A PEEP INTO SPIRITUALITY by Bhagawan (Dr. K.V.S. Pai) Sree TaRama Shakti Mission
A Peep into Spirituality A PEEP INTO SPIRITUALITY By Bhagawan (Dr. K.V.S Pai) Sree TaRama Shakti Mission
ii A Peep into Spirituality Printed by Finesse Graphics & Prints Pvt. Ltd. Tel.: 4036 4600 Published by Sree Tarama Shakti Mission First Indian Edition : July 1996 Reprint: July 2023 Printed in India
iii A Peep into Spirituality Mahamantra Charanam Sharanam Ramambike Charanam Sharanam Trayambake
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v A Peep into Spirituality DIVINE MOTHER SREE RAMA DEVI
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vii A Peep into Spirituality ON GURU Dhyaana moolam Guror-murthih Pooja moolam Guror-padam Manthra moolam Guror-vaakyam Moksha moolam Guror-kripaa. The Gurus’s Form is the root of meditation, The Gurus’s Lotus Feet are the root of worship, The Gurus’s Word is the root of all mantras, The Gurus’s Grace is the cause of moksha (freedom).
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ix A Peep into Spirituality DIVINE MOTHER SREE TARA DEVI
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xi A Peep into Spirituality FROM THE PUBLISHER We are happy to present to our readers a reprint of “A Peep into Spirituality” by our revered Guru, Bhagawan Dr. Srinivasa Pai. The book answers commonly asked questions about spirituality in general and also explains in a lucid manner, what is meant by Self Realization. Although Sree Bhagawan has merged in the Lotus Feet of His Guru, Divine Mother Sree Rama Devi, His immortal words continue to inspire and guide those who study His teachings with reverence and an open mind. We are grateful to Dr. and Mrs. Bharat Shiralkar for sponsoring the printing of this book and to Finesse Graphics and Prints Pvt. Ltd. for supplying the copies on time. We pray for the blessings of Mother and Bhagawan on them and also on all our readers. Sree TaRama Shakti Mission Sree TaRama Nagar, Khospuri
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xiii A Peep into Spirituality DEDICATION On this sacred Gurupoornima day, I offer in all humility and devotion, this composition as a flower at the holy Lotus Feet of my beloved Gurudev, Divine Mother Sree Ramadevi and Her counterpart, my own beloved life partner, Divine Mother Sree Taradevi and invoke Their blessings on all. Ahmednagar 30th July, 1996 Bhagawan
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xv A Peep into Spirituality PUBLISHERS NOTE To realise ones true nature is itself the very purpose of human birth. Man has been encaged in a body and has been limited by the sense of egoism. He has been bound by the fickle mind and an intellect which reasons at every stage. Thus the infinite Self has been reduced so to say, to a bound and limited being. But these bonds and limitations are really only apparent. They have been assumed and are not inherent in man’s nature. This the human being has to realise. In order to attain this realisation, our ancients have chalked out a number of paths, to be adopted by the seekers depending upon their aptitude. The grace of the Guru is indispensable in treading any path, for He is the guide and beacon light for all. In the present book, ‘A Peep Into Spirituality’, Poojya Shree Bhagawan has explained what is meant by Self Realisation in simple words which even a layman can understand, He explains the concept of Self Realisation and how to attain it. In a letter to a disciple, He writes, “Self Realisation is only a process and it is moment to moment living with the Guru and feeling His presence continuously.
xvi A Peep into Spirituality This ultimately leads one to the experience that the one and the Guru are only self existing unity.” Regarding the path to Realisation He again has stated in another letter yet to another disciple, “According to me, introspection and repentance are the early primary trends in spiritual life. But for Divine Mother’s children, it is one of continuous faith in Her prowess and chanting of the Mahamantra imparted by Her with faith and sincerity. The rest is safe in Her hands. Without knowing this truth, an ordinary human being goes about saying “I am doing this to please Her, to propitiate her.” “It is only Mother Who prompts and executes actions through anyone who lays himself/herself unconditionally at Her Lotus Feet. There is no darkness for them, no fear and no suffering. However, one has to be always prepared to suffer physically for the sake of Her children. This is real Karma Yoga which an ordinary individual can practise in his / her daily life. The knowledge that She is all pervading as the Creatrix, sustaining what is created and also dissolving the same finally, is according to me Jnana Yoga. The basic pre-requisite for both these is unconditional surrender at Her Lotus Feet. This is Bhakti Yoga. This, according to me is what they call Self Realisation or Spiritual Realisation. All these are possible through the process of chanting the Mahamantra faithfully and sincerely.” How easy and practical Poojya Sree Bhagawan has made this process of Self Realization! Yet, one has to grasp the true
xvii A Peep into Spirituality significance of His words and put them into practice. Then alone can one take giant strides towards the cherished goal. The power and glory of the Gurus’s words is described by Divine Mother thus : “By Tapas and contemplation on Brahman, the Guru has churned the ocean of His own chitta and has brought out the pitcher of nectar, ‘Amruta Kumbha’, the divine knowledge. His words are the sparks from the altar fire of God-realisation. They have the power to burn your vasanas to ashes. But you should have shraddha in His teaching and should bring the teaching into your daily life.” According to Poojya Sree Bhagawan, actually there is nothing to be realised. One is the Self although one may imagine oneself to be otherwise. What is to be achieved through Sadhana is to get rid of ones identification with the body and other adjuncts like mind, memory, intellect and ego. The latter part of the book consists of a series of questions, posed to Poojya Sree Bhagawan at various times by his devotees and disciples as well as some newcomers. Since these questions are commonly asked by spiritual aspirants, we present them with the hope that the answers and explanations given by Poojya Sree Bhagawan will benefit the readers by resolving their doubts on the issues presented herein thus making their spiritual journey a happy and rewarding one.
xviii A Peep into Spirituality Such is the devotion and love of Poojya Sree Bhagawan for his Guru Divine Mother Rama Devi, that He attributes everything that He is, to Her alone. So even while answering queries by the devotees He freely quotes the words of His Guru and explains every spiritual concept by drawing upon Her philosophy and statements. May the blessing of Divine Mothers and Poojya Sree Bhagawan enable one and all to reach the goal of life. Ahmednagar 30th July, 1996
xix A Peep into Spirituality POOJYA SREE BHAGAWAN
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xxi A Peep into Spirituality ABOUT THE AUTHOR On the 10th of March 1927 was born to Dr. K. Vithaldas Pai and his wife Leelavathy, a baby boy who was to be in future a spiritual leader (Guru) of thousands of souls and who would be reverentially addressed as Poojya Sree Bhagawan by them. Srinivas, as the child was named was brought up in the tradition of his orthodox Brahmin family. Although His father was one of the leading medical practitioner of Pallawaram, (a suburb of Madras city) he strictly adhered to religious traditions and performed ritualistic worship daily. Leelavathy too was a pious soul, devoted to her husband. The couple later became disciples of Divine Mother. Srinivas was their first child. As a youngster He was of a very cheerful and playful temperament and endeared Himself to everybody- relatives, neighbours and friends. Even the servants doted on him and He was popularly known amongst them as ‘Chinnaswami’ or ‘Little Master.’ It is usual that in the lives of divine beings miraculous events occur which are pointers to their superhuman stature. The same was the case with Srinivas. When He was eight, He had an attack of nephritis which was incurable in those days. His father was very
xxii A Peep into Spirituality worried for even the best doctors had given up all hopes. Finally, as a last resort he vowed to offer Srinivas to God, should the boy recover from the illness. How wonderfully inscrutable are the ways of the Divine! One day an unknown sanyasin of dignified bearing accosted Dr. Vithaldas on the road and asked to see his ailing son. After taking a look at the condition of the patient, the venerable sanyasin suggested that a concoction of a certain herb be given to the boy everyday along with a mud pack around the abdomen and a sunbath. This treatment, though simple, completely cured the patient much to the relief of His parents and other family members. The sanyasin once again visited the home of Dr. Vithaldas and insisted on receiving bhiksha from Srinivas. Who this saintly personage was and how he came at the right moment is a mystery which is incomprehensible to the human intellect. Srinivas was a student of the Ramakrishna Mission High School and later He took his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Madras Christian College. His academic career both in school and college was a brilliant record of distinctions for He was endowed with the extraordinary capacity of grasping and retaining whatever He heard even once. Hence he never felt the need of studying at home. Most of His time after classes was spent in sports, especially cricket, while his aunt was left to finish his homework for Him! Srinivas was very popular with the children of His neighbourhood. He had a large group of friends with whom He would play a variety of games. He would also write small plays and enact them along with
xxiii A Peep into Spirituality His comrades to an audience comprising of the entire neighbourhood! In this He had the encouragement of His father. In the year 1941, Srinivas had the darshan of Divine Mother Ramadevi for the first time. It left a deep impression on His young mind. His heart was filled with spontaneous devotion and He felt a deep spiritual bond with Her. A few days after this momentous meeting, an event occurred which changed his outlook about life itself. His younger sister Saraswathi suddenly died of meningitis. The loss of His favourite sister who was only six years old, left Srinivas devastated. The transcient nature of human existence impinged on His consciousness, driving His mind inwards. He became silent and withdrawn and was often found musing over the futility of human efforts in trying to avert the inevitable. It was after this bereavement that Srinivas passed through a spell of agnosticism, inspite of His orthodox devotional upbringing. Although He continued to participate in the daily prayers and bhajans at home, He could not bring Himself to look upon the pictures and idols of gods and goddesses as the Supreme Being. He had become a rational scientist, believing only such things that could be proved. That is how on one occasion, when His father told him to prostrate to the picture of Sree Rama to atone for a prank He had played, He refused outright, saying that the picture could not be God as it could not even speak. Instead, He bowed to His father quoting a Tamil verse meaning that one’s father and mother are the first Gods. (For details refer to ‘Tasmai Sree Guravay Namah’ Pg 70.).
xxiv A Peep into Spirituality In 1948, Srinivas came in close contact with Divine Mother. Her influence brought about a great transformation in Him. His spiritual yearning was awakened. He wanted to probe deep into the secrets of spirituality. This became possible for Him under the loving guidance of Divine Mother. He even tested Divine Mother before accepting Her as His Guru. But once He was convinced of Her Divinity, His brilliant intellect and scientific mind lay prostrate at Her Lotus Feet. His faith in Her was unflinching and firm (and so it remains even to this day) for it was not blind belief but the result of His own probing and experiences. Divine Mother slaked his spiritual thirst by initiating Him into the Mahavakya and even granting him the much coveted experience of Samadhi, which is considered to be the ultimate attainment in spirituality. Such was His inherent spiritual competence that even before He was formally initiated by Divine Mother, She made him attend a class meant only for initiates. She freely expounded the secret doctrines of spirituality in his presence. His father, remembering His promise, dedicated Him to Divine Mother. Srinivas had great love and reverence for Divine Mother’s consort, Bhagawan Sree Krishna Bhagat. The latter took an instant liking for the boy and showered His love on Him. It was Srinivas’ dream to devote Himself to the service of the divine couple. By this time, Srinivas had taken his Master’s degree and it was the desire of His parents that He should get married. But Srinivas was adamant. It was then that Bhagawan explained to Srinivas that the life of a bachelor is like a palmyrah palm, incapable of giving shelter from sun or rain, whereas a householder’s life is like a banyan tree
xxv A Peep into Spirituality granting shelter both from the blazing sun and driving rain of worldly sorrows. Although Srinivas appreciated this, He was still unwilling to marry. By now Srinivas had obtained his Ph.D. He also won the prestigious Poet Sethu Pillai’s prize for Tamil. He was the only non-Tamil student to do so. But every academic achievement He attributed to His Guru. With His congenial personality and jovial outlook, Srinivas was popular with both students and teachers in school and college, as well as in the Research Institutions. Even in later years, when He occupied top posts in international firms, in Calcutta, Madras, Bombay and Ahmednagar, His subordinates loved Him because He was very considerate towards them and helped them out of difficult situations not merely with good advice but also with food, medicines, clothes and money. He would also induce the management to give the workers maximum benefits. In deference to the wishes of His Guru, Divine Mother, Srinivas married Her niece Taradevi, Who right from childhood exhibited a remarkable degree of spiritual achievement. The hallmark of Their marital life was unbroken brahmacharya and dedication to Divine Mother’s spiritual cause. This union was indeed divinely ordained for, once, before the marriage was fixed, Taradevi’s uncle had taken Her horoscope to be blessed by the renowned sage Nityananda of Vajreshwari. The sage just glanced at the horoscope and declared that Divine mother had already ordained the right partner for Taradevi. (For details refer to ‘Tasmai Sree Guravay
xxvi A Peep into Spirituality Namah,’ Pg 117). The Grihastha life of this divine couple was one of service of guests (atithi satkar), loyalty to Their respective dharmas and above all, devotion to Divine Mother. In the year 1958, Dr. Pai accepted an executive post at Aphali, a pharmaceutical concern at Ahmednagar. This proved to be a momentous decision, for, a few years later, Divine Mother came to live with Him and Taradevi. Divine Mother’s consort attained Mahasamadhi in 1964 and since then, Divine Mother confined Herself to the South. But in 1966, She was badly indisposed as a result of continuously absorbing the sins of Her devotees. Not even the best physicians were able to cure Her self-inflicted suffering. It was at that time that Dr. Pai and Taradevi brought Her to Ahmednagar and with great love and care looked after Her till She regained Her health. Divine Mother remained with Them till 1972. During this period, She was constantly guiding, grooming and moulding Dr. Pai for the great role He had to play in the future. On Oct. 30th 1972 Divine Mother moved to Shaktinagar, the headquarters of Rama Sakti Mission (a religious institution founded by Her devotees) and Dr. Pai accompanied Her along with Tara Devi to be of service to her and the Mission. Divine Mother had already inducted Him in the governing body of the Mission and would always ask for His opinion in all matters regarding the activities of the mission. It is due to His hard work and sacrifice that several developmental activities in the campus of Shaktinagar changed the very face of the lonely, barren and rocky hillside on which it is situated, transforming it into a flourishing spiritual centre bustling
xxvii A Peep into Spirituality with activity. It is again Dr. Pai Who was responsible for establishing a well-equipped charitable hospital of the Mission at Shaktinagar. On the 1st of November 1978 Divine Mother entered Mahasamadhi. But before Her departure from the mortal coil, She extracted a promise from Dr. Pai that He would continue to work for Her cause till the end. Even on Ganesh Chaturthi day in 1977 Divine Mother had taken a similar promise from Him in public. Divine Mother Tara Devi succeeded Her Guru to the Guru Peetam. Her Divine bhavas and samadhis left the devotees wonderstruck. Dr. Pai too began to have profound spiritual experiences of His oneness with Tara Devi. The devotees began to address Him as ‘Bhagawan,’ just as they used to address the consort of Divine Mother Rama Devi. On various occasions, Divine Mother Taradevi revealed to the devotees His true identity as Shiva. She also brought to their notice His spiritual competency in many ways. She would often worship Him both in in normal consciousness as well as in divine bhavas and He too never lost an opportunity of offering worship to Her when She was in divine bhava. It was a mutual adoration, self-worship of Shiva and Shakti in esoteric terms. Each saw and worshipped His/Her own self in the other. The devotes began to regard and worship Them as Shiva and Shakti incarnate. When Divine Mother Taradevi shed Her divine upadhi on the 4th of September 1981, Poojya Sree Bhagawan became the third Guru in the Guruparampara of Divine Mother Ramadevi. His competency to adorn the Gurupeetam had been indicated by Divine
xxviii A Peep into Spirituality Mother Ramadevi Herself when, just before Her Mahasamadhi She imparted the new Mahamantra of Her Guruparampara which She wanted to transmit to the world for the welfare of humanity. Divine Mother Taradevi and Poojya Sree Bhagawan are the only Ones to receive this mantra directly from Divine Mother Ramadevi. Divine Mother had also declared that He and Taradevi had come to this world for Her work. Inspite of all this there were some amongst the devotees who did not like the fact that Poojya Sree Bhagawan (Who was now also elected as the Life President of Rama Shakti Mission) should adorn the Gurupeetam and command the reverence of the devotees and disciples of Divine Mother. They therefore began to defame Him with a view to make Him leave Shaktinagar so that they could take over the same and also lay their hands on the substantial funds of the Mission. It is a fact that whenever the divine manifests on earth evil forces also appear to oppose Him. Our Puranas are replete with instances of demons who opposed the various avatars. In recent times we hear of how Gauranga Mahaprabhu was suspected of carrying on immoral acts in secrecy. Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was called mad by the worldly-wise and Swami Vivekananda’s character was publicly questioned by a group in America. Why, even both the Divine Mothers had to face criticisms by disgruntled elements as well as newspaper reporters who failed to understand Their spiritual eminence. The same was the case with Poojya Sree Bhagawan.
xxix A Peep into Spirituality Poojya Sree Bhagawan decided to leave Shaktinagar for the sake of maintaining peace and harmony in the sacred premises. He did not want the atmosphere of Shaktinagar to be polluted by gossip. He was never enamoured of wealth or position as was amply evident when He left His prestigious job at Ahmednagar and moved to Shaktinagar as per Mother’s wish. During the period of Divine Mother’s saguna presence, a few girl volunteers had been accepted by Her to work for Her cause. Just before Her Mahasamadhi Divine Mother Taradevi had entrusted these girls to the care of Poojya Sree Bhagawan. When they heard of Poojya Sree Bhagawan’s decision to quit Shaktinagar they too expressed their desire to leave the place. So He agreed to their request and made arrangements for them to stay at Ahmednagar. The responsibility to provide for them all was now on His shoulders. But He had full faith that Divine Mother would not let Him down and would provide Him with the means to look after them. And true to His faith, funds began to come in from unexpected sources. Today the girls are happy with Him and He looks upon them as His own children providing not merely their material wants but also taking the pains of moulding them into ideal instruments for the divine cause. It is just to keep His promise to both the Divine Mothers that He is looking after the welfare of these children entrusted to Him by Them. Although as long as both the Divine Mothers were in saguna form Poojya Sree Bhagawan kept Himself in the background, His inherent spiritual nature was evident to the discerning ones for His unbroken brahmacharya even in married life bespoke volumes
xxx A Peep into Spirituality of His divine qualities. Soon after the Mahasamadhi of Divine Mother Taradevi, spiritual truths began to flow from his lips. This transformation in Him was but an unfolding of His own native spiritual nature. This perennial current of knowledge continues unimpeded, washing away the mire of doubts and delusions from the minds of the listeners. Today He is worshipped as the divine Guru by majority of Divine Mother’s devotees. As the Guru, Poojya Sree Bhagawan is capable of guiding every soul which takes refuge at His Lotus Feet along the spiritual path. Although His is not a a very imposing figure physically, His features are lighted up with a rare spiritual beauty. His innocent, captivating smile and twinkling expressive eyes attract the hearts of young and old. His very presence puts visitors at ease and bereaved grief-stricken souls find solace and comfort at His Lotus Feet. He makes no distinctions of caste and creed, status or nationality and His universal love enfolds every soul in its embrace. Poojya Sree Bhagawan’s spiritual instructions are intensely practical. His exposition of Divine Mother’s philosophy and His interpretations of the scriptures is lucid and clear and springs from His own personal experience. He has equal respect for all religions and is able to explain the esoteric meaning of the holy books of the Christians, Sikhs and Muslims too. He maintains that spirituality and secular life are not different from each other and invests the most ordinary daily acts with a new spiritual meaning. His inspiration is never measured by how many people listened to His talks. He is often found spending
xxxi A Peep into Spirituality hours clearing the genuine spiritual doubt of even a single spiritual aspirant. Poojya Sree Bhagawan’s outlook is very optimistic. He views life as an occasion to find out ones own true nature and merge in the Supreme Immensity. He exhorts that life is not to be looked upon as a burden but as an opportunity to evolve oneself and at the same time lighten the burden of fellow souls. He maintains that it is sheer cowardice to run away (from the field of ones duty due to fear, or failure) not to face calamities, or to end ones life out of frustration as is common in the present-day world. One should also repose faith in ones Guru or Ishtadevata and carry on and the ensuing darkness will surely melt away leaving one more confident and aware of ones own inherent powers. Having weathered the storms of life Himself Poojya Sree Bhagawan’s words have the stamp of authority on them. He Himself is always optimistic and happy, spreading joy wherever He goes. Poojya Sree Bhagawan is the Managing Trustee of both Sree TaRama Trust and Sree TaRama Foundation, the former being a charitable trust which feeds the poor and affords medical relief to the needy and the latter being a trust which publishes literature on spiritual and religious topics, especially about Divine Mother and Her teachings. It is well nigh impossible to present a real picture of Poojya Sree Bhagawan’s multifaceted personality, His Knowledge, His concern and love towards all creation and above all His unalloyed devotion, faith and loyalty to His Guru Divine Mother Ramadevi
xxxii A Peep into Spirituality and His supreme devotion to His consort Divine Mother Taradevi. In Him we see the happy blend of secular knowledge and spiritual attainment, of intellect and intuition, of discipleship and Guruhood, of sternness and tenderness, of sagely wisdom and childlike innocence, of traditional values and modern scientific outlook, in short, the best of human qualities and divine virtues. This makes Him a unique being both in the spiritual and secular fields.
xxxiii A Peep into Spirituality INTRODUCTION This book, “A Peep into Spirituality” is the result of questions asked to me by various people regarding Self Realization and other spiritual topics. Although our scriptures are a veritable treasure house of information on spirituality, the modern minds are more rational in their outlook and averse to believing anything that does not provide proof. Divine Mother has also explained what Self Realization is and in Her presence, the devotees felt that they had understood everything She said. But once they were away from Her physical orbit, they realized that the Truths She had expounded were beyond the ken of their intellect. This is so because the Guru’s spiritual waves are so strong that they knock out ones mental waves which are intensely worldly. And then it is the Guru alone Who exists in and through one. So one can understand even the highest truths that is why, while reading this book, it may appear very simple because ones true nature is the Self. But it actually contains the highest truths explained in a modern way, in keeping with the advances made in science and technology. Attempts have also been made to explain why God made good and also evil. This question has been gnawing at the vitals of
xxxiv A Peep into Spirituality everyone. All think that God is good and they are right. Can one ever think that God has bad qualities? Certainly not, but to explain to the worldly minded, I have stated that in order to be ‘poornam,’ God must contain both good and bad. A spiritually advanced soul will understand the true import of this for he sees nothing as bad. A thing appears good or bad depending on ones outlook. If one looks at the world through dark glasses, everything will appear to be dull, dark and gloomy. But when ones sees the same world with ones naked eyes, one can see only light everywhere. Thus, when viewed through ones mind full of the darkness of ignorance, the world appears to be bad but when ones inner vision is touched by the light of knowledge and purity everything appears to be good. Slaughtering of animals for meat is wrong and people who do so find it difficult to propitiate God. But the bhakta Kannapa was offering fresh meat to Lord Shiva as naivedya which was accepted by Him. This is because Kannapa was full of satwa, so whatever he touched was purified. Moreover, the offering was made with love which pleased the Lord. The latter part of the book consists of answers to different queries on various topics. Although these questions were asked at different times and by different people, all indicate the same thirst for knowledge. However, human memory being very short, one easily forgets what one has heard. That is why the questions and answers have been put down in writing. While perusing the following pages, those who have asked the questions will be able to identify them. Moreover, these questions are commonly asked by devotees, so putting the answers on record would certainly benefit them too.
xxxv A Peep into Spirituality I must admit that all this has become possible only because of the abundant grace of Divine Mother in Whose holy immediate presence I lived for fourteen long years. What I am today is entirely due to Her blessings. I have therefore taken every opportunity to quote Her own words regarding the various spiritual topics dealt with in this book. My thanks are due to my children who have compiled this book from my talks and conversations and neatly typed out the same in record time. I am also grateful to M/s Uday Printers for the elegant printing and to Sree TaRama Foundation for publishing this work. I invoke upon them all as well as on the readers the bounteous blessings of Divine Mother so as to enable them to reach the goal of Self Realization. Ahmednagar, 30th July, 1996 (Gurupoornima) AUTHOR
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1 A Peep into Spirituality SELF REALIZATION God has created man after His own image. He has endowed man with a mind, intellect, memory and ego so as to enable him to identify himself with the all-pervading Supreme One. To know yourself is Self Realization. Actually, who is to cognize whom? Who is to realize whom? This is a paradox. There exists only one unity and you are that unity so say the scriptures and the wise ones. But because of prakriti or delusion or maya, which is His own (or yours because you are not separate from him), the human being identifies himself with his body which is made up of flesh and blood, which dissolves into elements after a certain time. This identification is after all superficial because he is not really related to the body but to the Atman only. When a limb gets separated from a body, ‘I’ continues to exist in main body. It does not identify itself with the mutilated limb. Even if the detached limb is thrown to the crows, you are not bothered, but you cannot stand even a pinch to the body which you consider as your own and in which your ‘I’ exists. Is this
2 A Peep into Spirituality not wonderful? Man shaves every day. He cuts his hair and nails and does not even wince. This is because he has not identified himself with the hair or nails and he has taken it for granted that these things are not necessary for the ‘I’ to exist. When a severed limb is cut up or it rots, man does not feel pain because he has snapped his connection with it. Extrapolating this same truth we come to the conclusion that the ‘I’ can exist without the body. The notion that ‘I am the body’ should be broken. Then one can realize who the true ‘I’ is. This is Self Realization. This is how you can severe your connection with the body or get over body consciousness. This is quite practicable as has been demonstrated by operation conducted when the patient is not under anaesthesia or induced unconsciousness, but under hypnosis. This only proves that for the existence of ‘I’ the body is not necessary. This attitude is Self Realization. Shedding the notion that he is the body and knowing his relationship with the Ultimate is itself Self Realization. The mind, intellect, memory and egoism with which God has endowed man, have to be utilised to get over the bondage of the body notion and to know his identity with the all–pervading God. Truly speaking, there is no such thing as Self Realization as the Self alone exists and ‘you are that’ and all other notions are in the realm of multiplicity (which are all superimposed on the self) which are hindrances to experiencing that you yourself are the Unity. So, Self realization, Self knowledge, God or the Supreme Immensity are all synonymous which again, in real sense is ‘you are
3 A Peep into Spirituality that only’, because this Entity known as God is all pervading and He is in you as you only. Again, because of illusion or maya the Self is limited by the three adjuncts i.e., the three gunas. God is perfect – poornam. The gunas are in Him also but they are so balanced that they cause no harm at all. They are in equilibrium in Him. The imbalance of the gunas is caused by ignorance or lack of knowledge. The jiva is only a reflection and the reflecting medium is Maya which distorts everything and disturbs the equilibrium of the gunas, which in turn causes the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep. The deluded jiva has to be reminded of its true nature, which is not possible as long as he has the notion of the body to which he is attached and which he thinks is his own true nature. God is ‘poornam’ i.e. perfect, whole, all-pervasive and second to none. So He contains within Himself both good and bad. But He is not attached to either of these qualities. Man too, being the offspring of God has good and bad qualities in him. But since his bad qualities outweigh the good ones he finds that in comparison to himself God is good. So he thinks God is all good only. The world which has emanated from God is also full of good and bad people. It sometimes so happens that evil increases in the world and then to maintain the equilibrium God Himself has to come as an Avatar. By annihilating the evil He restores the balance of the world. Those who are killed at the hands of the Avatar for e.g. Kamsa, Hiranyakashipu, Shishupala, Ravana etc. are instantly absorbed into His own Being having being shorn of all their negative
4 A Peep into Spirituality qualities because of the divine touch which is all purifying. Actually God wants to annihilate the evil qualities and not the individual who harbours then, so He tries to make him give up his evil ways. It is only as a last resort that He forcibly absorbs him by annihilating him. The Avatar also absorbs the sins of those human beings amidst whom He moves and neutralises them by making His body suffer. Thus through His own sacrifice He maintains the equilibrium of the world. God usually projects good. That is how the first creation, the Sanakadi rishis were good. As soon as they came into being, they sat in meditation and were again absorbed in God. Such an attitude was not conducive to the purpose for which they had been created i.e., producing of progeny for populating the world. So God then created the first human couple, Manu and Shatarupa whose children, grandchildren etc. increased the population of the world. Although the first human beings were good and knew how to approach the Supreme One as and when they wished, as time passed, their families grew and each one became absorbed in evolving ways and means in trying to grab more and more of the common resources which God had provided for their sustenance. A person with a larger family thought that he should have a greater part of the resources than one who had fewer children. Thus greed, enemity etc. preoccupied the minds of human beings to such an extent that he slowly forgot God, the provider of all. Every succeeding generation moved farther away from the divine being till the present one wherein we have completely forgotten God and how to approach Him, engrossed as we are in worldly matters.
5 A Peep into Spirituality God is effulgent, merciful and compassionate and still the people created by Him are good as well as bad. As already described God contains within Himself good and bad, righteousness and evil but in equilibrium. People think of God only as good and find it hard to digest the fact that evil can exist in Him. But the very fact that evil exists in the creation that emanated from God shows that evil too is contained in Him. If there is no evil in God, how is there evil in creation? Moreover, God is all pervading which means that He encompasses both good and bad or in other words, they are both contained in Him. This can be explained by an example. Sunlight is very bright and effulgent but it is a mixture of seven colours, including blue, indigo, violet which are dark colours. This however does not make it less bright. Likewise, God is merciful and effulgent although He may appear to be cruel if measured by the human yardstick. So, one should not argue as to why God created the good and also the bad. Why does bad exist at all, one may wonder. In fact, the bad is necessary so that good is balanced. Just as one cannot appreciate peace unless there is war, so too the good can be appreciated only when there is bad. These good and bad qualities also exist in the human being because he has come from God. But in his case they are not in equilibrium. God wants the human being to have these in equilibrium so that he can become like Himself. These good and bad qualities are represented by the devas and asuras depicted in our Puranas. In the Devi Mahatmyam and other scriptures we read that Devi sides with the gods although they are a little lazy, pleasure loving and easy going and She annihilates the
6 A Peep into Spirituality asuras. Here, the gods to a great extent represent good and asuras represent evil. Usually, asuras are more powerful than the devas who represent the positive qualities. The gods keep away from the asuras because they are ferocious and cruel. They are also tenacious and persevering. Hence the devas are afraid of them. Even in the world we see good people suffer and evil ones thrive. But this is only apparent. Ultimately, good triumphs. The Devi prefers the devas because in them there are more sattwic qualities and also because they resort to prayers when the need arises, which propitiates the Devi. Whatever they do against the asuras is for self defence and to preserve their independence. The asuras also pray but their prayers are selfish. Once the prayers are answered, they want to dispense with the One who granted them the boon. Bhasmasura prayed to Shiva for the boon that the person on whose head he (Bhasmasura) placed his hand should be reduced to ashes. But when Shiva granted him the boon, Bhasmasura wanted to place his hands on Shiva’s head! The asuras are predominantly full of tamasic qualities. They are cruel and merciless, full of negative qualities. Since negative qualities are stronger than the positive ones (which is again brought out by the fact that asuras always get the better of the devas in the wars), the Devi has to side with the gods to protect them from the evil ones and try to annihilate the evil. Even the Supreme One is sometimes challenged by the asuras which brings out the fact that they will never bow before the might
7 A Peep into Spirituality of God. This is illustrated by the story of Madhu and Kaitabha as well as other stories in the Devi Mahatmyam. In the Ramayana also, evil is put down by the good. In the Mahabharata this is brought out by the fact that the hundred Kauravas were defeated by the five Pandavas because Krishna was with them. Even as a small flicker of light drives away darkness, so also, evil is annihilated by the good, ultimately. The story of Narakasura is a case in point. He was the son of Bhumi Devi and Lord Vishnu (in his Varaha Avatar). Although the parents were divine the son became an asura. But he did have some positive qualities. For e.g. he had captured sixteen thousand maidens and was waiting for a suitable day to marry them all. Despite being an asura, he did not even touch the maidens. Narakasura had obtained a boon that he would die only at the hands of his own mother. He was sure that no mother would kill her own son, so he thought that he was immortal. So he defied God (Krishna). Krishna knew about his boon. He also knew that Satyabhama who was with him, was the incarnation of Bhumi Devi. So in the battle Krishna purposely fell down wounded. This incenced Satyabhama who shot an arrow at Narakasura which fatally wounded him. As he was dying, he recognised Satyabhama to be his mother. Since he was annihilated by the Divine, he got mukti. When God’s own offspring could become an asura (because of His own will to demonstrate to the world that evil is contained in Him and so such traits will be there in His creation too) nobody
8 A Peep into Spirituality should be surprised that the humans can be good and bad although they are created by the same all – merciful one. This is the answer to those critics who maintain that God being good should create only good and not bad. This is the reason why Divine Mother never gave up anyone, however bad he may be, as beyond redemption. She used to exploit the good qualities in him and use them to subdue the evil ones. God is bright, good and benign, just like sunlight. But when He is viewed after contact with the prism of Maya, one sees the spectrum of His qualities both good and bad. Just as ultra violet and infra red light cannot be seen but only felt, so also in God there are hidden qualities which are exhibited only after an event takes place. Hiranyakashipu was annihilated by the Lord right in the presence of his own son Prahlad which is against all ethics but because of the son’s faith in Hari, the father attained Mukti. Again it was a ruse of Krishna to fall in the battle so that Narakasura could be killed by Satyabhama. Light is white by itself. It appears in seven colours only when passed through a prism. Similarly, God is untainted and pure. But because of the taint of Maya He appears to have different grades of good and evil qualities represented by the spectrum. Also, from another point of view, God is the ray of light entering the prism of Maya and the refracted rays of various colours represent the different moral grades of created beings from the best to the worst. We can observe that in the spectrum the colour violet is farthest away from the path of the ray of light which entered the prism. This represents the evil, cruel and immoral beings like the
9 A Peep into Spirituality asuras are very far from God morally. The colour red is closest to the original path of the ray of light and it represents those who have more good qualities than bad like the gods. Sometimes light is not refracted by entering the prism but is only reflected from its surface. Yet this reflected ray is not as pure as the original light. The original light is the Paramatman and the reflected ray is the jivatman. Because of the touch of the prism i.e. Maya , the jiva is tainted and is not as pure as the Paramatman. When the prism is removed there is neither reflection nor refraction of light. Similarly, when the medium of Maya is removed there is no reflected jiva existing. The Paramatman alone abides. The equilibrium of good and bad is disturbed by Maya. This Maya makes a thing appear as good or bad, in this world which has come out of God. Yuddhishthira is said to have found the entire world as good and Duryodhana saw the entire world as bad. This is because neither of them had a comprehensive view of the world. A person standing on one side of a hill will see only that side. Another person standing on the other side sees only that side. Their view is limited. But one who stands on the summit of the hill can see both sides and even tell others how to reach the summit. In the same way, one person sees the world as good and another as bad but the Guru who has transcended both good and evil sees the world as it is. Hence He can guide His disciples how to reach His own stature whereby they too can see the world as it really is. The Guru knows that the His disciples are in extreme tamas and Maya. They have more bad qualities and tendencies than good. So He tries to restore the balance of good and bad in them so that
10 A Peep into Spirituality they attain a state of equilibrium of good and bad which is their own divine state. This the Guru does by giving to the disciple everything that is good plus something extra in the form of capacity to earn more merits through control of desires, so that the balance of good and bad becomes stable. In an ordinary person, desires are worldly. Desire is an inborn instinct. It arises because one sees multiplicity in the world. When one sees an object as apart from itself, one begins to desire it. This desire vanishes when one comes to realise that the object of ones desire is truly ones own form or self. How can one desire oneself! So when one sees everything as oneself desire vanishes. But this is a very advanced spiritual state. For an ordinary person, desires are always there and they are desires usually pertaining to wealth, property and pleasures. The desire for these things make him resort to evil actions which increase the stock of his demerits. The Guru teaches the disciple the futility of harbouring such desires and advises to desist from fulfilling them as they will bring him only demerits. Yet the disciple continues to pursue the objects of desire. It is not that he wants to disobey the Guru, but the force of desire is so much that he succumbs to it. That is why he requires the help of the Guru at this stage. The Guru tells the shishya how to distinguish between good and bad desires and how to pursue only the good ones and thus increase his merits. Good desires are those which make him obey
11 A Peep into Spirituality the Guru’s commands and resort to spiritual practices as delineated by the Guru. Only a person who has faith in the Guru and has surrendered to Him can follow these good desires. He earns divine grace. There is a story which Divine Mother used to narrate about the only son of a rich moneylender. The boy lost his father when he was still young and inherited all his wealth. Being young and non discriminating, he fell into evil company and soon squandered away all his money in vices like drinking, gambling etc. As a result of the licentious living he contracted a number of diseases and slowly as his supply of money dried up, his so called friends deserted him. He was left alone to suffer. It now dawned on him what an evil life he had led and he was overcome with remorse. It was in such a state of mind that he was walking down the village street one day, when he saw a sadhu sitting under a tree and explaining to the villagers the shloka from the Bhagavad Gita: “Sarva-dharmaan parityajya maam-ekam sharanam vraja Aham twaam sarva-paapebhyo mokshayishyaami maa shucha” (Chapter XVIII, Shl.66) wherein Lord Krishna tells Arjuna to give up all dharmas and surrender to Him and He would free him from all sins. The words of the sadhu touched the young man’s heart. So after the audience
12 A Peep into Spirituality had dispersed, he fell at the sadhu’s feet and confessed all his sins, begging the holy one to show him the right path. The sadhu gave the young man a black flag and advised him to visit all the holy places constantly chanting God’s name. Everytime he had a dip in the holy waters of a ‘teertha kshetra’, he had to dip the flag in the water too. The sadhu assured him that when all his sins were washed away, the flag would turn white. With immense faith in the words of the Sadhu, the young man set out on pilgrimage. His former associates mocked at him, but he paid no attention to them. As advised by his Guru, he begin to wander from one place to another always chanting the divine name. Thus twelve years went by and one day as he dipped the black flag in a river after his bath, a thought came to him whether the flag would ever turn white and whether he would be able to get rid of his sins. Just then, he heard the loud cry of a woman screaming for help. He rushed to the spot and found that a young woman was about to be molested by three or four thugs. At the risk of his life the moneylender’s son fought the thugs and chased them away. He then addressed the young woman as ‘mother’ and telling her not to fear reached her to her house. The woman’s husband was very grateful for his help and offered him a reward. But he refused to take anything and came away to the river bank. He again had a bath and dipped the black flag into the water. To his amazement and joy it turned white. Think as he might the young man was unable to decipher the mystery of how the flag turned white. So he set out in search of the Guru and prayed to be enlightened about this mysterious change.
13 A Peep into Spirituality The Guru explained that first of all he had earned great merit by chanting the divine name and visiting holy places for twelve years. Then, he had rushed to the woman’s aid and protected her at the risk of his life. Although the woman was young and beautiful, he had looked upon her as his mother and finally, he had refused the reward offered by her grateful husband. All these things had invoked the divine grace and the flag had turned white. This story amply demonstrates that one who has faith in the Guru’s words and obeys His instructions can achieve anything. Had the young man had no faith in the sadhu’s assurance he would never have embarked on the pilgrimage. Yet another method of winning the Guru’s grace is, to bring ones will power into play. Through sheer will power, one can make ones body bend and use it for performing good acts like following the Guru’s advice as for example, getting up during Brahmamuhurta and doing japa. When one cultivates this habit , the body gets up and follows the routine no matter how late one may go to bed or even if the body may fall sick. Such will power can definitely bring down torrents of grace. Will power creates force of habit. Initially, the disciple has to get over tamas only through Guru’s grace. If he has faith and love for the Guru, he obeys him. To begin with he gets up and does japa etc. because Guru has asked him to do it. Later, his will merges in the Guru’s will and he automatically keeps on doing what he has been told, for it is actually the Guru Who gets it done through him. He has no will of his own.