| |
|
 |
|
| Travel Light |
Prashaanthi Vidwanmahaasabha: 2nd Day |
Hyderabad 8-12-1964 |
|
 |
| THE number of those who talk pleasantly is legion; because, they need only cater to the desire of
man for pleasure. But the number of those who talk usefully, profitably, beneficially is small for,
few know what is really useful, profitable and beneficial for man. Most people are concerned
only with the short run. The doctor who prescribes dietary and other restrictions and regimen is
generally disliked by the patients. They gnash their teeth at such orders. But a doctor should
ignore such responses and do his duty. He should insist on the prohibitions and preferences, even
risking the consequent unpopularity. |
|
| At the present time, the learned and the scholarly in every field suffer from a dire disease,
namely, "under-development of the moral tissue." No emphasis is laid on the growth of virtue in
the plans for national development; the virtuous man is laughed at as an "ignoramus" who does
not know the art of getting on in the world. But, as the Karma kaanda in the Vedhas proclaims,
all acts must contribute to the elevation of character, the purification of the emotions, passions
and impulses that infest the mind, the broadening of the vision and the strengthening of man's
bonds with the Universal, of which he is a part. Arjun is addressed in the Bhagavadh Geetha by
Shri Krishna as "Kurunandhana"; kuru means karma; the expression means that one is the
product of one's karma or activities. One is shaped inevitably by the words and deeds and
thoughts which one indulges in. So long as one has a trace of Ajnaana (spiritual ignorance) one
is kurunandhana; so, Krishna addresses Arjuna thus in order to entice him into the realm of
bhakthi and jnaana, from the region of karma. The immortal spark in Man can be discovered |
|
| Man can be certified as healthy, only when he is fully conscious of his reality and is gladly
striving to reach it. Now, he is the child of Immortality (Amrithaputhra), swirling along
helplessly towards Death! What a pitiable fate is this? The little ego in him is fed into a huge
conflagration by the mind and the senses and he is caught in the fire of distress. Egoism makes
him see glory in petty achievements, happiness in trivial acquisitions, joy in temporary authority
over others. But, the Immortal in him is awaiting discovery to confer bliss and liberation from
birth and death. |
|
| There is a definite technique by which that Immortal spark can be discovered. Though it may
appear difficult, each step forward makes the next one easier and a mind made ready by
discipline is able to discover the Divine basis of man and of Creation in a flash. There is no
short-cut to this consummation. One has to give up all the impediments which one has
accumulated so far and become light for the journey. Lust, greed, anger, malice, conceit, envy,
hate, all these pet tendencies have to be shed. It is not enough if you hear the discourses of Sai
Baaba and count the number that you have listened to. Thousands are here before Me now; but,
that figure has no significance. Only those who practise at least one of the things I emphasise,
count. |
|
| The Lord appeared before Bheeshma after the Mahaabhaaratha war, for, Bheeshma was praying
to have Him before his eye when he left this world. The bhaktha yearns for Bhagavaan, but,
believe Me, Bhagavaan also yearns for the bhaktha. That is why He assumes human form and
moves among them. He derives as much Aanandha as the bhaktha derives when He moves with
him. In fact, when the bhaktha takes one step towards Him, He takes ten towards him. That is the
measure of His Grace and His Aanandha. The Lord is everywhere, in the house, outside it,
before, behind, beside the bhaktha; but, men do not recognise Him or realise the value of so
recognising Him. |
|
| God is the mainspring of your life |
|
| The Lord is the unseen foundation on which your life is built. He is the source, sustenance and
strength. Without His Will, no leaf can turn, no blade of grass can quiver. What firmer
foundation can you desire than this? Once you know that the Lord, the Omnipotent Power, is the
mainspring of your life, there will be no fear any more. When you suspect the strength of the
foundation of a house, you are afraid to enter it; when you suspect the skill of the manufacturer,
you are nervous to ride in the car. Bheeshma and other bhakthas as well as Shankara and other
Jnaanis knew that the Lord is the Aadhaara (basis), and so they had no fear at all. But, that faith
has not taken root in men today and so, this has become an Age of Fear and Anxiety, of
Ashaanthi (absence of peace). |
|
| Gandhi relied on the Lord's Grace and the Lord's Might and he won. The atom bomb will only
recoil with all its deadly potentialities on the very nations that trust in it. You know the story of
Bhasmaasura, how he won from the gods the deadly boon by which he could turn to ashes all the
things and beings upon which he placed his hand! In an unguarded moment, he placed his hand
on his own head and the boon proved to be a bomb that finished him. |
|
| How to purify the mind? |
| Know the Aathma which is your Reality; know that it is the same Inner Force of this Universe.
Let your intelligence penetrate into the truth. Analyse yourself and discover the several layers of
Consciousness---the physical, the sensory, the nervous, the mental, the intellectual--and arrive at
the very core of even the last layer, the layer of joy. The five sheaths have to be transcended, so
that you may attain your truth, which is Aathma. |
|
| The Aathma can be grasped only by a sharpened intellect and a pure mind. How to purify the
mind? By starving it of the bad food it runs after, namely, objective pleasures, and feeding it on
the wholesome food, namely, thought of God. The intellect too will be sharp if it is devoted to
discrimination between the transient and the eternal. Let your thoughts be concentrated on God,
His Name and His Form; you will then find that you are always with the Pure and the Permanent;
you will then derive pure and permanent joy. That is the reason why I attach so much importance
to Naamasmarana as a Saadhana. |
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
