By
SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA
A DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY PUBLICATION
First Edition: 1959
Second Edition: 1996
(2,000 Copies)
World Wide Web (WWW) Edition : 1998
Website: http://www.divinelifesociety.org/
This WWW reprint is for free distribution
© The Divine Life Trust Society
ISBN 81-7052-129-7
Published By
THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
P.O. Shivanandanagar—249 192
Distt. Tehri-Garhwal, Uttaranchal,
Himalayas, India.
CONTENTS
Here is a new edition of this valuable publication appearing after
several years since the time of H.H. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj.
This reprint has been made possible through the goodwill gesture of
a devotee, Sri Jyoti Priya from South Carolina, U.S.A. God’s Grace
be upon her for this voluntary co-operation in the service of the Divine
Life Society towards spread of spiritual knowledge in the world.
Shivanandanagar,
THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
9th December, 1996
Every year, millions of people all over the world celebrate the Holy
Christmas. There are festivities and joyous celebrations, a lot of merry-making.
People rejoice that Lord Jesus took birth in our midst about two thousand
years ago.
It is certainly an event over which all humanity ought to be proud
and jubilant. But it is essential, too, to realise that Lord Jesus had
a message to deliver. He laid with his own life and blood, a path for
mankind to tread. It is essential that mankind should, in the midst
of the joyous celebration of the Holy Event of the Birth of Jesus, reflect
on the glorious life of the Lord over His Message. For, in it lies the
key to world peace and brotherhood.
May God bless you! May the blessings of Lord Jesus be upon you all.
Swami Sivananda
(Sri Swami Sivananda)
Combining as it does, the joy of life and the Spirit of God, the festival
of Christmas comes year after the approaching herald of a new year,
with its sweet message and silent shifting of our attention, more and
yet more to the spiritual pursuits in which alone consist man’s
real peace, true progress, and everlasting glory. Whether it was Jane
Taylor or Watts who affirmed, “Lord, I ascribe it to Thy grace,
and not to chance, as others do, that I was born of Christian race”
it is no expression of any spirit of fanaticism but a humble acknowledgement
of the excellent benefits that the genuine Christian way and style of
life confers upon one; it is an eloquent tribute to the First Christmas
divinely celebrated in the Christ’s crib one thousand, nine hundred
and fifty-six years ago, a tribute paid by one who has reaped in experience
the life-making fruits of the seeds sown by the birth of Christ. Besides
that elevation of sentiments that inspiration for the inmost spirit
in man, that gladness of heart for all, Happy Christmas renews and revivifies
in us splendid spiritual values, unyielding spirit of courage, hope,
service and sacrifice, a wider and more profound meaning of life to
live by. Nothing but a complete volume of weighty writing becomes necessary
for any satisfactory narration of the Great Meaning that Christmas has
always held for each of us. May this Christmas bring to everyman on
earth, immense happiness, persisting peace, a new strength, a long life
of service, love, sacrifice and spiritual progress!
This message was written in 1956 for including in the special Christmas
Issue of ‘The Guardian’, Madras.
CHILDREN’S SONG
Two little eyes to look to God,
Two little ears to hear His word,
Two little feet to walk in His ways,
Two little lips to sing His praise,
Two little hands to do His will
And one little heart to love Him still.
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1. LEAD KINDLY LIGHT
Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom
Lead Thou me on;
The night is dark and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on.
Keep Thou my feet, I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved the garish day, and spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will; remember not past years.
So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on,
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn, those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since and lost awhile.
2. MAKE ME THINE
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord! to Thee;
Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is Thine own.
It shall be Thy Royal Throne.
Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
3. LOVE SO AMAZING
When I survey the wondrous Cross
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count by loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbit it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the Cross of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His Blood.
See from His Head, His Hands, His Feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingling down;
Did E’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all,
To Christ, who won for sinners grace
By bitter grief and anguish sore,
Be praise from all the ransomed race,
For ever and for evermore.
4. ROCK OF AGES
Rock of ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the Water and the Blood
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Cleanse me from its guilt and power.
Not the labour of my hands
Can fulfil Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know.
Could my tears for ever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring.
Simply to Thy Cross I cling:
Naked, come to Thee for dress,
Helpness, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the Fountain fly;
Wash me, Saviour, or I die.
While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my eyelids close in death,
When I soar through tracts unknown,
See Thee on Thy Judgment Throne;
Rock of ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
5. NEARER TO GOD
Nearer, my God; to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be—
Nearer, my God, to Thee, near to Thee.
Though like the wanderer (the sun gone down)
Darkness be over me—my rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams I’d be
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee.
Then let the way appear steps unto heaven,
All that Thou sendest me in mercy given;
Angels to beckon me
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee.
Then with my waking thoughts bright with
Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs Beth-el I’ll raise;
So by woes to be
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee.
Or if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upwards I fly,
Still all my song shall be,
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee.
6. THE MISTS HAVE ROLLED AWAY
When the mists have rolled in splendour
From the beauty of the hills,
And the sunlight falls in gladness
On the river and the rills.
We recall our Father’s promise
In the rainbow of the spray
We shall know each other better
When the mists have rolled away
CHORUS
We shall know as we are known;
Never more to walk alone,
In the dawning of the morning
Of that bright and happy day;
We shall know each other better
When the mists have rolled away.
Oft we tread the path before us
With a weary burdened heart;
Oft we toil amid the shadows
And our fields are far apart;
But the Saviour’s “Come, ye blessed,”
All our labour will repay,
When we gather in the morning
Where the mists have rolled away.
We shall come with joy and gladness,
We shall gather round the Throne;
Face to face with those that love us,
We shall know as we are known.
And the song of our redemption
Shall resound through endless day,
When the shadows have departed
And the mists have rolled away.
Chapter One
The Supreme Light descended into this mortal world of gloom and darkness,
two thousand years ago.
The Law governing the Lord’s descent upon earth is the same at
all times, everywhere. When unrighteousness grows and righteousness
is waning, when the forces undivine seem to be stronger than the divine
forces, when the Word of God or commandments of His Messengers are forgotten
or disobeyed, when religious fanaticism follows the letter of the scriptures
killing the spirit, it is then that the Lord incarnates Himself on earth,
to save Man, to save righteousness. That is why we find so much in common
between the birth of Lord Jesus and the Avatara of Lord Sri Krishna.
Even at birth, the Lord had silently begun to deliver His Message.
He chose, not a palace but a stable to be his first earthly home. He
chose, not royal parents, but humble, poor, but faithful and pious people
to own Him the Lord of the Universe, as their offspring. His scale of
values is different from mortal. In His eyes, earthly pomp and splendour,
as also pride of piety and vanity of intellect, are not receptacles
worthy of His descent: for, “blessed are the pure at heart, for
they shall see God.”
Mary, the Divine Mother of Lord Jesus, had already been informed by
His Angels that the Son of God would be born of her. She married a good
man named Joseph, the carpenter. They lived in Nazareth. The ruler of
the country in which they lived passed an order that all the people
should register their names in their native town or village and then
pay tax. Joseph had, therefore, to go to Bethlehem, their native place.
However, when they did arrive there, they found that they had virtually
no decent house or inn to live in, and had to spend the night in a stable.
It was here that the Lord was born.
The blessed, pure and pious shepherds were the next to see the Lord.
They were keeping watch over their sheep in the country; and an angel
appeared before them and informed them of the Divine Birth. Then the
angels sang a beautiful song in praise of the Lord and in so doing,
revealed the Purpose of His Descent:
Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace,
goodwill toward men.
Lord Jesus had come into this world of men in order to re-establish
the true and the highest glory of God, peace on earth, and goodwill
in the hearts of men towards all fellow-beings. These blessed shepherds
were the very first blessed souls on earth to literally worship the
Saviour.
Eight days after His Birth, His parents took Him to the temple at Jerusalem
for being presented to God, as was the then Jewish custom. A good old
man of Jerusalem, named Simeon, was the next to recognise the Divinity
of Lord Jesus. When he saw the Lord in the temple, he knew that Jesus
was the Saviour, the Divine Light that had descended on earth to dispel
the darkness of ignorance and sin, to redeem the people and to lead
them along the path of love and goodness, to the realisation of the
Kingdom of God within. In the temple that day Anna, a prophetess also
saw Lord Jesus and proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God, who would
shine as the Light of the World.
Soon after, the Wise men of the East arrived at Bethlehem to pay their
homage to the Lord. When the Lord was born, an exceptionally brilliant
star shone upon the sky; and this these wise men knew to be the sure
sign that the Messiah promised by earlier Prophets had come. They set
out to worship the Messiah. They followed the direction of the star
and came to the kingdom of Herod. They explained their mission to King
Herod whom their tale frightened, more than it pleased; and Herod requested
them to let him, too, know of the whereabouts of the Divine Child, to
enable him, as he said, to worship Him, though in his heart of hearts
he desired to do away with the child. The wise men continued to pursue
the Star which shone above the house of the Lord. They recognised the
Divine Babe, fell on their knees and worshipped Him and offered Him
costly presents, as a humble token of their devotion and reverence.
Angels warned them not to reveal Jesus’s whereabouts to Herod
and so the wise men went their way without meeting Herod once again.
Herod, thus, frustrated in his nefarious ambition, ordered that all
children in Bethlehem below the age two should be mercilessly killed.
The King’s officers readily carried out his orders; and thousands
of little babes were quickly despatched to the Lotus-Feet of the Lord,
in Heaven.
But Joseph and Mary, along with Lord Jesus, had been forewarned by
angels of the coming danger, and they had escaped into Egypt over which
Herod had no authority. The Lord remained in Egypt for some time, till
the angels once again appeared before them and announced the death of
King Herod. Though Joseph, Mary and Jesus returned to their native country,
they chose to proceed to Nazareth, as Joseph felt life was not safe
near King Herod’s son who ruled in Judea.
At Nazareth, Lord Jesus, the Son of God, the Incarnation of His Light,
the Saviour, grew up as a dutiful son of the pious parents and learnt
carpentry from Joseph. The Divine Master who later in life was to shape
the twelve great apostles, and whose flaming words were to shape for
all time to come the destinies of countless human beings and even nations
upon earth,—He busied Himself in learning carpentry, shaping tools
and furniture from raw wood.
When the Lord was twelve years old, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem
for the Feast of the Passover. Jesus was very much interested in the
Temple and the discourses of the priests there. In fact, He was so much
engrossed in the thoughts of God and His Divine Law, that when His parents
had left the temple and were returning to Nazareth, He returned to the
temple and joined a group of religious teachers who were discussing
religious questions. Even to these masters of philosophy, His words
were astounding.
Soon Joseph and Mary discovered that Jesus was not following them.
In great consternation they returned to the temple and found Him there.
Mary gently chided Him for thus slipping away from them to which the
Lord replied in those wonderful mystic words: “Did you not know
that I must be about My Father’s business?” The fond parents
were only even more puzzled.
For about fourteen years thereafter, Jesus spent His life in India
and lived like a Hindu or a Buddhist monk. He had burning dispassion
and the spirit of renunciation. In India he assimilated Hindu ideals
and principles. Some Christians do not believe in this account of the
Lord’s “missing period.” They argue it is not specifically
mentioned in the Bible.
In matters connected with persons who lived as far back as nearly twenty
centuries ago, there is bound to be slight divergences of view. The
Old Testament naturally cannot contain any reference. The New Testament
consists of Gospels, etc., written by His Disciples, after He was enlightened.
It is obviously futile to search for a reference about the period preceding
this,—which was the period during which he travelled in India where
He got initiation from sages and seers—in accounts of His actions
written by people who could never have had any knowledge of His earlier
days. It has been the belief of many historians that at some time during
the missing period Jesus travelled in India. Anyway there is nothing
untenable in this view, and its acceptance would only strengthen the
bonds of love between the East and the West, and promote good will between
the two hemispheres, which is the Mission of the Lord.
John the Baptist, son of the priest Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth,
had, in accordance with angel Gabriel’s prophecy begun to baptize
people and to prepare them to receive the Light of the Lord Jesus. Lord
Jesus was now about thirty years of age, and sought John to be baptized
by him on the banks of the river Jordan. John recognised Jesus’s
Divinity and asked: “Dost Thou come to me, when I have need to
be baptized by Thee?” But the Lord had determined to set an example
to mankind: spiritual illumination can be had through a Guru (Preceptor).
The moment the baptism was complete, Lord Jesus saw a vision of God’s
spirit descending like a dove and alighting upon Him, and He heard a
heavenly voice say: “Thou art my beloved son, I am well pleased
with thee.”
Even John the Baptist had often declared that Lord Jesus was greater
than he. But look at the Lord’s devotion to His Preceptor! He said:
“Of those born of women there has not arisen a greater than John
the Baptist.” Devotion to the Guru (Preceptor) is the key that
unlocks the realms divine: and even the Supreme Being, the Mass of supreme
Consciousness, when He descends upon this earth, sets a great example
in Guru-Bhakti.
After the baptism, Lord Jesus resorted to seclusion in the wilderness
and practised extreme austerities and fasted. At the end of 40 days
of such fasting He was hungry. Austerities and meditation had, no doubt,
earned for Him divine powers to work miracles. And, the Lord did perform
miracles to save people and to heal them. “Why not use those powers
now, convert stones into bread, and appease your hunger,” tempted
Satan, the Evil One. But, Lord Jesus resolutely refused to yield to
this temptation, saying: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceeds out of the Mouth of God.” Then, again,
the temptation arose to test the miraculous powers; “Why not throw
yourself from a high tower of the temple; if you are God’s Son,
angels shall bear Thee up,” whispered Satan, the Evil One. But
once again Lord Jesus brushed the tempter aside, saying: “Thou
shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” A third temptation was placed
before Him, when the Evil One took Him to the top of a high mountain,
showed Him the world, and said: “All these will I give Thee, if
Thou wilt fall down and worship me.” But, will Lord Jesus agree?
No. He grew stern and rebuked: “Get thee hence, Satan; for it is
written in the Scriptures, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God
and Him only shalt thou serve’.” The Evil One disappeared
and the angels ministered to the Lord.
In this great incident of His Life, the Lord had not only given us
three most inspiring pieces of instruction, but had also warned by his
own example that psychic powers are to be considered as obstacles on
his path by the true spiritual aspirant, and that even if, by His Grace,
these powers do come to him, he should never even think of utilising
them for his selfish ends. Even when his life was at stake, Lord Jesus
would not use His miraculous powers to prevent His being crucified.
All the miracles He performed during His travels were prompted by the
supreme compassion of His heart which overflowed with love and mercy
towards all beings. He healed the sick and even raised the dead. But
what he really did was to cast out the devils from the persons whom
he healed. Their past evil deeds and their hidden evil tendencies had
taken the form of their physical and mental ailments. Jesus reclaimed
the lost souls and restored to them their pristine purity: He obtained
for them, the Lord’s Mercy and Pardon. In his radiant Presence,
they not only had great faith in God, but they felt a real eagerness
to follow Lord Jesus and lead a new, divine life in accordance with
His instructions. It was this faith and this true repentance—repentance
that was at once translated into a complete self-reformation—that
drew forth from Lord Jesus, His compassionate Healing Grace.
Jesus, after the period of His seclusion and austerities, came back
to his native village, eager to impart His wisdom to his fellow-men.
John the Baptist had already declared to the people that the Kingdom
of God was at hand and called upon people to repent with a contrite
heart and effect a change of heart in themselves in order to be able
to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus, too, began with a repetition of
this Message. But, whereas John had painted God as a stern Judge, Lord
Jesus spoke of Him as the All-Merciful Father Who loved to save the
sinner. To Lord Jesus, faith in God, earnestness in prayer, and ethical
discipline ranked far above religious observances and ceremonies. This
made Him the friend of the oppressed and repressed sections of the people
and those whom the orthodox church had excommunicated. Jesus welcomed
them all, forgave their sins, and blessed them. “Come unto me all
ye that labour and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest,” said
He; and thousands sought Him and found peace and solace at His feet.
One of His chosen—Twelve—disciples was a publican, rejected
and despised by the orthodox Jews. And, one of the greatest and closest
of his followers was Mary Magdalene who was so sinful that it is said,
Lord Jesus cast out seven devils from her.
One day as Lord Jesus was passing by, a crowd had collected around
a woman who had been charged with adultery and had been sentenced “to
be stoned to death.” As the crowd was about to carry out this execution
Lord Jesus came upon the scene. Such was the magnetic and divine personality
that he possessed that the people instinctively obeyed His command to
desist from the cruel act. When he had heard their story of the woman’s
“unpardonable” sin, He quietly said: “Let him that is
without sin among you, cast the first stone on her.” This powerful
utterance of the Lord at once turned the gaze of each one there within
himself. Who could be without sin? Introspection revealed their own
defects. One by one, the people hung their heads down and left the place.
“Where are they,” Lord Jesus asked the woman, “did no
man condemn thee?” “No, my Lord,” said she. “Neither
do I condemn thee; go thy way and sin no more,” said the Lord summing
up in this beautiful incident the very essence of His Divine Message.
On another occasion, when a devotee, bathed Lord Jesus’ feet with
her tears, wiping them with her hairs and applying precious ointment
over them, the Lord blessed her and granted her forgiveness for all
her sins. This enraged some of the people, who questioned His right
to grant forgiveness for sins.
By now the first disciples had gathered around Lord Jesus. The Pharisees
on one occasion found Jesus’s disciples plucking corn on Sabbath
Day and eating it. When this was brought to the notice of the Lord,
He said: “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath;
so that the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” This greatly
displeased the Pharisees who waited for another opportunity.
While Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on a Sabbath Day the Pharisees
brought to him a sick man, wishing to find out if he would heal him
on the Sabbath Day. Jesus turned upon them and asked: “Is it right
to do good, or evil, on Sabbath Day?” They were unable to answer.
Jesus turned to the sick man and healed him. This had conclusively set
the Pharisees against Him.
Jesus had gone to Jerusalem to attend the Feast of the Passover and
Nicodemus, one of the chief Pharisees, met the Lord at night. Though
Nicodemus acknowledged Jesus to be a teacher who had come from God,
he said: “I am not able to understand and appreciate all that you
teach.” To this the Lord replied in words pregnant with deep spiritual
import: “A man must be born again if he is to see the Kingdom of
God—reborn not of the body, but in the spiritual sense.” Lord
Jesus proclaimed that a true change of heart constituted this rebirth.
On his way back to Galilee from Jerusalem, Jesus passed through Samaria.
At Sychar He took rest near a well, while His disciples had gone into
the town to buy food. A Samaritan woman came to the well to fetch water;
and the Lord asked her to give Him some water to drink. She hesitated
as no Jew could have anything to do with Samaritans. The Lord then told
her of her past life. At once she understood that Lord Jesus was a Prophet;
and He, too, admitted that He was the Messiah. The surprised woman at
once spread the news to all the people of the city and they gathered
around him, proclaiming: “This is truly the Christ, the Saviour
of the world.”
When Lord Jesus had returned to Cana, a nobleman approached Him and
prayed to Him for His Healing Grace upon his boy who was lying dangerously
ill at Capernaum. The Lord replied: “Go your way, for your son
will live.” At the very moment the Lord uttered these words, the
boy had regained his health. Even as the nobleman returned to Capernaum,
his servants greeted him with this happy news.
On one Sabbath Day at Nazareth, Lord Jesus claimed for Himself the
fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah: “The spirit of the Lord is
upon Me because he has anointed Me to preach, to heal and to set at
liberty.” This greatly enraged the congregation at the synagogue.
Though the Lord had been recognised as the Son of God, as a Prophet,
and as the Light of the World, by others, to the people of Nazareth,
Jesus was but the son of a carpenter! These unfortunate people drove
Jesus out of Nazareth. Said the Lord: “In his own country, a prophet
has no honour.”
Jesus then went over to Capernaum, along with His disciples. Crowds
of people gathered around Him wherever He went; and He preached Real
Religion to all of them. One day He saw Andrew and Peter cleaning their
fishing nets. As usual a crowd had gathered around Him; and thus, sitting
in Peter’s boat, Lord Jesus preached His Gospel to the crowd. Then,
He asked Peter to launch out into the deep and let down the nets. Peter
had not much of a hope of catching any fish; but he obeyed the Lord.
He caught such a lot of fish that he had to get the assistance of several
other comrades, to drag the net up. Turning to them, Lord Jesus said:
“Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” They followed
Him implicitly and became His chosen disciples.
His relatives had heard of His attitude and the strange gospel He preached,
and also discovered that He was thus incurring the displeasure of the
powers-that-be. They thought that He was beside Himself and wanted to
persuade Him to give up this opposition to constituted authority. While
He was preaching on the lake-side at Capernaum, His brothers and His
mother went over there to meet Him. When He was told of their arrival
there, He asked, “Who is my mother and my brethren?” and answered
it Himself: “Behold my mother and my brethren,” pointing to
those who sat around him; “for, whosoever shall do the will of
God, the same is my brother and sister and mother,”—thus granting
the closest relationship with Him, to all mankind for all time to come.
Jesus’s fame as the divine healer spread far and wide; and people
came to Him from far and near to be healed of various ailments. One
day, as He was preaching, at a synagogue in Capernaum, a man who had
a fit of madness was brought to Him. Jesus rebuked the spirit of madness
that possessed him and said, “Silence! Come out of him.” The
man was healed.
Similarly Peter’s mother-in-law was cured of a serious fever;
and hundreds of others were healed by a mere touch of His Hand.
One day, seeing the vast multitude follow Him, He went up a hill and
preached His famous “Sermon on the Mount.”
As He came down the mountain, a leper approached Him and prayed to
Him for His Healing Grace. By a mere touch Lord Jesus cured him. A centurion
approached Him and said that his servant was sick at home. Though, Lord
Jesus promised to go to the centurion’s house, the latter prayed
sincerely, that He need not and that His mere wish would heal the ailing
servant at home. Lord Jesus admired his faith and remarked: “I
have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” He blessed the
servant and, though he was physically far away, the servant was instantly
healed.
Seeing the multitudes following Him wherever He went, Lord Jesus wanted
to sail to the country of the Gergensenes. As he boarded the ship, a
scribe wanted to go with Him. Lord Jesus turned to him and said: “The
foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of
Man hath nowhere to lay his head.” The Great Lord had no home of
His own; but today every human heart is His Abode—such is the glorious
fruit of renunciation. He who would follow Him should similarly give
up all attachment to the things of the world and renouncing all that
is worldly, attain to Freedom.
Another, a disciple, wanted leave to bury his dead father. To him,
the Lord said: “Follow me, let the dead bury their dead.”
That is His stirring call. “Follow Me,” says He. Bestow no
thought on the meaningless concerns of the world where people who are
dead to an understanding of their real nature, weep over the death of
and bury, those who are dead to the world. He who is alive to his real
duty, will follow Him.
And, they got into the boat and sailed away. At night, a violent tempest
raged over the sea and the boat was tossed over angry waves. The disciples
were concerned lest the boat was tossed over angry waves. The disciples
were concerned lest the boat should capsize. They went to the Lord and
woke Him up. He smiled at their lack of faith—how could the boat
with Him on board capsize?—and commanded the tempest to stop. All
was quiet immediately; and this greatly increased the faith of the disciples
in Him—"What manner of man is this, that even the winds and
the sea obey him!" said they to one another.
When He returned to His own city once again, the people brought to
him a man afflicted with palsy. The Lord pronounced His blessing upon
him, saying: “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”
“This is blasphemy,” cried the scribes. But the Lord reaffirmed
that He had the power on earth to forgive the sins of men and commanded
the sick man to get up and walk home. Lo, the miracle happened and the
man was healed.
Lord Jesus would frequently dine with the Pharisees and those whom
the public regarded as sinners. The orthodox men of religion could not
understand Him. He dispelled their doubts by His bold declaration: “They
that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. I will have
mercy, and not sacrifice; for I am not come to call the righteous, but
sinners to repentance.”
One day, a King came to the Lord and said to Him: “My daughter
is dead; but I have the faith that if You come and touch her, she will
live again.” The Lord followed the ruler to his house; and another
supreme miracle of faith took place on the way. A poor woman sorely
afflicted with a disease which made her bleed profusely merely touched
His garment as He walked along: and she was instantly healed. Later,
when the Lord touched the King’s daughter, she rose and came back
to life.
Thus wherever He went, the Lord healed the sick, made the blind men
see and deaf men hear again.
John the Baptist was assassinated. When Lord Jesus heard of it He boarded
a ship and went to a desert. A crowd followed Him there, too. When evening
came, the disciples found that they had only five loaves of bread and
two fish; and there were about five thousand men and their families
to partake of these! But, Lord Jesus offered a prayer to Heaven and
broke the loaves and gave them all.
He asked His disciples to sail away from there and He Himself went
into seclusion to pray. At the dead of night the disciples who were
in the boat which had gone away from the shore watched with amazement
Jesus walking over the water, towards them. They even thought it was
a spirit. Peter said to the Lord: “If it is You, Lord, then make
me also walk over the water.” Jesus said: “Come,” and
Peter was able to walk over the sea. But on the way, Peter was frightened
by the wind, and his faith shook; and he at once began to sink. Jesus
held out His hand, saved him and said: “Oh ye of little faith,
wherefore didst thou doubt?” He who had faith in the Lord could
accomplish anything on earth.
A rich young ruler one day approached the Lord and asked: “Good
Master, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” Lord Jesus replied:
“You should keep the Commandments.” “Oh yes,” the
young ruler replied: “and I have kept them since my childhood.
What else should I do?” “There is one thing more,” said
Jesus, “and that is: sell all that you have and give to the poor.
Then take up your Cross and follow me.” At the very mention of
this sacrifice and renunciation, the young ruler turned away and walked
off. Lord Jesus remarked: “It is easier for a camel to enter the
eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”
One day Lord Jesus took Peter, James and John, to a mountain retreat.
Suddenly Lord Jesus stood transfigured above them. His face shone like
sun and his clothes were lustrous, too. With Him were Moses and Elias.
A bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice said: “This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him.” The disciples
were afraid and fell down. Lord Jesus came near them and touched them,
and said: “Arise, be not afraid”. When they raised their head,
they saw only Lord Jesus and marvelled at the Vision they had of Him.
Jesus thus taught many a great lesson to his disciples and others;
and he spoke boldly and authoritatively on ethics and revealed spiritual
truths through parables.
Then one day He went over to Jerusalem. In the temple there He drove
away all those who carried on business transactions—purchasing
and selling worldly goods, and reminded them: “It is written—My
House shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den
of thieves.” Seeing his wonderful miraculous powers to heal, the
people hailed Him as “The Son of David;” and this irritated
the priests. They assailed Him with numerous questions to which Jesus
replied in a manner that caused wonderment and jealousy. But the priests
could do no harm to Him, as they were afraid of public reaction, as
He was regarded as a Prophet by the people.
In unmistakable terms He denounced the Pharisees and scribes. He said,
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like
unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are
within full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness. Even so
ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full
of hypocrisy and inequity.”
Jesus’s teachings had greatly angered these hypocrites and they
were conspiring to put an end to His life. He too, during the last days
of His sojourn upon this earth frequently predicted that He would be
crucified. When Lord Jesus was in Bethany, one day a woman-devotee came
to Him and with great faith and devotion anointed Him with a very costly
ointment. Even the Lord’s disciples felt it was a waste and remarked
that she could as well have sold it and served the poor with the money.
But Jesus who understood her heart, and the coming events, too, remarked:
“Why trouble ye the woman for she hath wrought a good work upon
me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for
my burial.”
Now a strange thing happened. If it was inevitable, nevertheless it
was disgraceful. One of His own disciples betrayed the Lord. Even as
the Lord Himself said during the Last Supper, “woe unto that man
by whom the Son of Man is betrayed; it had been good for that man if
he had not been born.” As the Pharisees were conspiring to do away
with the Lord, Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and offered
to betray the Lord for a petty sum of thirty pieces of silver.
The feast of the Passover was approaching. As commanded by the Lord,
the disciples prepared for the feast in a pious citizen’s house.
Strangely enough, as soon as they were also seated and had begun to
eat, Lord Jesus let fall a remark: “Verily I say unto you, that
one of you shall betray me.” There was great consternation in the
hearts of all. He even gave a hint that He knew who it would be, by
explaining it: “He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the
same shall betray me.” But perhaps they did not notice whom He
meant.
During this Holy Supper, the Lord took a bread, broke it and distributed
it among his disciples saying: “This is My body”; and gave
them wine with the significant remark: “This is my blood of the
new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Yes, the All-Merciful Lord Jesus lived and died so that the sins of
mankind might be forgiven and that men might learn to repent truly and
lead the life divine thereafter.
When the Holy Supper was over, the Lord knelt down at the feet of each
one of His disciples and washed his feet. To the amazed disciples, He
said: “If I then, your Lord, and Master, have washed your feet,
ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
When they were all going over to the Mount of Olives the Lord gave
a broad hint of the events that soon followed. Peter affirmed His devotion
to the Lord to which the Lord replied: “this night before the cock
crows, thou shalt deny me thrice.” They were all puzzled.
Then they came to a place called Gethesemane. Lord Jesus wanted to
seclude Himself for a while and pray to the Divine Father. He prays.
He knows that the end has come. He prays: “O my Father, if this
cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.”
The three disciples that He had taken with Him to this secluded spot,
are unable even to keep vigil and this evokes from the Lord the remark:
“the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Thrice
he prayed to the Lord on this fateful night.
He called His disciples to go; but instantly He was surrounded by a
multitude of people, headed by the chief priests, armed with various
weapons. Judas had told the priests that in order to point out to them
who was Lord Jesus he would kiss Him. Judas came right up to Lord Jesus
and as if out of devotion, kissed Him. This was the signal for the people
to arrest the Lord.
One of the Lord’s disciples, wishing to defend the Lord, drew
a sword and struck off the ear of a servant of the priests. And, this
drew from the Lord the memorable words: “Put up again the sword
into its place; for all they that take the sword shall perish with the
sword,”—a maxim which the rulers of all nations would do well
to remember.
The Lord is unwilling even to pray to the Divine Father for miraculous
help on this occasion: for His Will be done. The Lord had to be crucified
so that for all time to come the Cross shall stand as the Holiest Symbol
of sacrifice and Love.
A mock trial was held before the high priest Caiaphas where the Lord
was charged with blasphemy. The high priest said: “I abjure thee
by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the
Son of God.” Lord Jesus replied: “Thou hast said: nevertheless
I say unto you. Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the
right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.” The priests
sentenced Him to death for this blasphemy.
At the same time Peter, outside, was asked if he was a disciple of
Lord Jesus: and, out of fright, he denied it! The cock crew after the
third denial; and suddenly realising his mistake, Peter went out and
cried bitterly.
Lord Jesus was then taken before the governor Pontius Pilate.
In the meantime, Judas who had realised the blunder he had committed
went over the priests and threw the silver pieces before them and said:
“I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.”
But it was too late! He ran outside and hanged himself.
The trial before Pilate was very much like the previous one. The priests
and elders had many charges against the Lord. They all cried again and
again, “Let him be crucified.” But Pilate’s wife had
strange dreams and felt her husband should not shed the blood of the
innocent Lord Jesus. She told him so. When Pilate found it was inevitable,
he took water and washed his hands of this terrible sin. He had tried
his best to release the Lord, finding Him innocent. But the priests
and others had their way. When He was condemned to death on the Cross,
He was taken to a place called Golgotha. A crown of thorns had been
placed upon his head.
At Golgotha they had him crucified. The Lord said: “Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do.” Pilate had the accusation
written over His head: “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.”
Many were the people that mocked at Him. But He was unmoved. By the
side of the Cross were Jesus’s mother, and his mother’s sister,
Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. After a while Lord Jesus
cried: “I thirst;” and the guards gave him a little vinegar.
At last He cried: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,”
and saying so, He gave up the ghost.
There was a big earthquake. The graves were opened and the bodies of
saints which lay there arose. Many people had visions of these holy
saints. A rich man named Joseph asked the Pilate to give him Jesus’s
body. The body was entombed in a sepulchre which was securely sealed
with a big stone.
On the third day, there was a great earthquake. An angel from Heaven
had opened the sepulchre. The keepers of the sepulchre and the women—Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary—were all frightened. The angel told
them that the Lord had risen, and that they would see Him in Galilee!
Before these women could tell the disciples, the latter had met Jesus
who said to them: “All Hail.” The disciples went to a mountain
in Galilee and worshipped Him. The Lord gave them His last Message:
“Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching
them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you; and lo, I
am with you Always, even unto the end of the world.”
May Lord Jesus ever thus dwell in your heart, bringing Light and Love,
into your Life! Amen.
Chapter Two
What is blessedness?
God has indeed blessed everyone. The human birth is a great blessing
conferred upon you by the Lord. Intelligence and the power of discrimination
are further blessings which He has conferred upon you. In everyday language
we hear it said that such and such a person had been blessed with a
child or some such material advantage.
True, but the blessedness which Lord Jesus refers to at the very commencement
of His Divine Sermon on the Mount, is something different. It is real
blessedness. It is a condition in which the Spirit of God enters the
heart of man, and when man is no longer of the world but is transformed
into a divine being. The spiritual aspirant has been accepted by God
as His own: that is real blessedness. The individuality ceases, and
the glorious saint becomes, as it were, an instrument of His Hands—nay,
almost a part of His Being, carrying out His Will, living a Divine Life,
representing Him on this earth. That is true blessedness. One who has
attained to this blessedness is a blessing for humanity.
Who are the blessed?
Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Poor in spirit are they that have emptied themselves of all ego. “Spirited”
men proud of their wealth, proud of their pedigree, proud of their learning,
and proud of their wisdom have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven. What
they seek truly and sincerely they shall get. But, what do they seek?
They strive to get the admiration of men, popularity in the world and
prosperity in terms of worldly goods. That they may get: though the
fleeting nature of things mundane is sure to make them feel miserable
eventually. But they that are poor in spirit, desire nothing for themselves
in this world. Poverty-stricken desire dies a silent death, within them.
Wisdom they have in abundance. But it has become so integrally a part
of their being that they are not aware of it! When brought to their
notice, they ascribe it to the Lord. They own nothing; they have nothing;
they want nothing; they themselves do not exist as independent entities—they
are His. Therefore He lives in them; and His Grace flows through
them. “Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” What a grand
reward they get from renouncing the things of this world of pain and
death! The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them. They are the owners, the
rulers of the Kingdom of Heaven. Through them humanity could attain
salvation.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. The
great devotee of the Lord mourns on account of separation from Him.
The zealous seeker after God mourns because lurking human weaknesses
impede his attainment of perfection. This is not mourning in the usual
sense of the term; there is no weeping and wailing. There is a strange
joy in his mourning. There is a great yearning; there arises a powerful
and sincere prayer from the bottom of the heart. It is a prayer for
His Grace, for the enlightenment of the heart of human beings, and for
His Redeeming Wisdom to fill the soul of every human being on earth.
For, remember, the Blessed One has no possessions and has no desire;
what will he mourn for? His mourning is truly a yearning; not that he
wishes to achieve anything for himself, but that mankind might be blessed.
“They shall be comforted”: surely, it is because these blessed
ones are comforted again and again that there is prosperity in the world
and, in spite of so much unrighteousness, there continue to be a number
of seekers after Truth, generation after generation. This is the comfort
they pray for; and it is granted by the Lord. Therefore are they truly
God’s blessings on humanity.
Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness
is not weakness. Humility is the hall-mark of the hero. The first beatitude
promised the Kingdom of Heaven to the egoless saint; now, this beatitude
proclaims that the meek shall inherit the earth. He who humbly serves
God and humanity; he who humbly submits to His Will and accepts everything
that comes, as His Grace; he who is truly humble at heart, realising
His Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence—such a blessed one radiates
blessedness. The whole world is drawn to him; for in his very presence
people feel an inexpressible peace and bliss. He has no need for the
earthly kingdoms nor for the things of this earth. But he rules the
hearts of all human beings—even as Lord Jesus rules the hearts
of the entire humanity today.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness;
for they shall be filled. The significance is perfectly clear. But
an implication is worth noting. Righteousness which is God’s Will
is omnipresent. God’s Grace is ever ready to fill man’s heart,
and make him subserve His Will, thus exalting himself. But it is the
egoistic self-willed man who denies Its entry into his heart. To obtain
His Grace, to let His Will be done through your being, to let His Righteousness
permeate your personality, is, therefore, much easier than you imagine.
You have to hunger after it; you have to yearn for it. You have to evince
a keen desire to become divine. You have to aspire to lead a righteous
life. You have to pray to Him to fill you with Grace. This aspiration,
this prayer, opens the inner gate to the chamber of your soul and it
is at once flooded with His Grace. Truly blessed are they that are thus
filled. For, filled with His Righteousness, they will live and move
about as living monuments of the Divine Law, thus inspiring others,
too, to exalt themselves and transform the very earth into paradise.
Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy. God is
all-mercy. The life-giving warmth of the sun, the life-sustaining purity
of fresh air, the sparkling water which quenches your thirst and makes
life possible, the good earth that yields nourishing food, besides providing
you with a place to dwell—these constantly remind you that God
is all-mercy. In order that you might evolve, He has given you a human
birth and placed you in circumstances best suited to your temperament
and calculated to accelerate your progress towards perfection. He gives
you opportunities galore to exercise the divine qualities that are latent
in you so that you can become perfect, even as He is Perfect. The beggar
at your door; the orphan on the road; the naked, the unlettered, the
hungry and the diseased children of God—they are there to provide
you chances to exercise the divine mercy in you. Open your eyes and
serve them. Clothe the naked; educate the unlettered; feed the hungry
and heal the diseased ones. Thus would you grow in mercy. For, God is
all-mercy. When you are merciful, you will obtain His Mercy. When you
have His Mercy, you are blessed indeed; and you are a blessing to mankind,
for, everyone who comes in contact with you will witness the miracle
of His Mercy, healing, consoling, enlightening everyone and filling
the world with the light of wisdom, peace and bliss.
Blessed are the pure at heart; for they shall see God. You do
not have to travel to distant lands to see God. You do not have to wait
till you shed this human body and ascend to heaven in order to see God.
Here and now you can see Him. And, there is only one condition prerequisite—purity
of heart. The heart should be washed of all impurities—lust, anger,
greed, egoism, and a host of other evils that have made your heart their
home.
God is seated in your heart. But the veil of impurity hides Him from
your vision. All that you have to do is to remove this veil, cast off
this impurity from your heart. And you will behold Him here and now
in all His Glory and in all His Splendour.
Blessed are they that thus have a vision of God. For they shall radiate
His Blessings to the whole world.
Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children
of God. God created the world. He is the Father of all creation.
All beings on earth are His children. The entire mankind is but one
family. He who quarrels with another, he who promotes wars and disharmony
between communities and nations, works contrary to this Divine Law of
Unity. Whereas he who brings people together in love and harmony, who
strives to establish peace on earth, and harmony among human hearts—he
works in unison with the Divine Law. He is therefore worthy of being
called a real child of God. For, he has inherited the divine qualities
of the Lord in the fullest measure.
First find the peace within thy own heart through prayer and humility.
See God first and you will share His Peace. Then radiate peace to humanity.
Your very presence will make for peace. You will radiate Peace. Blessed
are such peacemakers for they are a boon to this world torn with strifes
and wars.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake;
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall
say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in Heaven!
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Saints are a blessing to humanity. They are the greatest benefactors
of mankind. There is even this much of peace and happiness in the world,
only because time and again the glorious saints and men-of-God have
been born here on earth and re-established His righteousness on earth.
Yet, such is the tragedy of the world we live in, that these men of
God are revolted against, vilified and crucified by a section of the
humanity. The followers of the philosophy of the flesh, the worms that
wallow in worldliness, the sensuous and senseless sons of Satan,—cannot
“endure” the Divine Radiance of the godly saints, even as
the owl cannot endure the brilliant light of the day. Yet, such is the
divine nature of these blessed saints that they are “unable”
even to resist the evil, retaliate or even protect themselves from the
onslaughts of the evil-minded. The history of the world is witness to
numberless persecutions in which the blessed ones have laid down their
lives, in an endeavour to uphold righteousness.
And, the marvel of marvels! By thus sacrificing their life to the great
divine cause of righteousness, “for His sake,” they have fulfilled
their mission. The supreme sacrifice of their life itself is the crowning
glory of their mission. The one event of self-sacrifice affects Human
Mind more profoundly than all the preaching could have done: and people
begin to realise that if this great and blessed man could sacrifice
his very life to the principle he upheld during his lifetime, it was
well worth their adherence. A near-revolution takes place in the heart
of man and penitently he takes to the path of righteousness, leaving
once for all the path of evil on which the life-blood of their Beloved
One, the Glorious Man-of-God, was shed.
In life as well as in giving it up the saint fulfils the one great
mission of re-establishing righteousness on earth. That is God’s
Mission. He who makes it his own is truly blessed. And, he is a blessing
unto all mankind for he shows the way to God, to the fountain-source
of life, light and love; of peace, plenty and prosperity.
May the choicest blessings of the Blessed Ones be upon you all! May
you all become truly blessed in this very birth!
Chapter Three
“Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I
will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. And
everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall
be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand,”
said the Lord at the conclusion of the famous Sermon on the Mount.
The Sermon was not a philosophical discussion to be listened to and
understood, perhaps, and forgotten later. In that glorious Sermon He
had breathed the spirit of God. The Sermon was the word of God, the
Eternal Message that is ever afire with the flame of Divinity. Jesus
lives in that Sermon.
Remember, the angels had commanded Joseph to christen the child Jesus,
for He would save people from sin. Now study the Sermon on the Mount
again and again: is that not a Light that saves you from the darkness
of sin? Every word of it exhorts you to turn away from sin and enter
the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God. By His own glorious life
Lord Jesus had kept the doors to the Kingdom of God wide open for people
of all times to enter. The Lord’s life here was nothing but a living
commentary on that Sermon.
Jesus was God Himself. The Holy Scripture reminds us of this fact again
and again. Yet, why did He have to endure so much of persecution and
suffering? Could He not have by a mere exercise of His Divine Will overwhelmed
His foes? Yes. But the Supreme Incarnation of Love that Lord Jesus was,
had willed it that His own life would be an example for people to emulate.
Therefore, He behaved like any other human being; and while so doing,
fully demonstrated in His own brief but eventful life the Great Sermon
that He gave on the Mount.
Both at the very commencement and at the conclusion of the Sermon,
He emphatically declares that it is the sacred duty of all those who
have had the blessed privilege of hearing the saving Message, to
do and to teach the commandments, to others. The Lord wants that
your light should “shine before men,” not for your own glorification,
but in order that “they may see your good works and glorify
your Father which is in Heaven.” Practise the Sermon on the Mount.
Inspire other children of the Lord by precept as well as by example,
to practise the glorious teachings it contains. Thus would the supreme
mission of Lord Jesus, the mission of saving people from sin, be fulfilled.
It is all the more urgent today that the Message of the Lord should
spread throughout the world; for, once again mankind is rushing headlong
towards destruction, towards unrighteousness, towards hatred and war.
Only the Lord’s Message can save the world today. The Divine words
of the Sermon on the Mount should be engraved on the tablet of the heart
of each man and woman today; and then and then alone can mankind know
peace and prosperity.
The very first commandment is so thrilling. It is in the Lord’s
characteristic style of building up a climax. Prior to that day, it
was considered unrighteous to kill any being. Killing itself is the
grossest manifestation of a feeling that stirs in the heart of man.
The Lord wants to save man from this feeling; He suggests therefore
a sovereign remedy that would at once cure him of the root cause of
the dangerous disease that manifests itself in murder. Anger! Anger
is the greatest enemy of man. It destroys intelligence and under its
sway man degenerates into something worse than a beast. The Lord exhorts
you to get rid of this anger. Even to give verbal vent to this undivine
emotion is sin. Do not use abusive words towards anyone: all are children
of thy Father. All are your own brothers and sisters. In everyone the
Lord dwells. Do not call anyone “a fool.” In His divine instruction
the Lord goes still farther than that. The dire enemy of man should
be driven out of his heart. Not only that, in that heart the opposite
virtue, love, should be installed. How beautifully He puts it! If this
is not done, your worship of God Who is All-Love, is hypocritical. Therefore,
when you approach His altar, if an inimical thought arises in you, better
leave the altar. Go to the person with whom you have a misunderstanding
or quarrel. Get reconciled to him. Become friendly with him once again;
and then worship God.
Try this today. This is not an intellectual doctrine to be understood.
It is the word of God to be put into practice. Do it now and see for
yourself. What a great joy and peace you experience in your worship
and in your meditation, if you have washed away all ill-feelings from
your heart with the waters of cosmic love.
When your heart is filled with cosmic love, who can be your enemy?
Someone else may entertain inimical feelings towards you; but in your
heart the feeling of enmity should never arise. To you, he too, is a
brother, to be treated with the same love and consideration that you
would have for the best of your friends. Jesus would not leave the least
room for misunderstanding; ambiguity is foreign to Him. Instruction
cannot be more practical than the way He has given it.
“Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute
you.” What a convincing argument He brings in support of this
holy commandment! Why should you love your enemies? Not because you
are greater than they! But because such is the nature of God in whose
image you are made, and whose children you—and all—are.
Is the atheist denied God’s blessings? The very life-breath which
the atheist uses in denying the very existence of God, is provided by
Him. “He maketh His Sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and
sendeth the rain on the just and on the unjust.” Hatred ceaseth
not by hatred; hatred ceaseth by love. Love conquers hatred and enmity.
Righteousness conquers unrighteousness eventually. Love transforms the
heart of man. There is no better way of winning over an enemy, and of
transforming an evil-minded person, than to love him and to let him
see in your own daily actions the glory of righteous living.
Love and righteousness should become part of your very nature. They
should not be feigned nor artificial. Therefore, when Lord Jesus commanded
that you should not resist evil, He alluded to His own instruction that
love should become your very nature. It requires extraordinary faith
in God, realisation of His Omnipotence, understanding the power of love,
and supreme moral courage, not to resist evil, but “whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, to turn to him the other also.”
By thus not resisting the evil and by demonstrating such love even
in the face of evil, you are arousing the latent moral conscience in
the evil-minded man. If you had adopted the policy of “an eye for
an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” the moral conscience in the other
person would be completely buried under the evil example you place before
him. But, when a man smites you on your cheek and, instead of getting
it back “in the same coin,” experiences your love, the righteous
way you reacted, he is bound to be profoundly influenced by your example;
and he would sooner or later reflect over the incident, repent for his
action and regain his moral conscience.
The Law Courts in the world could as well be closed down and people
enabled to live in peace and amity, if people practise this rule: “If
any man will sue you at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have
thy cloak also.” Does the Lord want you to sit idly and watch yourself
being cheated and robbed? No! He wants you to be positively charitable:
He wants you to run to the succour of the needy. If he robs you of your
coat, because he needs it, better give him your cloak also, so that
he would be more comfortable. In reality, along with your cloak, you
are giving him the priceless gift of wisdom; he sees in your action
the true nature of love, the glory of charity and indifferent attitude
of a man-of-God towards the objects of this world. The cloak (the worldly
object) is perishable and you are going to part with it one day or the
other; but the fruit of the gift, the reward of the charity—especially
giving it to the man who would rob you of it—is immortality for
you and inner transformation for him. It requires not only moral courage
and love, but a supreme dispassion for the object of the world, to practise
this. And, Lord Jesus significantly asks: “What availeth man, if
he gains the world, but loseth the soul?” The loss of all the objects
of the world is nothing compared to the acquisition of this one virtue:
charity.
Then comes purity. Here, again, we see how Lord Jesus goes to the very
root of the problem and suggests a radical cure. Immorality is not confined
to action; it is rooted in the very thought. It can be effectively eliminated
not by merely restraining the external organs, as the hypocrites do,
but by making the mind and heart pure. “Whosoever looketh on a
woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in
the heart.” Sin is in the mind; the body is a mere tool of the
mind.
An extraordinary injunction follows this declaration. It is the method
of self-punishment. It is a well-recognised spiritual practice. Punish
yourself and pray. Dissociate yourself from the body and even the mind,
and chastise them with the rod of self-punishment. First the grosser
forms of self-punishment, like fasting, etc., till you learn the technique
of completely dissociating yourself from the body and mind and then
you can use your strong and powerful will as the reins to restrain the
turbulent mind and senses. That is what the Lord alludes to when He
says: “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it
out, and cast it from thee.” You are different from the offending
organ: use your discrimination and cut off its supply of soul-force,
thought-power and nerve-impulse. Then it will cease to function at variance
with your will, but will meekly submit to thy will. This rule applies
not only to the eradication of lust, but to anger, too, and the host
of other vices. This is panacea for all evils that assail the human
heart.
For, remember, that the goal is to be “perfect, even as your Father
which is in Heaven is perfect.” Perfection in all virtues is what
is aimed at: but when you cultivate the cardinal virtues which the Lord
has enumerated and dwelt upon in the Sermon on the Mount, the other
virtues will cling to you. Love, Purity, Truth, Charity, Humility, Sincerity
and Self-surrender—these are great virtues that you should make
positive efforts to cultivate. They will make you perfect: a radiant
image of God.
In the practice of Truth, the Lord has something very illuminating
to say. People generally swear that what they say is the truth; and
they swear that they would do certain things in the future. Lord Jesus
asks His followers to abstain from swearing. Swearing springs from the
self-arrogating ego. It is vanity. No one really knows the truth: but
everyone is ready to swear “by God” that what he says is the
truth. It is arrogant vehemence. A wise man would say: “To the
best of my knowledge and belief this is the truth.” Only God knows
what is truth. And, therefore, Lord Jesus says: “Judge not others.”
The other form of swearing is to swear for the future. One can take
resolves with a devout prayer. This is more like auto-suggestion. You
may say: “Henceforth, I shall lead a life of abstinence, of celibacy
or of renunciation: God, shower Thy Grace on me.” This is necessary
for spiritual progress. Similarly in the case of worldly dealings it
is necessary to enter into some agreements and undertakings. But the
most important point to bear in mind always—and this is the fundamental
tenet of true religious life—is that the future is in His Hands.
Our outlook upon the future ought to be one of surrender to the Divine
Will. To pledge ourselves to certain vows is like a little boy promising
his fond mother that he would “for ever and ever wear the beautiful
coat” she presented him on his fifth birthday.
It is here that the greatest caution is needed. One should neither
surrender to the evil forces of nature (Satan), nor should one develop
religious arrogance. To lead an aimless life, taking things as they
come along, reacting instinctively to surroundings and circumstances
is subhuman. To arrogate to oneself the powers of doing or undoing things,
of shaping his own and mankind’s destinies, is surely more than
an animal can do; but it is something worse—it is diabolical.
The wise man, on the other hand, would look forward to something good,
will aspire for something grand, will work for peace and prosperity,
and then leave everything to His Will. He knows that by his own
will, he cannot “make one hair white or black” on his own
head!
This is the master-key to all progress. For thus recognising the inevitability
of the Divine Will, man will march forward, with God enthroned forever
in his heart, assimilating all that is good everywhere and during changing
times, and transforming all that is base and evil, by the touch of his
godliness, forbearance and love. He will not be bound down by dogmas
and “fixed” creeds and rituals, but he will be lifted up on
the wings of God’s Will and His Grace.
Humility and prayer are the channels through which His Grace flows
towards the seeker and Grace directs him towards the fulfilment of His
Will. It is in Grace that the individual will finds oneness with the
Divine Will; and Grace is obtained through real humility and constant
prayer.
Therefore, Lord Jesus warns us from making a show of our religious
life. Incidentally, He reveals a very great secret. Sincerity is an
all-important factor in not only spiritual life, but in the daily life
of every human being. Insincerity is falsehood, to be shunned with greater
vigilance than that with which one would discard a poisonous “fruit.”
The poison in the tempting form of a fruit is ruinous to the physical
body; insincerity in the holy garb of a righteous life is ruinous to
the very soul of man. An act of charity done publicly for the acclamation
of society might earn a good reward here, in name and fame, in social
status and material comforts. But it has very little spiritual value.
For, God the Indweller looks to the innermost motives. He knows that
the motive is not to earn His Grace or to do His Will, but to acquire
the goods of this world. And, this is the very antithesis of the life
divine.
He who would lead the divine life, therefore, would do charity, not
because it would earn him name and fame, but because charity is the
reflection of the God-in-man. None of His Supreme Blessings—the
sun, the rain, the wind and the life-sustaining earth—beats its
drums and proclaims, “It is I who maintain your life and enable
you to live and function here.” God, hidden in all these great
channels of His Grace and instruments of His Will, showers His Blessings
on us. The seeker who seeks to do His Will, will likewise consider himself
an instrument of His Will and a channel of His Grace and that, therefore,
it is natural for him to be charitable and loving. Charity and universal
love become part of his very nature, and not something extraordinary
to be bragged about.
God, the Indweller, is well pleased with such a seeker and rewards
him “openly”. The seeker becomes a saint, a man-of-God, radiating
divinity. People are charmed in his very presence and adore and worship
him.
Similarly in the case of prayer and fasting. These are natural to a
real seeker. Prayer is his spiritual food; and fasting is a natural
corollary to it. He denies material food to his mind and senses so that
he can, through prayer, feed them with spiritual manna. And this is
the process of divinising oneself thoroughly. It is done, not to win
the favour of any human being, but in order that one’s own inner
personality may be divinised. What, then, is the meaning of making a
show of prayer and fasting?
If God’s Will is done here and His Grace alone fills and surrounds
us on all sides, what are we to pray for? Lord Jesus reminds you: “your
Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him.”
The prayer is, therefore for His Grace, for constantly remembering Him,
for making you a channel to do His Will, and for forgiveness. There
is a mysterious power in the universe—Satan—that tempts even
the best of men, deludes even the wisest of them, and leads even the
greatest of them astray. Prayer is offered to the Lord to guard you
against this. Therefore, Lord Jesus has framed a beautiful prayer:
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom,
The power and the Glory,
For ever and ever, Amen.
The “daily bread” is not merely the physical bread or the
food that we give the body to keep it alive. For, the Lord assures you
that God knows your need and, even as He clothes the lilies in the field
with rich and delightful colour and feeds the fowls of the air, He will
feed you and clothe you without your praying for them. Meditate upon
this and realise God’s Supreme Grace that gave you and that sustains
your life. You will clearly understand the meaning of His Immortal Utterance:
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay
up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” By
thus revolutionising the values alone can dispassion arise in the heart
and the Kingdom of God realised in one’s own heart. “For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Develop discrimination.
Care not for the riches of this world; they are perishable and they
cannot give you lasting peace and happiness. Devote yourself to the
acquisition of spiritual wealth by regular prayer, meditation and charity.
This prayer to the Lord is, therefore, for spiritual bread, spiritual
food,—in other words, for devotion to Him and for right discrimination.
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you,” said He.
Having said all this, Lord Jesus proceeds to utter a stern warning
to His followers against a very common, but highly disastrous human
failing: that of finding fault in others. This again is the work of
the ego in man. It seeks to cover up its own deficiencies by discovering
faults in others. Man is generally so greatly concerned about others’
weaknesses and sins,—not that he wants to correct them, but to
establish his superiority over them!—that he hardly ever bestows
a thought on the million defects that gnaw at his vitals. Who would
like to feel that there are formidable deficiencies in one’s own
inner make-up? Only a spiritual hero would resolutely turn one’s
gaze within and introspect, carrying on a searching self-analysis and
strive to perfect himself. Lord Jesus wants everyone of you to be a
spiritual hero, not a vain scandal-monger. “Why beholdest thou
the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the
beam that is in thy own eye?” He asks, “Thou hypocrite, first
cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly
to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” This is very,
very serious warning that every seeker after Truth would do well to
bear always in mind.
The Sermon concludes with the same glowing words of wisdom that is
characteristic of every word that Lord Jesus uttered during the course
of His spiritual ministry. He does not encourage indiscriminate preaching;
the seeker after Truth must be initiated into Its mysteries. He who
hungers after wisdom must be fed with the spiritual food of divine knowledge.
“For everyone that asketh receiveth... Or what man is there
of you, whom if his son asketh bread, will he give him a stone?”
The Gracious Lord listens to everyone’s prayer and fulfils
everyone’s pious and noble aspirations. Even so, His Chosen Messengers
ought to give the Truth to the seeker in a way that would be suited
to the stage of evolution and temperament of the seeker.
The righteous way of life should be pointed out to all: whatever men
seek they should be helped to attain by righteous means. It is unwise
to preach high philosophy to a man who is starving and is unable to
keep body and soul together! You should help him find the way to earn
his bread through righteous means. In time he would discover the life
divine.
Here Lord Jesus gives the Golden Rule of Right Conduct. What is the
fundamental principle of righteousness? “All things whatsoever
ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this
is the law.” This is the supreme law of righteous conduct.
How simple, glorious and grand is the life divine! Yet, “few there
be that find it,” says Lord Jesus. What we see around us today
amply justifies this prophetic utterance of the Saviour: “Because
strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life.”
The objects of the world which promise immediate sense-satisfaction
and physical comfort are so tempting that man instinctively grabs at
them. But they lead him to destruction—to the destruction of the
one great gift of the Lord that serves as the light of his life, viz.,
discrimination. It is discrimination that distinguishes man from animal.
But by leading a sensual life he has degenerated into an animal. “If
the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”
How true! If the power of discrimination that the Lord has bestowed
upon man be made to subserve the animal instincts of man, the craving
for sense pleasures, what wonder is there that he degenerates into something
worse than even an animal? Lord Jesus warns: “No man can serve
two masters: ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Mammon promises immediate
physical pleasure which lures man away, along the broadway towards destruction.
“Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost his savour,
wherewith shall it be salted?” If man, the crown of God’s
creation, has lost his power of discrimination; if he, made in the image
of God, chooses the path of evil, what will happen to civilisation,
to humanity? He will lead the whole world to destruction.
The very intelligence which God has been gracious enough to give him,
he will use to support his destructive actions. How many leaders we
see in the various spheres of human life, who are but misleaders of
mankind! “Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
How shall we know them? “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do
men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?” What a thrilling
message! What inspiring words of wisdom! What a clear guidance! Watch
their actions. Are they in accordance with the Commandments of Lord
Jesus? Do they conform to the Holiest Message of Lord—the Sermon
on the Mount? If not, reject them.
You have the Lord’s Living Presence in the Words of the Sermon
on the Mount. They are not Words. They are the very life-breath of the
Eternal and Immortal Lord Jesus. They are simple, direct, divine and
soul-stirring instructions directed by a Divine Being to the very core
of your heart. Enshrine this Sermon on the tablet of your heart. Lord
Jesus from within you, will guide you along the glorious path of Eternal
Life to the Kingdom of God where you will forever enjoy perennial peace
and eternal bliss. May the choicest blessings of Lord Jesus be on you
all.
Chapter Four
1945
Divinise Thy Nature!
All memorable occasions, all holy days and sacred anniversaries carry
a message and a higher call to those who will hear and respond. They
invariably form a reminder of the true mission and central purpose of
human life. The Call of Christmas is the Call to a new Birth in the
Spirit. Its message is the lofty one of the Divine Life, the Christ-Life
of Compassion, Truth and Purity. That moment is the real joyous Christmas
to you when the Divine Consciousness that shone through Jesus blossoms
and lights up the inner chambers of thy heart. Christmas is to you that
day you start to lead the divine life of Satya, Ahimsa and Brahmacharya
that the great Vedanti of the West lived. Many a Christmas has come
and gone. Celebrations are held every year but have you risen in answer
to its Divine Call? Has the Divine Child taken birth in the inner Bethlehem
of your heart? It is the wanton neglect of man to hear this call and
divinise his life that has brought upon humanity the horrors of war,
disease, sufferings and restlessness.
2000 years ago Divinity incarnated upon this planet to show to all
Humanity the glorious path to everlasting Life by actually living the
Divine Life upon this earth. The great Jesus embodied in Himself the
triple quality of Satya, Ahimsa and absolute Brahmacharya. During the
entire duration of His sublime life, Christ lived as the visible expression
of the highest Truth. He was a living witness to the Supreme Reality
essentially indwelling in Man. In His dealing with the outside world,
He was verily Ahimsa incarnate. With words brimming with the true spirit
of Ahimsa He preaches the doctrine of non-retaliation. “Present
thy left cheek to the assailant that smites thee on the right. If a
man takes away thy coat forcibly, offer him thy cloak too.”
No test, struggle, torment or persecution whatsoever could ruffle Him
up to wrath or retaliation. In His personal life He was indeed Purity
Itself. Unless ye become like little children you cannot enter the Kingdom
of Heaven. You have to be absolutely pure like the innocent little ones.
One of the greatest examples of Naishthika Brahmacharya, strict celibacy
and spotless chastity Mankind has in Jesus, the Christ. He mentions
how some men “make eunuchs of themselves” for the sake of
the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus the threefold strand of Ahimsa, Satya and
Brahmacharya were woven into the very fabric of the Divine Life that
Jesus lived.
An almost supernal spotless purity rested like a divine mantle upon
His sublime personality. His life was a wonderful combination of Jnana,
Bhakti and Karma, based upon a supreme Para Vairagya. An ideal integral
development of head, heart and hand has rendered His life a model for
mankind to emulate for all eternity. Christ was ever conscious of His
inseparable identity with the Supreme Self. Yet deep devotion and love
for the personal God constantly found expression in Him in the form
of prayers, praises and glorification. And in His actual day-to-day
life He was the very personification of the spirit of Karma Yoga. His
