Swami teaches... Dharma on the arena of the Divine play

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram

 

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches.... (17 February 2005)

 

Dharma on the Arena of the Divine Play

 

The presence of this Dharma cannot be established by sense of perception or

through inferential deduction. It transcends the canons of logic.

Dharma (Righteousness) and Moksha (Liberation) are transcendental - beyond

the intellect andsense perceptions. Even the Vedas are not competent to

provide direct access to Dharma and Moksha. That is why the Vedas have

declared: "Naa Karmanaa, Na Prajayaa Dhanena Thyaagenaike Amrutatvamaanasuh"

(Not by meritorious deeds, progeny or wealth can immortality be attained. It

can be experienced only through renunciation). But the Vedas show that through

good deeds and practices, one can acquire the competence to realise Dharma and

Moksha.

Dharma is a term which is all embracing. What is the need, it may be asked,

for propagating Dharma when it encompasses everything. The reason is that,

though Dharma is present everywhere, it is covered by ignorance and pride, like

fire that is covered by ashes or water by moss. These coveting elements have to

be removed so that the true nature of Dharma may be revealed to the world.

Dharma Prachar (the propagation of Dharma) is needed only for this purpose.

 

Propagation of Dharma does not mean spreading knowledge about something that

is not known.Only those who practice Dharma are qualified to propagate it. A

human is judged by the nature of his actions. One's qualities and actions are

interdependent. Actions reveal qualities and qualities determine actions.

Hence, everyone should strive to reform himself by developing good qualities.

Qualities like kshama (forbearance), dhaya (compassion), truth, love and

sympathy are not associated with any particular nation, faith or community.

They are spiritual qualities and are essential for people anywhere, at all

times.

Among the qualities human being has to develop the foremost is Kshama -

forbearance or forgiveness. It is supreme among other virtues. Kshama is

Truth, Righteousness, Sympathy, Non-violence and all else. Kshama

comprehendsevery quality. It is acquired by practising four kinds of purity:

Purity of materials (clothes, rooms, food, etc.)

Purity of mind;

Purity in speech;

Purity in action, purity of body.

 

Everyone in the world is the creature of one or the other of these three

gunas. One's actions arebased on these gunas. The phenomenal universe that we

perceive is the product of the three gunas (Satwa, Rajas and Tamas). The gunas

are the life-breath of the Cosmos. They are responsible for all that happens in

the Cosmos.

To practice of Dharma one has to transcend the three gunas and experience

Right conduct what constitutes Dharma.

The first stage in spiritual sadhana is to put to an end the Tamasic quality.

The Tamo Gunais characterised by Murkhatvam (foolish obstinacy). A Tamasic

person lacks intelligence and isinclined to indulge in meaningless questioning

and argumentation. Endless verbal debates over every trivial mattermshould be

avoided. Such controversies result only in provoking bitterness instead of

harmony. The Tamasic person is incapable of perceiving the truth and cannot

realise the Divine. He will be caught in an endless cycle of birth and death.

The person with Rajo Guna is one who is excessively happy when he gets what he

desires. Hisego gets inflated thereby. When his desires are not fulfilled, he

develops hatred. Thus, for theRajasic person, whether the desires are fulfilled

or not, the effects are not good. He is consumedby anger and bitterness. Rajasic

qualities make a person hot-blooded and hot-tempered. The third quality is

Satwa. Even this results in a form of bondage. It becomes a redeemingquality

when all pure and meritorious actions are done as an offering to the Divine.

The three gunas are represented by different colours. Tamas is depicted in

black. It symbolisesdarkness and ignorance. The Rajo Guna, which rouses anger

and hatred in a person, excites hisblood and turns his eyes red, is represented

by the red colour. The Satwa Guna which ischaracterised by purity and

dedication, is represented by the white colour.

Expounding a philosophy of Dharma (and Sadhanas which as lead person to

realization of one's Dharma) is easy. Living up to it is difficult. He alone is

a true Siddhanti (preceptor) who practices what he professes. Time is wasted on

metaphysical dialectics. We need today people who practice what they have

learnt. Such persons should explain to the common people the truth about

righteous living (Dharma) and transform them into good and honest persons.

The general advises to this are following: To banish from minds

differences based on caste, nations and religion. To develop deep faith in God.

To nourish the spirit of Anaasakthi (desirelessness), cultivate Virakthi

(detachment) and experience bliss. These are the means to transcend the three

gunas and to practice of Dharma.

 

You see things only through the illumination of the Aathma; you love only

because theAathma is Love; you know because the Aathma is knowledge. You have

shaanthi, for theAathma is the source and repository of shaanthi. The subtle

effect of manthras (mystic formulae)mentioned in the Vedhas cannot be seen or

heard by the senses; they have to be experienced inand through the inner

consciousness. The sound of manthras has the power of transforming the

impulses and tendencies. Theword manthra means "that which saves when turned

over in the mind." Revolve the manthraever in the mind; that will keep off wild

talk, purposeless conversation, aimless gossip and scandal. Talk only when the

talk is most essential and talk only as little as is necessary.

Repeat the Gaayathri - a universal prayer. It has three parts,

dhyaana---meditation on theGlory of God as the Illumination immanent in the

worlds, upper, middle and lower (Om Bhuhbhuva-swah; thath savithur varenyam);

it has Smarana or picturisation of the Grace (bhargodevasya dheemahi) and

Praarthana, prayer for compassion for the sake of liberation, through

theawakening of Intelligence that pervades the entire Universe, not to any

particular Name or Formof that Intelligence; and so, all can use it and be

saved by it.

Manthras are as person's protectors and subtle power generators on the way

to experience and practice Dharma.

 

Don't deny the validity of your own experience. Stand on your strength. Be

unmoved, either by adulation or denigration. Follow My lead: I am unaffected by

either, I march on, alone, undeterred and of My own accord. I am My own Guide

and Witness, have full faith in this.

If you have confidence in your strength and skill, you can draw upon the

inner springs of courage and raise yourselves to a higher level of joy and

peace. For, confidence in yourselves arises through the Aathma, which is your

inner Reality. The Aathma is peace. It is joy, It is strength. It is wisdom.

So, it is from the Aathma that you draw all these equipments for spiritual

progress to perform your Dharma on the arena of the Divine play.

All Avathaars teach, the first step in the long road of Spiritual discipline

or exercise, self effort (Sadhana), is the giving up of attachment. In the

Threthaayuga, the Yoga-Vaasistha taught the same rule. In the Dwaparayuga,

Krishna taught Arjuna to give up Vishaya-Vaasana (attachment to the objective

world). There was an ascetic once, who had given up all attachment. He was

going along a Himaalayantrack, when the wind blew his hair on his face and

blocked his vision. So, he turned and walkedin the opposite direction. He was

not attached to any direction or place! People utter, with apparent faith,

"Krishna-Krishna-Krishna," but they never give up thrishna(thirst) for worldly

good or fame. In each Yuga, you have the Avathaar of the Lord come toredeem,

revive and re-build. At the present time, Mahaashakthi (Super Power),

Maayaashakthi(Power of Illusion) and Yogashakthi (Power of Vision with God)

have come, all together, in oneHuman Form; your endeavour should be to draw

near and earn Grace therefrom. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks.

Vol.7, "The key the sages own," Chapter 10, " Three-in-one now," Chapter 25 and

"Jumping to conclusions," Chapter 37; Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 21, "The Crowning

Virtue ", Chapter 1 and "Transcending The Gunas ," Chapter 2 ).

 

PS: Related contribution: Swami teaches... (25 January 2005)

Dharmic Path of Life Guided by Character and Karma

 

Namaste - Reet