Sathya Sai Vahini - Chapter 13

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Sathya Sai Vahini

 

Chapter 13

The Avatar as Guru

 

The Cosmos or Creation, Time, Karma or Activity - all these are

manifestations of the will of God and are bound to Him. They are

considered by some as 'false' and 'unreal'; but, how can God who is

the very embodiment of Sathya or Truth 'will' anything not true?

Therefore, it can be said that these two are true, in one way. When

evolution changes over into involution and the ultimate stage of

mergence of both the conscious and the unconscious is reached, Iswara

is the only One existent.

 

Time is the manifestation of the power of God, and so it has no end or

beginning which can be measured. Karma too is an important Truth to be

reckoned as such. Iswara is no wayward force, which is unmindful of

bounds and limits. He creates situations and environments strictly

according to the activities that men had engaged in during their

previous lives. The Creation, the Time and the Karma - all three are

true in Iswara and true along with Iswara. They are instruments which

He uses. They are bound to Him.

 

Iswara or God though not perceptible to the senses ordinarily, becomes

so perceptible to the devotee who has such deep attachment to Him that

he yearns to merge in Him. Why? Such devotees perceive God as clearly

as they perceive external objects. God or Iswara is said to be

Formless; that is to say, He can assume or adopt any form. He has

endless Forms. Then, in what Form does He grant the clear Vision to

the devotee? He manifests in the Form that the devotee yearns for,

the Form which will grant him the highest satisfaction. These Forms

are His Avatars. Iswara does not limit Himself when He thus

manifests; He is fully present in every such Avatar; He manifests

Himself with His full Glory in every Avatar.

 

It is said that there are some manifestations that are partial and

some others that are full, and some that are temporary and some that

are lasting. But, these are called Avatars only by courtesy. Narada,

Sanatkumara and other similar sages are referred to in some texts as

such Avatars. They have not got all the Divine characteristics.

Therefore, they are not worshipped.

 

The Jiva is by its very nature 'eternal and immortal'. It has no end

or beginning that can be calculated. It has neither birth nor death.

It is self-illuminating. It is the knower and the knowledge, the doer

and the enjoyer. Whether bound or liberated, the Jivi has all these

characteristics intact. But, whatever it is, it has not got the

Freedom that God has. In every act, the Jivi has to involve the body,

the senses like the ear etc., the vital airs that operate in the

body. All these co-exist with the Divine in the individual. Whatever

it is, the Jivi is not a machine that has no will of its own. Just as

the activities in this life are determined by the nature of the

activities in previous lives, the activities of this life do

determine the activities of the next life. Iswara decides the place

and time, the circumstance and the consequence in accordance with the

nature of the activities presently undertaken. God has the power to

shape the Nature of man but, He does not exercise that power and

mould it differently. He leaves it to the free will of the

individual, which has to learn the lesson by experience.

 

The flake of stone that is chipped off the rock is a part of the rock;

but, the individual is not a part of God like that. In one sense, Jivi

and Jagath are distinct and different from God. In another sense, they

are inseparable. This mystery of separateness and identity cannot be

grasped by means of reason and intellect. It can be understood only

through the Vedas and their Message. This is the main lesson that

Bharathiya Paramartha Vahini can instill.

 

Every child arrives into the world, bearing the burden of unrequited

consequences, accumulated in previous lives. It does not drop from the

lap of Nature, as a streak of lightning from the clouds. It is born in

this world in order to experience the beneficial and the malignant

consequences, that are the products of its own acts in past lives.

This is the explanation for the differences that are evident among

men. This is the principle of Karma.

 

Among men, each one is himself the cause of his fortune, good or bad.

He is himself the builder, the architect. Fate, destiny, pre-

determination, the Will of God, - every one of these explanations is

toppled by the principle of Karma. God and man can be reconciled and

affiliated only on the basis of this Sutra or principle of Karma.

When man realises that God has no share in causing his suffering and

that he is himself the sole cause, that no blame attaches to any

other person, that he is the initiator as well as the beneficiary -

the cause and the effect - of his acts, that he is free to shape his

future, then he approaches God with a firmer step and a clearer mind.

 

If at the present time, a man is afflicted by misfortune, it is

assuredly the result of acts done by him. Accordingly, man has to

believe that happiness and good fortune also lie in his own hands. If

he decides, happiness and good fortune can be gained by him.

 

If a person is pure in spirit now, he himself is the cause. Unless a

person yearns, he cannot earn. So, it is clear that the will inherent

in man is beyond all stages and conditions, all formations and

transformations. The freedom that it represents, is the result of his

past acts; it is powerful, infinitely fruitful and supreme.

 

The next problem is Mukthi or Liberation. The Atma is neither

masculine nor feminine; it is not possible to impose these

distinctions on It. They are merely physical attributes pertaining to

the body. When talking about the Atma, ideas, such as these, are but

signs of delusion. They are relevant only when the physical body is

under discussion. The discussion of 'age' is also a product of this

delusion. The Atma is eternal. This ageless Entity is ever One and

Only.

 

How did the Atma get incarnated? In the Sastras, there is just one

explanation. For all this encasement and bondage, there is only one

reason - Avidya, Absence of Right Awareness. Through Avidya, man gets

bound; so, wisdom is the cure. That alone can take him across. How can

this Awareness be accomplished?

 

There are three ways of acquiring it. The first is through Prema,

through Bhakthi, through worship of God in full devotion and

dedication, through loving service and adoration directed towards

every living being who is but a moving temple of God, for He resides

in each of them. The false knowledge, the Avidya can be scattered and

the bonds made to fall off; the individual will then be released.

 

There are two ideas about God described in the Sastras - the idea that

He is cognisable as having attributes and the idea that He is free

from all attributes and so cannot be described as thus and thus, that

is to say, the Saguna aspect and the Nirguna aspect. The Saguna God is

cognised as present everywhere, as the creator, sustainer and

destroyer, of everything and being, as the Father and Mother of the

Universe. Therefore, He is beyond and above all beings and things and

eternally distinct and different from man. It is said by upholders of

the Saguna aspect that the very cognition of this attributeful

principle brings about 'liberation' or Mukthi. Liberation is attained

when man establishes himself in this knowledge and lives in and

through it.

 

The second way is the contemplation on the attributeless Nirguna

principle. The truth that the ascription of attributes to the Divine

principle is undesirable and inappropriate is resalised during this

contemplation and the attributes are shed from the concept of God.

Then, the one Universal Attributeless person will alone remain in the

consciousness. It can be referred to as the Knower, the Jnatha. For,

Jnana or wisdom is relevant only in the context of the human mind and

human consciousness. It cannot be designated as the Inquirer, for,

inquiry is the mark of the weak. It cannot be related to the

Intelligence, for intelligence discriminates and the attempt to divide

and dissect is again the sign of unsteadiness. It cannot be designated

'the Creator', for creation is the activity of the bound, the limited.

It or He has no bonds or limits. Activity implies a wish, a want, a

desire; it does not originate from any other cause. All work has as

its base some inner pain which is sought to be alleviated.

 

In the Vedas, the Divine is spoken of only as 'That'. The reference is

always to 'That'. The word 'He' is susceptible of provoking ideas of

difference and so, the word 'That' is used, to indicate that it is

free from all limitations and bonds imposed by the ascription of

attributes. This is the essence of the philosophy of Non-dualism,

for, attributes divide and distinguish.

 

It is the inescapable destiny of every one to fulfil himself. Every

living being has to attain fullness in the end. Each one is at present

at a particular stage of this march, as a result of the activities

engaged in during previous lives and the feelings he entertained in

the past. The future is being built at present by the activities being

engaged in now and the feelings that urge and shape them. That is to

say, what we do, feel or think about, at present - these are the basic

reasons for the good fortune or bad fortune which is in store.

 

The prompting to save oneself and the power to pull oneself up into

liberation cannot be derived from books. This strength has to come

from the individual himself. One can spend an entire lifetime scanning

profoundly written books; one might earn the highest rank among

intellectuals. But, at the end of it all, one might not have attained

even some little progress in the spiritual field. To conclude that a

scholar who has reached the topmost height can therefore be considered

ripe in spiritual wisdom will prove to be a great mistake. The scholar

himself might imagine, as he learns more and more from books, that he

is progressing more and more on the spiritual path; but, when he

examines the fruit of his studies, he will recognise that though his

intellect has become sharper and heavier, he has not been acquiring

the awareness of the Atma to the slightest degree. Most people have

the skill to deliver wonderful discourses on spiritual subjects;

really speaking, every one has failed in living the life of the

spirit, the Paramarthika life. What exactly is the reason for this

sad state of affairs? Now, spiritual texts are studied to equip

oneself with scholarship in the competitive race for superiority, to

earn one's livelihood, to pose oneself as an undefeatable upholder of

some specific point of view, and generally, to earn a reputation as a

pundit. The scholar might write elaborate commentaries on the Gita.

But, as a result of all that study, if in his character, behaviour

and conduct, he does not prove that the Gita has soaked into him, all

that punditry is but a burden he is carrying around. This is the

lesson that Bharathiya culture tries to impress. The source from

which this lesson emerges is the Guru, the Purusha, latent in you.

The study of the scriptures and other texts can re-inforce the

spiritual urges already in man and induce him to practise

the precepts. Do not treat the learning you derive from them as so

much fodder for the brain. It must be sublimated into Ananda, for the

individual. Envy, pompousness, egoism - such evil traits have to be

driven out of the individual.

 

This spiritual treasure can be got from another too. Only, the giver

has to possess supreme attainment, and the recipient has to possess

the special merit that deserves the achievement. The seed may have

life in it; but the soil must be ploughed and made fit to activate

it. When both these conditions are satisfied, the harvest of

spiritual success is assured. He who instructs in the field of

religion has to be of enthralling excellence; the listener, too, has

to be of sharp and clear understanding. When both are surprisingly

supreme and extra-ordinarily enthusiastic, the result will be

spiritual awakening of the highest level. Or else, rarely can such

results follow. These are the real Gurus. They steal your hearts, not

your wealth. The people has to concentrate on service to the Guru,

and ruminate over his teachings. The pupil must be eager to translate

the teaching into daily activity and actual practices. He must fill

his heart with devotion and dedicate all his skill for the

actualisation of the Guru's counsel. Such a person deserves the name,

Sishya.

 

When the thirst for liberation and the revelation of one's reality is

acute, a strange and mysterious force in Nature will begin operating.

When the soil is ready, the seed appears from somewhere! The spiritual

Guru will be alerted and the thirst will get quenched. The receiving

individual has developed the power to attract the giver of

illumination. That power is strong and full. Therefore, naturally the

splendour that can confer the illumination will get ready to bless.

 

Readers! Though Gurus of the common type have increased in numbers,

there is available for man, a Guru far more supreme and far more

compassionate than any or all of them. He is no other than the Avatar

of the Lord. He can, by the mere expression of His Will confer on man

the highest consummation of spiritual life. He can gift it and get

man to accept it. Even the meanest of the mean can acquire the

highest wisdom, in a trice. He is the Guru of all Gurus. He is the

fullest embodiment of God as man. Man can cognise God only in the

human form. The Bharathiya Spiritual Stream has been declaring, over

and over again, that adoring God in the human form is the highest

duty of man. Unless God incarnates as man, man can never hope to see

God or listen to His Voice. Of course, man may picture God in various

other forms, but he can never approximate to the genuine form of God.

However much one may try, man cannot picture God in any form except

the human. People can pour out wonderful discourses and talks on God

and the nature and composition of all that exists in the Universe.

They may satisfy themselves, asserting that all accounts of God

descending in human form are meaningless myths. That is what the poor

ordinary eye can discern. This strange inference is not based on

Jnana. As a matter of fact, Jnana is absent in these assertions

and declarations. What we can notice in them is only the froth

floating on ego waves.

 

" Koham? Who am I? " , " Why this feeling in me, that I am the

doer? " , " What is the nature of consciousness that I am the

enjoyer? " , " Why be born, and die at last? " , " How did I deserve this

life? " , " Can I be liberated from this Samsar, this series of

entrances and exits " . The attempt to discover answers to these

questions is what the rishis of old designated as " Thapas " . When the

intellect of the individual ripens into this steady inquiry, he

enters the path of 'thapas'.

 

This is the first step. As soon as man has ascended this step, the

Sastras or the collective wisdom of seekers enshrined in sacred texts,

welcome him. The Sruthi, or the Vedas, directs him to 'listen,

ruminate, and practise' the axiomatic counsel of the sages. They

assure him that he will attain the goal of release, and free himself

from the delusive fascination for the visible world, portrayed for

him by his own mind.

 

The Divine alone can be the guide, the companion and counselor on this

lone journey of man. Those styled Gurus cannot help or rescue. The

Sruthis advise man to approach Gurus who are 'Srotriyas' and

'Brahma-nishtas'. They warn man against resorting to others. What does

Srotriya mean? It means a person who is unquestioningly loyal to the

Sruthis or Vedas and who adheres to the rules prescribed and the

limits imposed therein, without the slightest deviation. Brahma

Nishta means a person who is establised in Brahma-Consciousness. He

has no doubts to pester him, no diversion to distract him. For, he

has won steady faith in the Atma. He is unconcerned with the material

world. He sees all worlds as Brahma, as the manifestation of the

Brahma Principle. His activities and movements are in consonance with

this awareness. His vision encompasses all of Time; he knows the

past, the present and the future. He is beyond all characterisation;

the three (modes) do not affect him. He has his being in the One and

Only - the Atma. He is unaffected by distinctions and differences,

dualities and disparities. He is perpetually in Ananda.

 

The Vedas exhort the seeker to approach such a Guru. But, only one

Person has all these attributes. He is Sarveswara, the Lord of All.

Scholars who have learnt the truth or are proficient in principles are

not in the category of Srotriya and Brahmanishta. They are not the

Gurus you need.

 

The Yogavasistha says that Sri Ramachandra asked the sage Vasishtha

the question, " Divine Master! Is there a way by which death can be

avoided? " This same problem drove Gautama Buddha along the path of

renunciation, and forced him to give up all traces of attachment; it

showered on him eternal fame, as supreme among men. Prahlada,

foremost among the devotees of the Lord, addressed his fellow-pupils,

even as a boy, " Friends! Have you not observed some boys of our own

age fall dead and get burnt or buried? " Thus, he drew their attention

to the event of death and invited them to draw lessons from that

inevitable fact. He taught them the higher wisdom.

 

Those who have the inner urge to achieve the higher wisdom which

confers liberation have, therefore, to reflect upon and investigate

the phenomenon of death. Death should arouse no fear. It should not be

regarded as inauspicious. You should not run away from the problem,

imagining that death happens only to others, and that it will not

happen to you. Neither should you postpone reflections on death,

judging that they are inappropriate now, and profitless. For, inquiry

into death is really inquiry into one's own Reality. This truth has

to be recognised.

 

Viveka, the special gift to man, has to be employed to unravel the

reality of the visible Universe, its nature and validity. The fact of

death is the prime cause which originates the problem. " Who am I? " .

So, that fact ought not to be ignored, as unworthy of attention. You

should not flee from it in fear. For, if you behave so, you land

yourself on the first step towards Ajnana, stupidity, and plant in

your mind the seedling of the tree of foolishness. You prop up the

pillars of Maya.

 

Every mystery latent in human existence is entwined with the inquiry

into death. The glory and majesty of the Divine are fully revealed

only when death is investigated. Among the three boons that

Nachiketas asked for from Yama, the God of Death, the chief was,

according to the Kathopanishad, the one relating to death. " Does man

exist after death? Some persons declare that he does, some others

assert that he does not. Each argues as his fancy leads. Which of

these opinions is true? Solve this problem for me " pleaded

Nachiketas, and insisted on an answer. Yama tried to avoid his

pleading. He said, " Son! Nachiketas! This is an insoluble mystery.

The sacred texts treat it as subtler than the subtlest. I find it

impossible to make even the gods understand this phenomenon.

Nevertheless, you are craving for this boon! Why should you

be troubled by this problem? You are an innocent little boy. You

deserve to live long, enjoying many a happy event. I shall grant you,

as boon, enormous riches; accept them and lead a life of unexcelled

happiness. Ask for any quantity of material pleasure; they are yours.

Come! Ask and reach the height of joy. "

 

But, Nachiketas replied, " Dharmaraja! However vast the riches, however

pleasant the experiences they confer, they have to receive your impact

without a murmur? Nothing in creation can escape you, can they?

Everything is immersed in death. Why then should I aspire for items

that give only temporary relief? Grant me the boon on which my heart

is set " . In the Mahabharatha, Dharmaraja is asked to answer the

question, " Name the greatest marvel in the world " . And, Dharmaraja

replied, " Though we see every day people dying, we do not think we

would ourselves die. What can be a greater marvel than this? "

Similarly, Yajnavalkya, the famous sage, after deciding that he would

join the monastic order, called before him, his two wives - Katyayani

and Maitreyi, and informed them that he had partitioned his moveable

and immovable properties, equally, for both of them. On hearing this,

the elder wife, Maitreyi, who was endowed with a high level of

intelligence and insight, protested and said, with a smile on her

face, " Lord!, Can these riches you are handing over to me save me

from death and render me immortal? If you assure me that they will do

so, certainly I shall accept them, with due reverence to you. "

Yajnavalkya explained, " Riches make life pleasant and

delightful by the chances they give you to live happily. Do you say

that you do not need such valuable riches? " But, Maitreyi persisted.

She said, " If what you say is true, you could have continued enjoying

these riches and deriving happiness therefrom. Why have you decided

to give them up and become a monk? No. it is not proper to cheat us,

weak-minded women holding forth before us these delusive trinkets.

How can the riches, which you refuse to keep, give us peace and

happiness? These are temporary objects; they are liable to

destruction; they entangle us still further in bondage; they foster

the ignorance which we yearn to discard; they are the chief promoters

of anxiety and worry. They are basically polluted, since they are not

within the realm of the Atma. " When Maitreyi placed before him this

truth Yajnavalkya was silenced and, not knowing how to proceed, he

stood with his head bent before her. Then, Maitreyi fell at the feet

of her husband, and said, " Lord! You are the master of all mysteries.

You must have called us and placed before us this proposal, in order

to test our intelligence. I have no desire for luxury or even

comfort. I do not crave for riches and possessions. Instruct me,

about the path that can confer eternal Bliss " .

 

In fact, there is only One - the Parabrahma. The Advaitha Sastras

proclaim " Brahma sathyam; jagat Mithya; Jeevo Brahmaiva naaparam " .

" Brahman alone is true; Creation is a myth. The Jivi or the individual

is Brahma Itself " . All that happens in the world to man is as unreal

as the dream experience. They disappear, and appear again. The

pleasures and joys experienced in life are as mirages appearing on

the desert sands of hatred, envy and selfish greed. Now, how can

those persons who believe that this mirage is real and run towards

it, become Gurus? Will it be proper to address them as Jnanis, the

Wise? They are installed on high seats of illusory authority. They

teach what they do not practice. They hold forth ideals which they

themselves ignore. How can such persons be examples to seekers who

need spiritual progress? They are not genuine, for, they have not

even an iota of the Guru principle in them.

 

Sarveswara, or the Lord, alone, is the genuine Guru. For all seekers,

this is the path; let them hold fast to this faith.