Vital Role of the Buddhi

Embodiments of Love! 

Does one need a lamp to see the light from another lamp? And yet, man who has the light of wisdom in his heart goes in search of wisdom elsewhere. This search, born of ignorance, leads him to seek gurus. To acquire aatmajnaana (knowledge of the Divine Self) man needs no guru (preceptor). No preceptor can give this knowledge because prakriti (mother nature) has herself conferred on her children the keys to this knowledge for their protection.

Every man is a son of bhudevi (mother earth). As a mother, bhudevi is teaching many lessons to her children. She calls on her children to learn everything from herself instead of going after other preceptors. “Scholars and intellectuals are cutting me to pieces to acquire knowledge and conduct their experiments,” laments mother earth. “They are subjecting me to great suffering by their digging and blasting. But, I am not worried about all this. Learn this spirit of forbearance from me. Whatever abuse or attack others may level at you, bear them with fortitude. Treat praise and blame, good and bad with equanimity. This is the highest knowledge.”

Another vital element in nature is water, which is also one of the manifestations of the Divine. The lesson that water teaches is: “Son! By nature I am pure, sweet, and cool. Purity, patience, and perseverance are three good qualities you have to cultivate.”

Agni (fire) is another of nature’s preceptors. It tells man: “My son! I make no difference between good and bad. I do not gain by burning one thing or lose by not burning something. I treat all alike whatever comes into my reach. Learn to see the Divine in all things. This is the way to gain knowledge of the Self.”

Nature Is the Best Textbook

I have often said that nature is the best textbook for one and all. Many valuable things can be learned from the behavior of wind, which sustains life by the respiratory process and is all-pervading. To exercise the power of discrimination, man is endowed with buddhi (the intellect). The intellect has to be unwavering and steady. Man fails to use this discriminating power properly and fully because of his qualities of raaga and dvesha (attachment and aversion), his obliviousness to his inherent Divinity and his preoccupation with mundane desires. If these tendencies are removed, the intellect will come into its own as an instrument of discrimination.

The intellect is the highest among man’s endowments starting with the body. Above the body are the senses. Subtler than the senses is the mind. The intellect is subtler than the mind. Above the intellect and much more subtle is the aatma (Self). Because of its proximity to the aatma, the buddhi is very subtle.

In the Taitriya Upanishad, the buddhi is compared to a bird. The seat of the intellect is said to be the head. The right wing is described as ritam and the left wing as truth. The tail is called mahat-tatwa (great directing principle). The body is described as yoga. The buddhi is said to be composed of these five constituents, each of which represents a power like discrimination, truth, etc. Most people tend to accord a higher place to medha shakti (intelligence) than to intellect. Intelligence that lacks interest and steadiness, which characterizes the intellect, is inferior to the intellect. This was declared by King Vikramaditya at an assembly of scholars who could not decide an issue. It is the combination of interest and firm faith which serves to divinize man.

Ritam signifies the harmony in thought, word, and deed. Truth is the expression in speech of ritam. Homage is paid to ritam and sathyam before one takes food as a prescribed ritual.

Once, Ubhayabharati, the wife of Mandana Mishra, after taking to sanyasa following her husband’s defeat in a philosophical debate with Adi Shankaracharya, taught a lesson in detachment and giving up of anger to an ascetic who described himself as a Brahmajnani. No one can call himself a knower of the Absolute as long as he has attachment and aversion. This episode shows how in ancient days men and women equally pursued the quest for aatmajnaana (the knowledge of the Self).

Role of the Intellect: Divinization and Determination

To acquire this self-knowledge, purity of the intellect is essential. The intellect should be unwavering and totally free from attachment.

The mind is subject to unsteadiness because of desires. Desires are roused by the impressions received by the senses from outside. The only way to avoid these external impressions is to turn the senses inwards. To effect this change in the use of the senses, the power of discrimination derived from the intellect should be employed. The intellect should be used to determine what impressions should be kept out and which should be let in. The intellect should determine what kind of company we should keep, what kind of food we should eat, what are desirable practices and what are undesirable. It is by the right use of their intellectual judgment that the ancient sages achieved spiritual eminence.

Same Cosmic Self Dwells in Everyone

People should understand that the aatma (Self) is one only. There are so many in this hall. Each one of you may consider that everyone has a separate and distinct aatma. This is totally wrong.

Like the reflection of the sun in myriad different vessels filled with water, the same cosmic Self is dwelling in everyone. The reflection is one and the same, though the vessels might be different. Names and forms may be different, but the indwelling aatma is one. How is this oneness to be recognized? For this purpose, the difference between the body and the heart should be examined. The Vedanta taught as follows: “Son! Birth and death are common to all. Hunger and thirst are equally common to all. Joy and sorrow are equally common to all.” If you go deep into these three statements, you will realize that whether one is a millionaire or a pauper, both are born from their mother’s womb. Though a rich man and a poor man may eat different kinds of food, the object of eating is to appease hunger, which is common to both. The same applies to thirst. If in this manner, people examine what is common to all mankind, they will realize the unity that underlies the diversity in mankind. This will reveal the Divinity that makes humanity as one spiritually. There is no need to pursue difficult spiritual exercises to experience the Divine. Many of the physical postures recommended by some gurus for spiritual exercise are anything but comfortable.

The real need is to have a heart filled with compassion and to meditate on God. Physical postures are not so important. It is in making one aware of the difference between the physical body and a compassionate love-filled heart that the buddhi plays its vital role.

The Source of Bliss Is Within Man

The source of bliss is within man, not in the external world; God is omnipresent and is not separate from you. This is the main teaching of Sai. The description of the cosmic form of God as viswavirata swaroopa means that He is present in every minute particle in the universe.

Students! The world today is moving in a direction opposed to spirituality. This is utterly wrong. To forget God is to forget your own Divine essence. Ramana Maharishi always told the devotees who came to him: “Know who you are.” “Know thyself” does not mean knowing facts about your body, mind, or senses. It is to know the one who claims ownership of the body, the mind, etc.

You have to find the answer to the question: “Who am I?” The body, the senses, the mind, and the intellect are all your instruments. You are their master. Master the mind and be a master. For a human being, the aatma (self) is the master. It is the power of the aatma (self) which enables the senses to perform their different functions like seeing, hearing, etc. You have, therefore, to realize that you are the aatma and not the body.

You may all know what happened today. Karunyananda was with Swami for forty years. He was a centenarian. Today, his body merged with the five elements. For the passing of any person, the time, the place, and the circumstances have to come together. Here in this hall, the recitation of the Vedas is going on. The jnaana yajna is being performed. He was listening to all these sacred things. He went to sleep at night and passed away in his sleep.

He came to Me a week ago. Swami asked him, “Karunyananda! What is it that you want?” He replied: “I need nothing. I only want to merge in your Lotus Feet. There is no purpose in my continuing.” I asked him why he was speaking in this manner. “What more is there for me to enjoy in life? I have stayed and moved with Swami for forty years.” He came with me to Kashmir, Simla, Gaya, and Prayaga. He came with me to all places, wherever I went. Staying with me, he passed away with a sense of fulfillment. This kind of contentment should come to everyone in life. One should not end up with a feeling of frustration.

The Mark of Greatness

Ask yourself the question: “Who is the richest man in the world?” It is not men like Tata or Birla who are truly the richest men. He who has the greatest satisfaction in life is the richest man. He who has many desires is the poorest man. To be free from all desires is the mark of greatness.

All kinds of things are happening all the time in the world. Births and deaths are like jokes for me, though you may not know it. When someone comes to me and wails: “My husband has passed away,” I remark: “Santosham” (well). She may say: “How can you be happy if my husband has passed away?” All events are the same to me, I am always happy. One lady comes to me and says that she is suffering from an unbearable stomach ache. I observe: “Chala santosham” (very happy).

Padmanabha Sastri (the mandir priest) came to me forty years ago. He is known to all of you as one who performed the puja in the mandir every day. He performed abhishekam to the idols. He was engaged in this puja morning and evening. He also passed away today. Both Karunyananda and Padmanabha Sastri were with me for forty years. When their end came, they passed away.

Be Ready for the End

Bodies come and go in this manner. They are transient like passing clouds. No physical body is permanent. In human existence, you must be prepared for the end at any time. It is like remaining “steady” when a photographer wants to take a picture of a person or group. If you are not steady, the picture will get blurred. The photographer may give you a warning signal, but, so far as death is concerned, you cannot know when the end may come according to Divine will.

Be always ready. You cannot know when the call will come.

Unfortunately, in the world today, few care to listen to the voice of God. They are guided by the promptings of their ego. This is the mark of the Kali Age. All are victims of egoism. So much so, they have doubts about every word of the Divine. They do not listen even to good counsel and, therefore, suffer evil consequences.

During the past three months, I had been advising Padmanabha Sastri to realize that he was a diabetic. “The wound in your leg is getting worse. Ultimately amputation may be unavoidable. You are neglecting your leg. Heed My words.” I was repeatedly warning him. But, ignoring Swami’s warning, he was consuming sweet things like payasam and laddus. Today, his blood pressure rose to 400 and he had a severe heart attack. You can see what happens when Swami’s warning is ignored. If they act as per My advice, it would be good for them and their families and I would be happy. From time to time, I have been singing a song about the consequences of not listening to My words and behaving foolishly. The result is they come to grief. This is not proper.

“Whatever I Do Is For Your Good”

You have to heed the words of advice and follow them. My advice is not for My sake, but for your good. I shall soon be reaching My 72nd year. In all these years, I have never entertained a single selfish thought. Whatever I tell you is only for your good and not for My benefit. Whatever I do is always for your good. Not recognizing this, many are deluding themselves. What is the use in regretting at the end? You must be on your guard from the beginning.

Chant the Lord’s name at all times. Understand the role of the intellect. Tomorrow, I shall speak about the Atmic principle. I expect that some, at least, will derive benefit from this series of discourses.

Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall on 8-10-1997.