When you know who you are, you get liberated.

Take To The Path Of Spirituality

Since ancient times, spiritual truths have been taught in Bharat along with secular and worldly education. People of this land have recognised the futility of this life without recourse to spiritual path. A good intellect is that which seeks to know the path of truth. It is not a path to any place like America or Benaras. Then what is this path? It is a twelve-lettered Mantra, Trova Veduku Konutake Jeevitam (life is meant to search for the path). It is the same path through which you came. To travel back through the same path is the Mantra of Sadhana. Any other path will not take you to the goal of truth. You have emerged from the Atma (Self). To know your own Self is the path. There is no need for you to buy any ticket for this journey. If you know your Self, you will know everything.

Know the Relationship Between Body and the Self

Everything in this world is temporary like passing clouds. Nothing whatsoever is eternal or permanent. The same person grows through several stages as child, boy, man and grandfather. These changes of forms are the effect of time, but the individual is the same. To forget the path of oneness is Goddu Buddhi (bad intellect). That is the animal quality. To know the path of oneness is Dhodda Buddhi (good intellect). Animals know the path or route from which they come. A bird relies on self-confidence. The bird which is perching on a branch is not afraid when the branch is moved by wind because it relies on its own wings and not the branch.

But man today is fear-stricken when he faces difficulties and problems because he lacks self-confidence. He has not even that much self-confidence as a bird has. What is the reason? The reason is that man takes this worldly life as truth. Body is a water bubble, mind is a mad monkey. Don’t follow the body, don’t follow the mind. Follow the conscience.

Man’s true identity is the Atma, the Self. Body decays and is buried or consigned to flames at the end. Health, wealth or fame will not come to one’s rescue at the time of death. A Kannada poet said in this regard, “Oh Lord! I have assumed this body of flesh because I have forgotten You. Had I remembered You, I would not have been born in this body, for I am the one of awareness, not of dust”.

Human body is rust and dust. Never consider it as permanent or true. Only you are real and eternal. This is what you must strive to realise. Ideal life and divine feelings are pre-requisites to this pursuit and fulfilment. Man is born in society, grows in society, lives in society and dies in society. Even then he does not try to know that he is a limb of society. What is the meaning of Manava (man)? Manava is one who strives to understand the intimate relationship between the body and the Self.

At one time, King Dhritarashtra, questioned Krishna, “Krishna, the Pandavas and the Kauravas are the children of two brothers. Why do You take the side of the Pandavas and not the Kauravas? God should observe equality”. Krishna smiled and said, “Oh Dhritarashtra! You are not only blind physically; you are mentally blind too. Don’t you know, the Pandavas surrendered everything to Me? They implicitly follow My commands and listen to Me. They have intimate relationship with Me. All the five of them are like five organs of My body. Dharmaraja is My very head, Arjuna, the shoulder, Bhima is My stomach and Nakula and Sahadeva are the feet”. Krishna is the very heart of the body of the Pandavas. When there is no heart, limbs will not function. Without limbs, there is no need for the heart. God is the heart, Dharma (righteousness) is the head, fortitude is the shoulders and that which nourishes the limbs is the stomach. The Gita says, Aham Vaishwanaro Bhutva Praninam Dehamashrita (I am present in all beings in the form of digestive fire).

God is present in the form of Vaishwanara in our stomach and enables digestion, supplying essence of the food to all the limbs. So, God is present everywhere. He is in you, with you, above you, below you and around you. In fact, you are not different from God. You should recognize this truth. It is not possible to survive even for a moment in the absence of God. What is the nature of God? It is Soham (I am God). Our inhalation and exhalation expresses this 21,600 times every day.

You Should Be the Master of Mind and Senses

You identify yourself with the body and say, I am so and so. Just as the body is an instrument, the senses and the mind are also instruments. This body, senses and mind complex is known as mister. But in reality you are master. You can be a master only when you are able to control your senses. And you remain a mister when you yield to senses. This is the gist of Vedanta or Vedic philosophy.

In mother, father, teacher and God, the divinity present is the same. Therefore, it is necessary to know the divinity in human life. Mere talking about divinity is of no use. There are any number of teachers who go on talking about divinity without practicing in the least. They are all heroes in talking and zeros in practice. Food is available on the table. But you must use your hands to take it to the stomach. There is no use if you go on repeating ‘bread, butter, jam’ a hundred times. Only when you eat food will you have health, strength and happiness.

Worry Is Imaginary Fear

This is true Sadhana. Sadhana is a combination of two words, ‘Sa’ and ‘Dhana’. ‘Sa’ means Divinity. ‘Dhana’ means wealth. So, Sadhana signifies divine wealth. Vedanta refers to four stages of attaining the Divine: Saalokya (perception), Sameepya (proximity), Saarupya (identity), Saayujya (merger). In all the four, ‘Sa’ is very important. There is God in all that you see in the world. This kind of understanding is known as Saalokya. To live in that thought is Sameepya. To identify oneself with that Divinity is known as Saarupya. And to merge in that very Divinity is Saayujya. Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavati (the knower of Brahman becomes verily Brahman).

Embodiments of Love!

Make an effort to practise at least a fraction of what you read and listen. Then only can you experience bliss in daily life. Do not waste your precious time in worries. Has worry any shape? It is nothing but fear created by mind. Worry is a creation of the mind. You are inviting worries by yourselves. Instead of worrying upon failures, it is necessary to analyse the causes of failures. For this, proper discrimination has to be applied. Worry is a product of your imagination. Instead of involving yourself in imagination, you should think of God. That is the purpose of life.

What is the use of knowing all about the world without knowing about your Self? A mere waste indeed. Enquire yourself and say, I am not the body, I am not the senses, I am not the mind, I am I. It is also not right to say, I am Atma (Self). When you say, I am Atma, it means you are considering the Atma as separate from I. This is an indication of a dual mind. A man with a dual mind is half blind. You should not have dual mind; observe oneness.

You express oneness when you offer Namaskar (salutation). While offering Namaskar you bring your palms together in front of your face. What is its significance? In all, ten fingers are involved representing five Karmendriyas (senses of action) and five Jnanendriyas (senses of perception). You are indeed unifying these ten senses. Diversification leads to worry. Unification brings bliss. Human life must display unity. Constant feelings of unity will result in Divinity. As humans, you must display unity. There is butter in every drop of milk but is not seen on an outer examination. You will get butter from milk only after making it into curd and churning it. Body is the pot. Divinity is the milk. Intellect is the churning instrument. The rope for churning is devotion. As you do spiritual practice, the butter of divinity starts forming. The butter is Saakshaatkara. That is Self-realisation. Knowing your Self is Saakshaatkara, and its result is Atmaananda (blissful state).

Never segregate worldly life from spiritual life. This is a cloth. The cloth represents spirituality. But it is a combination of threads. Threads denote worldly life. Only threads make the cloth. So, life is an integrated form of worldliness and spirituality. Without threads, there can be no cloth. When the threads are together, the cloth is strong. When threads are segregated, it loses strength. You should not be weak. Unify and become strong.

Consider that God is everything for you. Always say:

Tvameva Maatacha Pita Tvameva,
Tvameva Bandhushcha Sakhaa Tvameva,
Tvameva Vidya Dravinam Tvameva,
Tvameva Sarvam Mama Devadeva.

(Sanskrit Verse)

(Oh Lord! You alone are my father and mother, friend and relation, wisdom and wealth. You are my everything).

God is mother, father, friend, wealth and everything. This can be experienced through the spirit of unity. By indulging in sense objects, we waste our precious energy. Waste of energy results in allergy. So, the energy of the body, mind and intellect has to be unified in order to experience Divinity.

In the path of devotion, one should not consider one God greater than the other. All are one, be alike to everyone. This should be the attitude of a true devotee.

– Bhagawan’s Discourse in Sai Sruthi, at Kodaikanal on
11th April 1993.