| Date:20 Nov 2000 | Occasion:7th World Connference | Place:Prashanti Nilayam |
Wings for flight to the divine - Love and Service
Just as the birds fly with the help of their two wings, so also man should reach the goal of life quickly with the help of the two wings, namely, love and service. (Telugu Poem)
Embodiments of Love!
You are not trying to understand the true meaning of the word "service". Man is born to render selfless service. Selfless service alone can achieve unity in humanity. Only through unity, can humanity attain Divinity. Hence service is very essential to understand unity in diversity. People are under the impression that service meant rendering help to the forlorn and the weak. It is a great mistake to think that your are rendering service to others. In fact, you are doing it for yourself because the same principle of Atma, the same principle of love exists in all. All men are essentially one. The differences lie only in their feelings. So, man should change his feelings and try to recognize the truth that the same divinity exists in all. Only then can there be transformation in man. Hands do the work, mouth talks and the head enquires. All these limbs of the body may be different from each other but the divine power that exists in them is one and the same. Likewise, the same divinity exists in all beings. Once you understand this truth, the service your render will become divine. One should not become egoistic; thinking that one is doing great service. Actually, service is meant to kill the ego. You cannot call it service if it is rendered with ego. First of all ego has to be subdued. Body attachment is the root cause of ego. Ego will vanish once the body-attachment is given up. The spirit of oneness will sprout once the ego is annihilated. Just as hands, eyes, nose, mouth, etc., are the limbs of the body, likewise, all human beings are the limbs of the society. Society is the limb of nature and nature is the limb of God. Seeing this vast nature, one should not think that it is different from God. One should understand the fundamental truth that Divinity pervades the entire creation. Bulbs, their colors and wattages may vary, but the current in all of them is one and the same. Likewise, names and forms of individuals may be different but the principle of Atma that exists in all of them is one and the same. The service you render will become meaningful only when you understand this truth. You should not think that you are different from the one whom you are serving. This kind of dualistic feeling gives scope to evil qualities like hatred, jealousy, etc. In fact, all the evil qualities like desire, anger, greed, etc, are man's own making. They arise out of the head, whereas noble qualities like love, compassion, forbearance, etc, originate from the heart.
Head sees unity as diversity, whereas heart proves unity in diversity. Hence, head symbolizes Pravritti (outward path) and heart stands for Nivritti (inward path).Never think that the society cannot progress if you do not render service. Society does not depend on you. If not you, someone else will do the needful. God governs everything. In the first instance, try to understand the meaning of the word service. It is possible to understand this once you understand who you are. You are a Manava (human being). Manava does not mean the physical form. It is synonymous with the principle of Atma. Human being is the manifestation of five elements. The ancient sages had total control over the five elements and thus could enjoy peace and security. But the modern man is subjected to hardships, as he has no control over the five elements. Man will shine forth as Atmaswarupa (embodiment of Atma) once he becomes the master of the five elements.
In humanness there are four different levels: 1. Super mind, 2. Higher mind, 3. Illumination mind and 4. Over mind. Humanness will reach the stage of totality only when one attains the level of Over mind. There is current in the human body from top to toe. The body itself is a generator. Illumination mind, which is related to the current in the body, is very powerful. Prior to Illumination mind, there is Higher Mind. Higher mind is that which transcends the five elements. To reach this transcendental state, one has to begin with Super Mind. Super mind is related to 'body consciousness'. The consciousness (principle of Atma) that pervades the entire body is called 'body consciousness'. The 'body consciousness' becomes 'thought consciousness' once one reaches the level of Higher mind. The 'body consciousness' works only at the physical level, whereas the 'thought consciousness' can travel up to any distance. That is why the 'thought consciousness' is term as Higher mind.
Then comes Illumination mind. When one attains this level, there will be current right from the nails to hair. A worldly person will not feel any pain when his nails are clipped, but after attaining the level of Illumination mind, one feels the shock when one tries to clip the nails. This is the reason why the ancient sages and seers used to grow their nails. Modern youth may attribute this to the non-availability of nail cutter those days. But one need not have a nail-cutter to clip one own nails. One nail can cut the other. But one with Illumination mind will feel the shock when the nails are clipped. The thoughts, words and deeds of one with Illumination mind are suffixed with Divinity. That gives rise to a very powerful 'three phase' current in the body. Such people will have current even in the hair. You can feel the shock when you touch their hair. Even in an ordinary individual, there exists principle of current all over the body. The electricity present within spread all over the body because of the pumping of the heart. The doctors say that the lungs purify the blood with oxygen and send it to the heart. But actually, the life force present in lungs becomes current through vibration. This current can travel to a long distance. Each time the heart pumps the blood travels a distance of 12,000 miles in the body. How can we say this? When we join all the blood vessels in the body, both small and big (arteries, veins, capillaries, etc), they cover a length of 12,000 miles. Just as a generator can illumine a bulb connected to it even at a distance of 100 miles, likewise the current originating from the sacred feelings in the heart can travel up to any distance. This is the power of Illumination mind.
At the level of Illumination mind, mind undergoes a great change and becomes the subtle life force. The subtle life force has three powers that are related to life, mind and wisdom. No scientist or a doctor or an engineer can understand this. You can give rest to any limb of the body but not to the heart. The heart continues to function even in your sleep. Which doctor or scientist can understand this? The eye looks so small but there are 13 lakh nerves in it. Who has made it? All this is God's creation. God's creation is the most mysterious, sacred and wonderful. All that is seen outside is nothing but the reflection, reaction and resound of the inner being.
You go to a temple in order to have vision of God. But when you stand in front of the idol, you close you eyes and pray. The inner meaning of this is that one has to see God not with the physical eyes, but with the eye of wisdom. You will get the eye of wisdom only when you close your physical eyes and turn your vision inward. That is the reason people meditate with their eyes closed and picturise God within. The whole world is just the reflection, reaction and resound. You desire for the reflection forgetting the reality.The gross body is made up of food. The mind, the intellect, the Chitta and the Ahamkara constitute the subtle body. It is the subtle body that experiences pain and pleasure. The Illumination mind constitutes the causal body. The Illumination mind transcends the worldly thoughts and feelings. There is no trace of desire, anger, greed, ego, pride and jealousy in it.
The level of Illumination mind is reached only when all the worldly thoughts are subdued. In order to subdue the worldly thoughts, one has to reach the level of Super mind. Super mind is nothing but superior mind, that which transcends the mind. The fundamental basis to attain Super mind is to cultivate super love, meaning to love without any desire. That is why I often tell you that love is God, live in love, start the day with love, spend the day with love, fill the day with love and end the day with love; this is the way to God. When you wake up in the morning, do not think of your mundane activities. Wake up with the feeling of pure love. But today, man does not have such feeling of pure love. The reason for this, as I told you yesterday is that the parents themselves have no sacred feelings. If the parents wake up in the morning abusing each other, the children go a step further and fight with each other as soon as they wake up. At the time of birth, child has no desires. But as he grows up, he entertains many desires, which lead to bondage. Man should fill his mind with love for God. He should forget all his worries and contemplate on Him. This is possible only through practice. Reading, writing, walking, talking all these are learnt only through practice. Likewise even in the path of spirituality, practice is very essential. Start practicing love. That is the correct practice. Share your love with more and more people. You will experience oneness. Once you start sharing your love with everybody, then the whole world will become one family. After expanding your love in this manner, control your external thoughts and turn inward. Then you will attain the state of Illumination mind where there are absolutely no thoughts and no action. Even the iron is melted by the power of electric current. Likewise, the duality of good and bad is annihilated by the Illumination mind. In spiritual parlance, this is called Samadhi state. Samadhi means Sama - dhi (equal mindedness). The Illumination mind unifies good and bad and develops the spirit of oneness. What is it that you have to do in order to attain this state? Serve all with love. Consider service to man is service to God. When it comes to rendering service, do not give scope to differences based on age and financial status. Who is the richest man in the world? The one who has contentment is the richest man in the world. Who is the poorest man? The one who has many desires is the poorest man. It is said, "Less luggage more comfort makes travel a pleasure." You can have a comfortable journey of life only when you reduce the luggage of your desires. Lesser the desires, greater will be the Willpower. Body has death but not the mind. Mind is responsible for everything. So, fill your mind with pure and selfless thoughts. Then you will attain the state of Illumination mind. Gradually, you will cross Illumination mind and attain Over mind. In Vedantic parlance, this is known as the state of Amanaska (mindlessness). Once the mind is withdrawn, only the principle of Atma i.e. the Super consciousness exists.Man has the capacity to attain any exalted position. Any task can be accomplished through practice. A small ant can travel hundreds of miles if it decides to do so. But even an eagle, endowed with strong wings, cannot move an inch without making effort. Love and service are like two wings to man. He can attain any exalted position with the help of these two wings. The lives of many noble souls bear testimony to this fact.
Today man finds it difficult to sit quietly and steadily even for a few minutes. But our ancients could keep their body steady in one posture for any number of days. People think that the body is able to move because of the circulation of blood and the functioning of nerves. But when one reaches the state of Illumination mind, blood circulation stops. You may think that the body becomes redundant without blood circulation, but Super blood starts circulating and makes the body function. When the body is circulated by Super blood, it becomes superior in nature. In this connection, the Upanishads declare, "Raso Vai Saha" (God pervades the body in the form of essence). Then all that one sees, does and experiences becomes divine. Just as sugar is present in every drop of syrup, the Super power (Divinity) is present in every cell of human body. But today, man considers one's self to be weak. One who understands the truth that everything is within, alone can experience bliss. All that man learns from books is nothing but the reflection, reaction and resound of the inner being. Man's speech is decided by the feelings of the inner being. Speech is resound and heart is the real sound. This real sound leads to resound. In the path of spirituality, there are many such subtle secrets. Without understanding these secrets, man undertakes various spiritual practices and wastes his time. You need not undertake any spiritual practice, once you understand the fundamental truth.
No visit to any pilgrim center, no penance, no Yogic practice will help you in crossing over the ocean of Samsara other than the service rendered to the noble (Sanskrit Sloka).
When you serve others, the power in you also will increase. The power of attraction is present in everybody. The purer you become, the greater will be your attraction power. All the powers that are present in the earth are latent in man. Some people come to Me and complain that they are unable to control their mind. It is possible to gain control over the mind only through love. When you develop love, there will be no scope for evil qualities like anger and hatred. You will able to love even your enemies. You will not consider anybody as your enemy; you will see oneness in all. That is blissful life. Bliss sheath is the last of five sheaths present in man, namely, food sheath, life sheath, mind, sheath, wisdom sheath and bliss sheath. Today man is able to travel only up to mind sheath. Thereafter, he does not have the ticket nor does he have the chariot to reach bliss sheath. People are under the mistaken notion that wisdom sheath (vignanamaya kosa) is related to science. But in fact, it has nothing to do with science. Science is related to the power of mind and machine, whereas wisdom originates from the power of Atma.
When the Pandavas were making arrangements to perform Rajasuya Yaga, Krishna approached Dharmaraja and asked if everything was ready. Dharmaraja replied that all arrangements were over and he had allotted various duties to others. Then Krishna requested for an opportunity to render some service. He used the word service and not duty because duty relates to duality, whereas service to oneness. Dharmaraja said, "Swami, what service can I assign to You? Instead give us an opportunity to serve You". Krishna said, "I don't require others' services. I will serve everybody."
God assumes human form to serve and sustain humanity. I am your servant not the master. Understand this truth. I come to you, wherever you are seated, to give Darshan, I never say that you should come to Me. It is said, God always stands at the entrance of your Puja room ready to give whatever you ask for. God is always ready to grant the wishes of His devotees. God renders service to man, so that He may serve his fellow beings.
Dharmaraja asked Krishna as to what service He would like to do. Krishna said, He would like removing the plantain leaves after everyone finishes partaking of food in them. By this act of His, Krishna demonstrated the ideal of service to mankind.
In youth, human body may be compared to a tender plantain leaf. All his five senses are like the delicious items served on the leaf. One should offer the food to God before partaking of it. But man in his foolishness is offering the 'delicious items' to the demons of desires, anger, greed, pride and jealousy. After the demons consume the 'delicious items' and spoil the leaf, the leftover is offered to God. First and foremost, these 'delicious items' should be offered to God who is present within in the form of Vaishvanara. You offer the food to God by chanting the Sloka:
Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir
Brahmagnou Brahmanahutam
Brahmaiva Thena Ganthavyam
Brahma Karma Samadhina
Immediately God replies from within,
Aham Vaishvanaro Bhutva
Praninam Dehamasrita
Pranaapana Samayukta
Pachamyannam Chaturvidham
God is present in everybody in the form of Vaishvanara. So, whomsoever you serve, consider that you are serving God.
Gold by itself has no form. But people mould it in the shape of a ring or a chain, thereby giving it a form. Likewise, many forms are attributed to the formless Divinity. Divinity is pure, immortal, attributeless, formless, ancient and eternal. But people worship a form for their own satisfaction. That is why God incarnates. He is the creator, sustainer and destroyer. But you think different gods exist for creation, sustenance and destruction. They are all like ministers of God. Everything is under His control. So, when you offer something to God, it amounts to offering to all gods.
Easwara Sarva Bhutanam (God is present in all beings). Formless God can be visualized in the form of all beings. He is the Reality and all the forms are His reflections. One is Paroksha (indirect experience). In fact, there is only One, not two. But it appears to be two. You may find the projection of earthquakes, floods and volcano eruptions on the cinema screen but the screen is unaffected by all this. You may find a river on the screen but the screen does not get wet. Likewise, all the multiplicity appears only to the external vision: the Illumination mind sees only oneness. That oneness is the Divine power. It is present in one and all. You search for God in various places as you are unable to understand this truth. To know this truth, love all. Then you can visualize the unity in diversity and vice-versa. God declared Mamaivamsho Jeevaloke Jeevabhuta Sanathana (the external Atma in all beings is part of My Being). Do not get deluded by the differences in physical form. Treat everyone alike. Consider all that you see as your own reflection. When you cultivate this feeling of oneness, you will attain the level of Illumination mind. When you are at the level of Super mind, you think that you are different from others. This is dualism. It is said, "A man with dual mind is half blind." Gradually go up to the Higher mind where you will understand your true nature. Then you reach Illumination mind. Once you experience this unity in totality, you attain Over mind. That is your goal. That is everything for you. All the spiritual practices are meant to attain this goal. Practices that are done with physical body cannot improve the state of mind. What is essential is the purity of mind.
Remember Swami's words whenever you participate in service activities. Some rich people feel that they are unable to enter the society and participate in service activities.
Service does not mean the help done by the hands alone. Talk softly and sweetly. Speak good words. That is also a form of service. Give food and money to the needy and work for their redemption. That is also a form of service. If you find a child crying in the mother's arms, try to help her in pacifying the child. If you have a chocolate with you, give it to the child. This is also a great service. It may look small in terms of quantity, but is very big in terms of quality. Cleaning of the streets or serving the patients is not the only means of service. But those who get the opportunity can certainly do it as per their capacity. The other day, the Anantapur College Girls came to Me and said, "Swami, boys are going to each and every house in the village distributing food packets. Once we finish packing the food, we have no other work. Please give us some work." I told them to go to the villages, clean the temples and whitewash them. Body itself is the temple of God. When you whitewash the temples outside, think that you are painting the temple of body with love. That is true service. Never use harsh words. You cannot always oblige, but you can speak always obligingly. Bandaging and using proper medicines can heal bodily wounds, but the wound inflicted on the heart can never be healed. That is why I repeatedly tell you to cultivate love and talk with love. I never use harsh words even when I appear to be angry. I always speak lovingly. You too will become Divine when you cultivate such Divine love.Cultivate good thoughts. Good thoughts lead to good actions. Good actions lead to good company. Cultivate love. Everything is based on love and love alone. Man is born in love sustained in love and ultimately merges in love. Love is the basis of human life. But you are forgetting such true love and are getting carried away by the worldly and physical love, which is not love in the true sense. I will explain this to you in detail in the remaining days of the conference.
[Bhagavan concluded His discourse with the Bhajan, "Prema Mudhita Manase Kaho.........."]