Bliss is Within

 

By

 

Sri Swami Chidananda

 

 

A DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY PUBLICATION

 

First Edition: 1991
(3,000 copies)

World Wide Web (WWW) Edition : 2000

WWW site: http://www.dlshq.org/

 

This WWW reprint is for free distribution

 

© The Divine Life Trust Society

 

ISBN 81-7052-091-6

 

Published By
THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
P.O. Shivanandanagar—249 192
Distt. Tehri-Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh,
Himalayas, India.

Contents

Publishers’ Note

Sri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj has been giving innumerable talks during his extensive tours both in India and abroad. Only some of them are available to us in the form of recorded cassettes; out of which only a small percentage have been transcribed, edited and printed. Swamiji’s lectures are simple, lucid, inspiring, absolutely practical and universal in nature. To ensure that his inspiring and life-transforming talks reach a maximum number of spiritual seekers and that this treasure is not lost to posterity, a systematic effort is needed to get them transcribed, properly edited and printed.

We have great pleasure in bringing out twenty-five lectures by Sri Swami Chidanandaji and releasing the volume “Bliss Is Within” on the eve of his Amrita Mahotsava (75th Birth-Anniversary) which falls on 24th September, 1991.

23rd September, 1991 

THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY

Spiritual Life: Its Relevance in the Modern Age

What is the necessity and the relevance of spiritual life? This question is often put by sophisticated, educated modern man who considers the concept of spiritual life as being something ancient, something old, something which has lost its relevance now. Once upon a time it might have been a fashion and trend, the order of the day, but now centuries have passed, man has advanced, times have changed and therefore, this seems to be an old concept of some other age of the mythological times of Puranas (scriptures). How can it have any place, how can it hold any meaning in our lives today? So this is the doubt, a sort of an inner thought in this sophisticated and scientific age, when man has conquered time and distance. You sit and dial your telephone, you are able to talk to your daughter or son or brother in New York. So space is as good as not being there. 500 years ago, if we, who were in India, wanted to talk to someone who was in New York, there was no possibility unless perhaps we undertook a hazardous voyage, taking about two months to reach that place. Now it does not take even two minutes. That is our age and what can spirituality have to do with man’s life?

My attempt will be to try to focus your attention on the fact that spiritual life has not only a relevance, it is not only necessary, but it is absolutely indispensable and it is the very central meaning of human life. In spite of man having advanced a great deal during recent centuries, having come far, far away from the state of life in which his ancestors and forefathers lived, yet he has left many of the problems that face man in bygone millenniums still unsolved. And so spiritual life is the one and only solution to all mankind’s unsolved problems that have accompanied him down millennium.

Other problems man has created for himself but even without having created any problems, certain fundamental problems always existed since the dawn of creation: the problem of old age, disease, death, pain and suffering, the problem of sorrows of human life. It is here today, it was there when man was living in the stone age. His life was in no way different from the lives of common animals. For all animals their life is a struggle for existence, a struggle for survival and for man in bygone, pre-historic times of the stone age, life started with the same problem. It may be ironical that with the sudden turn of time and the discovery of man’s ability to harness nature, coming of the age of science, industrial revolution, within the past three or four centuries, man has made amazing strides. He has conquered physical nature, harnessed all the resources and forces of nature to his advantage and provided himself all the comforts and conveniences.

Jungles have been converted into cities and night has been converted into day. We have conquered time, distance and air. We go under the water faster than the fastest submarine animal created by God; we are able to fly in the air faster than any bird created by Brahma. We have outdistanced the fleetest animal upon the surface of the earth and vast knowledge has been accumulated.

There are thousands of libraries with millions of books, universities galore and colleges without number and education has spread all over the world. And in spite of all this advancement it is the most ironical fact that today human society in this world lives in a fear psychosis. The great commercial product making billions for the producers are sedatives and tranquilizers because the modern man is an anxiety-laden creature. The world is filled with problems, complexities, and there is such a great state of worry, fear and uncertainty that man has become compelled to take recourse to medicine to calm his mind. Alien excitement somehow or other gives him a little bit of stability and he lives in fear. You are fortunate in India that fear has not yet come. It is slowly coming but yet it is not come in its full course. But in the West, both sides of the Atlantic, you cannot imagine, unless you have had occasion to go there and stay for some time. Those of you who have been there know what it is. Their one great fear is the question, ‘will we survive’? Has man a future or are we on the brink of global destruction, suicide, because man has accumulated due to advancement in science such unbelievable destructive potential. They say that the stockpile of nuclear weaponry in the arsenal of Russia and America is enough to completely wipe out everything that is on the surface of the earth nine or ten times over. And yet they are not stopping the race of piling up. Naturally when both sides know that the other side has the potential to totally bring about destruction upon us, they live with this question hanging over their heads: Have we a future? Will mankind survive?

The problem that faced our pre-historic stone-age ancestors, the problem of survival, has now come back to confront modern mankind after so much of progress, and accumulation of knowledge. What is the reason for this? Why is not mankind better off than it was before in the real sense of the term? We are better off in certain ways. We have more comforts. We can live life with greater ease, less exertion and if that is interpreted, as a better state of life then we are vastly better off than our ancients. But in spite of so much knowledge, so much of progress which man insists upon calling civilisation, why does the world confront this situation? When mankind is pitted against mankind, everywhere there is hostility and hatred, clash and conflict, restlessness. No one believes or trusts another and there is disharmony. Human beings are rent into separate parties and everywhere there is violence and destruction. Can you call this real civilisation? What is the reason for this? Where has man lost his way? We cannot say that the scientific knowledge, technology, advancement, discoveries and inventions by themselves have brought mankind to the situation that prevails today. We cannot say so because knowledge is only accumulation of information and facts. The forces that man has learnt to harness are amoral. They are neither good nor bad. They are just there. They are neutral because they by themselves do not have the ability to cause any experience to man. They cannot destroy because they are inert things. Therefore, we cannot say that by themselves they constitute the present problem of mankind. It is the way in which they are applied, in which they are used, that decides whether they are a menace to mankind or a boon and a blessing.

If today these discoveries have become a curse to mankind, they threaten his very existence, like the monster created by Frankenstein was about to destroy its own creator, it is because of the way in which man, the conscious entity, has chosen to use them. They become destructive according to whether you are going to use them negatively or positively. And today it seems that in spite of man’s knowledge, education and outer refinement; there seems to be some fundamental malaise in man. He is sick. Some great error has been committed that has brought him to make use of these forces and powers to cause widespread pain and destruction.

In this century itself, in the brief space of one generation, less than 25 years, two great global conflicts took place. Never in the history of mankind was so much death and destruction brought down upon human society as in these two great wars. Perhaps if we statistically try to find out, count the heads that rolled in all the wars since recorded history, may be the amount of destruction, of death and havoc that was created during the first world war and the second world war, would far outbeat the entire total. How do you explain this? If man has been civilised, he has progressed, should he not become better and better? Should he not create a world where there is peace, where there is happiness, where man is able to live without fear, where there is amity between man and man, mutual cooperation, harmony, a feeling of unity and brotherhood? Should not this characterise real civilisation, real progress? Ponder over this phenomenon, which is current history, known to each and every one of you. If you ponder, then the question arises, what was the mistake of man? I shall try to tell you both in a single phrase and also a little descriptively.

In a single phrase, man has totally ignored the nature of the human being, totally ignored the spiritual dimension in his personality and totally neglected to cultivate the spiritual aspect of human life. To put the same thing in a little descriptive way, man brought about a wonderful, amazing marvellous and admirable transformation in his outer environment; but never paid any attention to his own cultivation. So many fields of knowledge were brought about, cultivated and evolved but human culture was totally neglected. The great blunder which man committed was to take a purely materialistic view of the human being. They looked upon man as a physical and psychological creature, just a biological being endowed with thinking, feeling and reasoning faculty and they said if you cater to the needs of the body and mind of man, that is all there is to it, you have done your duty. That is the whole of the cultivation of the human being and therefore this materialistic view of the human individual led people to evolve social theories and political philosophies that were oriented to bring about a state of well-being of the physical man and the psychological man. So the state thought that it is its duty to look after its citizens, provide every facility for the comfortable physical life of man—food, clothing, employment, housing, medical aid, education—everything. They thought this is the complete way of providing for the highest welfare of human society and it is here that they grossly erred.

The vision of the Indian seers and sages had a totally different view of man. They knew by experience that man was endowed with a third and a higher factor which was in fact its true identity. The physical and the psychological aspect of the human individual, they said, is not the real nature of man. It is here, it has to be recognised, it has to be provided for, but not at the neglect of its true Self. In their experience man’s personality was a mysterious combination of the three Gunas. At the basic level is man’s gross animal nature. Physically and biologically there is absolute identity in all processes that take place either in man’s body or in the body of any other animal. At a higher plane we are endowed with an exceptional-faculty which makes us different from animals. We have thinking, feeling and reasoning faculties. We can observe, we can come to conclusions, infer new knowledge, expand in wisdom, we can know, we can reason and we have the faculty of logic and rationality which animals do not possess. The modern mankind, the thinkers, the leaders, committed the gross error of concluding that these two make up the entire man and just because he is endowed with intellect and the power to feel, reason and think, he is superior to animals.

Our law givers, our great sages, had a different view. They said that by virtue of being endowed with a power of thought, feeling and reasoning alone, man is in no way superior to animals. These faculties only make man different from animals, not superior. They clearly said that unless man is endowed with Sadachara (good conduct), virtue and Dharma, this very intellect may become a curse, may be the cause of his downfall, it may degrade him into levels much lower even than animals. Man is turned not only to an animal but even into a demoniacal being, an Asura. And therefore, he becomes a curse to society, instead of a blessing.

Hence, the cultivation of the higher nature of man, bringing about in the mind, in his feelings, in his thoughts, in his intellect, divine qualities, righteous tendency. This was considered to be one of the most essential and indispensable parts of the training of man, and even this is not enough. Beyond this there lies within man the third factor, the divine principle, which is the innermost truth, of the human being. It is the combination of these prime factors, gross, physical, animal, biological nature, a higher, comparatively, relatively subtle thinking, feeling, reasoning human nature and beyond it, within himself, as the very centre of his being, in a radiant divine nature that is dormant. Because man’s whole attention is projected outside, towards this gross world of names and forms, his gaze has been turned away from him. Therefore he is not aware of his inner divinity. Deep within himself each human being is potentially divine. He is part of God. There is, as the Quakers in the West say, “that of God in man”.

This concept is one of the basic and fundamental concepts in all religions of mankind. In Islam they say there is the Noor (light) of Allah in Admi (man). Christianity says as also Judaism that God created man in His own image and then after creating him He breathed His spirit into him.

Therefore the spirit of God indwells man as the innermost reality in him. And the essence of education is to try to bring about in the psychological man nobility. The essence of living a true life is the awakening of the sleeping and slumbering divinity which is the reality of man and doing all that one can in order to bring about its fullest unfoldment and development and its dynamic expression in human life. This is real life.

God’s plan for man was not just endowing man with a comfortable material life. Then we would only be well fed, well clothed, well housed, academically degreed animals capable only of functioning upon the animal level. What is it that distinguishes man? The ability to be compassionate, the ability to feel for the joys and sufferings of others, the ability to wish to ameliorate the sorrows and troubles of others. Animals, instinct-bound, instinct-propelled, are able to live for themselves. Man is the unique creature, a unique animal in God’s creation who can think of others, who can try to live for others and therefore they said the greatest Dharma of man is Paropakara (doing good to others). Living for oneself, every bird and beast does. If, while you live for yourself, you also start living for others, wanting to make others happy, then you become human, because this is the essence of humaneness. Understanding that what is unpleasant and painful to you is unpleasant and painful to others also, live in such a way that you do not give such experience to others. Knowing also that these things which give you joy, happiness and satisfaction, must similarly give joy and happiness to others, engage yourself in doing such things that bring about these similar experiences to others.

This constitutes the essence of Dharma and the essence of life. God’s plan for us is to bring about the fullest unfoldment and expression of that divinity so that ultimately a stage is reached when man’s consciousness becomes totally transformed and he becomes fully aware of himself. The transformation of human consciousness into divine consciousness is God’s plan for man on earth and this plan is called evolution. Biologically the Western scientist may say that the human being is now at the very pinnacle of evolution. He has completed and come to the top of evolution but spiritually we have another view. We think the moment a Jivatma (individual soul) attains human status, from that point only, his evolution commences. The process of evolution commences from the moment you reach the human status, because then only you become endowed with the ability of conscious effort. Until that in all the sub-human levels it is automatic switching on from one stage to a higher stage. There is no conscious effort in them. They cannot live in an intelligent way, choosing goals and purposefully trying to move towards the goal.

According to the spiritual point of view human society is at the lowest rung of the ladder of evolution. Biologically you may be in the highest rung but spiritually you are in the lowest rung and life in the true sense of the term constitutes an ascent towards divinity. And it is when this ascent towards divinity, this conscious and purposeful ascent towards divinity is present in the life of man, he lives. Otherwise it is merely an anomaly of living. There is no life. Your body may be very active and psychologically your mind and intellect may be very active but you are still sleeping. Life has not started. Life is that where spiritually man has begun to become active, spiritually man has developed an awareness that ‘I am inside a spiritual being and I must make use of this phenomenon called life in order to bring about the development of my spiritual self’.

This was totally neglected through the materialistic view of the human personality. The entire Western social and political philosophy is geared to providing man the necessities for his physical and psychological personality levels and the spirit has become totally neglected. That is the grave blunder committed and man is paying for it. It is only when thinking men and women become aware that this is the great error, that you can make it a part of your life’s mission to try to spread this awareness within your own circles in the widest possible way that you can.

Supposing among you there are school teachers, members of clubs, journalists and writers, you can make use of your ability, your position,—in order to bring about this awareness. The only solution for the present crisis that grips the entire human world in this 20th century is to rectify this error. Try to bring about an active spiritual life in man so that the higher self of man develops. Now man is totally enslaved, he is under the control of the lower propensities and the whole life-style of man everywhere is only to stoke up and excite more and more gross propensities of man. It only makes the problem still worse. He becomes completely enslaved by his lower propensities of passion, anger, greed and sensuality and whatever little education he may have, this modern life-style totally nullifies and makes man an animal in human form. His  (outer appearance) may be human but his Prakriti (nature) becomes animal. That is a very serious situation; thinking men and women must try to do all they can to bring a halt to this state of affairs. Club together, come together, form a sort of a strong body, and try to make your voice heard wherever it is necessary.

What is there in the educational system of our country which is completely career-oriented? Just in order to either make man fit for earning his livelihood and make a living, not to live life but to make a living or in order to provide personnel to the great industries and commercial concerns. They are not aware of their own mission in life, their inner spiritual nature and they are not so much concerned about their ultimate welfare. They want to provide for themselves their needs; so education has become a mere farce. There is no cultivation of character, there is no cultivation of human personality. Such education makes man only a self-centred, competitive being, a machine to earn the money, but not a being who can by his life, by his behaviour, raise the level of contemporary social life, enrich the social life stream, its beauty, virtue, and goodness. It is only when this is rectified that man begins to lead a life where spiritual Sadhana is an indispensable part of living. Everyday he begins to dwell upon his own higher nature and begins to try to awaken the inner spiritual consciousness and try to cultivate those qualities which are characteristic of divinity, love, compassion, kindness, peace, knowledge, harmony, unity. These are all the constituents of the spiritual nature of man.

God is love, God is peace, God is beauty, God is all purity, God is wisdom, God is supreme harmony, God is the very essence of unity. For one common consciousness needs all life on earth to a homogeneous inner oneness, inner unity. And where God consciousness is allowed, man begins to feel: ‘I am not separate from anyone else. Everyone is my own self, my own reflection. So I must have the same attitude towards others as I have towards myself. I love myself, I must love all. I want all the best for myself. I must try to bring all the best for others.’

In a way where there is this ability to identify yourself with others, this, therefore, is the vital point, the vital fact that those who are in charge of human societies in any country, in any nation, anywhere in the world, have to recognize that man is essentially a spiritual creature. Even though he may be partaking of a physical nature as well as a psychological nature, but his most important self is his spiritual nature and they should provide for the awakening of the spiritual nature within the frame-work of the training they impart to human beings in their society. Education is, therefore, vitally in need of a complete orientation and a transformation and it should bring into itself, as an indispensable part and parcel of its process, the imparting to the child as it enters into school, the awareness of its higher nature. Then alone education will have some essence. Otherwise, the educative process is completely devoid of any essence. It is so much of filling of information from outside to inside and leaving the spirit completely slumbering and unawakened.

We cannot always depend upon the Government machinery to bring about this for us. And it is not even necessary. We are conscious beings and we are socially aware and awakened and whatever the Government does we accept, and what the Government leaves undone, we will do it ourselves. We will make good the deficiency. In this way there should come about an inner determination in human society and you should form yourself into spiritual associations, philosophical study circles. Each locality should have its own spiritual study circle and you must meet together, once in a day if possible, or at least once in a week and try to spend a period, maybe an hour and a half or two hours, in common collective prayer, collective meditation, collective study, collective spiritual discussion. Call a senior to give a little message. This is the great need of the hour. Sundays and holidays we should use in a spiritually creative and gainful way, a rewarding way. That should mark the day when we re-charge ourselves, spiritually become more awake in the deepest depth of our being. Until and unless man’s spiritual higher nature is awakened, the world will not change.

This process of self-culture has to be initiated and it has to be carried on by society, by its own volition and we have to thank our luck, we have to thank Providence that at least here in India there is no dearth, there is no lack of sources of spiritual inspiration. There is no lack of spiritual guidance because this land is a unique land where if you try to analyse and investigate and research in the inner spiritual history of India, you will find that in all its glorious past, there has not been one single generation in which spiritual teachers, sages, seers, Yogis, devotees of God, philosophers, men of spiritual experience have not been present. And that too from Himalayas to Kanyakumari, from Assam to Sindh and Punjab, throughout the length and breadth of this great land there has never been a single Age, a single century, a single generation when God-men have not been present.

You cannot say this of any other country in this world. You cannot say this of any other society in any other nation. No other culture, no other race has brought about this phenomenal appearance in every single generation of people who have attuned themselves with the Universal Soul and were filled with Divine Consciousness. And not only this, to all mankind they gave their message and made it their life’s mission to bring about this awareness in their own contemporary society, in their own fellow beings. Will we be oblivious to this blessing, will you completely neglect this wonderful blessing, wonderful gift God has given you, as children of Bharatavarsha? That would be a major tragedy.

This is one thing which distinguishes you from all other nations. Many of them are materially far more advanced than us. We cannot compare with them technologically. Scientifically we lag behind. But in this one respect we are rich, we have something which we can share, we can give and try to bring about a change in the world situation. But we can share and we can give only if we claim our birthright and possess it in all fullness. The life of each and every Indian upon Indian soil, be he a Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Parsee, Hindu, Buddhist or Jain, must be spiritual. There must he a spiritual quality in him. There must be a higher awareness. There must be a divine radiance in your thoughts, in your feelings, in everything that you do, in your domestic life, in your own family. It should shine with spiritual quality and in your professional life, everywhere you go. Even in the profession and trade you must try it as a part of your effort to get into conscious communion with God and in your social life always keep up a certain level of spirituality. If this is done, then only we can call ourselves real Bharatiyas, wherever we are, whatever the manner in which we are living, be based in spiritual Sadhana. This transformation of your individual self can only become possible if you connect yourself with the Divine so that you open up a spiritual channel between you and the Supreme Reality. All the auspicious and blessed qualities of the Supreme Reality can then descend unto you, bring about a transformation in your life, make you shine in the divine, make you an ideal man.

Every day, morning and evening, sit silent, drop the world from your consciousness, be aware of yourself and the universal Divine Being, calm the mind, keep the body straight, breathe naturally and rhythmically and raise your consciousness by the repetition of the solemn Pranava Nada (OM), which is the symbol of the Universal Consciousness, the ancient, timeless, primal Spirit, and thus upon the wings of Pranava enter into an awareness of the Divine and stay in that awareness. There is nothing, there is no time, no space. There is only a vast, limitless ocean of existence, consciousness, bliss absolute (Sat-chit-ananda), and I am a part of that infinite ocean of bliss, peace and luminosity.

In this way connect yourself with the Divine. Raise your consciousness to the Divine level. Feel yourself all perfect, imperishable, ever blissful, ever peaceful, consciousness, bliss, existence, and try to remain in that state of awareness as long as you can. If the mind wanders here and there, ignore its wanderings, bring it back gently, focus it back into the awareness, and be in that awareness, feel yourself bodiless, mindless, without name and form, without birth, without death, timeless, the all full Satchidananda Atman that you are. Experience your Nija Svarupa (real identity).

Make that your Sahaja Avastha (normal state), by practising daily, many times a day, this consciousness, this spiritual consciousness. Take the help of a Name if you want, Om Om Om or Om Tat Sat or Ram Ram Ram or Ek Omkar Satnam. Whatever Name, whatever religion you belong to, you are a child of God. God is the Universal Spirit. Because you are a child of God, you are a Divine being. Your God is the centre of Divinity and therefore feel your Divinity, feel your spiritual nature and whatever Name your religion has to indicate that Supreme Being, repeat the Name. All Names imply the same thing, total perfection, infinite perfection, eternal life, unfathomable peace, infinite bliss, all purity, all truth, all light; do this practice.

Read the scriptures without fail every day. A study of spiritual scriptures inspire you and fill your heart and mind with life-transforming spiritual ideas. Try to bring about a transformation in your psychological being first, by trying to erase the world awareness from your mind and evoke within it spiritual awareness through daily study and during your secular life keep up a golden thread of God remembrance, God awareness. Let your morning meditation and spiritual awareness and your evening meditation and inner spiritual awareness, be connected by an unbroken stream of spiritual awareness, even while you are functioning in your daily life, in your office. The fact remains that you are an eternal immortal, divine Spirit. This fact is never effaced. It is one reality, therefore, be aware of Reality, live from this standpoint of truth. Base your consciousness upon truth, base your consciousness upon this reality about yourself and then give your hands and feet and your mind as much as it is necessary to the business of this world and then you will become the salt of this earth.

If more and more people generate this spiritual awareness and spiritual light in their own lives then gradually they pool together this spiritual power and spiritual force and you may not be able to bring about a total transformation of the world situation. But you can certainly contribute to bring about a change, in the balance between the forces of light and darkness, in the balance between the forces of love and hate, in the balance between the forces of the negative and positive aspects of human nature and that would be your greatest contribution to peace. That would be your greatest service to humanity. Other services are all right, but this great inner spiritual service, to bring about a transformation in the thoughts and feelings of man is the greatest because all outer conditions are only the result of the human thought and feeling. The outer actions are only the manifestations of what man has, within his mind, within his heart and if a change can be brought there, automatically a change is bound to follow in the outer area of man’s life and activities. If, in spite of living in a material world where there is so much of spiritual ignorance and neglect of spiritual values, you still wish to make your life a success and fulfil God’s plan for your life and ultimately attain spiritual consciousness and go out of this body as a liberated being, then let there be actual spiritual life in you, let there be spiritual Sadhana, study of spiritual scriptures, daily meditation, repetition of the Divine Name and keeping up the current of God awareness even in the midst of activities, trying to see the presence of God Wherever you go, because He is the all-pervading Reality.

The reality of God’s presence is much more than the reality of this changing appearance. Therefore, through regular  make your life totally spiritual. Let life become this process of fulfilling God’s plan for you. God’s plan for you is the ultimate experience of the divine perfection which is your innermost reality, which is your true Self. You will bless your own immediate environment, you will, bless the contemporary society where you are living and ultimately this spirituality which you evoke, it is so powerful that time and distance does not matter. It will have its impact upon the entire ethereal atmosphere of this world, the sky where men’s thoughts and feelings are registered, and if more and more of us who are children of a spiritual nation, inheritors of a spiritual culture, actively bring this spirituality to our life, maybe we will be instrumental in bringing about a turn in the direction of humanity which is going downward towards the brink of annihilation. We may still be able to stop it by our contribution upon the spiritual level and the world may still have a future.

In spite of the foreboding prophecies of sociologists and political observers and scientists, we may still be able, through spiritual life and spiritual , to arrest the onrush towards doom. We may still be able to stop this and bring about the survival of mankind in a better world. Let us hope for it. Let us be optimistic in action, not only in feeling, not only in wishing. Let us contribute towards this possibility of human survival and a better future for mankind by bringing into the life stream of human thought and feeling a spiritual quality through our own dynamic spiritual living.

Therefore, beloved friends in the Spirit, beloved children of the Divine, spiritual life and spiritual practice is the most pressing, urgent and indispensable need of humanity today. It is not old-fashioned, it is not outmoded. On the contrary, it is more relevant and more important today than it ever was in human history because humanity, through neglect of spiritual dimension in man’s personality, has come to the brink of global suicide. And therefore the disease of un-spirituality is so great that this spiritual life, spiritual practice, is the one specific and the prime need of mankind today.

Divine Life

Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj appeared in this 20th Century to proclaim to mankind his sublime message of Divine Life. According to him,  such a life is divine that is lived in the awareness that you are essentially an eternal and imperishable divine spirit, you are immortal Atman, you are not this perishable cage of flesh and bones, you are not merely this restless and impure mind filled with selfishness, anger, hatred, passion, greed, cravings, etc. Neither are you this limited and finite intellect, which is many a time prone to error and fails you at the time of need in solving your problems. But beyond body, senses, mind and intellect, you shine resplendent as an Eternal and Immortal Spirit. Satchidananda (Existence Absolute, Consciousness Absolute, Bliss Absolute) is your real nature, because you are an eternal part of that Supreme Universal Spirit whom we refer to as God. He is the Cosmic Being, the eternal source and origin of your very existence and you are inseparably connected with Him in the inner dimension of your real nature, your spiritual nature, which is in fact your true identity.

Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji beheld the state of restlessness in which mankind dwelt in this modern world with its insecurity, with its clash and conflict, discord and disharmony. In spite of having material wealth and opulence, man was not happy, he had no peace, he was ever restless and he was ever unhappy and unsatisfied. Master Swami Sivanandaji was a cosmic friend and benefactor and out of his over-whelming love and compassion for all beings, he decided to show them the path to blessedness in and through the normal life in this world and this path is the path of Divine Life.

The message of Divine Life calls upon mankind to realize that you are only a passing pilgrim here upon this planet earth. This is not your eternal dwelling Place. You come from an abode of Eternal Peace, Joy and sunshine, a divine abode beyond all sorrow, pain and suffering where there is eternal peace and supreme Bliss. Due to Karma, the force of the great Law of Karma, temporarily you have come into this state of physical embodiment. The meaning and purpose of this earth life is that it is a golden opportunity, a rare chance given to you to utilize it in order to once again regain your temporarily lost connection with the Supreme Universal Being,  who is of the very nature of Bliss and Peace.  It is to make use of this life for this process of regaining your lost contact with the Divine, that all the saints and sages have come and taught us the way to attain God-consciousness and God-experience,  by which one passes beyond all sorrow and becomes established in a state of absolute Divine Bliss and is for ever liberated from all pain, suffering, fear and bondage. That state of liberation is called . This is the supreme goal of life. Moksha means sarva duhkha nivritti, paramananda prapti and nitya tripti, that is, liberation from all pain, sorrow and suffering and attainment of supreme Divine Bliss and eternal satisfaction in that state of liberated consciousness.

To attain this,  showed mankind an easy path which can be practised even while one is living in this world, fulfilling all one’s obligations to one’s dependents and doing one’s duties and engaging in activity which is inevitable to this secular existence in this materialistic world. In and through this world and in and through this secular life to attain that supreme God-experience which is the summum bonum of life for the supreme goal of human existence, that is the purpose of Divine Life.  Divine Life is a life lived in the awareness that you are essentially divine, that you are not this perishable cage of flesh and bones, but your real identity is something supra-mundane,  which is without beginning and without end, which is timeless and eternal, which is without birth and death, which is imperishable, indestructible and immortal. Thou art the Immortal Soul. Thou art the Eternal Imperishable Atman. Lord Krishna declares, ‘ajo nityah sasvatoyam purano na hanyate hanyamane sarire’—Unborn, Eternal, Permanent and Timeless is this dweller within the body and He is not affected by the birth or death of the body. Weapons cannot injure you, fire cannot burn you, water cannot wet you, wind cannot dry you. You are therefore the Eternal, Immortal Atman.

To live in this awareness is the basis of Divine Life. Divine Life is also lived in the awareness that your source and origin is that Eternal Cosmic Being, Infinite Existence, Eternal Bliss and Peace whom we call God. He is the basis of all religions. He is the source and origin of all religions. He is the goal of all religions. Even though called by different names as Brahman or  or Jehova or Ahura Mazda or Father in Heaven or Allah, Ek Omkar Satnam, that Supreme Cosmic Reality is One and non-dual. It is that Reality which is worshipped in all places of worship: Hindu temple, Jewish synagogue, Christian church, Islamic mosque and Gurudwara of the Sikhs. It is One Being, glorified in all the scriptures of the world. To attain That Being is the supreme goal and purpose of life.

Divine Life proclaims that the goal of life is God-realization, attaining which one becomes liberated from rebirth and all sorrow, pain and suffering. To lead this Divine Life, you need not renounce your house and family, property and profession, you need not run away into some forests or mountain top and live in a cave. Even living as you are, leading your normal life of domestic set up and your professional life and activities and your social life, you can attain this supreme goal and become forever blessed.

To attain this, the way of Divine Life shown by  is first and foremost to purify your heart and rid it of the dross and rubbish and impurity of selfishness by plunging into absolute dedicated selfless service. Be a Maha Paropakari.  Ever be intent, ever be eager in order to serve all: to serve the sick, to serve the poor, to serve the suffering and sorrowful, to encourage those who are in despair and feel yourself

to be blessed if you get an opportunity of serving, helping and  not only your fellow beings, but all Creatures of God upon this earth. By thus renouncing selfishness and engaging in motiveless, desireless, selfless service, one’s heart becomes purified and in such a pure heart, there arises devotion for God and with the devotion, engage yourself in daily worshipping the Supreme who is the very basis of your being, who is the very innermost core of your consciousness and who is the very centre of your existence.

God is not some supra-mundane remote reality, far away from you, but God is here and now. He is the all-pervading Reality, the ever present Divine Spirit pervading this entire Universe and also He is your innermost , He is the Antaryamin. He is closer to you than your very breath. Never forget this and therefore, out of a heart filled with love for Him engage in prayer and worship every day. Thus, try to re-establish a living connection, a living link and relationship of spiritual love with the supreme source of your being in God. And this process of daily worshipping and praying to the Lord has the power to gradually steady the restless mind and overcome its fickle nature. It removes the Vikshepa Sakti of the mind, steadies the mind and gradually brings about the state of restfulness and concentration in the mind.

At this stage you enter into the third practice of Divine Life namely withdrawing the mind and controlling the senses and controlling the thoughts and attaining to a state of concentration and with a concentrated mind, meditating upon the-Supreme Divine Reality or God. Daily  meditation.

Selfless service is the foundation of Divine Life. Devotion and worship bring about a progress and an upward and  ascent in your life. As devotion and prayerfulness intensifies itself, the mind attains a state of concentration and you enter into a state of regular daily meditation upon the divine object of your quest. Regular daily meditation brings about steadiness and a feeling of abidance in God. You begin to feel the presence of God in your heart. And the power of meditation is such that even when you are engaged in your daily activities, either at home or in your professional field or in society—it creates a steady, unbroken under-current of ‘God thought’ or ‘God awareness’. This is the effect of regular  of meditation.

When you begin to feel the presence of God, you become aware of the presence of God at all times, everywhere even in the midst of your activities. You begin to feel that you live, move and have your being in God. This is the power of meditation. It brings about in your life God-awareness and also it brings about in your thoughts, words and activities a new spiritual quality, which uplifts and elevates your life to a new standard of purity, of spirituality, of compassion, of kindness and holiness. Thus, you become a transformed being, a spiritual being with purity of character, with sublime sentiments, with spiritual emotions and lofty thoughts of the Divine. And  having entered into this state of God-awareness, your intellect becomes purified and within it, dawns the power of spiritual enquiry, philosophical enquiry and discrimination—discrimination between the Eternal and the non-eternal, the changeless Eternal Reality and the merely passing appearance,  and the Anatman, the Permanent and the passing, the Reality and the appearance, the Eternal and the non-eternal.

This process of discrimination or  should be carried on all the waking hours of your every day life. Thus, through constant discrimination, you begin to reject that which is unspiritual and undivine, you begin to reject the passing, changeful appearances of this phenomenal world and you begin to direct your mind towards the Reality, which is behind and beyond all this world play, this show of vanishing names and forms. The mind begins to move towards the Eternal Reality even though physically and mentally you continue to live in this material world, you continue to function in this phenomenal process, yet, deep within you, in your Spirit, you become established in Supreme Divine Reality.

And thus, the four great practices which beloved and Holy Master Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji proclaimed as pillars of Divine Life are selfless service, devotion and worship, daily, unfailing regular meditation and constant spiritual enquiry, discrimination and investigation into the nature of the Reality which is behind and beyond this world of vanishing names and forms. The way of Divine Life which leads to inner spiritual unfoldment and God-experience and grants you supreme bliss, peace and illumination is the way of selflessness and selfless service. It is the way of devotion and daily Worship. It is the way of disciplining the mind and controlling the senses, withdrawing the mind from being scattered amongst the external objects of this world and concentrating the mind and meditation.

It is the way of ceaseless enquiry: ‘Who am I? What am I? Whence am I in this universe of these perishable objects? What is my destination and goal in life and what is the nature of this universe of these perishable objects?’ It is the way of ceaseless spiritual enquiry into the real nature of this world appearance and your ultimate goal. It is the way of affirming ‘I am not this body, I am not this restless mind, I am not this limited, finite intellect. I am that innermost being, the Supreme , nameless and formless, unborn, undecaying, deathless and imperishable, eternal, One and non-dual. I am Satchidananda’. This is the way of Divine Life.

But, if you wish to enter into this spiritual way of Divine Life of selfless service, daily worship, regular meditation and ceaseless enquiry, discrimination and self-realization, you have to observe three principles in your conduct and character, and your day to day , day to day life in the secular world. These three principles form the very foundation and basis of this Divine Life of service, worship, meditation and God-realisation. These three principles are therefore indispensable pre-requisites for the practise of the Sadhana of Divine Life.

The first principle is kindness and compassion towards all creatures. You must be a Cosmic benefactor. Ceaseless love, kindness and compassion must flow out of your life. Never hurt anyone, never hurt even the least of God’s creatures either by thought, word or action. Even in dream, you should not think of harming or hurting any creature.

This sublime principle of non-injury, of harmlessness has been given a very great place in the eternal Vedic Way of life, that proclaim ‘Ahimsa paramo dharmah’. Be a centre of help, be a centre of benefit, be a centre of happiness and peace to all. Never injure, never hurt, never harm any living creature.

The second principle is: be rooted in absolute Truthfulness. Even at the cost of life, never utter falsehood, never practise deceit, never be dishonest in any of your dealings with anyone in this world. Be a man of integrity and verity. Become a man established in truthfulness in thought, word and deed. Truth is God. One who practises truthfulness rigidly will attain God and become established in God even without much rigorous Yogic Sadhana and techniques, for God is present in this human world as the sublime principle of truthfulness.

Thirdly, and most importantly, purity of conduct and character, of self-control, chastity, a chaste look, purity of vision, purity of feeling towards all beings, Brahmacharya and overall control over the base carnal passions that exist in the lower physical aspect of your being. Thus self-control and purity of thought, word and deed, a sublime purity of character and conduct, ethical living, absolute truthfulness in all dealings and above all kindness and compassion towards all creatures—these three form the basis and foundation of such Divine Life. Ever keep in mind, the great Goal, remember God constantly with love in your heart and have absolute faith in your inseparable relationship with the Supreme Divine Being. Cultivate constant remembrance of God by seeing His invisible presence in, and through all things in this universe around you. The Lord is present as an immanent principle in all creation.

In the Eleventh Chapter of Srimad Bhagavad Gita, in the wondrous and marvellous manner God gives the supreme experience to Arjuna through His Visvarupa Darsana Yoga and through that supreme vision He has granted to us a rare and priceless treasure of this truth that God is present, immanent in this Universe and fills every speck of space and every atom of matter in this world. Thus, be constantly in a state of awareness, do all your actions as a worship offered to this ever-present Divine Presence. Dedicate all your activities to God by saying ‘Brahmarpanam; Krishnarpanam’—O Lord, all the activities of my entire life, I offer up unto Your feet as my perennial prayer of ceaseless worship. Thus, living your Divine Life, work becomes worship, to act becomes to adore. The very living of your life becomes a prayer. Come! Arise! Move towards this great experience. Lead Divine Life in daily life and attain supreme blessedness. Even as I talk to you and you listen, you are Existence, Consciousness, Bliss Absolute, you are the ever-perfect Atman, you are Satchidananda, you are a part of God. That is your true consciousness. Living in this awareness is Divine Life.

Vedic Culture

When Swami Vivekananda returned to India after attending the Parliament of Religions a journalist asked him: “Swamiji, you have seen the Occident, travelled for two years in different countries of the Western world, and seen their scientific progress, their technological advancement and all the wonderful progress that they have made. Now after this experience, after all that you have seen, what is your opinion of India? What do you think about our country?” Drawing himself up to his full height and looking straight into the eyes of the reporter, his voice trembling with emotion, it is said, Vivekananda said: “My friend, when I left the shores of India for the West, I loved my country, I loved India. But after my visit, after having seen the society and life there, now I know that the very soil of this country is fit to be worshipped. My mother country is a country to be adored, worshipped.”

Ponder on this incident which the writer reported in his biography of Swamiji. What was it that made Swami Vivekananda who was a rationalist, not an emotionalist, make this statement? He had patriotism in abundance but predominantly and primarily he was a man with a giant intellect and very great critical faculty. There was a time when he questioned everything about his religion. There was a period in his youth when he even turned agnostic, became sceptical of the ancient truths and even doubted the very authenticity of visions and experiences of the Saint of Dakshineshwar whom later on he accepted as his Worshipful Master and Guru. He was a person with a forthright nature. If he felt something, he never concealed it. So, we have to pause and ponder, what was it that made him express himself so fervently and so strongly. That was his experience of the difference in the quality of the vision, the view of life and the way of life he saw of the people practising in the occidental society and the basic idealism that filled the life of a citizen of Bharatavarsha.

He saw how by our very culture, the entire set up of our life was divinely oriented, our very approach to life was that it was not an end in itself but the means for the attainment of certain higher ends and these higher ends were idealistic.

Gurudev Swami Sivananda used to say that India is the only country in the world where God-realisation is the goal of human life. No other human society lives life in this way. Our primary purpose in life is to attain transcendental divine experience, to know the Unknown, to know That which is beyond the reach of the senses, mind and intellect. That is the supreme goal. Goals there are many, but the highest goal and purpose of human existence is the realisation of the Absolute. This human life is considered so precious because it throws open the door for that attainment and spiritual idealism in our life. It is in this connection that our ancient sages left for us, for generations to come, certain principles to live by, certain ideals to pursue and emulate; and in this connection this evening as my joyful sharing and serving with you in the name of beloved and worshipful Holy Master Guru Maharaj Sri Swami Sivanandaji, I exercise this privilege given to me at this spiritual gathering, this fellowship here this evening, to put before you certain important aspects of our culture.

First and foremost they gave for our adoption in our life four values to strive after and as it is in the peculiar tradition of Sanskrit language they termed them as Purushartha. Purushartha means exertion. Purushartha is right exertion and the values for which you must exert they indicated by the same term, exertion, instead of using some other term implying the goal of such exertion. They have given us the concept of Purusharthic Chatushtaya, which has come down to us from ancient times. We all know that when we take birth in this world we have a situation where we find ourselves in link with two universes. One is the invisible inner universe of the Spirit from which you have come into a material physical universe, assuming a gross material physical body to function in this universe. But prior to your advent into your gross physical material universe, you did not have this material body, you were not part of this phenomenal material universe. You were in a different state, in a different dimension, subtle, invisible, unmanifest, and naturally, therefore, you are related to it. Your present state of being conditioned by a name and a form, this body-bound state, is only for a little while, some years only. There is no definite guarantee of its duration. It varies from individual to individual and any moment there can be an abrupt conclusion of this present state and therefore, soon after this episode once again you will find yourself in that same unmanifest dimension.

Therefore, our relationship to the invisible inner universe of the Spirit seems to be of a greater importance, more essential and vital than this temporary relationship with this outer material universe. This comes and goes. This has a beginning and an end. Yet, as long as we are in this embodied condition, we are related to this universe and to everything in it. It is a constant continuous involvement with this outer universe. That is within our knowledge. We are more aware of ‘This’ than of ‘That’.

Our ancients brought home the fact that you are only a passing Pilgrim here, Your permanent abode is not This but That—whence you have come and whither you are bound and therefore, for the inner life also there are these twin-relationships. The relationship with this outer universe, whether you wish it or not, is there. It is inevitable. You have to face it and do whatever it demands. This is divided into two of the values. One is you have to attend to the stern necessities of our physical life—hunger, thirst, heat, cold and other inclemencies of the weather. So you have to have, as they say, food, clothing, shelter—Roti, Kapada, Makan—and for this you have to exert in order to earn and provide yourself with the necessities. In this economy-oriented life on earth, money is necessary. You have to exert and earn money, whatever the ways and means may be. So exertion to earn money is allowed. This is conceded as an inevitable value and is called Artha.

At the same time, unlike other creatures, man is not satisfied merely by fulfilling the needs of his physical nature. You provide the beasts with food, water and a place they can sleep in and all their life they will be contented to live in that condition. Man has a psychological dimension to his nature wherein he has desires, ambitions, plans and schemes. He has a vital personality within which he is a thinking, feeling and reasoning being. Therefore, the sages conceded this other dimension as of secondary value. We have desires, because they are part of the psychological nature which longs for many things, and has many desires in various directions. The ancients said that you must exert to fulfil them also but then, they said, that your ultimate goal is to once again go back to the very source of your being from whence you came. They experienced this during the greatest heights of their transcendental experience that all life streams forth from one cosmic source of eternal existence. That is the source, that is the root, that is the fountainhead, the origin of all that Is and what all that Is, is something beyond our comprehension. Those who realised its magnitude, its infinity, were aghast. They said: “Anantakoti Brahmanda Nayaka. That Being is the Supreme Lord of infinite crores of universes.” This universe is a grain of sand. Our planet earth, our solar system, our lunar system, our stellar system, the galaxies, all that man knows as space and the celestial objects that fill our space, is but a grain of sand. There are infinite crores of such universes in this incomprehensible magnitude of the infinitude of that Reality, and therefore, the source of all that exists, that is your original abode, that is your home. From That all beings have come into being and in That only all beings exist. It is the invisible support of your very existence. If it did not exist, you could not exist. It is That which supports you and unto That all beings are moving, unto That all beings are going forth.” This transcendental experience is what the sages perceived. They said: “You all have come from That, you exist in That and towards That you are moving. That is your be-all and end-all.”

This process of coming into this earth existence is a journey back home to your eternal abode. So make your life a conscious effort of this glorious journey back into the Divine. In that experience, in that attainment, you will be liberated from all limitations and imperfections that are inevitable to this conditioned, finite, earth-life. Because of its very nature this world is imperfect and is bounded by life and death and in between these two inevitable terminals of an entry into this existence and exit, life is chaotic. Life does not give real contentment because it is finite, it is conditioned and is subject to change. Therefore, this imperfect life cannot give Santosha (contentment), Tripti (eternal satisfaction) and Ananda (bliss). You can be liberated from these imperfect experiences once and for all and get eternal satisfaction. These vexing, binding limitations, these shackles will not be needed anymore once you attain that experience. Therefore, they call it liberation; liberation from all that the earth-life means to you now, body-bound condition of imprisonment.

This is the goal which is to be attained. Life is a means to its attainment. Why not make it a conscious process because evolution is the law of life, evolution through divine perfection? That supreme goal, Moksha-prapti (attainment of liberation), therefore, is ever to be kept in view and you must move towards it. Earning money and satisfying or fulfilling your desires is a mundane aspect of your psychological nature. If this process takes on a contrary quality or a contrary characteristic so that the very process of attending to these two aspects of your life pull you into an opposite direction, then life itself will become a great obstacle to the attainment of perfection which is your divine destiny. It will slow down your progress towards that great goal. You must, therefore, take care that your life here, if it cannot become actually a supplement and a complement, a supportive process, at least let it not stand as an obstacle to the attainment of your divine destiny. Let it not become an obstacle, let it not become a hampering factor.

How is one to achieve this? The sages said that the only way of achievement is by bringing into every detail of your life, into these two mundane aspects—earning of wealth and the fulfilment of human desires—bringing into this process a quality which harmonises with the Divinity. God is Truth, let your life be pervaded by Truth. God is Love, let your life be pervaded by Love. God is Compassion and Grace, let your life be pervaded by Compassion. God is Purity, let your life and actions be pervaded by Purity. Thus bring into your life Truth, Purity, Compassion, Love and Goodness, everything that is auspicious, everything that is blessed, everything that is in harmony with the divine goal which you are trying to attain by this pattern of living. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for theirs shall be the Kingdom of God.

Righteousness (Dharma) is your culture, Bharatiya Sanskriti, your great heritage. Therefore conceive of Dharma as the greatest friend of the Jivatma when he is in this human world, as a human being. There is no greater wealth than Dharma. Dharma is your greatest friend. Why? It is that which will guarantee and assure that your secular life will not stand in the way of the attainment of liberation. That Will assure that the quality of your outer life, the secular life, will be such that it will become part of your steady onward progress, part of Your Sadhana for Moksha, part of your Sadhana for Bhagavat-sakshatkara (God-realisation). This is a life of Dharma, Compassion, Kindness, Purity, Truth, Love, Wisdom and Forgiveness. This is all that we expect from God. Allah is all merciful and ever forgiving.

What is God? He is the sum totality of man’s concept of forgiveness, of love, of compassion and therefore what you expect from God towards your own imperfect individual being, that you project to fellow beings and all the creatures. That is why the sages gave us this value as the basic or the fundamental value of mundane life. They said: Base your entire life upon Dharma and do as you wish. Ply a trade, do a business, be a farmer, be a doctor, it will not come in your way, provided you do not desert Dharma. Adhere to Dharma. If all that you do in this secular world to make a living is in accordance with Dharma, then you have nothing to fear. Svalpamapyasya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat.—Even a little bit of Dharma will save you from great fear. This earth-life will not become an obstacle, it will not become a bondage. On the contrary it will become a support, a supplement to your inner aspirations, your inner ascent towards this coveted goal of Mokshaprapti or liberation. Dharmo rakshati rakshitah—Dharma protects him who protects it.

Be helpful to your brothers and sisters. Desire to serve your own neighbour. Desire to serve the society, nation, all creatures, even plants and insects. Desire to be serviceful to all. With this vision the sages gave us the great Sutra that the very body has been given to us in order to benefit others—Paropakarartham idam sariram. What a grand view about the body and what a great contrast is this view to that which prevails normally in the unenlightened and uncultured societies! They think that the body is an instrument for enjoyment.

Our culture raised the great warning: O man, beware. Senses are your enemies. They were not given to be avenues of enjoyment. They were given as windows of perception, to see the world into which God has sent you, so that by seeing the world you gain knowledge about it. We have perverted all these senses, these faculties which God endowed us with, and converted them merely into avenues of biological pleasurable sensations and animal excitement.

There is also a note of warning. They said: O man, beware. Species perish even due to being endowed by just one sense; the fish gets impelled upon the fisherman’s hook through its tongue. Because of the sense of touch an elephant is caught and has to work like a slave for a whole lifetime. Because of the sense of vision insects are attracted towards fire and are burnt to death. Because of the sense of hearing the deer is ensnared by the hunter. Because of the sense of smell the bee is caught up in the flower. Just one sense of these various creatures takes them to their doom. What to say of man who is endowed with all these five senses? Therefore, be aware of the fact that if these senses are not properly kept at their place and made to function as they ought to function, they can become your destroyers. They can take you to your downfall. Therefore, O man, be aware of this fact and exercise restraint and let your actions be Dharmic, let your actions not go contrary to Dharma because of this urge towards sense indulgence. These senses were not given for indulgence. Knowing this, if you determine to walk the path of Dharma, then your outer life in this universe will not stand in the way of your attaining the supreme state of liberation.

Of these four-fold values, Dharma is the basic fundamental value. Live your life according to Dharma and base all your activities upon it. All desires that come in the course of your fulfilling your duties, provided they are not contrary to Dharma, are legitimate desires. Fulfill these desires. But if a desire becomes a lower desire and degenerates into mere sense indulgence a man may lose his humanness and act as an animal, a devil.

The body was given for doing good to others. What a sublime concept of the human body which is a temple of God! God is in our heart. This is not true only about yourself but also about all beings. All beings are visible and moving temples of a living God. Therefore, have the desire to serve God through all living creatures. Paropakarartham idam sariram  (This body is for the benefit of others) is the great sublime concept that our sages gave us. Therefore let your life be filled with this ideal of doing good to others. Do not take this body merely as an avenue for sense satisfaction, gross sense gratification and sense indulgence. Be a man; assert and affirm the dignity of your status as a human being. You are not merely a beast, you are a rational faculty. Think and be a self-possessed being, a self-possessed creature. Manage yourself. Lead a dignified life of moderation and self-control. Moderation is the keynote of the Gita, too. All of Yoga ultimately means a discipline to control the mind and conquer the senses.

Buddha once put a question, “Who is the greater conqueror? One who takes vast armies behind him and invades territories and subdues another kingdom and conquers it, or one who conquers one’s own senses, mind and desires?” and answered it himself: “I declare to you, O Bhikkus, he is a greater conqueror who has subdued himself, who has conquered his passions, who has controlled his senses.” This is our ideal. From the beginning of life, right from the student days, be a Samyami, be a self-controlled one, have self-mastery. Of the first four values which the human individual must strive after Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha—Artha and Kama relate to this mundane World, earning your livelihood and fulfilling your desires. Moksha is the supreme spiritual value which is the true goal of life. But if it is to be attained in and through our normal life, it is possible only if our normal life is characterised and pervaded by the ideal of Dharma, that is, the ideal of truth, purity, kindness, compassion and self-restraint. Thus, Dharma became the fundamental as well as the foundational value. This is the first force which your great tradition, your great culture has given to you as your heritage.

Of the four-fold values to strive for, the highest is the spiritual value. The inevitable values are the economical as well as the vital values such as fulfilment of desire and earning of money, but they are not to turn you away from the highest value. The governing factor in all your secular life should be Dharma. While adhering to Dharma, if you lead your secular life, then Paramartha can be attained through Prapancha. Therefore, Dharma is the most important value. Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha were given, therefore, as the four-fold Purusharthas for attainment of the supreme purpose of human existence-Divine experience and liberation through Divine perfection. To achieve this in a spontaneous and a natural manner there are another set of four values. The sages said that at the very beginning of your life cultivate all things that are necessary to become established in Dharma.

The human life is divided into four stages. The first quarter is the Vidyarthi Jivana (student life). The second is the householders’ family life, Grihastasrama. The third is the retired man’s life, Vanaprasthashrama and the fourth, the life of total dedication to Brahma Jnana—Sannyasasrama. Just as Dharma is the foundational value, the first Asrama is the foundation stage. If in this very Asrama you equip yourself with all that is necessary in order to live the three-quarters of your life in an ideal manner, then you have nothing to fear. Therefore, as a student, acquire all that is necessary to lead an ideal life. This part of life is conceived of as being lived in an atmosphere most conducive to attaining self-control, character, virtue, right thinking and right aspirations.

Go away from the foul atmosphere where there are temptations, attractions that excite the mind and make it chanchal (oscillating). Go into a serene atmosphere and live with a person who is himself leading that ideal life, a Rishi, a Jnani or a Guru. Go to him and under his guidance lead a life of self-control. Get up early in the morning, take a cold bath, do Asanas and exercises that help to control your senses and then lead a life of self-control, moderation, moral character and conduct. Sit at your Guru’s feet and learn. He will teach you all that is necessary to lead your life the ideal way. He will also give you the secular knowledge of art, craft or profession. Many Vidyas have been enumerated by our scriptures. He will teach you to ply a profession but at the same time he will also tell you what is the way of leading a righteous life. He will expound to you the secret of Dharma and then, at the same time, give you the knowledge of the supreme goal. He will teach you Vedanta. He will give you the rudiments of spiritual knowledge.

The ancient mode of education was an integrated course of instruction, where the young man, as he began to grow, got the basic knowledge of Dharma, spiritual knowledge and secular behaviour. While he was acquiring this three-fold knowledge, he was also training himself in self-control and moderation, conquest of mind, restraint of senses, desires—Samyama, Sama, Dama, etc. The first 25 years of human life should be dedicated to acquire good health, perfect character, self-control and all that is necessary to know in order to live life righteously, to be financially independent via some trade or profession and at the same time be aware of the goal that one is ultimately going to attain.

Equipped with this knowledge, the Brahmachari—the student entered into the second stage of life after he had already put a firm and ideal foundation. He was not in danger of becoming a slave of his senses; he was a self-restrained youth with character and self-control. Thus he entered into the Grihastasrama (householder’s life), took for himself a partner in life and was explained why he should enter into the Grihastasrama: because the family lineage has to be continued for the sake of progeny. He took for himself a partner, for the sake of fulfilling Dharma, for the sake of practising Sadhana, devotion and worship. When he entered into the second stage of life, that is, the Grihastasrama, he knew that he was not merely entering into a physical partnership with another physical creature, he was not entering into a social partnership with another family; he was entering into a spiritual partnership with a soul like him that had come into this world of embodied beings, in order to fulfil its divine destiny, each one working out one’s own Karma Bhoga. So the relationship between a husband and a wife in the second Asrama was not merely an earthly partnership, not merely physical, or even social, but essentially a spiritual partnership between two souls who were both on the upper path of spiritual evolution, ultimately culminating in divine perfection. This is how the view of life wherein ‘Dampatya Sambandha is sacred’ was brought home to us.

The wife was called Sahadharmini. While living a life of Dharma, she was to be your companion. If you see the ancient concept of the wife, she was to man, everything—companion, friend, consoler, helper and partner in this great spiritual adventure of coming face to face with the great Reality. Such was the ideal and total concept of this relationship. Therefore, home became for them not only for the living of a normal worldly existence where the wife was the mother of his children, a hostess to receive his guests and a housewife looking after all these duties of the household, she also became a Sahadharmini and a partner in devotion and Upasana.

So the first duty of the householder was Isvara Upasana, Aradhana, and this they enabled by bringing about this wonderful tradition that prevails in our country of a Kula-devata (worship of a family deity). For generations each family has a certain family deity and the home is a place of worship of this deity, and the worship of this deity was the first thing that the husband and wife did as soon as they got up in the morning.

The second important Dharma of the Grihastasrama was Paropakara—to donate to charity, to help those in need—and Atithi Satkara (honouring of the guests). Atithi is not an invited guest, mind you. He is a chance visitor who happens to be at your door at the time of your food. Atithya was one of the great Dharmas of the householder and his wife.

The third aspect of Grihastha Dharma was to evolve between themselves reciprocally a certain ideal behaviour of mutual love, honouring each other’s individual freedom. This ideal relationship brought about in the house an atmosphere of harmony and cordiality. This third important duty also became a pattern of conduct for the children when they came into their family. The family, thus, became an ideal ground for nurturing a new generation. They find that between their parents exists a beautiful relationship of harmony, love, mutual respect and tolerance, which creates an ideal atmosphere for their growth. Through their personal relationship the parents place before the children an exemplary way of conducting themselves which becomes the first educational process of the children.

What moulds the character of the growing infant is the example placed by the mother and father to which they are exposed all the time. These examples become the atmosphere of the home, depending entirely upon the way in which the husband and wife behave with each other. This becomes the first educative process of the child. Home is, therefore, the nursery of the nation, nursery of the world. Providing an ideal setting and an ideal atmosphere for the generation of tomorrow becomes the third important duty of the married couple. Isvaropasana is the first duty, Paropakara and Samaja Seva is the second duty and providing an ideal environment for the coming generation through their own personal example is the third duty.

Now, we move on to the third Asrama. Having fulfilled the duties of rearing children, making them adults capable of standing on their own feet, Grihastasrama is not to continue till the end of one’s life. Up-till now you were entirely preoccupied with your family and your profession, providing for your parents, wife, children and other dependents. To a certain extent, it was a self-centred life, though within the scope of that self-centredness, the Grihastha, that is, the mother and father practised selflessness for the sake of the children. They sacrificed their personal comforts and conveniences for their children, their family and their parents. There was, within this apparently self-centred living, an exercise of unselfishness of a certain kind. When that phase is over one must give way to the new generation. There is a significant saying: When the son attains the age of 16, the father must treat him as a friend. The psychological advice given to the father is to gradually give the children responsibility, let them be self-reliant.

The husband and wife now move into a third dimension of social living where they retire. Having retired, they have little more leisure on their hands and at the same time the 25 to 30 years of professional living has given them vast experience and expertise in their line of work that now has to be placed at the disposal of the society. This third stage of life is the most valuable asset to the Indian society because during this period the Grihasthas become altruists and philanthropists. They are now the real selfless servants of the society. These middle-aged people still have good health, they have more time, they have experience and expertise which they must selflessly place at the disposal of the young generation as well as the society. They have earned, they have saved by careful living, so they are now servants of the society. This stage of life ought to be the most important stage. While keeping their knowledge and experience at the disposal of the society, they should, at the same time, give more emphasis to their inner life, go on a pilgrimage, go to Ashrams, do Satsang, read the scriptures and become more contemplative. Both husband and wife should, together, enter more into the inner life, study, meditation, prayer, Satsang, pilgrimage and at the same time place themselves at the disposal of the society. We must realise that a time comes when we have to say ‘good-bye’. We have to prepare for that last journey. We arrive at, to humorously put it, at the railway platform of our life when the train will come and we must cheerfully say good-bye.

At this time the sages conceived of the fourth Asrama where the only duty is to gather together his mind and place it upon Brahman, on the Supreme Being. That is the fourth-quarter of life, the sun-set period of one’s life when all your relationships and connections are now coming to a close, to an end. Till that time your entire Lakshya, your entire mind, should be fixed upon the Eternal, no more on the passing world. You have fulfilled all your duties and now you have to depart. The river is reaching the ocean and a time will come when it has to merge into the ocean.

Thus was conceived the four-fold Asrama Dharma—Brahmacharya Ashrama (student life), Grihastasrama (professional life), Vanaprasthasrama (selfless service and turning into the spiritual aspect ) and ultimately the Sannyasasrama (total dedication to Brahman),

Now, you may say that times have changed, and that I am talking about some very old, ancient times. Yes, times have changed and we cannot duplicate these things as they were once upon a time. But my plea is that there is a great need to keep the spirit of this Asrama Dharma alive. Keep the spirit intact, live this ideal but bring about a little adjustment and modification in the time period. So far as the Brahmacharya Asrama is concerned, by and large it has not changed. If you want to become a technically qualified person, an engineer or a doctor, by the time you finish your studies, you are 25 years old, anyhow. But in the other Ashramas you may bring about a necessary modification. But do not discard the Asrama Dharma as something that has no relevance to our time. It has as much relevance and as much significance today as it had then because it is connected with human life. The spirit of these four Asramas must be kept intact.

The third set of ‘fours’ which have been given to us to follow are the four spiritual qualifications that we must acquire in order to enter into a pursuit of that Supreme existence and realisation. It is called the Sadhana Chatushtaya—1. Viveka (discrimination), 2. Vairagya (dispassion), 3. Shat-sampat (the six-fold virtues), viz., Sama (tranquillity), Dama (restraint), Uparati (satiety or renunciation), Titiksha (endurance), Sraddha (faith) and Samadhana (concentration), and 4. Mumukshutva (strong yearning for liberation).

What is it that makes us superior to animals? The ability to think and reason. We exercise intelligence for our own earthly living. We try to be clever and succeed in our normal life; but that is not enough. Intelligence has been given for higher things also. Therefore exercise Viveka—‘what is conducive to my highest welfare?’ There is a great necessity to exercise Viveka. Dharma-adharma Viveka (discrimination between righteousness and unrighteousness), Nitya-anitya Viveka (discrimination between permanent and temporary), Sad-asad Viveka (discrimination between truth and untruth), Atma-anatma Viveka (discrimination between the Self and the non-Self) should be exercised.

The second qualification that you must develop is a disgust of, and a turning away from, all that is ignoble, gross and unworthy by developing a great love for that which is worthy and noble. This is called dispassion or Vairagya. Raga means attachment and Asakti. To have attachment towards things that are unworthy and ignoble, gross and low, is not becoming of our human status. Centre your attachment upon God, centre it upon noble idealism, upon worthy pursuits. Have dispassion for all that is petty, unworthy and ignoble.

After Viveka and Vairagya, the third of this set of four is a peculiar combination, a set of six virtues. The six equipments are taken as one because they are calculated to bring about mental control and discipline. Concentration and meditation can never be possible without mental control and mental discipline. First virtue is equanimity of mind. If you are filled with too much of cravings and desires, every moment your mind is in a state of agitation and excitement as you live among attractive things of this illusory world. Knowing that your goal is elsewhere I must live not only to fulfil these petty desires but also for the attainment of some higher ideal, higher goal—you reduce your desires, keep them under check; then the mind attains a certain state of equanimity. It does not become prey to excitement and agitation. Serenity is the topmost virtue in the group of Shat-sampat.

Then restraint of the senses (Dama). The mind will come under control very easily if Dama also is practised. By the practice of Dama you do not allow either the senses or the mind to come in contact with the objects. In the practice of Sama and Dama the five Jnana-Indriyas (organs of knowledge), viz., ears, skin, eyes, tongue (taste) and nose (smell) are controlled, besides the five Karma-Indriyas (organs of action), viz., speech, hands, feet, genitals and anus. The Indriyas should not be allowed to run riot into sensual grooves. They should not be allowed to throw us ruthlessly into the deep pit of worldliness just as the turbulent horse carries away the rider wherever it likes.

Now we come to the practice of Uparati. Uparati is self-withdrawal. Uparati is extreme abstinence. The mind of the student who is established in Uparati will never be agitated even a bit when he comes in contact with external objects. This state of mind automatically comes when one has practised Viveka, Vairagya, Sama and Dama. When one perceives the worthlessness of all lower things and is convinced in the true worth of a higher thing, then one turns away from the former and gets absorbed in the latter. This state of mind is verily Uparati.

Titiksha is the power of endurance. A Titikshu is able to bear pain, insult, heat and cold. He does not lament on this score. He is free from anxiety. “He who has the power of endurance, who is balanced in pleasure and pain, steadfast, is fit for immortality” (Gita II-15). Adjust yourself to the temperaments and mentalities of others with whom you mix. This is the secret of happiness. Do not be afraid of insult, disrespect, dishonour, abuse or harsh words. This is real Titiksha.

Sraddha is unshakable faith in the existence of Brahman, in the teachings of the Guru and the scriptures. It also means faith in oneself. This is not blind faith. It is based on accurate reasoning, evidence and experience. Men with no assets but tremendous faith in themselves have accomplished wonders. Know that everything is lost when faith is lost. Faith is power. Faith is strength. Faith is abundant energy. Faith is the soul of religion. It creates new hopes and awakens immortality.

The last of the six-fold virtues is Samadhana. It is mental balance. It is equipoise and calm. There is perfect concentration now. This is the fruit of the practices of Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha and Sraddha. It is self-settledness.

Lastly we come to the fourth of the main qualifications, Mumukshutva or burning desire for liberation. If one is equipped with Viveka, Vairagya and Shat-sampat, Mumukshutva will come by itself. The mind moves towards the Source of its own accord, because it has lost its hold now on external objects.

This brief message is of interest, to all of us because it holds the key to our happiness and it is based upon experience. In different individuals experiences can differ of the same thing, same situation, same perception, same event, but the ultimate experience of anyone and everyone of any time or any clime is uniform. It tallies. It does not differ either from person to person, or place to place. or time to time because the cosmic experience, the ultimate experience is identical for all, the simple reason being that the Reality is one. It is indivisible, it is non-dual. Therefore the ultimate experience of all illumined seers, sages has always been one and this Truth about which I am going to tell you is based upon this ultimate experience which is Absolute. It does not depend upon any other factor and it is invariable. It is based upon the experience of not one but many, through millennium down centuries and generations so that it has been authenticated and proven again and again. It is another important point which you cannot afford to ignore, that this ultimate experience is an experience of pure, unalloyed, perfect and supreme happiness and peace.

Now I might have said it is pure unalloyed happiness, or I might have said it is pure and perfect peace, peace that understanding. Why should I have said, instead, happiness and peace? I have said so because these two, i.e., peace and happiness, are inseparable. Peace is invariably accompanied by unutterable happiness and happiness is always absent where peace is absent. So where there is peace there is happiness. The great musician-saint Tyagaraja says in Telugu: ‘Santamu leka saukhyamu ledu’—without peace there is no happiness. Those who want happiness must try to learn the technique of attaining peace. Simultaneously they will also have to find out what are the causes of its opposites, restlessness, agitation, excitement. These three contribute to the absence of peace. Those who want to have a perfect and radiant state of health and experience the joy of living, strength, perfect digestion, good sleep, good appetite, also have to learn the causes of ill-health so that they can avoid it. This is a dual process of avoiding that which is negative and cultivating that which is positive.

This is a vast subject in itself but we can condense it into a nutshell. If you want happiness, you must know how to generate peace from within and it is only when more and more individuals in society generate peace in their own heart, they are at peace with themselves, peace with people around them; such people alone will gradually spread the vibrations of peace, which may gradually widen in its area and bring about peace in wider fields and areas of human living. Ultimately, it can even lead to national and international peace. First and foremost the individual must be at peace with himself, otherwise the collection of restless individuals will bring about more restlessness.

If you go into a monastery where 40-50 monks dwell, all under vow of perpetual silence, each moving about serenely doing his own duty, performing prayer and his allotted work, what will your initial reaction be? The moment you go there you will become thrilled with a sense of peace. The monastery is a great contrast from the outside world, from the hectic world that you are coming from. Instantaneously you are at peace. Why? Because the whole atmosphere is saturated and permeated with the vibrations of peace, because it is a place where a set of people are living in absolute peace. There is no discord, no disharmony, no clash or conflict. All are at peace with themselves, all are at peace among themselves and the moment you go there you too partake of that peace which has been generated, which is vibrating in that atmosphere.

On the other hand if you go into a factory or a Stock Exchange where there is a lot of tension, there is a certain restlessness. There is no peace. In a University Campus there is no peace because of confrontations and oppositions and conflicts and clashes.

What is the way to establish peace within oneself? What is the way to try to move in the world with peace? Meditate upon peace. Daily we must meditate upon the concept of peace and a great desirability of peace, the countless advantages accruing from cultivating peace, living in peace, being at peace, how much good comes out of it, how much benefit results out of it, what a great deal of good accrues from peace. You must also meditate upon all the disadvantages of restlessness, excitement and agitation. You must contemplate on some ideal personality, the embodiment of peace, some serene being, who is a personification of absolute peace, like the great Buddha or Jesus of Nazareth, or any other great being who is full of peace, who had such abundance of peace that anyone who approached him immediately felt the great peace, The great sage Ramana Maharshi of Ramanashram, Tiruvannamalai, Arunachala and our own Holy Master Swami Sivananda. He was peace within himself, peace with the whole world. He radiated peace. The moment you drew near to him, all your agitations vanished, all the turmoils simmering in your mind subsided and you felt peace, like a person coming in from the hot summer sun into an air-conditioned, cool, silent room of peace.

Meditate upon the peaceful figure and then meditate upon yourself as already having attained that state of absolute peace. Already visualise your self-image as being filled with peace, already having attained the state of absolute peace. So meditation on peace is one of the important keys to gradually developing peace within yourself, growing into a state of peace because what you constantly hold in your mind, that you gradually begin to experience. What you constantly think of, that you become. That is the great law of the inner realm, the realm of the mind, of thought, sentiment and emotion. This is one important key to peace.

Secondly, simplicity of life leads to peace. The more desires you develop the more restless is the mind. Desires are enemies of peace, specially miscellaneous unnecessary desires. Certain basic desires no one can avoid. They are necessary for the very living of our life, for surviving and existing. Try to keep your desires minimal. The more you multiply the desires and wants, the more you create restlessness in your mind and where there is restlessness there is no peace, there is no happiness. Desire is the enemy of peace. If the desire is countered, it leads to anger, anger leads to attachment and hatred.

Forgiving and forgetting is another way to peace. Ignore insult and injury, don’t take it upon yourselves, don’t start brooding over them. Never hold a grudge in your mind. Don’t constantly think of returning tit for tat, paying back in the same coin. You will lose your peace of mind. Let go, let go. The more your egoism, the greater the restlessness of your mind. The simpler your heart, the greater your peace. The more you want recognition, status, power, authority, the more you are restless. If you want to attain peace, simplify your life, reduce your wants and minimise your desires. Do not keep grudges, forgive and forget, do not seek recognition. You will have peace.

Thirdly, there is a great cosmic source of infinite immeasurable peace. To break away from it, to separate yourself from it, is to enter into a state of restlessness and agitation. If you inwardly try to connect yourself with it, with that great source, gradually peace will come into your own being. Link up with that supreme peace and blessedness which we call God. Call it God, call it anything. It is the ultimate Reality. It is perfect peace, it is absolute peace, it is unalloyed peace, boundless and limitless, infinite and unfathomable, immeasurable, eternal peace. Link yourself with that and then gradually peace will come unto you and simultaneously you will attain bliss.

Forget the past. Don’t brood over it. Don’t plan too much for the future. Try to move through the present serenely, unaffectedly. Then you will experience the peace that is ever present; not for one split second is it absent. Peace is always there. We superimpose upon it our own restlessness. There is no lack of peace in this universe. Peace floods this universe in abundance, everywhere, at all times. It is we who superimpose our restlessness upon that ever present perfect peace. If you can, harmonise with that peace. Be one with it. If possible generate peace and add to it.

While we are trying to be at peace with ourselves and invoke peace from within by the methods that have been suggested, we may counter a different problem. We may be at peace with ourselves, but when we move among other people we come into contact with people who are not at peace and their restlessness sometimes is infectious. This infection is transferred to us. In the presence of any angry man you also become excited. In the presence of a serene man your anger subsides. So it is infectious. When we constantly move amidst people who are always in a state of agitation, restlessness, fighting, quarrelling, excited and irritable, it becomes very difficult to keep our peace. So how can you deal with this? I will tell you one or two wise little hints which Masters of Wisdom have given us. No matter how dark the night around you, if you have a little lamp, you can find your way. You can reach your destination. So be a light unto yourself. Carry your own Peace. Abide in it. The darkness around you cannot bother you. If you are firmly established, you will be able to pass through this universe, full of restlessness, yet, manage to maintain your peace.

Every day on your way to work you have to pass through a very unsavoury locality which is always stinking with rotten garbage. It is revolting, but what can you do? You cannot purchase tons of eau-de-cologne and other scents and try to sprinkle it over all the garbage. But you can have some nice scent on the tip of your handkerchief and the lapel of your dress and keep it near your nose when you pass through that area and thus you would have conquered the situation. You have to walk across a jungle, full of sharp flinty stones and thorny bushes. What do you do? You make for yourself a pair of very serviceable strong leather shoes and you can cover miles and miles of forest, no matter how flinty the rocks and how sharp the thorns. So far as you are concerned they are as good as not being there. So, we cannot change the world, we cannot alter the nature of all people. May be, within your own home, your place of work and in the bus in which you commute, there are all sorts of people. You cannot carry a magic wand and try to change them. There is a limit to your ability to change people and things around you. But you are a master of yourself. You can bring about a change in yourself.

A great, wise master once said: “Towards those who are lesser than you, inferior to you, in any way, may be in age, education, culture, in wealth, status, authority, talent, or may be in natural endowment, have an attitude of kindness. Do not be annoyed and upset with them. Be kind and compassionate towards those who are lesser than you. Feel a sense of friendliness towards your equals and rejoice in their success and good fortune. Replace jealousy, envy and a sense of competition with genuine friendliness of the heart. One always tends to become agitated, jittery and nervous in the presence of superiors—those who are superior in any way, in status, strength, power, wealth, or learning—and loses one’s peace of mind. Towards such people, consciously cultivate an attitude of serenity. Always be serene and unruffled. You will go through this agitated world, enjoying your peace, and when you are at peace, you will have happiness also.

This is with regard to the outer world of people. What about this outer world of things, happenings and events? Sometimes we have certain desires that are fulfilled and sometimes they are not fulfilled. If fulfilment gives you elation and disappointment gives you depression, it is no good. You will always be at the mercy of these events. So be contented under all circumstances. Be cheerful, no matter what happens. Rejoice if something turns up just as you want it, feel happy if something turns up to the contrary, feel happy even if something turns up in a third way; rejoice in the Lord’s Will and feel happy. It is His world. It is His dispensation. If it is shining, are you not glad? If it is raining, are you not glad? This philosophy of life where you accept everything as ultimately for the good will bring you peace.

Always rejoice in everything and at all times, because there is a valid reason why a thing is what it is and why it is not what it is not. Nothing happens without a reason. The All Wise being is working out a plan according to His own dispensation. You may not be able to see the reason immediately but you will realise it later on. Everything turns out for the good. Therefore, you should take all events with this attitude of acceptance and rejoicing, knowing that the wisdom of God is behind it. There must be some reason, therefore accept everything; you stand to gain in every way if you keep contented and cheerful and by the same law you stand to lose if you allow yourself to become elated and depressed by everything. Therefore, in your own interest, come what may, rejoice, be serene, be happy and do not allow anything to touch and spoil your inner happiness.

Develop this philosophy of life, this outlook, and your peace will be maintained, and where there is peace there is happiness. Rejoice in the happiness of others. Trust in God and be serene. Above all things, do not allow anything to affect your inner peace. Then only are you wise. Then only do you have the key to happiness, and who does not want happiness? The key to happiness is peace, and that key to peace I have tried to put before you, in some way. By no means have I covered the whole subject, but even these little things if you put into practice, I promise that you will begin to have greater peace progressively in spite of the restlessness around you and through peace you will also find happiness. Peace and happiness go together. You cannot separate them. Wisdom lies in evolving peace within ourselves and finding it in our dealings with the world. Happiness will follow as a matter of course.

Introduction to the Gita

I do not wish you to merely listen to my sharing as so many human individuals, but to listen, receive and absorb as souls upon your onward march for the attainment of your divine destiny which is nothing short of God awareness, nothing short of Self-realisation and nothing short of an inner illumination. As souls on this upward ascending path of spiritual evolution unto divine perfection, I would like you to listen, receive, absorb and assimilate with that higher consciousness. It is from this ground that I try to do my sharing, not as a human individual talking to a group of individuals, not merely as a Swami discoursing to some aspirants or students but as a humble channel of the eternal call of the Infinite, to all the individual rays that have emanated out of that but have apparently gone out from the centre for some time and which will one day go back. Therefore, there is a constant call of the Eternal, of the Infinite, of the Universal to the individual to come back home and to claim the heritage which is his birthright.

Why do you wander in this wilderness of phenomenal existence? Why do you wander far away from your home which is the abode of your eternal sunshine, immeasurable peace and infinite bliss? Why do you wander, groping and stumbling, weeping and wailing, thinking yourself to be the creator of birth and death, of joy and sorrow? All this is avoidable and unnecessary. You need not prolong your bondage. If you arise and awake and become aware of what you are, what you are meant to attain, then you will know that life is not meant to be something merely mundane, but an ascent on the scaling of a pinnacle and a flight unto the Infinite. It is with this awareness that you should approach life and live it unto illumination, unto liberation, unto perfection, unto wholeness, unto the fullest measure of Self-realisation and awareness.

In this world where individual souls take their incarnations as part of this human family, numerous sections of this human family have made their residence in different parts of the world. They have evolved different ways of living, different ways of conducting themselves, different ways of behaving, relating with others and different ways of communicating, with their own language, customs, manners, traditions and sense of values. We are all human beings and everyone of us says “I”.  Everyone feels ‘I exist’, ‘I am’ and yet each one’s concept of that ‘I am’ and each one’s expression of that ‘I am’ is so totally different from the other that to interpret it and come to some understanding of it seems to be a never ending task.

This is so because there are many diversions and so much of variety and difference in the way each of us understands life, approaches and lives it. This is also because of the difference in their language, their culture, their sense of values, the principles by which they live, their understanding, eating, their social customs and traditions. Some people bury their dead, some burn them. Some expose them to vultures and others keep them as they are, embalm them and entomb them. Some people rub noses when they meet, some people shake their hands and some people fold their hands. Why they are so different, we do not know.

In all these different trends of living, eating, dressing and thinking, there is one factor which is the most fascinating of all. That factor is their heritage of wisdom that they have received in the form of knowledge from their ancestors. Their forefathers evolved the knowledge of what they saw in this universe, how they understood this universe, knowledge of man, what they knew about themselves, what they thought about themselves and knowledge of the cosmic source out of which man and this universe has emerged. What is the beginning of this universe which we see, in which we live? What is the origin of people who live in this universe? What were their findings? What were their discoveries? What research did they conduct and at what conclusions did they arrive?

These are the fascinating lines of enquiry and search. These are the fascinating areas of human study and each race, each civilisation, each culture held within itself this inner core of knowledge that had been inherited from the past, that was handed down from generation to generation and that was further added on to be enriched, expanded and made more progressive. So it is a living stream of knowledge. It is not merely dead facts, but a living stream of knowledge, wisdom, in depth understanding of man, universe, life of man in this universe and the ultimate background, the source from which both these come into being.

It is this heritage of wisdom that forms one of the most crucial and important factors that ultimately decided how these people lived their lives, how they conducted themselves, what goals they set for themselves and what was the quality of their life. It is this heritage of wisdom that gave them certain ideals, that put before them certain principles to live up to, or live by, keeping in their view the ultimate welfare of the people to whom this wisdom was given.

This knowledge became the governing principle, the guiding factor in each section of mankind without which life would become chaotic, lacking a sense of striving, a sense of achievement, and a sense of proper direction. Therein lies the importance of this particular aspect in the inheritance of mankind in the different parts of the world and among different sections of humanity. From ancient times this knowledge was thus evolved and placed before each generation for their guidance and benefit. This gradually became embodied as the main scriptures of each section of mankind, their law books—not this legalistic law of the present times, but the ancient law of human conduct which gave certain norms of behaviour and laid down certain rules of living.

The Tora and the Talmud in the Judaic tradition and the work of many thinkers or moralists or theologians in the Christian tradition, Confucius of the Chinese tradition, the Dharma Sastras in the Hindu tradition which are known as Smritis—Manu Smriti, Yajnavalkya Smriti, Parasara Smriti, Viduraneeti—expounded the correct way of living. We have the Zend Avesta and the other Gathas of the Zoroastrians; the Buddhistic and Jain traditions have their philosophical works as well as their other scriptures that lay down the law of human life and conduct, the Dharma Granthas. It is these that ultimately make the human race what it is. People do not live so much by instinct but by certain values, certain ideas, thanks to these scriptures that gradually evolved and came into being over the millennium as a result of our ancestors’ deep thought, and higher realisations.

And then added on to this, a richer factor which enriched this wisdom heritage, for, ultimately, it also reached and attained a higher dimension of human life and quest in that it tried to unravel the mystery of man in this universe and discover what is beyond this universe. Beyond it, both in time and space, what was there before the universe was created, what was there even beyond this time, this universal time, the present time, when there was nothing and nothing had come into being, what was there, in that timeless state? What is there beyond all the farthest reach of space, in all things, in all manifestation? If somewhere someone were to go beyond, what would he come face to face with? This is the way people thought. People tried to probe the Reality beyond time and space. They did meditation and then rose into a state of transcendental experience from where they went beyond the range of senses, beyond the range of thought, beyond the range of even intelligence and rose into a supernal state of direct spiritual illumined perception.

This experience also became part of the wisdom heritage that was handed down from the ancient past. Not only knowledge, not only wisdom, but the highest experience which went beyond knowledge and even beyond wisdom. The highest experience gained through a faculty which was not part of the human personality or human potential, which is bound in time and space, name and form, which was experience gained through a spiritual principle within you which is neither physical nor psychological, which is neither body nor mind nor intellect. A principle within you which is eternal, purely spiritual, of the nature of consciousness, awareness, in that luminous level of your being where you know yourself as pure, unqualified, that awareness when directed towards a higher, still higher level, that awareness comes into the awareness of something that is even beyond it where this individual awareness gives place to an untrammelled, boundless, universal awareness.

This experience also became part of the wisdom heritage and it is this wisdom heritage which the scriptures contain. This heritage gives a greater meaning to all that human society has evolved from ancient times to the present day in different parts of the world and different sections of mankind. Otherwise, whatever might have been evolved, whatever might have been handed down as different methods of eating, drinking and dressing and talking and carrying on human affairs, human relationships, ultimately would have no meaning or validity because one day it all has to end in death and dissolution and destruction, no matter how you live, what you do, what you drink, what you eat, how you dress yourself. Everything ends in death and dissolution. It comes to nothing. Then, what does it matter whether you dressed yourself this way or that way or a third way? It all seems so meaningless.

The higher experience shows to you the presence in man of a dimension that is not perishable, that is not destructible, that does not end and there is no extinction of it, something eternal, something imperishable, something indestructible, something forever. Had it not been for this discovery, all these things would ultimately look worthless, valueless, in the ultimate analysis. But, there comes to our rescue this great discovery that there is, in each man, something that is eternal, permanent. It is this aspect of the wisdom heritage, the metaphysical aspect, the spiritual aspect, that is, therefore, the most precious and the most valuable of the entire range of human inheritance from the ancient past. Whatever man can do, assumes a meaning, has a value, precisely because of the presence of this factor in it, the highest transcendental experience, the reality of man.

In the Indian Hindu tradition, this supreme experience is expounded through Vedanta. Our wisdom heritage is the Vedic wisdom and in the Vedic wisdom the highest point is the spiritual experience attained by the Vedic seers and the sages, and that occupies the later portion of the Vedas. They are also to be found in the Upanishads and this aspiring exposition of your higher nature, your inner reality is the main theme of the Upanishads and the Vedanta. This is the greatest treasure of all, the entire inheritance. So that this great discovery, the inspiring truth may be easily accessible to human beings who are heirs to eternal blessedness, so that this important treasure may be easily accessible, the quintessence of the Upanishadic wisdom, the spiritual experience embodied in the Upanishads has been given to us in a compact form, in the form of a conversation between the great World Teacher and a human student, in the form of a dialogue, in the form of questions and answers. This compact scripture which thus gives the essence of the Upanishadic message and the revelation is the Bhagavad Gita.

The Bhagavad Gita is an epitome of the Indian philosophy, the cultural and spiritual experience and brings to us the highest transcendental wisdom of the Absolute, the Supreme. It brings to us the practical methods of ultimately rising to a state of wisdom, transcending the limitations. It also brings us wise admonitions about the way we have to conduct ourselves in life. Therefore, it is called the Upanishad. Upanishad is something that brings you close to Reality. What is it which brings you close to Reality? A life of righteousness, Dharma, and so it also contains an exposition of Dharma. How does one eradicate negative qualities? How does one cultivate virtuous qualities, divine qualities? In what way does one bring about a gradual transformation of life and conduct from the impurity of Tamas into the luminous purity of Sattva?

This is the key to righteousness, to the life of Sattva, the life of virtue and of divine qualities and therefore, within the covers of this little book you will find wisdom of the Absolute being expounded. You will find practical methods being suggested and the practice for its realisation being outlined and explained. Also being elaborated is the path of righteousness that brings human beings close to God, that path of righteousness, purity of conduct and self-control. All this has been delineated in a very simple and direct manner.

The Bhagavad Gita is the essence of the wisdom heritage inherited by this nation, and the Hindu people of this nation from their past, from the radiant wisdom-filled past inherited by them which contains within itself different aspects of human life, a culture, conduct, morality, ethics and the higher experience that they are capable of attaining if they fulfil the conditions. The spiritual illumination, the spiritual experience and the spiritual and psychical practices and methods to attain that experience and the moral and ethical life, the moral and ethical way of conducting yourself, behaviour and conduct which is the basis of these practices and the ultimate attainment—all find a place in this epitome of Indian Hindu spiritual wisdom.

As I told you, every culture has this wisdom heritage. It is embodied in the scriptures and they have also certain portions of the scriptures which are given great importance and Gita stands unique within the context of the Indian Hindu heritage as a compact little volume which contains the quintessence of the entire heritage that has been inherited by the Hindu race, that is dwelling upon the sub-continent of India, this land of religion and realisation. This little book, Gita, also occupies a unique place in the context of global human life and in the context of the universal wisdom heritage that mankind, as a family, has received from the past.

It is a scripture par excellence for the Hindus, but at the same time it is an important part of the common heritage of mankind, of all human beings, because it tells you about man, tells you about the universe. It does not tell you about any section of the human family but it tells you about the entire human family, about man in this phenomenal universe, about the goal of man’s life and as such it is the answer to the quest of mankind for some light upon the path of life. It has universal elements in it because it was given by God to man and therefore, a study of it would be found gainful for persons of any cultural and religious background. There are elements in it that are found useful for everyone, no matter what religion or faith or belief one is following. It is a book that holds something valuable for all levels of your life; your outer life, your social life, your personal life, your moral life, your ethical life and your higher spiritual life which you share with all human beings. Ultimately, the spiritual goal of all humanity is the same attainment of God-consciousness, attainment of spiritual unfoldment, attainment of total Divine perfection.

Thoughts From The Bhagavad Gita

In the Bhagavad Gita the Lord says, “My devotee who engages in doing good to others will never come to any harm”, (Na hi kalyanakrit kaschit durgatim tata gachhati). One who engages in doing good, one who harms no one, such a one will never come to harm. This is the Lord’s assurance. It is His law. What you gave that comes to you. If you engage in doing good, never shall any harm come to you. We see people who engage in doing good, have a lot of misfortune, lot of troubles, lot of sufferings. That is also a law. Because the good you are engaged in now, will secure you from all harm in the time to come, in the days ahead. It guarantees you a glorious future. But if you have contradicted this great law in the past, the law demands the settlement of your accounts. If debts are accumulated, you have to pay them.

If someone is suffering even while doing good to others, it means that he is getting rid of old debt. They are so much liberating themselves from their burden. In this light it has to be understood that it has no reference to the good that the person is doing at present, but it may have some reference to a little negative past which is being cleared and finished. So one must welcome even hardships.

One should not get confused and think, “Lord promised good and here a contrary thing is happening.” Beneath the surface there is no contradiction. If you look only upon the surface you see the apparent contradiction. Sometimes even in the ordinary field of Vyavahara, if you have taken something poisonous the physician gives you something so that the poison may come out. Even so, bad Karmas should be got rid of. They are the impediments to the attainment of peace, bliss and perfection. But even in the course of getting rid of these impediments, little sorrows may have to be suffered. What is this little suffering? This is nothing when compared to the sufferings of the devotees of bygone years. See what suffering the great Mirabai, the princess of Chitorgarh, had to undergo. See how much suffering Prahlada had to undergo. But did they lose faith? Did they waver even one hair’s breadth in their absolute trust in the Divine? They knew that the Lord’s assurances will never go wrong.

Again the Lord says in the Gita, “Kaunteya pratijaneehi na me bhaktah pranasyati—O Arjuna, know this well that My devotee never perishes. He will never come to harm. Why? Because I have given this assurance that I am always at his back.”

Pin-pricks and little bit of unpleasant experiences may be there. They fare part and parcel of this Dvandva Jagat, the world of duality. The world is made up of pairs of opposites, Dvandvas. So if one wants one particular thing he gets the other kind also a little bit together with it. Therefore one philosopher shrewdly said, “What is the cause of pain? Pleasure is the cause of pain.” It is true. Because pleasure is always accompanied by pain. So the devotee does not care. Because he knows the Lord’s firm assurance that even though he may have some passing set-backs and failures, ultimately he will not come to harm. God is at the devotee’s back. He is the devotee’s armour and shield. So nothing can happen to him. So have trust in the Lord and launch your craft into the ocean of Samsara. Never mind the little waves and winds. Go on. Sail to the far off shore. Because that is why we have come here. It is the direct injunction of the Purna Parabrahmavatara of Lord Krishna “Anityam asukham lokam imam prapya bhajasva mam—having come into this temporary world of transitory things, which is full of pain and suffering, do always contemplate Me, always worship Me, always be rooted in Me. Then you will cross this ocean of transmigratory existence and attain great blessedness.” Having said this, the Lord gives all facilities.

Once you know the purpose behind the Vibhuti Yoga, once you know its true implication, then your whole life will be transformed, your whole vision gets transformed. Even one little aspect of His Vibhuti if you take, your life will never be the same. It will be permeated by spirituality. For example, the Lord says, “Of the heavenly bodies I am the sun.” We have to live and work in the sun from morning to evening. So when sunlight is showering from a clear blue sky, if you remember the Vibhuti Yoga, you will find that Lord Krishna Himself is showering upon you. Narayana Himself is showering upon you. It is not without reason, it is said, that the sun is Suryanarayana Bhagavan. Narayana is the presiding deity of the sun in our solar system which is the great source of life, light and energy. Therefore, we have the Suryanamaskara: Om Bhanave Namah, Om Mitraya Namah, Om Ravaye Namah, etc. They say, “Meditate upon that glorious Narayana in that orb of the sun, seated in lotus pose, divinely apparelled, full of beautiful ornaments and holding Sankha, Chakra, Gada and Padma. Like molten gold He shines.” You may think, “All right, during the daytime we try to remember the Lord under the grace of the rays of the sun. But what about night? The Lord says, “In the night I am the moon among the starry multitudes.” Thus the Lord goes on describing His Vibhutis. He says, “Among the collections of waters I am the ocean; among the immobile objects I am the Himalayas etc., etc.” He not only identifies Himself with all nice things in the world, but He also says, “Among those who gamble I am the cunningness.” The pickpocket, the man who enters the house stealthily and carries away your radio and television, he is also identified by the Lord Himself.

In the great hymn of the Yajurveda called Rudri which runs as “Taskaranam pataye namah—prostrations to the chief of thieves,” the Lord is the chief of even thieves. Thus the Lord is present in each and every item of this creation. Therefore they call this universe a juggler’s trick (Indrajala). The divine essence of the Lord is present in this universe in multifarious facets. By giving this Vibhuti Yoga to us the Lord makes it possible for us to be ever in the awareness of Him, no matter where we are, because He permeates every corner of this universe. Having said everything in the Vibhuti Yoga, in short, the Lord says to Arjuna, “O Arjuna, why dilate upon the details of My Vibhutis, let Me tell you, having completely pervaded this universe with a little part of My being, I remain supremely transcendent. The whole of the universe has been created thus, with countless manifestations, with only a fraction of My being. And I am what I am. So with a fraction of My being I pervade this entire universe of countless manifestations.” Arjuna’s request in the Ninth Chapter was fulfilled by the Lord in the Tenth Chapter of the Gita.

Now Arjuna says, “O Lord, You have described Your Vibhutis. But can You actually make me see them?” In response to this request of Arjuna the Lord grants him actual vision of His Transcendental Being where He stunned Arjuna to the core. No matter where Arjuna turns his head, he sees the Lord in all directions. He became frightened. He saw the Lord in all things, not only in beautiful flower or butterfly, but even in thunder, in life and death. He said, “O Lord, I am frightened. Please assume Your usual form. I cannot take it any more.” Then the Lord withdraws that vision from him. This is the blessed knowledge which the Lord has given to the world, taking Arjuna only as a medium, as a token of His great love for all the Jivas.

The great message is “Imam prapya bhajasva mam”—having attained this world of vanishing names and forms, adore Me and worship Me; centre your love upon Me and worship Me. This is the way you can easily attain Me. My true glory, My true nature cannot be seen through penance, meditation and difficult Yoga practices. It is not attained through self-denial and self-control. But it is attained through pure devotion and sincere love for Me. Through worship and adoration with devotion I can be cognised, I can be experienced. The devotee can enter into Me.

More than all paths, I tell you the secret, devotion is the easiest way. Specially in this age where there are so many distractions, where pressures of life are so much that fifty per cent of people have nervous weakness, how can the truths of Vedanta be revealed? Impossible. It is only wild imagination and self-deception. For that very great and subtle Sukshma Buddhi, like, razor-sharpness, is necessary. Then only you can pierce the veil of Maya. With what disciplines the ancient seekers prepared themselves to receive Jnanopadesa. What severe discipline they underwent to establish themselves in Viveka, Vairagya, Sama, Dama, Titiksha, Uparati, Sraddha, Samadh