Pearls of Wisdom by Swami Kesavaiahji

[Guest guest]

(Pearls of Wisdom - is the title chosen to the collection of writings,

speeches and messages of His Holiness Swami Kesavaiahji dealing with his

Guru, Sri Sai Baba of Shridi, speanning a period of four decades of the

Swamijis Spiritual ministry of Sainath, we will try to publish a portion of

the book every day)

 

All the maladies arise because man does not shed, his ego, feels that his

body is everything. It is ego that creates this world with all its transient

joys and sorrows. The world is only a combination of different objects

perceived by the sense organs. It is the kaleidoscopic effect of one's own

mind and cravings of the senses. By self-introspection, one realises the

truth about the all-pervading, secondless and Absolute Self and in that

realisation the ego is destroyed, the world vanishes and indescribable

eternal Bliss and Peace , Suddha Chaitanya, follows. In truth, this is the

natural state of the " Self." All other states created by the mind and the

senses are illusory and delude the real nature of the " Self." There is no

such thing as realising the " Self." What a Guru does is only removal of the

veil of ignorance that regards the ego with all its myriad appearances and

feelings created by the mind and the senses as the real self. This done,

what remains is the Self Absolute, Real and Eternal. It is the Self that

existed, that exists and will exist for ever. The Self has no beginning and

no end. The Self is formless and is not limited by shape, time or space.

Mind, body and the world have no existence of their own devoid of the

"Self." They are like shadows. When there is self-awareness which is pure

consciousness, Suddha Chaitanya, all the hallucinations caused by Avidya ,

ignorance, with the help of the mind, body and the senses on the imaginary

screen called the world vanish automatically. The Self is beyond knowledge

and ignorance. Knowledge is only a means and not an end by itself-To get

over this illusion which is ever perplexing and bewildering, and to cross

the miserable and all consuming whirlpool of existence, Samsara, one should

get hold of a Guru as a person struggling for life and lost in an

unfathomable rough sea catches a raft. Though wave after wave of temptation

and delusion may try to upset him, every moment he should steadfastly stick

to his Guru as the drowning man hugs the raft without losing his hold on it

to save himself. Have firm belief in the Guru.

As long as a mirror is covered with dust and dirt, so long it cannot reflect

the Sun. Once the dust and dirt is scrubbed away, the Sun shines forth.

Similarly with our mind. As long as it is filled with evil thoughts and

insatiable desires, so long it cannot reflect the self within. Once we

cleanse our mind of all these ills and keep it pure, calm and serene,

wisdom, Gnana, shines forth, exhibiting the real self. He who sees Me in

every living creature and with pity feeds every creature, really feeds Me.

There is none dearer to Me than he. You should not harm any creature. You

should not be harsh to the poor and the forlorn. You should never despise

those maimed and suffering from loathsome diseases. See Me in all these. If

you do, you have no fear of births and deaths.