GOD—YOUR SUPREME GOAL
(Sivananda's Gospel of Divine Life)
GURU-WORSHIP
“Constant and intense reflection on the great utterances of the scriptures and developing, through the use of the discriminative faculty, the feeling that all objects are unreal and full of defects, will help you to develop true and lasting dispassion,” said the Master, when Sri Jayadayal Goenka of the Gita Press, Gorakhpur, came for his Darshan.
As soon as Sri Jayadayal arrived, the Master noticed a wound on his foot. He got the necessary dressing from the dispensary immediately and applied a bandage.
Sri Jayadayal and his party were in the Master’s cottage listening to his words of wisdom on Bhakti, Yoga, Jnana and dispassion.
A member of the party gave expression to his admiration of the Master’s work and added that the excellently got-up Diamond Jubilee Commemoration Volume had enabled the Master’s message to spread far and wide.
This led to a discussion on Guru- worship.
The Master said, “Some say that we should not worship a living saint. But the wise say that whereas one need not be fanatical in one’s desire to celebrate the birthday of any saint, one need not go to the other extreme either. Those who like to celebrate, let them. It ill-behoves a Sannyasin or saint, who has gone above likes and dislikes, to abhor the idea of such celebrations. The egoism of dispassion is as dangerous as the egoism of worldly life.
“The worship of saints has been taken more or less as a necessary Sadhana in the life of an aspirant in India. Even the Upanishads declare that an aspirant should have the same devotion to his Guru as he has to God. The idea is that by constantly thinking of his Guru the aspirant is kept on the right path, away from evil, and moulds himself on the pattern of his teacher.
“Thus, even a third-class teacher is fit to be worshipped by a fifth-class aspirant! The latter is sure to be benefited.
“When an aspirant superimposes on his personal Guru the characteristics of the impersonal Absolute, as in the case of idol-worship, the aspirant’s devotion reaches the Supreme. God, the silent indweller, knows the aspirant’s devotion, and guides him along the proper path.
“Even wise men sometimes lack this broader outlook, and argue that the human figure of a saint should not be adored with the same devotion as due to God. As with God, so with the Guru. The way to the impersonal Absolute lies through the personal.”
A WESTERNER ENLIGHTENED
A foreign seeker put the question, “What is Moksha, Swamiji?”
“Moksha is perfect freedom from bondage,” replied the Master. “It is the attainment of eternal happiness, absolute bliss and immortal life; it is living in Cosmic Consciousness or Christ-consciousness.”
“Will you kindly explain what is meant by Cosmic Consciousness.”
“It is a state of consciousness in which you are aware that God is all that there is and more, that He is the link that connects all individuals. God is the Divine Consciousness that illumines the entire creation. The realisation of this Divine Consciousness or God liberates one from bondage to passing phenomena, from the illusion of names and forms. This is the state that is called God-realisation or Self-realisation.”
“Is there an individuality after God- realisation?”
“No. The individual soul is fully merged in the Cosmic Consciousness. It is like the river entering the ocean. It loses its identity and you can no more distinguish the waters of one river from that of another after they have entered the ocean. The appearance of the world vanishes in the reality of God, just as when a lamp is brought, the snake which appears to be, vanishes in the rope that exists.”
“Swamiji, kindly tell us the method of attaining this wonderful state.”
“You have the Sadhana explained beautifully in the Sermon on the Mount of Lord Jesus. Mind is the dividing wall; it is the main obstacle on the path of Self-realisation. All Sadhanas aim at removing this obstacle.
“There are two aspects of the mind—the lower mind and the higher mind. The lower mind is full of lust, greed, hatred, anger and jealousy. The higher mind is free from jealousy, selfishness and other negative traits, and is full of divine qualities, like tolerance, compassion, selflessness and renunciation. You should control the lower mind with the help of the higher mind and then go beyond that also. The mind is nothing but a bundle of past impressions and desires. It can be controlled by disciplining the senses. This is achieved by the active cultivation of virtues.”
“It is very difficult to cultivate these virtues,” put in the foreigner.
“True, but a positive attitude overcomes a negative one. Virtues will overcome vices, which are merely negative qualities preventing the cultivation of virtues. Meditate on divine virtues and their glory. Meditate on God, then you will grow in virtue.”
“Is meditation so essential, Swamiji?”
“Yes, it is the very basis of Sadhana.”
“What is meditation and how to meditate?”
“Meditation is the withdrawal of the rays of the mind scattered over various objects, and directing the concentrated beam of its light on the Self within in order to commune with God. There are two types of meditation. The first type is with form and the second is meditation on the formless Absolute. In the beginning an aspirant always finds that fixing the mind on a form is essential.
“Meditate on the form of Lord Jesus, for instance, and let the mind dwell upon his divine nature, his great virtues and his splendour. You will thereby grow in virtue.
“Another method of cultivating virtues is by means of selfless service. It helps you to achieve marvellous control over the mind and senses. It also enables you to snap the bonds of Karma.”
“How to free ourselves from Karma, Swamiji?”
“As you perform your daily duties feel that you are only a witness of all that goes on around you, that you are a witness even of your own actions. This is called Sakshi Bhav. You should inwardly realise that you are different from the active principle in you. This is the Vedantic method.
“There is the other and easier method which is equally potent—the method of Nimitta Bhav. Feel that the Lord alone is the real doer of all actions, and that you are an instrument in His hands. Your actions will then be transformed into worship of the Lord, and you will not be bound by them. Work without the expectation of any reward and without egoism. Root out the idea of agency, and feel that you are not the doer. You will be freed from the shackles of Karma; you will not accumulate new Karma. Allow the past Karma to work out, then you will attain liberation.”
“Swamiji, is it true that man suffers only on account of his past Karma? If so, how do you explain the suffering he undergoes on account of natural calamities like riots and earthquakes?”
“It is perfectly true that man suffers on account of his own Karma. And it is the collective past Karma of a number of persons that gathers them together at a certain place where an earthquake works out this collective past Karma, and a large number of people enter the mouth of Kaala at the same time.”
“Swamiji, I have often come across this word ‘Kaala’ in the Indian scriptures. What exactly is meant by it?”
“It is the ‘Great Time’ personified. It is the destroyer of all names and forms. In the Hindu Pantheon there are various gods and goddesses who are members of the Divine Hierarchy. Just as our government is composed of various ministers and officials, the celestials who rule this world also have their Deities, who control various aspects of the creation, preservation and destruction of the world.
“Some are in charge of the different elements like air, fire and water; others are in charge of birth, death, the preservation of life, and disease. Kaala or Yama is the Lord of Death. The entire universe is under his control in a way, for, when the time comes, he brings about the end of the earthly sojourn of all beings. It is only a sage or a man of Self-realisation that transcends this Kaala and realises his own Self. All Sadhana is meant to help us transcend Kaala, to conquer death and thus go beyond time.”
“In this quest after Truth, Swamiji, I can understand that great saviours like Lord Jesus can help us. But it is not always that such souls are present amidst us. What are we to do, Swamiji?”
“Saints are always present in the world. Rogues are also always present. Saviours and dacoits are ever present in this world, for it is a world of dualities. Good and evil are ever present here. Absolute good can be found only in God. You should get the guidance of saints; only they can teach you the divine science. Books will certainly help you; they will put you in tune with the great ones who attained God. When you read the Bible you are in tune with Jesus. When you read the Gita you are in tune with Lord Krishna. This will also help you.
“But, just as you cannot learn the art of cooking merely by reading books, similarly, you cannot learn Yoga from books alone. However, you should not wait indefinitely for a teacher to turn up. As soon as the aspiration arises in your heart, you should at once start the practice with the help of some scriptural text that you like, like the Bible.”
“But, Swamiji, I have heard that it is dangerous to engage in Yoga practices without the aid of an expert Guru.”
“There is danger at every moment of your daily life. While going up the stairs, if you take a wrong step, you are likely to fall and break your bones; if you are a little absentminded while crossing a road, you may be run over by a car. The danger of practising Yoga with the help of good texts is in no way greater. If you are sincere, if you use your common sense at every step, you will achieve success. In due course you will find a competent teacher also.”
“Apart from the Guru, Swamiji, do you think that a mediator is necessary in order to enable us to attain Self-realisation?”
“Yes, yes. That is the tutelary Deity, the Ishta Devata. The mind cannot rise beyond itself all at once. The ego will seldom cut its own throat. Your limited consciousness will find it a difficult task to realise Cosmic Consciousness. Therefore, the name and form of a Deity are chosen to meditate upon. In due course this Deity will manifest itself before you and do the work of annihilating the ego and the mind, thus enabling you to realise the state of Cosmic Consciousness.”
“What Name can we choose, Swamiji?”
“Om. This is the Name of the nameless Supreme Being. This is the nearest approximation of the Truth. It is the mother of all sounds, names and forms.”
“During this practice is it proper to feel that we as in truth parts of God, Swamiji?”
“Not exactly parts, but God Himself in reality. Lord Jesus also declared, ‘I and my Father are one’. This is the ultimate experience, this is the ultimate truth which all the prophets, seers and sages have proclaimed.
“Lord Jesus, Lord Buddha, Guru Nanak, Kabir and Prophet Mohammed all delivered the same message in a way suited to the people of the age in which they lived. They all taught that God is one, Truth is one, and that man can realise the Truth by controlling the mind and the senses.”
“How to control the mind, Swamiji?”
The Master suddenly switched on to a little humour! “Take sour curd and lie down on your bed, covering yourself with a warm quilt, and then go to sleep!” Everyone burst into laughter!
“The method of controlling the mind has also been given very beautifully by all the sages and saints. They said, ‘Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realise; be good, do good, be kind and compassionate; enquire about the nature of your own true Self.’ This is the essence of the teachings of all sages, prophets and saviours of the world. Follow them and attain Self-realisation this very moment.
“May God bless you! Come again and stay here for some time.”
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