Life 48 (Feb 25 - Dec 26)

[winston]

How can we ensure the fulfilment of this human life and its faculties?

Body, mind and spirit - these three together make up Man.

If only the body were to be considered, it would be akin to the existence of an animal.

The Mind raises man to the human state.

The spirit or Atma will elevate him to Divinity.

The three are intertwined and interdependent. Each promotes the other. Without the mind, the body cannot decide on any step. Mind and body have to subserve the spirit and become aware of the Atma (Divine Self).

Health is very important for a fully moral and disciplined life. The senses and the mind have to be controlled and regulated, so that man can experience the fullness of life.

The one who can command oneself, will alone have the right to command others.

Sense control in Sanskrit is called Dama. This Dama must be evident in every aspect of life while studying, eating, sleeping, playing games etc. This is what is called discipline. Without discipline, no activity can attain its fulfilment.

- Divine Discourse, Mar 23, 1984.

Removal of immorality is the only way to immortality.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Which is the faculty the young and educated must employ for a balanced life?

Young people in their tender years, tend to follow the inclinations of the mind. They do not rise to the level of their intelligence.

Consequently, they are subject to various agitations and frustrations. They have, therefore, to learn to use their powers of discrimination.

"I am a human being. In this condition, how should I conduct myself so that I may win the respect and regard of others?"

These are the questions which each student must ask himself. He should enquire on every occasion as to what is the right course and what is to be avoided.

He should decide on what he should do and where he should go after due enquiry.

Having acquired knowledge, he should not behave like an illiterate and uneducated person. His conduct should be in keeping with his learning.

Humility is the index of true education. Without humility, scholarship will lack lustre.

Discrimination is essential for every student and educated man.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 16, 1988.

Work with discrimination, worship with awareness.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

To enjoy the bliss and to ensure we reach the destination of life, what should we use as the compass?

Dharma (the code of righteousness) lays down for men a regulatory path.

Like the effulgence of the rays of the Sun, Dharma illumines the paths which men should follow for the welfare and progress of society.

Among the laws of Dharma, Nyayam (fairness) is the most important.

Rectitude means that one should earn his living by just means and be an example to others by fair and just living.

Justness consists in making no difference between oneself and others. Whatever may happen to oneself or one's relations, whatever difficulties one may have to face, one should not swerve from the path of rectitude.

Justness is like the mariner's compass. In whatever way you put it, the needle will point only towards the North.

Similarly, justness reveals the Divinity in man and makes him enjoy the bliss of the Divine.

Hence, the ideal human life should be one in which rectitude forms the basis for every action.

- Divine Discourse, May 14, 1984.

Dharma is the boundary, the limit that intelligence lays down for the passion, emotions, and impulses of man!

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the one practice we must strictly avoid if we wish to lead a spiritual life?

Do not allow the mind to dwell on the faults and vices of others; it will be contaminated thereby.

Fix it on the fairness and virtues of others; it will be sanctified thereby.

During moments of emotional frenzy, you set aside your real nature and you indulge in abusing others or wish that they come to harm or exult over their distress.

Such evil thoughts get implanted in your own minds and grow wild, leading to distress and dishonour in return in your own life.

Why worry about others? Speak to them if you like them. If you do not like them, leave them alone.

Why seek faults in them and talk ill of them? To do so is to invite spiritual downfall.

Such people lose all the gains they hope to secure by japa, puja, dhyana, or darshan (repetition of the Divine's Name, ritual worship, meditation and divine vision).

They will remain bitter despite all these sadhanas (spiritual disciplines), like the bitter gourd which a pilgrim carried with him, intending to make it sweet by dipping it in holy waters.

- Divine Discourse, Feb 29, 1984.

It is enough if you search and discover one fault of yours - that is better than discovering tens of hundreds of faults in others.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is it pointless trying to understand the Divine? What must we do instead in this quest?

The aspirant must not exult when his happiness is promoted, nor be disheartened when misery becomes his lot.

"Thy will, not mine" shall be his constant assertion to himself.

Few seekers seek to unravel the intention of the Divine, to tread the path that leads to Him and to follow the ideals He lays down.

They follow their own instincts and judgements and get distress and despair as reward. They are not aware of the sacrilege they commit.

They proclaim that He is the inner motivator and that He is present everywhere but behave as if He is absent in places they do not like Him to be.

They fritter away precious time in dry discussions and controversies about Him.

Each one can explore the truth of the Divine and delve into His mystery only as far as their moral, intellectual and mental capacities permit.

One can collect from the ocean only as much water as one’s vessel holds. He is immeasurably vast; He is beyond the reach of the most daring imagination!

A pupil of a particular standard in school has to study the texts prescribed for pupils of that level of intelligence.

- Divine Discourse, Feb 29, 1984.

He can be known only by an intellect that has been cleansed of all traces of attachment and hatred, of egotism and the sense of possession.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can we tame the mind and take it along in this spiritual journey?

The mind moves only towards the right and the pure, of its own accord; but the senses and the outer world drag it towards the wrong and the impure.

The white cloth gets dirty and when the dirt is removed, it regains its whiteness.

Note down all the things for which you cried so far. You will find that you have craved only for paltry things, for momentary distinctions, for fleeting fame; you should cry only for the Divine, for your own cleansing and consummation.

You should weep, wailing for the six cobras that sheltered themselves in your mind, poisoning it with their venom: Lust, Anger, Greed, Attachment, Pride and Malice.

Quieten them as the snake charmer does with his swaying flute. The music that can tame them is the singing aloud of the Name of the Divine.

And when they are too intoxicated to move and harm, catch them by the neck and pull out their fangs as the charmer does.

Thereafter, they can be your playthings; you can handle them as you please.

When these are laid low, you will gain equanimity. You will be unaffected by honour or dishonour, profit or loss, joy or grief!

- Divine Discourse, Mar 26, 1968.

You must be resolute in striving to achieve what you aim at. Only then will your devotion and discipline bear fruit.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is it not enough to pursue only worldly knowledge and skills?

There are in the world various kinds of subjects for which knowledge is available - knowledge of music, literature, art, sculpture, economics, politics and the like.

All these are only components of worldly knowledge, knowledge relating to the phenomenal world.

All worldly knowledge can help to increase one's comforts but will not contribute to his mukti (liberation).

However much we may acquire control over material conditions, this will not serve to produce peace of mind or the bliss of the soul. In a sense, the more the worldly knowledge, the less likely one is to have mental peace.

Worldly knowledge is no doubt necessary. But it is not the be-all and end-all.

Many great kings in the past, who had ruled over vast empires and enjoyed every kind of pleasure, chose at the close of their lives to renounce everything for the sake of realising spiritual peace.

"Whatever is perceptible is perishable." In the pursuit of fleeting and impermanent pleasures, we are throwing away the permanent, the unchanging and the real elements in human life.

- Divine Discourse, Mar 17, 1983.

It is very necessary that you recognise that real education means the development of character.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

We often hear that equanimity is the sign of spiritual progress and attainment. What is this state of equanimity truly?

Yoga means union, the union of the self with its source. "Equal-mindedness" is what yoga means, says the Scriptures.

We can distinguish five fields in the attainment of this "Equal-Mindedness":-

(1) The field of naturally occurring ups and downs :

One has to welcome both summer and winter, for they are both essential for the process of living. The alternation of seasons toughens and sweetens us.

Birth and death are both natural events. We cannot discover the reason for either birth or death. They simply happen.

We try to blame some person or some incident for the injury or loss we suffer but the real reason is our own karma (action). When the background of the event is known, the impact can be lessened or even negated.

(2) The field of social ups and downs:

One must welcome with equal-mindedness fame and blame, respect and ridicule, profit and loss and other such responses and reactions from society, in which one grows and struggles.

Fortune is as much a challenge to one's equanimity as misfortune!

- Divine Discourse, Sep 07, 1985.

Balance, that is equipoise in praise or censure, is very important. For balance, skill is necessary. For skill, knowledge is necessary.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What are the other forms of equal-mindedness to be practiced?

The five fields in which Equal-Mindedness is to be attained:-

(3) The field of knowledge with its ups and downs:

Until the summit of knowledge, where from one experiences the One which has become this vast make-believe, is attained there are many temptations and obstacles that lead the seeker astray.

The student is inclined to give up the climb altogether when he feels exhausted or when he feels that he has reached the summit. The Scripture defines a Pandit or learned man as a Samadarshi, he who has gained the awareness of the same One in all beings.

The Jnani has gained Samatva when he is convinced of the One being the Truth of all and when his thoughts, words and deeds, are guided by that conviction.


(4) The field of devotion with its ups and downs:

Here too there is a great deal of fanaticism, prejudice and persecution, which arise out of ignorance of the One, the sameness of the Divine whom all adore, through various rites and rituals, modes and methods.

There is only One Divine and He is Omnipresent!

- Divine Discourse, Sep 07, 1985.

Equanimity in Devotion consists in the realisation of the truth that the Divine pervades the entire universe and that He is everything, the refuge for all.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Which is the fifth form of Samatvam (Equal-Mindedness) to be practiced?

The five fields in which Samatvam is to be attained

(5) The field of activity (Karma) with its ups and downs must be sanctified by divinising the purpose.

When work is sublimated into worship, defeat and disappointment, will not dishearten. Then, success will not promote pride; it will lead to humility and gratitude for grace.

Work performed as duty, as due from us to society, brings the reward of joy, for we have utilised the knowledge and skill endowed by the Divine through society, for serving society itself.

It is the awareness of the unity of the river and the sea, the individual self with Omniself, the Atma with Paramatma. Reaching the Source is the Destiny; the desire to flow steadily and straight towards the Source is devotion.

The pang of separation, agony arising from neglect, yearning to overcome obstacles, joy of contemplation, ecstasy of self-annihilation - these add up to the supreme identification.

- Divine Discourse, Sep 07, 1985.

It is necessary to recognise the truth that happiness is contained in sorrow and sorrow is contained in happiness. It will be possible for us to have an equal attitude to both when we recognise this truth.

Source: radiosai.org