Sign and Symptom of Glory
Man has to journey over a road that is littered with pleasure and pain, grief and joy; this journey can be smooth only when he resorts to wisdom, devotion, and detachment as his equipment for the travails of travel. These are available to him in large measure provided he listens to the experience of his elders as written in scripture, or as related personally around him. He can also be acquainted with them provided he sits down silently for a while and watches the flow of events and the passage of the caravan of life.
The child rolls unconcerned in urine and feces because it is unaware of the dirt and the disgust; but as it grows in experience and wisdom, it learns that it is shameful and dangerous to grovel in dirt. Similarly, man in his ignorance rolls in sensory absurdities as he does not know any better. Later, however, if he fails to learn from [life’s] experiences and shy away from the nauseating habits and pursuits that demean his intelligence and powers of discrimination, he becomes the target of ridicule. Then he becomes a danger to himself and others.
The noun collects many adjectives, and the innocent individual gets many attributes attached to it, defacing purity. The [average] doctor is incapable of diagnosing illnesses—he can judge only the equilibrium between the three body humors of vata, pitta, and kapha (wind, bile, and phlegm) while the Divine Doctor, (Vaidhyo Narayano Harih) the expert in the inner sheaths of the individual—the vijnanamaya kosa, and annamaya kosa (wisdom and bliss)— is the only one that can distinguish between the gunas (qualities) and their influences on character and activity.
Merit is when you do good to another
Lately there is an enthusiasm to progress in the spiritual field and there by acquire mental peace; this is another evidence of the grace that the Avatar(divine incarnation) sheds. There is enormous interest, not only in India, but all over the world in the methods adopted by the rishis (sages) of this land [India] to acquire shanti (peace) through prema (love), yoga, dharma, and satya (communion with God, virtue, and truth). Ten or 15 years ago, attendance at discourses on religious subjects was very sparse with the presence of a mere handful of old men and women. But now, we see thousands and lakhs (millions) coming from long distances and sitting through long hours, eager and expectant! And a large majority of them are the youth! Indeed, the youth is eager to share the heritage of the past so that they may build a better future for themselves.
The word Hindu means those who keep away from a violent path and desist from injuring others. Hindu means: Hin (Hinsa—injury, violence) and dhu (dhura—away). The Shastras (Hindu scriptures) declare that the essence of all the 18 Puranas (other Hindu scriptures) so highly revered in India is: merit accrues when you do good to another, and sin is when you do evil to another. When you are fixed in this path, you will welcome all faiths and religions as kith and kin. All faiths attempt to train man along this path. Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jews, and Parsees all aspire to win the same illumination through the cleansing of the mind by means of good works. The seeds of all these are in the Sanathana Dharma (eternal dharmic path) of the Vedanta (concluding philosophical portion of sacred scriptures).
Just as the Congress [political party in India) has a number of splinter parties like the SSP, PSP, and even the Communist Party, so, too, other faiths are but the right, left, or center of the Sanathana Dharma of India. That dharma examines all possible approaches to the Divine and arranges them in the order in which they can be utilized by the aspirant according to the level of equipment and attainment. When a tree first shoots forth from the seed, it comes up with a stem and two incipient leaves. But later when it grows, the trunk is one and the branches are many. Each branch may be thick enough to be called a trunk, but one should not forget that the roots send food as sap through one single trunk. God, the same God, feeds the spiritual hunger of all nations and all faiths through the common sustenance of truth, virtue, humility, and sacrifice.
Vedic dharma is the grandfather of all religions
Last May, when I was in Bombay for the anniversary of the Dharmakshetra (Swami’s residence in Mumbai, India), we had a gathering of intellectuals at Dr. K. M. Munshi’s place,where several vice‑chancellors, doctors, advocates, and professors had gathered to meet Me. The meeting turned out to be a question and answer session, for about six hours!
One question was about this: the different faiths that drag men into diverse, divergent paths. I told them: No one knows exactly when the Vedas were collated in their present form. Bala Gangadhar Tilak [an Indian nationalist, teacher, and reformist] surmised that it must have happened about 13,000 years ago; others bring the date down to 6,000 years ago, but all are agreed that it was at least 4,000 years earlier! And Buddha is a historical figure who lived about 2,500 years ago. Christ was born 1969 years ago, and Islam was formed 600 years later. So chronologically as well as logically, the inference is correct, that the Vedic dharma is the grandfather, Buddhism is the son, Christianity the grandson, and Islam the great‑grandson. If there is any misunderstanding between them it is but a family affair. The ancestral property of all the co‑sharers is the same.
Another question was about the atom bombs, and whether India should not endeavor to acquire the same. I replied that it is no shame that we have not made one; it is a source of pride that we have not made one. We do not need one [atom bomb] to feel secure. The five Pandava brothers were led by the eldest of them, aptly named Dharmaraja, the upholder of righteousness. His brother Bhima was the mightiest warrior of those days, who used to wield a mace that shook the earth when he planted it on the ground. He wrestled with the gigantic Keechaka [demon] and slew him. He was unexcelled in intellectual and physical strength. Another brother, Arjuna, was the master bowman of the age, armed with some of the most potent arrows that the Gods themselves had bestowed on him in appreciation of his valor and his faith. But these two brothers acted as if they were but the limbs of the eldest brother; and they never deviated from the path of righteousness laid down by Dharmaraja.
Let ‘service’ be the slogan for this nation
I told that gathering that so long as India stuck to the path of dharma(righteousness), Russia, which is the Bhima of the day, and America, the Arjuna of the day, will revere this land and learn from it the means of securing mental peace and security as their present power and pride are the manifestations of an indwelling fear, an unallayed agony eating the vitals. The Pandavaswere, therefore, blessed by the Lord to come through all the travails that assailed them. The Pandavaswere so righteous that when they found that their enemies, the Kauravas, were kidnapped by the Gandharvatribe, they rushed to rescue them for they knew that there was no other way of getting them released. That is the role that you, too, should play. Service—let that be the slogan for this nation. Service not for those who have many to serve them and the wherewithal to help themselves, but for the diseased in the hospitals who have no one to nurse them; nourish them or give them a smile or a flower, or write a letter home for them.
Giving and sharing doubles the joy
One day when a number of sages met, they had a discussion on the code of conduct for women. Women who were present there desired to know the duties of the housewife. The women said that they felt the greatest ananda (happiness) when they gave away [things], and not when they received and accumulated! The happiest moments of motherhood are when a mother feeds her baby, her own essential self, at her breast, allowing it to imbibe her own health through its lips. Another woman said that she felt more joy when she served the dishes that she cooked to others—her husband, her children, and the guests—rather than when she partook of them herself. It is in giving that the joy lies, and not in receiving. No one can enjoy eating even the richest meal alone; sharing doubles the joy.
I want to tell you that the ananda (bliss) you derive from service is something you can never get through any other activity. The thrill that a kind word, a small gift, a good gesture, a sign of sympathy, or a sign of compassion can bring to a distressed heart is beyond description.
The Vedas (Hindu scriptures) teach man that all are kin and divine; they emphasize that God is love. It is to preserve and propagate this valuable heritage and save the world from the overwhelming waves of hatred and violence that the All India Prasanthi Vidwanmahasabha (the great assembly of vedic scholars) has been formed. It will instill reverence for the ancient temples of this land, wherefrom spiritual vibrations spread over the entire community. They were museums of art, promoters of poetry, schools of Vedic studies, integrators of caste and instruments of moral upliftment. The sabha[assembly] will endeavor to foster these activities and encourage other kindred organizations that foster the universal values of religion.
Today man is denying himself the boon of peace
Western countries describe peace as the interval between two wars, when vigorous efforts are made to avenge defeat, and consolidate the spoils of victory even as they prepare for the next round! That is no peace! When man thinks good, speaks good, and does good, shanti (peace) will ensue. In reality,man now speaks good, though he thinks and proposes to do evil! He ignores the principle of immortality that is his core, and the principle of love that is the life‑blood of the human community. He denies himself the boon of peace and rushes toward destruction. In destroying others, he destroys himself.
One can be at peace only by contemplating the beauty, majesty, and omnipresence of God. During the hour that you have been sitting here so tightly packed before Me , you have had no other thoughts. Make your heart a Prasanthi Nilayam (abode of supreme peace) by recollecting God’s glory, and of your being a sign and symptom of that glory. The minister was saying that he wishes to do something for the Nilayam. He said that he would personally approach his colleagues in the Ministry and see that the road to this place is improved soon. The body craves the comfort of a tarred road; but the heart prefers the road of purity and humility so that it may reach the goal of mergence with God. I am more interested in that road; I am not enthusiastic about the tarred road, for that would make the journey to this place easier but even the little discipline of slow, careful driving that is now imposed upon people coming here will disappear!
Learn to bear with some little difficulty while coming here. Life is not all-smooth riding. It is a series of ups and downs. Bharat [India] has taught and practiced the art of smooth travel for centuries. Learn that art and be at peace.
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Vol. 9
Being in the company of the holy is like the bit and bridle for the wanton steed, the anicut and canals for the raging flood. The value of holy places consists in just this; kindred spirits congregate there and contribute to the deepening of spiritual yearning. You can take sweet and sustaining counsel together in such places and strengthen your faith and devotion.
~Sathya Sai Baba
