Swami teaches... Spirit of enquiry to acknowledge the Universal Consciousness

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram Light and Love

Swami teaches... 7 - 8 February 2006

Spirit of Enquiry to Acknowledge the Universal Consciousness

Swami's Teaching lives and acts amomg the devotees, followers and spiritual

seekers here and everywhere, now and always, that Swami can pour His Grace on

spiritually aware persons over the world more and more.

The world is surfing today from too much knowledge; virtue has not increased

in proportion to the advance of knowledge. Path of the Divine Reality and path

of Righteousness they are the two wheels of the bicycle that you have to ride.

Pictorially, living was not so hard in the past ages; but now, since it is

riding a two-wheeled vehicle, skill and vigilance are needed to keep the

balance and avoid falling. Of the two tyres of the vehicle that human is

riding, the tyre of the Brahman wheel is flat; it has to be filled by pumping

the Lord's Name into it. One cannot go far on a flat tyre.

Life has to be spent in accumulating virtue and safeguarding virtue, not

riches. Becoming rich is but a vulgar achievement; black marketeers and

housebreakers also achieve it. Living without suffering or without making

others suffer - that is grander and nobler. Listen and ruminate over the

stories of the great moral heroes of the past, so that their ideals may be

imprinted on humans' hearts. Be a light, a lamp, radiating virtue and self

control everywhere.

(This advice has to be given by Swami again and again. The Vedas too repeat

the essential teachings often so that they may sink into the minds of people).

 

There are numerous faiths, sects, beliefs and practices prevalent among

mankind. All these are products of human fancies. The Truth, however, is one.

It does not differ from caste to caste or nation to nation or from time to

time. It is not governed by time or place. Likewise the basic elements - ether

(i.e. space), fire, air, water, earth are not varying according to community or

place. They belong to all. Likewise, Divinity is One and Universal, but people

are fragmenting it and experiencing it diversely. But the Truth is one, it is

infinite and it is Brahmam.

There is One God, but He manifests Himself in many forms to please different

people. The respect can be aroused by the conviction that the same Atma (the

Self, true Reality, Brahman ) that is in you is playing the same role of the

other person. See that Atma in others; feel that they too have hunger, thirst,

pain,yearning and desires as you have.

Sadhana (spiritual discipline or exercise) alone is not enough to enable one

to understand this truth. The spirit of enquiry is also necessary. Today

numerous divisive forces are at work. What is essentially One is being regarded

as many. In this process, the true concept of Divinity is lost. In the pursuit

of worldly interests and out of commercial considerations, the Divine is being

split up.

Today many are indulging in actions opposed to Dharma and Truth and, on the

basis of their caste or community, are promoting strife and conflicts. (The

effort to stop this menace is weak. It appears as if all spiritual seekers'

knowledge, position and influence have been reduced to nothing. Such persons,

though they may not be indulging in unrighteous acts, are giving encouragement

to them).

Here is an example from the Mahabharata: Considering that war should be a

great universal calamity, Dharmaja (the eldest of the Pandavas) appealed to

Krishna to go as an ambassador of peace to the Kauravas. Entering the audience

hall of Duryodhana, Krishna described at length the disastrous consequences of

war. The great Acharyas - Bhishma, Drona, Kripa and Aswathama - who were

present in the court, were intently listening to Krishna's words. But Krishna's

appeal was of no use to them. Because of their long association with the wicked

Kauravas, they became abettors in the crimes of Duryodhana and others. Vidura,

who was a witness to the evil that was being committed, resolved to oppose it.

He pleaded with the Kauravas in many ways to listen to the wise words of

Krishna. His appeal fell on deaf ears. Rather than stay amongst such

evil-minded persons, Vidura felt that it was better to go on a pilgrimage, and

left the country immediately. Bhishma, Drona and others, having been

beneficiaries of the sustenance provided by the wicked Kauravas, chose to be

loyal to them and stayed on. All of them were great preceptors. They knew well

the distinction between righteousness and evil. They had enquired into the

nature of the eternal and the permanent. Of what avail was all that knowledge?

When it came to practising what they knew, all their knowledge was of no use.

In the final outcome, all of them met with the same end in the great war as the

evil-minded Kauravas.

When the good are associated with the wicked and do not oppose them, they

share the responsibility for the deeds of the evil doers. The Divine destroys

even those who either do not oppose or remain passive while injustice and wrong

doing are perpetrated.

When evil thoughts fill the minds of people, no knowledge or skill is of any

avail. The failure to correct such evil-minded persons is a blot on the life of

the devout. (As a result, they also get tainted by the same evil). It is the

duty of all spiritually-minded persons to plunge into society, protest against

the evils rampant in it, and try to reform it to the extent possible. Here one

has to prepare to face any kind of crisis and meet any type of calumny.

However, one, who experiences the bliss of union with the Divine has the

strength of a thousand elephants.

Every country is a limb in the Body of God; He is conscious of the

slightest pain or sensation in the most distant part of creation, for that too

is His Body. He is Lokesha (the Lord of the Universe). He is the secret spring

within all activity. Have faith in this and cultivate broadest Love, towards

all. Earn artha (prosperity) adhering to dharma (righteousness). Let dharma

dominate artha and moksha (liberation) dominate kaama (carnal desire); then,

your life will be a success.

You should not attach so much importance to the language you speak. It is

the meaning that is important, the feelings you express, the behaviour you

adopt. The language of the heart is expressed through sympathy, kindness,

service, love. That language can be understood by every one, though the speaker

is dumb and the listener deaf.

The basic needs of human are mentioned in the prayer of the ancients: Asatho

maa sath gamaya, Thamaso maa jyothir gamaya, mrithyor maa amritham gamaya (Lead

me from unreal to real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality).

This prayer rises from every human being. This yearning has no connection with

the land of birth or the language spoken or the form of Divinity revered. It is

the cry of humanity everywhere, at all times.

The Upanishads, which are termed as Vedanta or the concluding part of the

Vedas, detail the method of achieving the Purushaarthas (four fold goal of

life): Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha. These can be achieved by one's own

efforts through Vidhya (acquisition of right knowledge), which is of two types:

one is Para Vidhya (the Higher Knowledge) and the other Apara Vidhya (lower

knowledge). Para Vidhya shows the way to Moksha (Liberation), while Apara

Vidhya deals with worldly pursuits.

The mind attracts many objects that it sees. It promotes a variety of

qualities, attitudes and attachments. Human has six different kinds of mind.

They are: (1) The Ordinary Mind; (2) The Super Mind; (3) The Higher Mind; (4)

The Illuminated Mind; (5) The Intuitive Mind; (6) The Over-mind or Beyond the

Mind.

The starting base for the six levels of minds is the ordinary mind. At the

summit level is the Over-mind. In the mental processes what goes on is an

ascent from the ordinary mind to the Over-mind as well as a descent from the

Over-mind to the lowest level. It is when the ascending process and the

descending process meet that there is fullness in the human being. (There is no

difference between one kind of consciousness and the other. All consciousness is

alike because it is a manifestation of Brahman. It is Brahman that has

manifested Itself as the Cosmos).

Mind is closely entwined with five sheaths which envelop human being: the

Annamaya Kosa (gross body), the Pranamaya Kosa (the vital sheath), the Manomaya

Kosa (the mental sheath), Vijnanamaya Kosa (the Super-intellectual Mind) and

Anandamaya Kosa (the sheath of bliss). The physical form is the gross body.

Thereafter we have the Pranamaya, Manomaya and Vijnanamaya Kosas (subtle bodies)

which together form the Lingaswarupa - the "Within Body" or the "Sense Body."

The Anandamaya Kosa has the "knowledge of the Real Self." There is an entity

which keeps under control the three subtle bodies - Pranamaya, Manomaya and

Vijnanamaya Kosas. Anandamaya Kosa is the Antharaatma (the Indwelling Spirit)

also known as the Chaitanya Purusha. The seat of the Chaitanya Purusha is

Hridaya Guhyam (a cave in the heart). This "heart" is the spiritual heart,

which is all-pervasive, all-knowing and boundless.

(The types of knowledge, kinds of mind and sheats are the one and the same in

all human beings, in spite of nationality, belief, age, etc).

The Atma (Spirit) when it is associated with the physical body is called

Annamaya Purusha. This is the state of ordinary consciousness. When the Atma is

associated with Pranamaya Kosa (the Vital Consciousness), then the Atma is known

as Pranaswarupa (Life Consciousness). When the Atma is associated with the

mental consciousness, it is known as Manopurusha. The fourth consciousness

transcends the human senses. It is called Atheetha Maanasatvam (Transcendental

Consciousness). The Vedas and Upanishads have described this state as Brihat

and Rita (Transcendental Consciousness). It transcends human limitations and

comes close to Divinity. It is called Super Mind. The Atma in this state is

called Vijnana Purusha. Above this state is the Anandamaya Purusha (the enjoyer

of Bliss). It is a state of Super-consciousness which expands in due course to

merge with the Universal Consciousness.

This all-pervading Universal Consciousness has been called Chith-Tapas. It

is the highest consciousness which encompasses all other levels of

consciousness and is the basis for all of them. That is the Suddha Satwa (the

all-effective Will), the Super Divine life. This is the Saitatwa (the Sai

Principle). The Suddha Satwa, which constitutes the Sai Principle, is

omnipotent. It is the embodiment of all powers. It should be everyone's aim to

strive to recognise this Supreme Principle.

One should manifest the Divine consciousness inherent in him/her and should

submit to that consciousness as a spiritual discipline. This is called

"Conscious Realisation of the Inner Divine." The realisation dawns: "All

this is contained in me." And then there is the consciousness, "I am the

Divine. The Divine is in me. I am Brahman. Brahman is myself. There is no

distinction between Brahman and me."

Years ago Swami told to students: "Do not walk in front of Me. I may not

follow you. Don't walk behind Me. I may not lead you. Walk beside Me and be My

friend." The inner meaning of this is that Divinity is omnipresent. Take the

Divine with you, wherever you go.

When you reach the supramental stages that can grasp (to some extent) the

relationship between the phenomenal Universe and the Divine. Every human being

should strive to progress towards the state which has been described by the

seers as Vijnanamaya Kosa (the Super-intellectual Mind).

Modern science is concerned with analysing physical objects, but the

Super-intellectual Mind is concerned with exploring the Supreme Reality - the

Omnipresent Cosmic Consciousness. This alone is true scientific enquiry. It is

from the the Super-intellectual Mind that one proceeds to the Anandamaya Kosa -

the state of Super Consciousness, of Total Bliss. That is the Universal

Consciousness which is present in everyone - the One in the Many. The Universal

Consciousness is the Sathyam (Truth). It is Jnanam (the Supreme Wisdom). It is

Anantham (Infinite). The whole cosmos has emanated from the Parabrahman,

(God, the Almighty, the Absolute, the Supreme Omni-Will, etc. the names are

many but meaning is the same). It appears as a material object. But from the

material, we should proceed to the spiritual - the Universal Cosmic

Consciousness. (Puffed up by ego, human loses all powers of discrimination

and forgets what is evanescent and what is permanent. Spirituality cannot be

understood as long as the ego is dominant).

 

Many sages and saints did penance for realising Divinity. They said, "We

have seen God Almighty." Where did they see Him? "We have seen God beyond the

darkness, of ignorance". This darkness is the identification of oneself with

the body and attachment to the senses. To realise the Inner Self one have to

transcend the body and obtain the skill to conscious realisation of the Inner

Divine. From ancient times, sages and saints enjoyed the experience of

communion with the Divine and gave expression to their experiences in different

ways. Such experiences are common to people of all faiths. The Lord's grace is

available in abundance everywhere. The Vedic injunctions have infinite

meaning. The Rishis have given to mankind the Eternal Truth which was revealed

to them. (The vibrations of their spiritual Sadhana have spread throughout the

Universe). This is Sathya Swarupa (Embodiment of Truth). It cannot change

according to time or place. It is beyond time and space; that is why it is

called the Transcendental Reality.

However, no one can at any time, anywhere completely grasp the nature of the

Divine. Speech and mind turn back without reaching to it, have declared in the

Upanishads. How can any one describe what is beyond thought and words?

How far are materialists or scientists qualified to make pronouncements

about spiritual matters? Even in the sphere of natural sciences, the expert in

chemistry cannot speak with authority on matters relating to physics. How can

those who have confined their studies to these sciences claim to pronounce

opinions on matters of the spirit? For instance, thanks to modern

technology, thousands of persons scattered all over the planet are able to

listen to radio broadcasts, or see television programmes or contact through

internet. But when we read in the Bhagavata that Sri Krishna appeared

simultaneously to the gopikas in thousands of homes, questions are asked

whether this is credible.

Manifestations of such devotion are beyond investigation and explanation.

Such experiences are beyond reason. There cannot be demonstrative proof for

every phenomenon. One cannot understand how another's devotion to God finds

expression.

If the all-pervasive Divine is received in the radio receiver of the heart

by tuning in with one-pointed devotion, the bliss of that experience will

reveal the nature of the Divine. People who question this power of mantras, are

prepared to believe in the power of machines. If man-made machines can be so

powerful, why doubt the power of mantras? (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai

Speaks. Vol. 2. "Start Sathsangha," Chapter 8; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 8.

"Eyelids and the pupil," Chapter 5; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 19. "Duty of

resistance to Adharma," Chapter 23; sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 21. "Ascent To The

Divine," Chapter 7; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 26. "Bhaarath's glorious Vedhic

heritage," Chapter 32).

Namaste - Reet