Recognise The Supreme Significance Of Love

Get Rid Of Desires And Be Free

Embodiments of Love!

In this world constituted by three Gunas – Satva (serenity), Rajas (passion), and Tamas (sloth), man is subjected to happiness and sorrow.

Earn God’s Grace And Experience True Happiness

Man is engulfed in Moha (attachment), because of which he cannot experience happiness. Once he frees himself from attachment, he will experience real happiness. Moha breeds the evil qualities of Ahamkara (ego) and Mamakara (possessiveness) in man. One who is filled with ego will not be loved by others. It is therefore necessary for man to get rid of Moha. Moham Hitva Priyam Bhavati (one who is free from attachment is dear to all). Man should therefore gradually reduce his worldly attachments.

Apart from attachment, man should control his anger because anger is the cause of grief. Krodham Hitva Na Shochati (one who conquers anger will be free from grief). As long as man has anger, he can have no peace and happiness. He should therefore get rid of anger to secure peace and happiness in life. An angry man is the enemy of all mankind. The first requisite for a person embarking on a spiritual journey is the control of anger.

One with anger will not be successful in any of his endeavors.
He will commit sins and will be ridiculed by one and 
all.
His own people will abandon him.
He will lose all wealth and respect.
His anger will ruin him completely.

(Telugu Poem)

Kamam Hitva SukhI Bhavati (man becomes happy when he conquers his desires). Life is a long journey and desires are the luggage you carry. Less luggage more comfort makes travel a pleasure. So, man should make the journey of life easy by reducing the burden of desires. He should discriminate between what is necessary and what is not, and leave what is not necessary, thus reducing his burden.

Equanimity Leads Man To The Spiritual Path

Human life is like an ocean consisting of the waves of pleasure and pain. Man is happy when his desires are fulfilled and unhappy when they are not fulfilled. Pleasure and pain are inseparable in life. Pleasure is an interval between two pains. It is not possible for man to enjoy happiness without experiencing unhappiness. Man cannot relish happiness without hardship and pain. Pleasure and pain are the two sides of the same coin or two cotyledons of the same seed. In fact, hardships enhance the happiness that follows. Pleasure and pain, profit and loss are inextricably linked in the world. Man should have equanimity in both the opposites and consider difficulties as opportunities for transformation. In this way, he can advance on the path of spirituality and earn the grace of God. Man can experience real happiness by the grace of God only. But he is unable to attain God’s grace because he does not exercise control over his thoughts, words, and actions.

See no evil, see what is good;
Hear no evil, hear what is good;
Talk no evil, talk what is good;
Think no evil, think what is good;
Do no evil, do what is good;
This is the way to God.

Develop Sacred Vision

But man today sees only the faults of others. What kind of a person are you if you always look at the faults of others? Instead, man should see his own faults and rectify them. He should have good thoughts. Then only will he perform good actions and become a good person. So, man should develop sacred vision. Here is a story to illustrate this.

One day, Krishna summoned Duryodhana and Dharmaraja and asked them to make a study of the people in the kingdom. He asked Duryodhana to find out how many good people existed in the country. He asked Dharmaraja to find out how many bad people were in the kingdom. Duryodhana went round and reported that he could find no good man anywhere. If there was any good man, that was himself, he said. Dharmaraja reported to Krishna that he could find no bad man anywhere in their Dharmic kingdom. He could find some badness only in himself. Dharmaraja had a sacred vision. So, everyone appeared good to him. On the other hand, Duryodhana had evil feelings. So, everyone appeared evil to him. Everything depends on the vision of the onlooker. If one looks at the world with a good mind, everything will appear good to him.

The entire cosmos is the Srishti (creation) of God. It is the manifestation of the Divine. Prakriti (Nature) is another name for Srishti. Nature thus has a Divine origin. Five basic elements which constitute Nature are also present in all living beings. Hence, the same Divinity is immanent in all. When man realizes this truth, he will have no room for anger, hatred, and envy. Though there are myriad forms in the universe, they are all basically one as the same Atma is present in all. Therefore, man should understand the unity that underlies the apparent diversity.

Communion With The Divine Is True Yoga

Recognise the supreme significance of love. Develop love for God. Love for God is true devotion. Communion with the Divine is true Yoga. Other Yogic practices are merely physical exercises. Love which emanates from the heart and transcends the mind is true love. Man should turn his vision inward, exercise control over the mind, and limit his desires. He can attain true happiness when he controls his mind and senses and limits his desires. He should understand that life is a limited company. In order to remain safe and secure, man must observe limits in life and exercise control over his senses.

Restraint In Speech Is A Commendable Virtue

The most important organ which needs to be controlled is the tongue, which unlike other organs, performs two functions – taste and speech. Eyes, ears, nose, and skin perform only one function, but the tongue performs two functions. Ancient sages in India practiced silence for a variety of reasons. One can conserve energy, improve memory, and attain divine power by observing silence. Restraint in speech and avoidance of gossip and slander are commendable virtues. If you speak more, you are likely to make more mistakes. Never hurt anyone by your harsh words. Practise Help Ever, Hurt Never. Hence, man should learn to make proper use of the tongue.

See no evil, see what is good is the prescription for the eyes. Keechaka (a character in the Mahabharata) lost his life when he cast an evil eye on Draupadi. No one will ever name his son as Keechaka as he earned a bad reputation by his evil vision. Likewise, one should not hear what is evil. Kaikeyi is the example of a well-intentioned woman who allowed her mind to be poisoned by the evil counsel of her maid Manthara which led to the death of her husband King Dasharatha and resentment of her son Bharata. Kaikeyi and Manthara thus earned bad reputation.

Remove Ignorance To See Your Divinity

How evil thoughts influence a person and bring about his ruin is illustrated by the story of Duryodhana in the Mahabharata. He always harbored evil designs against the Pandavas. What was the ultimate result of his evil designs? He not only destroyed himself but also his entire clan. The demon king, Ravana also met the same fate because he did not leave his evil thoughts and actions in spite of his learning. What is the use of all your knowledge if you do not put it into practice?

There are numerous examples in Indian epics which illustrate that man should follow the path of righteousness and truth and achieve the goal of life. What is the goal of man’s life? The goal of man’s life is Self-realization. There are three stages to reach this goal – self-confidence, self-satisfaction, and self-sacrifice. What is the cause of man’s restlessness in the world? It is the absence of self-confidence. Self-confidence is the foundation of the mansion of man’s life, self-satisfaction is the walls, self-sacrifice is the roof and Self-realization is life. Man should enquire, “Who am I”? When you say, this is my body, this is my mind, these are my senses, etc., then who are you? You are the master of the body, mind, senses, and intellect. Man should know that he is all-pervading cosmic consciousness. This is his reality. He should use his Buddhi (intuitive intelligence) to experience his oneness with the Divine or Brahman. What is the meaning of Prajnanam Brahma (Brahman is Supreme Consciousness)? It is Constant Integrated Awareness. Total awareness is the nature of Brahman. As man is an aspect of Brahman, ignorance is not his nature. As fire is covered by ash, Brahman is covered by ignorance. If man blows away the ash of ignorance, the fire of Brahman (Absolute Divinity) will be revealed to him. The fire of Divinity is always shining in man, but man covers it with the ash of desires and ignorance.

To give another illustration. Suppose there is a tree on which numerous birds are sitting and creating a mess below by their droppings. How to drive the birds away? When you sing a Bhajan and clap your hands, the birds will fly away. Our life is also like a tree on which a big flock of birds in the form of our desires have gathered which pollute our hearts. To get rid of desires, sing Rama, Krishna, Govinda.

– Bhagawan’s Discourse in Sai Sruthi, Kodaikanal on 12th April 1996.