Sathya Sai Vahini - Chapter 3

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Sathya Sai Vahini

 

Chapter 3

The One Alone

 

The very first experience in the history of Indian thought is the

thrill of wonder. This is expressed in the Rks or hymns found in Rig

Veda, the earliest revelations of the Bharathiya mind. The Rks are

all about the Gods or the Shining Ones (the Devas). Of these Devas,

there are many; Indra, Varuna, Mitra, Parjanya - these are the names

of a few. They appear in these Rks, one after the other. Of these,

Indra with the Thunderbolt (vajra) as his weapon is the chief. He is

the mighty One who confers rain upon the earth. Indra is called so,

since he is the Master of the Indriyas (the senses) of man, that is

to say, he is the Mind which handles the senses. He is also known as

Puruhutha - puru meaning 'often' and hutha, 'invited' - the entire

name meaning, 'the God who is most called upon'. The Mind (which is

identified with Indriyas, since it masters them) is also adored in

the Vedas as Rudra. The Mind contacts the objective world and

experiences it through the instrumentality of the five senses; this

aspect of the Mind is the Indra aspect. It has also another

capability. It can master the senses, and become aware of

the Universal Inner Truth of the multiplicity called the Objective

world. This aspect of the Mind is designated as 'Rudra'. This is the

reason why the Vedas describe Indra and Rudra as the One with two

names.

 

About the other Gods too, it is possible to quote many such

descriptions. Yet ultimately, all descriptions lead to the same

conclusion. The Rks adore Deities, first, as presiding over some

function or other; then, these latter get transformed into different

names and forms of the One God who has all the worlds in Itself, who

is the Witness, resident in all hearts, and who is the Sovereign of

all Creation. Gradually, all other meanings and reactions are

suppressed, as not relevant. For example, an element of fear is

associated with the deity, Varuna. The fear sprouts and spreads in

some Rks, but, soon, the wisdom of the Aryas (Noble seekers)

subjugates the fear. Many Rks are prayers to Varuna from people

afraid of being punished by Him for their sins. But, the idea of a

terrorising God cannot flourish on Indian Soil. Nor can many Gods of

many natures. Bharathiya culture and spiritual outlook upheld the One

God or Iswara.

 

Next, the Ekeswara! This axiom, that there can be only One and not

many, is current in India since very ancient times. Even in the

ancient Vedic and Samhitha literature, this faith is already evident

as an age-long belief.

 

But, the notion of a personal God struck the thinkers and

practitioners of this land as rather elementary, a kind of unripe

stage in spiritual progress. It did not satisfy their highest

aspirations. This attitude found in the revelations of rishis has not

been understood or appreciated by scholars and writers of other

countries who have studied and commented on the Vedas and affiliated

texts. They still dwell on the earlier belief in 'many gods' or the

later belief in 'one personal God'. Ignorance of this kind brings a

smile to the lips of the Hindu.

 

Really speaking, even those who learn in their mother's laps to put

faith in a God equipped with attributes, known by a name and having a

recognisable Form, have later to rise to a stage higher than this and

become aware of the One, that is spoken of as 'having many names and

many forms'. The sadhanas are directed to the realisation of this

Truth.

 

The One - in Him alone is all this flux, all this changing Cosmos,

established. He is the guide and guardian of every consciousness. All

such denotions touch only the fringe of the One. Westerners said that

the intelligence of man can succeed in this venture. But, the seekers

of this land showed a heroism that could not be measured or limited.

This is a fact that cannot but be accepted. Western Philosophers

renowned for their daring flights into the realms of the spirit have

shown only a tiny spark of this heroism; so, they are amazed at the

speculative and experiential heights reached by the sages of India.

This feeling of wonder has been charmingly expressed by Professor Max

Mueller. " Into whatever unknown realms of experience their causative

and positive inquiry led them, the Indian seekers ventured boldly

therein. They never hesitated to discard, for the sake of success in

this adventure,whatever they felt as an encumbrance. They were not

affected by fear of how others might judge them " . Max Mueller

exhorted people to involve themselves in Bharathiya Paramartha Vahini

(the Nectarine stream of the search for the Supreme, flowing in

India), for he felt the Indian sadhakas pursued the path of Right,

the path of Truth.

 

Ekam sath; vipraah bahudhaa vadanthi. (One alone is; the wise speak of

It as many). This indeed is most sublimely meaningful. This is the

basic truth behind the spiritual efforts of India since ages. And,

even the theistic principle and practice that will spread all over

the world with unprecedented benedictions in the coming years have as

their basis this great axiom laid down by the sages of India, long,

long ago.

 

Rks arose on various Deities and Divine Forces, because the rishis

knew that the " One that alone is " , can be cognised by each one only

from his own viewpoint, and that it is different for different

persons, depending on the stage reached in clarifying and purifying

the vision. They announced through that statement, their discovery

that the One is the subject which all the sages and saints, seers and

poets, hymnists and composers adored and praised in various

languages, during various moods, through various styles of

expression. Thus, from the declaration quoted above " Ekam sath;

vipraah bahudhaa vadanthi " , emerged consequences of the highest value

to the world. For example, many are surprised that India is the one

country where religious fanaticism is absent and no one

hinders or harms the religious observances of another. There are, in

this country, theists, atheists, dualists, non-dualists, monotheists,

and others; they all live together in peace and harmony, without

causing or suffering injury.

 

Materialists stood on the steps of temples (held sacred by Brahmins

and resorted to by them for worship) and defamed and denied God. They

called upon all to follow them. They declared that the idea of God is

but an insane fancy. They condemned God, scriptures, codes of

morality, righteousness and guiding principles and said that they

were all superstitions designed and developed for selfish

aggrandizement by the Brahmins. They roamed across the land and

propagated these conclusions. And, no one hindered them. Buddhism,

which systematically slighted Hindu rites and religious beliefs was

allowed to co-exist in an atmosphere of respect. The Jains too did

not accept the Vedas and the Vedic Gods. They asked in derision how

such Gods can exist and be believed in. Examples of the spirit of

tolerance rooted in the revelatory statement quoted above are

innumerable. Until the ravaging Muslims sprang on this country

no one in this land of Bharath knew what was meant by violence. It is

only when foreign hordes fell upon them and resorted to violence that

the people came to know how intolerant man can be.

 

Hindus helped Christians to build churches in India. They showed

readiness to co-operate with Christians; this is evident all over the

country. There was no bloodshed at any time in dealing with

Christians. The stream of thought directed to the supreme Truth would

not allow itself to be polluted by violence. To confirm this fact as

well as to understand the validity of this attitude requires clear

thinking and strength of intellect.

 

Buddhists who were the very first propagators of religion, spread

their faith by travelling over the world. That religion entered all

countries famed in those days as civilised. The monks who ventured

into those lands were tortured; hundreds were killed by imperial

decree. But, soon, good fortune smiled on Buddhism. Buddhism taught

that violence has to be eschewed. Buddha was accepted as a God, as

another Name for the One, which has many names, according to the

Vedic dictum, " Ekam sath, vipraah bahudhaa vadanthi " . He was Indra,

He was Rudra. That was the unifying effect of the basic revelation of

the sages. May this declaration be ever in the memory of man!

 

Bharathiyas, grown up in the culture of India, have deep faith in the

equality of all faiths. Whether it is Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam,

Zoroastrianism or Christianity, they believe that no one should talk

lightly of the worship of God. They believe that when any one talks

lightly on any One of the Names of God or any of the Forms of God whom

others adore, they are insulting the One God. This was the message

held forth by the Indian way of spiritual life. Those who have learnt

this truth and adhere to it are the real sons and daughters of India.

 

This Truth is beyond the grasp of all; not all can achieve this

knowledge: Who is the ruler of the Universe? Who is that stands

outside It and guides it? What is the cause of the existence of this

Cosmos? Whence did this originate? How did it happen? What caused this

existence? The Vedas have many Rks dealing with these mysteries.

Bharathiyas have probed into them.

 

Creation involves the putting together of substances; what is put

together must come apart, in course of time and get liberated. The

individual is created and so he has to disintegrate and die. Now, some

are born happy; some are enjoying healthy, happy lives. Some are born

miserable; others are born without hands or legs. Some are born

feeble-minded or as defectives. Who hurt them or injured them? God is

proclaimed as just and kind. It can be argued how such a God can ever

be so partial and prejudiced? How can such differential treatment

come into the Realm ruled by God? Such doubts are natural. But, the

vision of the sages of Bharath who moulded the thought of this land

revealed to them that God is not the cause of these differences; they

are the consequences of the acts indulged in by the individual in

lives previous to the present one. They result in happiness and

misery, health and handicaps.

 

Good and bad are self-made, the effects of what was done in previous

lives. Can the bodies of men and their conditions, the ups and downs

men meet in life, can they not be the accumulated result of hereditary

impacts and tendencies? There are two things that stand like parallel

lines before us, when we consider this subject, mental and material.

If satisfactory solutions can be found for the problems relating to

human nature and its special qualities in materialism, then there can

be no basis for believing that there is a factor called Atma or the

Soul! But, it is impossible to demonstrate that the capacity to

think, for example, has evolved out of the physical matter.

 

When an item of work is done again and again, it becomes a habit, a

skill; isn't it? Therefore, the skill or habit that a new-born

exhibits must be due to constant repetition indulged in long ago. Of

course, such practice must have taken place in a previous life or

many lives. So, it is necessary to posit the validity of the belief

in past and future lives, for all living beings. This is a basic

belief in Bharathiya spiritual thought.