Articles for Saadhana

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.

Now is a period in the Ashram where three people are not very mobile. Jaya has not recovered after her operation, Nandita has suddenly got into some foot problem, she is in her room, and Vinaya is not in her full health because of her trouble in the arm, the shoulder. At the same time, the activities of the Ashram along with managing the visitors and guests who come will have to be done without any kind of lapse or inattention. I think all of you will have to be more attentive and considerate to each other. Find out what is the additional work that each person can do and how the missing items can be looked into and filled. Unless there is a lot of mutual consideration, friendship and involvement in the activities, I don’t think there can be any solution.

Illness does not depend upon us, we cannot always keep it in abeyance, when it comes it comes. And unless we look after it, sometimes it will not get cured also. So this is a period I think when all the ashramites, not many are there, will have to be additionally careful and attentive to look after the routines of the Ashram.

I would like to tell you what I feel about activity, health etc. When I say something like this, I get a fond reply, “Swamiji, nobody will be able to do like this”. By praising or appreciating what I do, the problem is not solved. We must develop an attitude of involvement and concern. I asked for the Gita book, it is to primarily tell you that, verse number 22 of the third chapter.

People will read this verse, I don’t know whether they even appreciate it properly or not. This third chapter of Bhagavad Gita is given to explaining the inevitable, unpreventable nature of activity for the world as a whole and the individual in particular.

Sri Krishna presents many factors and many points of view to say that activity cannot be shunned or stopped. It has to be pursued. Activity is necessary for the preservation of one’s own body. Activity is necessary to conform to the cosmic wheel of creation and preservation. Activity is necessary in order to perform our segmental role or our role as a cog in the wheel of creation. Activity is necessary for setting the right example in the world. If a person who is capable of doing work does not do work, it will set an example for the others and idleness will become almost a model and a choice for many, if not all.

Prakrti always makes everybody active through her gunas: sattva, rajas and tamas. So many arguments and points of view he presents, out of them one is that, “Look at me Arjuna.”

“Look at me. I don’t have anything in the form of a duty or a compulsion in the field of activity. I am one who has transcended duty consciousness. I don’t have anything to get from all the three worlds.”

As long as you have no dependence on anyone or anything in this world, nobody can force you to do something or the other. I am not expecting. You may not get your food - Okay, I don’t want. People will not respect you – Okay, I don’t want to be respected. The higher powers will not be pleased with you - I am not looking into their pleasure. You will be bound - No, I am not caring for bondage.

So if the mind becomes totally non-expectant, not expecting, anything whatsoever from either this world or the other worlds, if at all there are such worlds, when that zero state is attained by the mind, then for such a person, is there anything like a duty? - No. Though Krishna says that “I have no such dutifulness associated with me”  varta eva ca karmaṇi, “Still I am ceaselessly active”.

I am writing characterization of Krishna so far as Mahabharata is concerned. Sometimes Yudhishthira totally sinks into dejection. He says this, “Bhishma! What kind of a terror and demon is he! He is simply showering death. What can I do?” Krishna goes and consoles him. “Everybody has to die and he has to die in the hands of X or Y, and if people die in the hands of Bhishma, what is there to be worried about? You have your brothers, you have so many others. Don’t worry. If you want, you tell me, I will straightaway go and murder, slay this Bhishma.” he says. “Your brother Arjuna is a dependable fighter, he is very valorous and he cannot be conquered by anybody and he is true to his word. He has given me a pratijña that he will attack and disable Bhishma.”

See what all arguments Krishna says, including he says, “When I go in my mood to the opposite camp, none of them will return to their shed”. How much he speaks! Why should he speak? “Whomever you like, I also like. Whomever you dislike, I dislike.  Whoever is your enemy, he is my enemy.” Just see the manner in which Krishna speaks! It is just like any other man, any other friend will speak.

It is true that he had said, “I will not wield any weapon. I will not directly fight in the war”. In spite of it, Arjuna chose him. Though he had said all these things, when the actual occasion came, Krishna flings such words which will give them courage. The listener will get courage, hope and confidence. This is so far as words are concerned. Physically also he was like that.

On the day Jayadhratha was to be slain and Arjuna had taken a pratijña, then Krishna says, “Arjuna has taken a pratijña that he will kill Jayadhratha”. Daruka, the charioteer, he said to Daruka, “Take the best of horses, horses which will be able to stand fatigue. They will be un-tiredly running. Swift! Fill my quiver also properly. Early in the morning we are proceeding straightaway.” Dronacharya and the others were shielding Jayadhratha and they were not easy people to conquer. This Dronacharya, who had imparted all the knowledge of archery to Arjuna, how can a person excel his teacher?

Jayadhratha was nowhere to be seen. They had covered him so safely. The sun was about to set. Krishna said, “There is no way, there is no way. Jayadhratha is impenetrable. What shall we do? Now I am going to apply my yogamaya. I will cover the sun and I will produce the sunset. Seeing the sunset, the opposite camp, all of them will be very jubilant. They will be so happy, so ecstatic that they will start coming out and celebrating. ‘Ha! Arjuna has failed, sun has set. His promise that before sunset I will slay Jayadhratha is defeated.’ So they will come out and joyfully celebrate. That is the time you should operate your Gandiva and get his head.”

Exactly the same thing happened. He concealed the solar orb and suddenly they came out. The sun had really not set. Immediately, Arjuna was swift to act but his head was not supposed to fall wherever it was. So, Arjuna’s arrow had to carry the head and drop it appropriately. Just see how the whole war was woven with riddles, paradoxes, various kinds of obstacles! Many acts were impossible. In spite of it, Yudhishthira ultimately won the war. Every time he was getting sorry, see the manner in which Krishna speaks! “Whether Bhishma kills or others kill, what difference is there my dear brother? Let many people die in the hands of Bhishma. Whether it is Bhishma or another warrior, what is the difference? People will have to die on their side as well as our side. Unless all of us die, our team dies; there cannot be any victory or defeat.” Every time you will find such practical arguments, reasoning, inspiration, confirmation, assurance, hope, confidence, all these were delivered.

So Krishna says, “Unless I remain active, everything will go wrong. People will start learning idleness from me. Idleness from me people will start learning.” So just imagine how a person has to be active in time. It is not merely physical, it is by words, by mind, by intelligence. You may be sick, you can still think. Don’t make it a fashion to lie on the bed. Use the bed to the extent it is necessary.

So these are occasions when you can reorient yourself, reexamine yourself and find out. Mā expresses her worry and anxiety. Then I say, “Tell me what I can do in the matter. I will stop other work, go to the kitchen or dining hall and do something.” I am not just speaking about it. It is not mere words. I like to do also. I may not be able to do it from morning to evening, but I will do it one or two hours intermittently in a day. I like that diversion. But I don’t have generally time to have such diversional spell.

So one point that I would like you to understand, appreciate and pursue is that let us be active. When you feel tired, go and take rest. Set apart a time for exercise. I don’t know whether 4 to 5 or at least 4 to 4:30 or 4:40 will be all right. Let us specify that time. Let the Ashram sit stand-still. There are at least some people who are employed here. We will tell them “During this period you take the telephone.” Or something like that we will arrange. But the decision should be in you. This is where I become helpless. Look after your health but be active, active. My Gurudev told me, “Sitting increases rheumatism. Rheumatic troubles will be increased by sitting.” So our body needs movement, movement, mobility. All the joints should be exercised.

Today I am finding it very difficult to talk. I feel very tired. Tired means tiredness is not in the mind. This is my trouble, recently we found out. So we will go and take the blood count now, sugar count and let us see. When I talk, my stomach goes on moving. Now I am finding that this movement of the stomach becomes difficult. Still we are trying to probe into and find out what is that factor which causes me fatigue. Not a reasonable fatigue but in a misplaced manner, let us see. But take the message that Krishna in spite of the fact that he has to gain nothing from this world, varta eva ca karmaṇi, varta eva ca karmaṇi, “I am still remaining active.” Don’t expect or don’t say that I want you to be active and then feel tired, tired and all that. Go and take rest. But let us not in the mind level prefer inactivity and have a fashion of taking rest especially on the ground of sickness.

Harih Om Tat Sat.  Jai Guru. Jai Guru.