31. The message of Vedhaantha
Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 29 (1996)
31
The message of Vedhaantha
One may master the scriptures,
Or be a great composer of poems, But without purity of heart
These accomplishments are valueless.
Or be a great composer of poems, But without purity of heart
These accomplishments are valueless.
EMBODIMENTS of Divine Atma! From ancient times Bharath has been famous for its exposition of the four Purusharthas (the four goals of life - Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha) and the teachings of the Vedas and Vedangas. The Vedas embody the sublime truths experienced by the sages and the seers.
Veda is derived from the root 'vidh.' It means knowledge. The Veda proclaims the truths, which are valid for all time, for all the three worlds, relating to the well-being of mankind and the divinisation of human life. The Vedas taught the principles of daily life and how people should order their lives. Their approach is dualistic, being concerned about how men should achieve the four goals of life in the world.
The Vedas, which originally constituted a single body of hymns, were later divided into three sections: Rig-Veda Yajur-Veda and Sama-Veda. The Yajur-Veda later got subdivided into Shukla and Krishna Yajur-Veda. Then came Atharvana-Veda.
The nine Vedas
The Vedas are known by nine names. The first is Shruthi - that is, what is learnt by listening. This was necessary in ancient times when printing of books was unknown. The others are: Anushravana, Amnaya, Samamnaya, Chandhas, Adhyasa, Gamana, Nigama, Agama. Nigama and Agama refer to the breathing process of the Divine.
All the Vedas relate to the affairs of the phenomenal world. Each Veda has a Samhitha (collection) made up of Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishaths. All these lay down the practices that should be observed in the stages of Grihastha (householder) and Vanaprastha (hermit leading an ascetic life). The practices were intended to control the mind. They are not designed to enable one to have direct experience of God.
It is Vedantha that deals with the question of Self-Realisation. For the spiritual journey, it is the guide-post and the destination.
There are three essential things to be understood regarding Vedantha. First is Tharakam. Second is Sankhya. Third is Amanaskam.
Tharakam calls for the understanding of four, principles: Kesari, Dhesari, Madhyama and Bhagavathi. Tharakam calls for the investigation of five mudhras (ritualistic hand gestures) and after realising their spiritual insignificance, concentrate on Sath-Chith-Anandha and merge the mind in the bliss of that experience.
Sankhya envisages twenty five entities made up of the five sense organs, the five sheaths, the five life-breaths, the five elements, the mind, the body, the intellect, the inner motivator and the individual soul. This system of yoga calls, for an enquiry into the reality of each of these entities leading to the discovery that the Reality, Sath-Chith-Anandha, is beyond all these and to recognise one's identity with this transcendental Atma. This calls for an exploring of both the external world and the internal world of mind and spirit.
Amanaskam means the realisation that the entire universe is nothing but Brahman, which is the only Reality. When there is this realisation of Brahman the one without a second - even the mind ceases to exist. It is only the operations of the mind that result in the perception of diversity in the universe. When oneness is experienced, there is no mind at all. All is Brahman in that state of consciousness. There is room only for Prema (Love) in this state. That love is Truth.
Power of love experienced in the state of oneness
The power of that love is illustrated by an episode in Bhagavatham. Once Yashodha went in search of Krishna and could not find him anywhere. She met Radha and asked her whether she had seen Krishna. Radha closed her eyes and meditated intensely on Krishna. That very moment Krishna appeared there. Yashodha realised that the love of a devotee like Radha for Krishna was infinitely greater than her own maternal love for him.
This is how the Divine reveals Himself to devotees. Krishna appeared instantaneously before Radha because of her pure, selfless love. If the heart is polluted or filled with pride, God cannot be experienced even if one tries for endless years.
Yashodha confessed to Radha that her devotion had removed the veil of ignorance and pride clouding her vision all along. She admitted that there were many who loved Krishna more than she did and requested Radha to teach her how to love Krishna. Radha told Yashodha that this love cannot be taught by others. Each one has to develop it by one's own pure and total devotion.
After Krishna came home, Yashodha chided him for going to others houses to steal butter while refusing to eat what was available in plenty at home. The lesson to be drawn from Krishna's action is that He preferred to enjoy the devotion and love of His devotees rather than the maternal solicitude of Yashodha.
How to realise the presence of Divine within
This means that if you have pure, sacred, selfless love for God, the Divine will appear at that very instant.
How do you realise the presence of the Divine within you? Your body is made up of physical constituents like iron, water, phosphorus and lead, the value of all of which totals barely a few rupees. And yet within the body there is a power which can make millions. Wherefrom does that power come? Does it come from the mother who gave birth to the child? No. Till the child in the womb is four months and nine days old, the foetus is just a round mass of jelly. Then a force of vibration enters the embryo. Wherefrom does that vibration come? That is the Brahma-Thathva (Brhaman principle). That is the Prana-Thathva (Life Principle). From that moment the child in the womb starts moving. Simultaneously the Brahman Principle enters the foetus. The combination of the two in the body is Tharakam. This is one of the secret doctrines of Vedantha. This process is treated as a human phenomenon. It is not something human. It is a manifestation of Brahman.
When I speak through the mike you are able to hear me. But without the current the mike cannot function. The mike is matter. The current is energy. Their combination enables my voice to reach all of you.
Likewise, the coming together of Brahman and Maya results in emergence of the Brihath Svaruupa (the cosmic form of the Lord). Brihath-Svaruupa is the all-pervading energy.
How to realise the Self
You must realise that whatever scriptures one may master or whatever power and wealth one many acquire, without love one cannot achieve liberation. All .of you are looking at the external world. Turn your vision inward. The external vision is useless. It is when you look inward that you will recognise your true form. The master of a house throws out all the useless things but safeguards what is most valuable inside an iron safe in the house. Each of you should realise what is most precious within you. The three processes of Tharakam, Sankhya and Amanaska are extremely precious spiritual gems. They are within you, but you are not aware of their existence, because you have not related yourself to the owner, the Master within you. That owner is the Paramatma (Supreme self). How to relate yourself to the owner and cultivate his friendship? To enable the students to understand this I am explaining this truth of Vedantha in simple temps.
Neutralise Maya to reach the Paramatma
The master resides in the upper floor of the house. You are outside the gate, guarded by a mastiff called Maya. How, then, are you to approach the master, the Paramatma? You shout His name. He comes down, recognises you and takes you inside. Maya does not trouble you.
To neutralise Maya, you have to prove your oneness with the Divine. This has been proclaimed in the Upanishathik saying: "Adhvaitha dharshanam Jnanam" (The Supreme knowledge is the perception of the non-dual unity). This is the path of knowledge The other path is that of devotion. The Lord comes down to help you when you chant His name at all times. You may ask how this can be done when one has to attend to many other things everyday, including study of books etc. There is no room for this doubt. Consider every act of yours as an offering to God. Do what is appropriate for each action. All this is necessary till you secure God's grace. Thereafter, they are unnecessary.
Awareness consists in the conscious remembrance of God on all occasions.
In the presence of evil actions, the Godly man should not remain a silent spectator. He has to stand up for truth. Because of their failure to do so when the Kauravas were attempting to disrobe Dhraupadhi, Krishna accused Bheeshma. Dhrona and other Acharyas of being accomplices in Dhuryodhana's sinful act. Because of this grievous lapse on their part all these preceptors came to a sad end.
Lord's name should be remembered with total faith
Vedantha declares that three kinds of attachment - attachment to wealth, wife and children - are the cause of a great deal of sinful deeds. Hence, Krishna enjoined Arjuna to remember the Lord always and fight the battle. That will ensure his victory.
However, the Lord's name should be remembered with total faith. This is what the students should bear in mind. Krishna sought to instill such faith in Arjuna through the Geetha. Whoever it may be, if he carries out Swami's commands with total, unwavering faith, he will have direct vision of the Divine in a moment. This principle is taught by Sankhya Yoga.
Vedantha in its essence is extremely simple. It is easier to grasp than butter. God is softer and sweeter than butter. To experience God you have to apply the heat of Jnana-Agni (the fire of spiritual knowledge) to the heart filled with love. You must come near to God and become dear to Him through your love. When that happens desires disappear.
Vedantha is replete with such profound truths expressed in short aphorisms. Dr. Jumsai (who had spoken earlier) said that all are children of God. In fact all are the Divine itself. Instead of being a lover, whose love is confined to a few, become love itself so that you can love all. This is the supreme truth proclaimed by Vedantha (Vedhic metaphysics).
What exactly is the aim and purpose of all the sastras, the Bhagavatam, the Puranas, these discourses and the harikathas? It is to tell man the truth about himself. There is no plot to mislead you. That is not the desire of the Sages who wrote down these annals and their own experiences. You know only the present and what is happening before your eyes. You do not know that the present is related to the past and is preparing the course for the future. It is like the head-lines and titles of a film on the screen; as the letters gleam one after the other, you read them and pass on to the next that comes to view. Each new letter or word wipes out the one already before your eye, just as each birth wipes out the memory of the one already experienced.
– Sri Sathya Sai Baba
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