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Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.
I am always wondering as to how to make devotees, seekers, enquirers, sadhakas and the others understand that the inner mento-intellectual activity is far superior in effect to the oral and sensory activities in any sphere of life. Our entire body and the senses are but instruments in the hands of the mind and intelligence. No organ of the body can be employed in a certain selected action except when the mind and the intelligence decide to do so and function accordingly. In sleep I am told that the body takes a number of movements. We are not conscious of any one of them. Therefore it has got no mental effect as such in the form of an idea, a memory or an imprint. If somebody opens my eyes when I am asleep without disturbing my sleep I will not be able to see anything. I will not have seen anything but the eyes were open. But in the wakeful hours when the eyes are open, automatically and irresistibly I see quite a number of things in front. If this point is understood then I would like you to think about what kind of an activity in the field of religion, spirituality and philosophy will be really effective and result yielding.
All our physical activities like going to the temple, sitting in the puja room, collecting flowers, doing puja, all of them are very sublime provided the mind feels that they are sublime. The sublimity or the purificatory part of all these oral and physical practices completely depends upon how the mind is involved and attuned to it. If you understand this in principle then be prepared to think in terms of the mind and the intelligence always, the attitudinal orientation we are able to bring about with regard to our life, our actions, our activities everything. We all start with a number of formalities and practices. They are primarily based upon the body, the senses and the mouth. Gradually we elevate ourselves to the mento-intellectual level. You know, ultimately what is to be done? Outlive that also and remain still, quiet and composed.
After explaining many things, many things to Uddhava, Krishna finally says
Therefore Uddhava, abandon, be freed from all kinds of codanā and praticodanā, all kinds vidhi and nishedha, the dos and the don’ts. Recognize that I am present in everything everywhere always and fix your mind on that and be free. This is what he says. We have puranas to begin with and a number of associations and practices based upon the puranic concepts and dissertations. When gradually we progress into what, into smritis primarily Ramayana and Mahabharata which explain the fourfold purushartha in an illustrative manner. We develop a liking for Ramayana and Mahabharata, may be Srimad Bhagavatam also and then our whole thinking, practice and attunement, they are revolving around these texts. That is the way you elevate from the sensory and oral level to the mental and intellectual level. How did Rama act? What is the lesson to be learnt from his action? What was the behaviour of Sita? Where she erred and where she excelled? Where did Lakshmana excel? Was there any pitfall? Now this kind of an involving thought takes your mind deeper and deeper into the level of purity and expansion. From there you can go further to the Vedas. There also you will find in the samhita and Brahmana portions a variety of rituals and other things are mentioned. At the same time the mahavakyas of the Vedas also will be there Prajñānam Brahma – Brahman the Supreme Reality is in the nature of knowledge. Where is this knowledge? In the human intelligence.
So, where is the focus – the intelligence, the intelligence, its illumination. Finally, the variety is transcended in the Upanishadic stage and the singleness is presented and emphasized. There is only one God who is all pervading, who is present in everyone in the form of consciousness. Those who are able to realize Him within themselves, for them alone is peace, contentment and fulfillment, not for the others. Now where have we gone? The entire going, the entire search is negated and you are told you don’t have to walk to reach a destination. The destination is where you stand on. It is to make man free in every possible way. Make you look into yourself, think well, mean well, act well, speak well. Get rid of the harmful elements in you, incorporate if possible the helpful elements. Be watchful about the response of the mind, reaction of the mind and always be poised, be unaffected. It is a question of the mind and the intelligence reinforcing your faithful restfulness more and more every time. Life will flow like the earth revolving on its own axis and around the sun. We are a creature of the earth and the atmosphere and nature will make you breathe, feel hungry, have your food, digestion - digestive process, formation of blood, it is all a cyclic process going on. We only have to be relaxed and more and more expansive every time. I don’t know how to make people understand that the real activity, the real purity, the real expansion, the real elevation, everything is to take place within the body, not in the bodily parts or organs but the body different personality called the inner one consisting of the mind and intelligence. As you progress in your sadhana you will become more and more mental, more and more intelligential, more and more inward.
Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.