Prasanthi Vahini

Mankind is unable to instill firm faith in anything! Yes, how can he ever develop faith? Truly, when he sees from his birth all things changing around him, his companionship changing, his education changing, his experience itself undergoing various transformations, and the atmosphere in which he grows constantly being changed, when he grows up in an environment that has no permanency, how can that belief arise? Observing all this, it can be declared without any fear of contradiction that this is an unreal world. For, if this is Real, how can it change? All that suffers change is unreal. Satya or Ultimate Truth (Reality) alone is changeless. That real and changeless entity is the Atman alone. The Atman is the Form of the Lord; it is the All-Powerful.

Man alone has the capacity, the credentials for the realisation of that Power, for earning that Shakti (Energy). It is indeed tragic that, even after achieving such human birth, people do not realise that eternal Reality, nor even make an attempt to understand It. If this chance is missed, when can they attempt it and when can they realise?

Why, they do not concern themselves with the very purpose for which they have come! Did they come only for living like all other animals, or birds or insects—eating, wandering about, sleeping, and seeking pleasure? If the answer is “No,” then, for what else? Can we say that man is just another animal, like the rest? Man has three special powers, the power to discriminate, i.e., Viveka, the power to renounce, i.e., Vairagya, and the power to analyse, i.e., Vichakshana. So, man can never be equated to any other animals or birds as they have not got these special powers. But, of what use are these special powers, unless they are applied in actual practice? If they are used, then the name ‘Man’ is apt; otherwise, the name ‘animal’ has to be used.

The three powers mentioned above should be applied not only in worldly matters by man, but, even in the investigation of the Paramartha (Ultimate Truth) and to conduct accordingly. Really speaking, if discrimination, renunciation and critical analysis are carried out while passing through the joys and sorrows of life, the conviction is bound to dawn in a moment that all this is Unreal, that all this has no basis in Satya (Truth). When such knowledge dawns, man is certain to immediately tread the path of contemplating on God and take up the inquiry about Divinity that will lead him to the Truth. This is the task which Man must be engaged in.

Well! If only everyone asks the questions, “Who are we? Whence did we come? Where have we come to? How long will we be here?”, the truth can be easily grasped. That inquiry is the sign of discrimination, or Viveka. When by means of this Viveka, the idea that the world is impermanent gets deeply rooted in the mind, all desires cease automatically. That is the stage of renunciation, or Vairagya. Is it worthwhile to be caught up in this unreal world and for how long? one asks. This is false, misleading, one tells himself. He then turns his efforts to the realm of the Lord, the Satyaloka which is eternal and truth. That is the right analysis or inquiry, Vichakshana.

It is through Viveka (Discrimination) and Vairagya (Renunciation) that man understands who he really is. Without them, it is impossible to know it. The Lord has blessed only man with these two. He (Lord) has endowed him (man) so that he might use them for that purpose. Hence, man is truly fortunate. But, alas, man has forgotten the task for which he has come, ignored the question whence he came, closed his eyes to where he is, diverted his Viveka and Vairagya towards amusement and creature comfort, and wasted all his powers. What a tragedy, this! If in this most propitious human birth itself the Godhead is not sought after, when else are they to succeed?

"If you fail to accomplish in this very human birth,
Will there be anything more conducive than this?"

If one’s real nature is first understood, the rest can all be easily grasped. One will thereafter know where one is, whence one is going, how long one exists, etc.

These four issues are dependent, one on the other. If one is solved, all the rest can be known; but, not one of these can be ignored. For example, suppose you write a letter to somebody. Whatever be the contents of the letter, if it is merely put into an envelope and posted, whom will it reach? It won’t be given to anyone. Well, will it come back at least to the person who wrote it? No. In the end, it will be neither here nor there. Instead, if on the cover the address of the person whom it should reach and the address of the person who wrote it are both written, one can even predict when the letter will reach its destination, is it not? So, too, what do you do with your letter, your life? To whom do you address it? Where do you write it? When can it reach? Whom should it reach? Ignoring all these, not caring even for the time, if you simply worry yourself, how can you ever hope to know the Yathartham (Reality)?

First, you must know your own full address. Who are you? I am the Atman. Whence did you come? From the Atman. Where are you going? To the Atman, itself. How long can you be here? Until you merge with the Atman. Where are you, now? In the Unreal, the Ever-changing. In what form? As Anatma (Non-self). What are you engaged in? In evanescent tasks. Therefore, what should you do, hereafter? Give up these three and try the other three—to enter the Eternal, to engage in Never-changing tasks, and to enjoy the Bliss of the Atman. This must be the chief effort of the Jivi, its perpetual aim, the greatest adventure in this world. All other tasks are humdrum and silly; they glitter a moment and vanish. You will realise this truth if only you turn your back on them and watch, wisely.

There is a short story which illustrates these points. There was once a Raja (King), who had transferred all responsibility of ruling to his Mantri (Minister) and was spending his time in ease. He never worried about anything, be it big or small. He appointed a personal trustworthy companion, whom he had always by his side, more or less as a bodyguard. This fellow was very wise, for he never did anything without deep deliberation, about the how and the why and the wherefore. The Raja took all this deliberation to be just foolishness and he nicknamed the companion, ‘Aviveka Shikhamaņi’ or ‘The Crest-Jewel of Fools.’ He went to the length of actually engraving the title on a plate of gold and compelling him to wear it on his forehead for all to see! Many people were misled by this, and they took him to be an ignoramus at court; they did not heed his words.

Meanwhile, the Raja fell ill. The kingdom was combed for physicians who could heal the king. Messengers went to the eight corners, seeking drugs and doctors. Hundreds were busy round the royal patient, but all efforts failed; the illness worsened day by day. The Raja was at the very door of death.

The Raja suspected that his end was near; so, he made all necessary dispositions, spoke to all those whom he wanted to meet, and was immersed in sorrow. He had no thought of God or any other auspicious Power. He was in terrible fear of death and could not think of anything else.

Day by day, he was becoming weak. One day, he called Aviveka Shikhamaņi (The Crest Jewel of Fools) and said, “Well, I am going soon, my dear!” Then, the Fool asked without any compunction, “What? You are weak and cannot walk a few steps. I shall order a palanquin, please wait till it is ready.” “No palanquin can take me there,” said the Raja. “Then, I shall order a chariot,” entreated the Fool. “The chariot too is of no use,” replied the Raja. “Then I shall arrange a horse for you,” said the companion, who seemed eager to come to the rescue of his master and to spare him the toils of travel. The Raja was annoyed and said that the horse too could not enter there. The Fool was at his wit’s end. Then suddenly an idea struck him, he said, “Come on, Master! I shall carry you there on my shoulders.” The Raja said, “My dear friend, one has to go alone to that place, when one’s time has come. No companion can be taken.” The Fool then asked the Raja, “You say that the palanquin won’t reach there, that the chariot can’t go there, nor the horse. You say that no second person can join you! Well, can’t you tell me at least where that place is?” The Raja replied, “I do not know.”

Immediately after hearing this, the Fool unwound the Golden Plate from his forehead with the engraving of the title, “Aviveka Shikhamaņi,” and boldly handed it over to the Raja, saying “Raja, you know so much about the place, even which things cannot go there, but you do not know where it is, and still you are going there soon. So, you deserve this title much more. You must carry it.” The Raja was overcome with shame, he said to himself, “Alas, I wasted my years in eating and sleeping and pursuing pleasures, never caring to inquire who I am, whence I came, what I am doing, where I am now, and where I should go. The precious time allotted to me has come very near its end. There is no time for me anymore for all that inquiry. Death is knocking at the door; wife and children have started weeping; my subjects are in great anxiety. Can I, under such conditions immerse myself in inquiry? Can a thought that I never entertained throughout my life suddenly arise now, during my last moments? It is impossible. Yes, I deserve the title, Aviveka Shikhamaņi more than anyone else, for I wasted my life in useless pursuits, without any thought of the Reality.” The Raja let it be proclaimed that inquiry is the best means of knowing the Truth, that the inquiry must be directed to separating the true from the untrue, the eternal from the temporary, that people should arrive at the firm conclusion with faith that, “God is the only True and Eternal Entity” and that by their own independent investigation, his subjects must not only grasp the omnipotence of the Lord but must also attain the Grace of that Infinite, Inconceivable and Merciful God, by their pure lives. Announcing this lesson to his subjects, the Raja breathed his last.

Note how the Raja blinded by material power and pleasures, misdirected his energies towards the world, away from God, without any inquiry, without any thoughts of God, and ended his days in agony.

Therefore, every Sadhaka must enter on the path of inquiry to investigate the real and the unreal, the permanent and the changing. Then only can the conviction dawn and grow, that nature and all learning connected with nature are unreal; then only will these be given a relative, not an absolute value. They are of course to be learnt and experienced as necessary for existence, as a kind of daily routine and as one’s duties. They should not be mistaken to be the Highest Knowledge, the Unchanging Eternal Truth. That mistake, if committed, leads to Ashanti, an agitated mind. Sorrows or sufferings are inevitable so long as Ashanti persists. Shanti (Peace) cannot result until sorrow exists.

If you aspire for Shanti, the basic thing is, have faith in the temporary nature of Nature, be engaged in the quest for Truth, do not entangle in sorrows and Ashanti, and experience Shanti in the uninterrupted contemplation of the changeless Godhead.

Therefore, do not be bound by selfish attachments. Engage yourself in the discharge of your duties. Do not allow yourself to be gladdened by success or saddened by failure. Exercise Viveka (Discrimination) and Vairagya (Renunciation) in the path of inquiry. And then, you can beat the Drum of Victory! Great Declarations, like these, reveal the Swarupajñana (Knowledge of the True Form, Atma) and the Jnana of the Glory of Godhead, i.e., Jnana and Bhakti as the best Sadhanas (Spiritual practices).

If the two paths, Jnana (Knowledge) and Bhakti (Devotion), are compared and inquired, it can be said that Bhakti is favoured by the Lord. In the path of Bhakti, there is the need to grasp the reality and its inner meaning, fully and clearly. For this, the objective world is itself the Pramana (Means of inferring knowledge), Prameya (That which is knowable), Sadhanam (Principal means of attainment) and Phalam (Fruit or result). To know this, spiritual inquiry has to be pursued. Such an inquiry will grant unshakeable Shanti. Inquiry alone can reveal the Truth behind all the objective world. Such inquiry will gradually grow in strength and ultimately reveal the Truth. It is your experience, is it not, that when you do some task carefully for a long time, correcting your mistakes as and when you discover them avoiding the repetition of the same while continuing with the task, you invariably achieve even more success than you hoped to get? What is wanted is just the unflagging desire to achieve victory. That will lead you to discover the means thereof, to develop earnestness and care in the pursuit of those means, and to get success. However, if the desire to achieve victory is not intense enough, earnestness and care in the pursuit will become weak even in the means to discover. So, Ichchha is very important here. Ichchha means a simple desire (or will) to attain the highest and the best position. Ichchhashakti means to put in the valiant efforts to fulfil his desire to attain the highest position. Of these two, to experience real Shanti, Ichchhashakti is of utmost importance.

Well! Take the example of a person desirous to become stronger. His Ichchha will turn into Ichchhashakti if he first learns the means of realising his aim—the exercises, the diet, the disciplines, etc., and when he starts practising them. This Ichchhashakti is also known as Dridha-Sankalpa (Firm resolve or determination). But, one important thing must be noted here. There are many who say that the absence of any Ichchha is the best. But, that is not possible. It is good to have Ichchha and to know the reality and permanence of that Ichchha, and then to put efforts to not have any Ichchha. A person who has an Ichchha is better than a person who has no Ichchha. Even more superior is a person who has Ichchhashakti than a person with mere Ichchha. For, he can promote not only his own good, but even the world’s good if there is nobility in his Ichchhashakti. On the other hand, if there is evil in his Ichchhashakti, he will cause harm not only to his own self but also to the world. Therefore, if good things are attempted with Ichchhashakti, it will result in Divine Shanti and transform you into an embodiment of Shanti. Instead, if he diverts his Ichchhashakti towards worldly desires, both himself and the world will be troubled by Ashanti.