Life 46 (Aug 23 - May 24)

[winston]

What do the Scriptures reveal about the nature of the Atma (Inner-Self)?

The Atma never undergoes modification; yet, it’s faster than the mind! That is the mystery and the miracle!

It appears to experience all states but it has no growth, decline or change. Though it is everywhere, it is not perceivable by the senses.

It is because of its underlying existence and ever-present immanence, that all growth, all activities and all changes take place.

Cause and effect, act and react, on account of the basic stratum of the Atmic reality! Why, the very word “Isa or Lord” carries this meaning.

The Atma is near and far, inside and outside, still and moving. He who knows this truth is worthy of the name jnani (spiritually wise). The ignorant can never grasp the fact of Atmic immanence.

Those who are conscious can see things and feel their presence. Those who have lost awareness will search for lost jewels, even though they actually wear them at the moment!

Though one may know all things, one conceives Atma in some unapproachable, unreachable place on account of loss of consciousness!

But a wise person, who is aware, sees Atma in all beings and sees all beings as Atma!

- Ch 2, Isavasya Upanishad, Upanishad Vahini.

As long as you think the Divine is present elsewhere, you cannot find Him. He is present in you. Make efforts to realise the indwelling Divinity.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What must we do to make the Divine Light of the Atma (Inner-Self) shine from within?

The universe is an instrument to reveal the majesty of the Divine. The inner firmament in the heart of man is also equally a revelation of His glory. He is the Breath of one’s breath.

Since He has no specific form, He cannot be indicated by words. Nor can His mystery be penetrated by other senses. He is beyond the reach of asceticism, beyond the bounds of rituals.

He can be known only by an intellect cleansed of all trace of attachment and hatred, of egotism, the sense of possession. Only spiritual wisdom can grant self-realisation.

Meditation can confer concentration of faculties; through that concentration, spiritual wisdom can be won, even while in the body.

The Brahman activates the body through the five vital airs (pranas). It condescends to reveal itself in that same body as soon as inner consciousness attains the requisite purity.

For, the Atma is immanent in the inner and outer senses, just as heat is in fuel and butter in milk.

Now, individual consciousness is like damp fuel, soaked in the foulness of sensory desires and disappointments. When the pool in the heart becomes clear of slimy overgrowth, Atma shines in its pristine splendour!

- Ch 4, Mundaka Upanishad, Upanishad Vahini.

If you lack purity of heart, you will not be able to understand the principle of Atma, irrespective of your educational qualifications.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Are we truly our senses and the mind or should we identify ourselves with something deeper?

The ear, skin, eye, tongue, nose — these five senses are able to cognise sound, touch, form, taste and smell respectively.

Objects of knowledge are cognised only through these five. The world is experienced through these instruments, which stand intermediate between the knower and the knowable.

The inner capacity to understand objects is named the mind (manas). The mind moves out through the senses and attaches itself to objects. At that time, by that very occurrence, the mind assumes the form of that object; this is called a function.

The mind is non-intelligent so its transformations and manipulations are also non-intelligent, non-vital.

A wooden doll has only the property of wood; a sugar doll, the property of sugar.

The unintelligent mind cannot achieve knowledge of the supreme Intelligence which pervades the Universe. Just as the unintelligent chariot is directed by a charioteer, a charioteer must direct the unintelligent mind, seated in the mind and having it as His vehicle.

The motive force that activates the inner instruments, the senses of action, the senses of knowledge, the five vital airs (pranas) — that force is the Divine!

- Ch 8, Kena Upanishad, Upanishad Vahini.

You have faith in the driver of your car, in the engineer who built your house. So too, believe in the Inner Motivator, the Atman (Inner-Self) within, the Voice of The Divine.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What are the two essential qualities that every one of us must strive to cultivate?

We must recover faith in the Divine and make devotion to Him, the sheet anchor of our lives.
Without devotion all our education is valueless.

Man needs primarily two qualities - Devotion to the Divine and the spirit of sacrifice. Without sacrifice, there can be no devotion. Sacrifice is the key to immortality.

Man is caught up in the coils of selfishness and self-centredness. How long will these attachments last?

Why sacrifice the lasting bliss of a divinely oriented life for the petty tinsel of worldly possessions? Devote yourselves to the service of mankind in a spirit of dedication and sublimate your lives.

Your job is no doubt important for earning a living. But you must be prepared even to sacrifice it for serving the nation and upholding Truth, with faith in Him.

All possessions and relationships are transient. Only two things are permanent: Righteousness and a good Name.

A good name is got only through one's good actions and not as a gift from others. Avoid everything evil and cultivate the company of the good, and be good in thought, word and deed.

- Divine Discourse, Oct 01, 1987.

Only the person who does self-sacrifice can acquire self-satisfaction.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What should we do to experience pure love in the present times?

In this Kaliyuga, the principle of Prema (Divine Love) is not easily seen.

It is smothered in jealousy, conceit, hatred, fear, falsehood and greed. That is why it is best referred to as the kalaha-yuga (the age of faction), marked by fights between mother and daughter, father and son, teacher and pupil, guru and guru, brother and brother.

The recitation of the name of the Divine, is the best method for cleansing the mind of all these evil impulses.

You may ask, "If we engage ourselves in this pastime, how can we earn our livelihood?". Well, let me assure you, if you have pure and steady faith in the Divine, He will provide for you, not merely food but the nectar of immortality.

You have that mighty potential in you, to discover the Divine within and compel Him to grant you that nectar!

- Divine Discourse, Aug 14, 1964.

The divine name saves and liberates! It is armour against the onslaughts of pride and self-pity.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the difference between the one who is attached to the physical and the one who has managed to break free from that bondage?

Analysing the value and relative importance of objects and powers, people must give up identification of the spiritual Self with the physical body and recognise their true Reality.

One who does this rises to the height of the noblest of people, laughing, playing and moving without regard to the needs or comforts of the body.

One who is body-bound is caught in worldly existence (samsara); for the one who is free from that bondage, their own true nature is their field of activity!

Wind, lightning and thunder, have no permanent existence. When the rainy season comes, they appear in the sky and get merged in it.

So too, the particularised individual (jivi) appears as separate for a specific time against the background of Brahman and gets merged in It at the end!

- Ch 9, Chandogya Upanishad, Upanishad Vahini.

Bondage lies in every act done with the consciousness of the body as the Self, for one is then the plaything of the senses.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Who are the friends we must welcome and foes we must drive out before the Divine is established firmly within us?

The mind hops from object to object with incredible speed. It rises to heights and drops to the depths with every wink of the eye. It hides, deludes and distorts.

One can subdue it through concentration only. The process can be practised in either of two directions A-rupa or Sa-rupa.

A-rupa means 'unbound' by form. One feels that he is not the doer or enjoyer; he’s only an agent of the Divine, a tool, an instrument. One is not affected, well or ill, when the act results in good or bad. One has no identity with the rupa (form or body).

Sa-rupa meditation gets lost in dualities of pleasure and pain, profit and loss, for it considers the name and form, the body and its activities as valid.

Similarly, man has the choice of two paths - Pravritti Marga (path of involvement) or Nivritti Marga (path of non-involvement).

When involved, man is confronted with six internal foes - lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride and hatred.

When non-involved, man is helped by six internal friends - sense control, mind control, fortitude, contentment, faith and equanimity.

The human body is deified as a temple, yes but foes must be evacuated and friends admitted before the Divine can establish itself there!

- Divine Discourse, May 06, 1983.

You may be a householder; you may be a student or a businessman. Whatever task you may be engaged in, keep your focus on your aim of knowing the Atma (Inner-Self).

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can we secure genuine knowledge and Divine Grace?

To secure the grace of the Divine, it is not necessary to seek knowledge, wealth, power or position.

Purity of mind alone is enough. Every cell of one's body will be filled with the Divine when He is worshipped with pure and single-minded devotion.

To the self-sacrificing devotee, the Divine will be Omnipresent. The Divine is ever ready to answer the prayers of the devotees. But what passes for ‘devotion’ nowadays, is only ‘deep ocean’ (submergence in the ocean of worldly life).

People talk about the Divine but are interested only in ‘deep wine’. They talk of compassion, but are concerned only with ‘fashion’. They mouth the word ‘cooperation’ but indulge only in ‘operation’.

Devotion has been reduced to a pompous show. True knowledge can come only when one is confronted with an extreme moral crisis. It is at times of such crisis that one thinks of the Divine and seeks divine help!

- Divine Discourse, Dec 31, 1983.

The Divine is in everyone. But to realise it, there is only one way. It is to cultivate intense love of Him.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How natural are our actions?

If love forms part of your nature, Satya or Truth will be present.

When your thoughts emanate from a mind purified by love, they will result in Dharma (Right Action).

When love becomes part of your experience, thoughts and actions, you get Shanti (Peace).

When we comprehend Love clearly, Ahimsa or non-violence will result automatically.

So love is the unseen undercurrent binding all the four values.

It can be summarised thus: Love plus thoughts is Satya; love plus feelings is Shanti; love plus action is Dharma and love plus understanding is Ahimsa.

Love is the common denominator for all these values. It is the form of the Divine, for He is love.

One who gives love is a man and one who fails to nourish this love is a beast.

Love or absence of love, makes one an animal, man or Divine.

The nurturing of love is possible only in a tender heart. Because of attachment to worldly objects, that tenderness is lost.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 25, 1985.

To foster love is the purpose of all spiritual endeavor.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the fundamental essence of the Scripture's wisdom that we must not lose sight of?

At present, since education has spread widely and since education has meant only book-learning, people have become cynical.

They doubt even the simplest statement and revel in wild discussions.

The exponents of our culture speak about the Divine being One and Only, of His Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence.

At the same time, they speak of rivalry between the various aspects of the Divine. Thus, they sow the seeds of doubt in men's hearts.

The Brahman principle, the Cosmic Atma, is known by different names and pictured with different forms like gold in a variety of jewels.

All is Brahman, Atma, OM. This Atma is the Divine Principle declares the Scriptures.

The Divine is Almighty. It is sacrilege to ascribe human weaknesses to Him.

Myths and legends about the mystery of Him contain symbolic meanings, which are ignored. They yield their inner truth only to those who seek.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 04, 1987.

Along with nourishing the scriptures, the nourishment of the welfare of the world, must also be undertaken.

Source: radiosai.org