Truth Emerges From Wisdom

Jeeva is Shiva and Shiva is Jeeva; 
one who sees the identity 
between the two 
is the realised one.

(Sanskrit Shloka)

He who has understood the truth that Shiva (God) and the Jeeva (individual) are one and the same is the true Brahma-jnani (one who has known the Brahman). Shiva and Jeeva are not different from each other as the same Divine Atmic principle is present in both. One who has realised this truth is a true human being. The objective of human life is to understand this truth. One cannot be called a human being by his physical form alone. Human life is the noblest. Man must think about how to lead his life in a befitting way.

Man is called Manava, meaning not new. But man has another name, Partha, which means Prithvi putra (son of mother earth). All the powers that are present in the earth are present in man also. None can visualise the powers that are latent in the earth. One can understand the presence of these powers by deep enquiry and investigation. These powers are infinite, unfathomable and unrevealed. Man, as he is born of the earth, naturally has all these powers.*

Perverted Intellect Ruins Man

It is stated in the Mahabharata that the Pandavas spent 12 years in aranyavasam (exile) and one year in ajnatavasam (incognito), i.e., living amidst people without revealing their identity.

Likewise, though there are infinite powers in man, they are not revealed. These are known as ateeta shaktis (transcendental powers). These are psychic in nature and have been termed so by scientists. Man is thus a repository of the enormous energy of various kinds, viz., light energy, electric energy, radiation energy and above all of Atmic shakti (energy of the Self). But for this energy, man cannot eat, drink, move, laugh or do anything for that matter. Man, though blessed with such powers, is forgetting the latent divinity and is leading the life of an animal. The reason for this is the perversion of buddhi. Our ancient epics like the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bhagawatam give many instances to illustrate this.

Krishna went to Hastinapur as an emissary to bring about a compromise between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Duryodhana, due to the perversion of his buddhi, did not pay heed to Krishna’s counsel. Though he knew what dharma was, yet he did not put it into practice. What happened to him ultimately? He ruined himself. Similar was the case with Ravana. Though he was one of great penance and wisdom, he did not pay heed to the good counsel of his wife Mandodari, and the teachings of Narada and other saints and sages. Ultimately, he too ruined his life.

The same can be said of Hiranyakashipu also. He was a great scientist. Modern scientists could only reach the moon, but Hiranyakashipu could even go beyond the sun and the stars. Such a great scientist did not adhere to dharma and ultimately met his doom. Vali, on being questioned by the sages as to why he banished his own brother, Sugriva from the kingdom, gave a concocted version of the truth, magnifying Sugriva’s mistake and concealing his own. Again, the reason was a perversion of his buddhi. In the Mahabharata, Amba put the entire blame of her predicament on Bhishma, ignoring her own folly, and developed hatred towards him. Similarly, Vishwamitra developed enmity with Vashishta for no fault of the latter.

Modern Society Is Not Able To Protect Dharma

Great scientists also could not comprehend the reality and understand the difference between truth and untruth due to lack of power of discrimination. Today, modern man considers truth as untruth, dharma as adharma and vice versa. Since ancient times, Bharat has given utmost priority to Satya (truth), dharma (righteousness) and nyaya (justice). In spite of knowing what truth and righteousness are, modern man is not adhering to them due to the perversion of his buddhi.

Modern society is not able to protect dharma and control injustice. Not merely that, man is forgetting the truth and distorting the meaning of dharma itself. He gives various contradictory definitions of Satya and dharma. Does the fault lie with Satya and dharma? No. The mistake lies in the manner in which buddhi is utilised. That is why we pray to God to illumine our intellect, as stated in the Gayatri mantra.

Sincere Prayer Earns Divine Grace

Ganapati is the embodiment of buddhi and Jnana (wisdom). Truth emerges out of wisdom and ultimately leads to ananda (bliss). This is the teaching of Ganapati. Where there is no truth, there can be no bliss. ‘Trikala Badhyam Satyam’ (Truth is changeless in the three periods). Dharma is also changeless in the three periods. The injunction of the Vedas is ‘Satyam vada, Dharmam chara’ (speak the truth and follow dharma). But nobody pays heed to this dictum. Today people misinterpret truth as that which is expressed, seen, heard and experienced by the senses. Similarly, dharma is also misinterpreted. This is, in fact, Prakrta Satya and prakrta dharma (worldly truth and worldly dharma). This is related to Pravritti (outward path). The Nivritti (inward path) is related to the fundamental truth and righteousness (muladhara Satya and dharma). But today no one seems to be taking cognisance of this, leave alone practising it. ‘Vedokhilo Dharma-mulam. (The Veda is verily the basis of dharma).

God is the embodiment of Satya and dharma. So, whatever God says is Satya and whatever He does is dharma. It is the primary duty of man to obey the command of the Lord. Disobeying the Divine command amounts to transgressing the fundamental principles of Satya and dharma. Truth is God. Today the world is in disarray as the principles of Satya and dharma are not scrupulously followed. Man feels proud of his medha shakti (intelligence). Greatness does not lie in merely possessing intelligence. It has to be converted into skill. Only then will there be a balance in human life. Man can acquire wisdom only when he converts his intelligence into skill. But due to the effect of Kali age, man, instead of converting intelligence into skill, kills it. As a result, his buddhi is perverted, and there is an imbalance in his life.

One Should Never Disobey God’s Command

Under any circumstances, one should never disobey God’s command. The consequences would be disastrous if one were to disobey the Divine command.

Is it possible, Oh man, to escape 
the consequences of your actions? 
You may be a great scholar, 
worship the family deity or even go to the forest
and undertake severe penance, 
yet you are bound to face the 
consequences of your actions. 
Whether you dip the container in a small lake 
or a mighty ocean, 
the amount of water collected depends on 
the size of the container; 
you cannot expect more. 
Likewise, you get what you deserve. 
You may don ochre robes 
and turn the rosary innumerable times, 
yet you are bound to face 
the consequences of your actions. 
However, if you are the recipient of Divine grace, 
you can overcome the effects of any Karma.

(Telugu Song)

Sunlight enables man to perform various actions. Yet the sun remains unaffected by what man does. It is just a witness. Likewise, God is the eternal witness. He is unaffected by what happens around. Clouds, which owe their existence to the sun, cover the sun itself. But that does not in any way diminish the brilliance of the sun. Similarly, God does not stand to lose anything if man, who owes his existence to God, derides Him. Man will certainly reap the consequences of his actions; God is not affected by them. Just as the clouds originate from the sun, likewise, Manas, buddhi and chitta are formed out of the Atma. The mind is responsible for all suffering and even rebirth. So, mind has to be diverted towards God to escape from the cycle of birth and death.

One Can Rewrite One’s Destiny With Divine Grace

One can overcome the evil effects of one’s actions by focusing one’s mind on God. Mountains of sin will vanish like mist by God’s grace. For every action, there is bound to be a reaction. Divine grace can provide an escape from the consequences of one’s karma.

In fact, one can rewrite one’s own destiny if one gets Divine grace, as was the case with Markandeya. He was given only sixteen years of life span. But he was unaware of this until the night before he turned sixteen. That night he found his parents full of sorrow. On enquiry, he was informed that his end had approached and that was the cause of their sorrow. Hearing this, he went to the temple of Eashwara, hugged the Shiva lingam and prayed intensely. At the appointed hour, Yama (God of Death) cast his noose around the neck of young Markandeya. As he was hugging the Lingam, the noose fell around the Lingam also. Eashwara manifested there and remonstrated Yama, “How dare you cast the noose around Me? He cursed Yama to death. Pleased with the devotion of Markandeya, He blessed him with the boon of immortality. This only drives home the point that through sincere prayer, you can earn Divine grace, which helps you to attain everything. God is not separate from you. He is present in your body. The body is the temple of God.

Universe Is Divine Creation

Newton wanted to know whether the creation had emerged on its own or there was an unseen force governing it. He conducted extensive research for several years to know the truth. Ultimately, he gave up all the scientific experimentation and turned inwards. Within nine days, he realised that there was a Divine hand that was responsible for the entire creation, its sustenance and its annihilation.

Other scientists like Einstein, Schrodinger, etc., came to the same conclusion.

Many eminent modern scientists are also trying to find out the truth about the Divine creative principle of the universe. They are not aware of the magnetic power and the electric power that are present in the human body, which is verily a small generator. The jatharagni (digestive fire) is the source of heat energy in the body. Before partaking of food, you chant the shloka:

Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir 
Brahmagnau Brahmana Hutam 
Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyam 
Brahmakarma Samadhina.

Immediately, you get the reply from within:

Aham Vaishvanaro Bhutva, 
Praninam Dehamashritah 
Pranapana Samayuktah 
Pachamyannam Chaturvidam.

God, who is present in the form of Vaishvanara in you, digests the four types of food that you partake of. Jatharagni is like a generator and is responsible for the electric power in the body. The human body is a conglomeration of different powers—heat, light, sound, electricity, etc. Unfortunately, such Divine powers of the body are wasted in pursuit of worldly comforts and luxuries.

You should not crave for luxuries but bear with patience, whatever comes your way, because whatever happens in life is good for you. Never be disheartened when you are faced with difficulties or sufferings in life. Have firm faith in the power of the Atma. One who recognises the power of the Atma will not suffer.

Never Be Away From God’s Love

The panacea for all suffering is chanting of God’s name. Have the firm conviction that you are God. Never be under the mistaken notion that God is the master, and you are His slave. You do not have a master; you are the master. Master the mind and be a mastermind. Never forget God’s name. Never be away from God’s love. Never leave truth and never forget dharma. With one-pointed concentration contemplate on God. Nothing else matters in this world.

Many are under the illusion that they have achieved something great in life by amassing wealth, but they do not realise that they have to go empty-handed when they leave this world. Do not get carried away by this bhranti (illusion). Do not waste your life in this illusion. You should understand the difference between Brahma (God) and bhrama (illusion).

The principle of unity in diversity is Brahma, and viewing multiplicity in unity is bhrama.

Nations are many, but the earth is one; 
stars are many, but the sky is one; 
jewels are many, but gold is one; 
cows are many, but milk is one.

Controlling The Mind Is True Sadhana

This is how you should visualise unity in diversity. Try to understand the significance of the names Ganapati, Vinayaka and Vigneshwara. You are Ganapati yourself. This morning, you have all heard Sushila sing a song, “Anugaduguna Gudi Undi” (there is temple at each and every step). Our body itself is a temple of God. “Deho Devalaya Prokto Jeevo Deva Sanatanah” (the body is the temple, and the indweller is God). The jeevan-jyoti (light of life) that is present in the body is Param-jyoti (the supreme light) itself. This light is not subject to change and cannot be extinguished. The body is bound to perish one day or the other. The body may die, but not the mind.

Such a mind has to be controlled. That is the true sadhana. You will not have any troubles if you offer your mind to God. The mind is very fickle. It is not steady, even for a minute. So, it should be ever engaged in work. Only then can it be brought under control. What is the work you should assign to the mind? Let the mind be a watchman at the gate of your nostrils. Let it observe what is going in and what is coming out. ‘So’ is inhaled and ‘ham’ is exhaled. ‘So’ symbolises that which is good (divinity) and ‘Ham’ stands for that which is bad (ego). Then the mind will understand that the divinity has to be given up. Mind is like a mad monkey. Unless it is kept busy, it will go according to its whims and fancies. The only way to keep a monkey busy is to make it go up and down a pole repeatedly. Likewise, the mind also has to be kept busy by contemplating on So’ham mantra.

Who is Ganapati? He is the adhipati (master) of all ganas—five senses, five elements and five life sheaths. The human body consists of five koshas (sheaths)—Annamaya Kosha (food sheath), Pranamaya Kosha (life sheath), Manomaya Kosha (mind sheath), Vijnanamaya Kosha (wisdom sheath) and Anandamaya Kosha (bliss sheath). Man progresses only up to the sheaths of wisdom and bliss. Since Ganapati is the master of all the five koshas, one has to take refuge in Him to reach the state of bliss.

Shun Bad Company. Seek Good Company

Elephant is known for its intelligence. Ganapati is depicted as having elephant’s head as He is very intelligent. Ganapati is also known as Vinayaka, meaning one without a Nayaka (master). He is the master of Siddhi (spiritual attainments) and buddhi (intellect). So, one has to pray to Vinayaka to acquire Siddhi and buddhi. You have to make proper use of your intelligence to earn the grace of Vinayaka. Shun bad company. Seek good company. Only then will your life be redeemed. Very often, I remind the students that by joining bad company, you become slaves. You should be masters, not slaves. You all know what happened to Kaikeyi on listening to the words of Manthara. No one loved Rama more than Kaikeyi. But, when her intelligence was clouded, she believed the words of the wicked Manthara. To one with perverted intellect, truth appears as untruth and vice versa. Due to the effect of bad company mind gets polluted. So right from the tender age, “Tyaja Durjana Samsargam, Bhaja Sadhu Samagamam, Kuru Punyamaho-ratram, Smara Nityamanityatam” (run away from bad company, join good company, undertake righteous actions day and night, inquire into that which is permanent and that which is ephemeral). One should not develop unnecessary contacts. Your interaction with others should be limited to basic courtesies like, “Hello, how are you? etc.”

Never Disobey The Command Of God

Embodiments of Love!

You are under the false impression that today is the birthday of Vinayaka. He has neither birth nor death. He has neither beginning nor end. He is the eternal witness. This life is temporary. You should suffuse it with spirituality. All the festivals of Bharat have a deep inner meaning. They are highly sacred. Festivals are not just meant for preparing delicious items and consuming them. They are meant to remind us of divinity. On festival days, you decorate your houses with buntings of green leaves and also you wear new clothes, discarding the old ones. Likewise, you should give up your old rotten habits and cultivate new and sacred ideas. You should step into new life with sacred qualities. Never disobey the command of God. If you do so, you will ruin yourself like Ravana and Hiranyakashipu. They developed hatred towards God and ultimately met their doom. Never doubt the existence of God. He is everywhere. Ek Prabhu Ke Anek Nam (one God has many names). Never forget Him. Contemplate on Him incessantly. That is the main objective of human life.

What is it that you have to offer to Vinayaka on this day of Vinayaka Chaturthi? Today people spend a lot of money in offering various fruits and preparations to God. All these offerings are made only as a ritual. Ultimately, people themselves consume them! No benefit accrues from making these offerings. Patram Pushpam, Phalam, Toyam — these are the four things that you should offer to God. Here patram (leaf) means body. This body may wither away at any moment. So, never develop attachment towards the body; instead, offer it to God. Pushpam (flower) means Hridaya, the flower that will never fade. The mind can be compared to phalam (fruit), and Toyam stands for tears of joy.

All these should be offered to God. This is the offering that God expects. I hope that you will put into practice what has been said and sanctify your lives. I bless you all and bring My Discourse to a close.*

Discourse in Prasanthi Nilayam on 13-09-1999.