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Part Four

Internal self-satisfaction, to disregard the present environment of the troublesome world, is a valuable asset. It is nearing the soul area. Real bhakti (devotion) is ahaituki (causeless), it is its own cause. It is causeless, and it is by itself. As Hegel said, reality is by itself. Reality is not an abstract thing but a system that exists by itself. It is anadi and ahaituki: it is eternal, nothing can produce it. Bhakti is its own cause. These are the definitions that have been given to help us understand what bhakti is. It is not created by any other thing, it is there eternally—it is only covered and should be uncovered, or discovered. It is there in a potential form. By outside help it will gradually and progressively come out: it is as if sleeping, and it is necessary to rouse it. Anyabhilasa, karma, jnana—fleeting desires, organised attempts for exploitation and retirement, or indifference, are covers. We must remove these covers, and then bhakti will emerge in all its pristine glory.

Affinity and attraction towards the higher truth is very rarely found, especially in this modern age where all thoughts are directed towards exploitation or knowledge. Knowledge, being actually subservient to exploitation, creates havoc. Atomic energy and so many other kinds of scientific research are the cause of great apprehension: the world is threatened with destruction at any moment. This scientific knowledge has brought us to such a position that at any moment the whole thing may be finished! Such knowledge is suicidal. The increase of such knowledge in this world means the result is that we are going to commit suicide. Exploitation means reaction. So, if we are to accept general, wholesale exploitation, the result will be pralaya (destruction) and maha-pralaya (wholesale destruction). In any way, whether by an atom bomb or any other natural disaster, pralaya will come, and after that, there will be creation again: birth and death, birth and death… Each individual will be born and will die again. The whole solar system will also be born and will die again and again, without end.

If we are to get out of this entanglement, we must leave this atmosphere experienced by our senses. It is also mentioned in Bhagavad-gita and the Upanisads, “Indriyani parany ahur. Our senses hold the principle position.” If the eye, ear, nose, touch, etc. are gone, the whole world is gone from us. Because we have senses, we have our world. So, in the world of experience, our senses are all-important. Then, “Indriyebhyah param manah. The mind is superior to the senses.” What is the mind? It is the faculty within us which selects, “I want this, I don’t want that.” We have a liking for something and a disregard for something else; this is the principle of the mind within us. It is more important than the senses because if I am unmindful, a person may walk in front of me, but it is possible that I will say, “Oh, I did not notice him. I did not see him, I could not hear him. I was unmindful.” So, mind is in the centre, and it is more important than our senses. The senses are more important than the external world, and the mind is more important than the senses because if the mind does not receive the signal, then the senses, like many doors, are useless. Then, “Manasas tu para buddhir. Intelligence is superior to the mind.” There is another principle to be traced within us, a fine thing called reason, buddhi. What is its characteristic? The mind will say, “Oh, I shall take that,” but buddhi says, “Oh no, no, don’t take that, it will cause damage. You’d rather take this, it will give you benefit.” That faculty of selection, that reason, is a higher principle in us. Then, “Buddher yah paratas tu sah. The soul is superior to the intelligence.” That which is superior even to the intelligence is the soul.

In this way we are to trace out the elements. More important than the external world are our senses; more important than our senses is our mind; above the mind is our reason, which is even more important as it is finer and more reliable; and above our reason, there is another thing, our soul.

What is the nature, or characteristic, of the soul? It is like light. An example is given in the scriptures that on a moonlit night there may be a cloud in the sky which has covered the moon, but that cloud is seen by the light of the moon. The compiler of the Vedas, Vyasadev, says that the atma (soul) is like that illuminating moon or like the sun: a cloud has covered the sun, but the cloud is seen by the light of the sun. Similarly, the atma is a point of light within us, and because it is there in the background, we can feel our mental system. If the light is withdrawn, everything becomes dead. The mental system, the intelligence, the faculty of choice and so many channels through which we gain knowledge from outside, will have no value if that light is withdrawn. That light is the atma, a point of a ray of light, and it is quite categorically different from all other things here. The soul is a particle of light, and there is a land of light made of souls. In this way there is another development: from the subjective to the supersubjective, from the soul (atma) to the Supersoul (Paramatma). Just as in this world we find development in material existence (first is ether, air, heat, water, then earth, then stone, and so on), similarly, in the finer world there is also development (from the intelligence to the soul, then to the Supersoul and the Super-supersoul). In this way, the subjective side goes towards the infinite. It is supersubjective.

Darwin says in his theory of evolution that everything comes from matter. He says that even within the womb, first something material grows and then knowledge evolves from that growth of matter. In general terms, he thinks that consciousness comes out of matter. But the followers of the revealed truth do not believe in that. They say that consciousness is all in all: everything floats in the ocean of consciousness. That is subjective evolution. Darwin talks of objective evolution, but the Vedic scriptures say that everything comes under the category of subjective evolution. As the European philosopher Bishop Berkeley said, “It is not that the mind is in the world, but the world is in the mind.” Everything is floating in the plane of consciousness. Consciousness presupposes everything.

Darwin’s section say that in the beginning there was a fossil. But what is a fossil? A fossil means a particular conception, which is part of consciousness. Therefore, we contend that consciousness is the most original subject. Whatever you may say to be the beginning, consciousness existed before that; otherwise, you cannot give any statement about anything. So, the Vedic truth states that Brahman—the all-pervading impersonal aspect of the Absolute—is the source of souls, and above the soul (atma) is the Supersoul (Paramatma). In the mundane worlds, all development is in the black side, but there is also a bright side: the eternal world that exists with so many joyful activities, with so many waves in an ocean of blissfulness and joy.

We are to understand what should be our duty in this life, what is the special importance of the human life, and how to utilise that. There are many religious opinions, but we, seekers of the truth, shall find a harmonising solution amongst them, and to do that, we are to enter into some comparative study.

It is mentioned in the scriptures that we should not change our position very easily. For example, a commander will say to his army, “Don’t change your position. Rather die keeping it.” But when a chance comes, he will say, “Go forward.” Similarly, the scriptures have said, “Wherever you are born according to your previous karma, wherever you have taken your stand, do no try to leave it; otherwise, there is a possibility that you will go down.” At the same time, when a proper chance comes, they say, “March on towards the Absolute! Make further progress.” So, it is said in Bhagavad-gita, “Don’t easily lose your present position acquired by your previous action—rather die there,” but then, again, Krishna comes to say, “Sarva-dharman parityajya, mam ekam saranam vraja. When you get a chance to march towards the Centre, you must do it at all costs.” This is the revolutionary method. There is a constitutional method and a revolutionary method. The revolutionary method is to risk anything and everything and march forward, towards the central truth, and because this human life gives the best opportunity to do so, we shall do whatever is necessary for that.

It is only in the human life that you can make practical use of your discrimination and decision. If you lose this position and go to an animal or vegetable life, no one knows when you will again come back to be able to take an independent and voluntary decision. Therefore, this human life is most important. You should not misuse it by spending it only on the practices of animal life (ahara, nidra, bhaya, maithuna—to eat, to sleep, to be under apprehension at every minute, and to have sense pleasure) because you will get this everywhere. If you become an animal or go anywhere else (to become a bird, a worm, an insect, etc.), you will get all these enjoyments, but you will not get a chance to culture your soul, religion, and your proper function anywhere else other than in the human form of life. You can discuss the entire position in the company of saints and, in this way, make progress in your life and save yourself. But if, having received a human birth, you lose this chance (you do not try to help yourself properly, do not try to attain a wholesale relief), then you are committing suicide, or even worse than that.

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CONTENTS

Foreword

(1) Part One

(2) Part Two

(3) Part Three

(4) Part Four

(5) Part Five: Sri Guru and His Grace

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