July 27, 2008
“THE REALITY”
(Part One)
OM…OM…OM…
Sai Ram
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
We will begin a series of talks today on the topic of “The Reality”, based on these Hindu scriptures: the Upanishads (the essence of the Vedas, which are the earliest Hindu sacred texts, heard as Divine revelation), the Bhagavad Gita (the spiritual teachings of Krishna to Arjuna, also known as “The Song of God”), and the Brahma Sutras (commentaries on the Upanishads by sages).
These ancient scriptures are very essential, but I will try to make them ‘modern’ by giving you the English translation and not bother you with Sanskrit jargon—since none of us know it! (Laughter)
WE ALL WANT ETERNAL JOY
What is it that we want in life? We can pose this question to anybody from any country, at any point of time. Most of us are confused and therefore can’t give a true answer because we want something only for the time being. The moment that desire is fulfilled and the pleasure is gone, a new desire to have something else begins. The fulfillment of one desire will lead to the generation of another desire. Desires come in an endless sequence. A moment will certainly come when we get vexed with our own desires, because they are endless, taking us nowhere. Therefore, my friends, having no desire confers total happiness.
So what is it that we all want? Anywhere, any time, people from any age group, profession, colour, cast, creed, gender or community, all of us want only one thing. What is it? Bliss—eternal joy untainted by any kind of misery! I don't want unhappiness at any time. I want eternal and abiding happiness, bliss continuous. I don't want any sadness or moments of unhappiness. That is our common desire.
So now comes the second question: what do we need to do in order to have that eternal joy, that total happiness? The answer is simple. What we think will make us happy or at least prevent unhappiness, is not true. We need to clearly analyse and realise that eternal happiness does not come with worldly things, worldly positions and worldly acquisitions. The slightest of enquiries will make that amply clear.
The other day Bhagavan was referring to Alexander the Great. We know how great a man he was, but he was totally dissatisfied at the end with his empire, his kingdom and his position. What did he ultimately say when he was dying? “Leave my hands uncovered as the funeral bier is carried through the streets. Let both of my hands be outstretched to the sky so that the world will know that here is one who was born empty-handed and here is one who is returning empty-handed.”
It is very hard to believe that you and I can say we are happy with what little we have when Alexander the Great, who possessed an empire, was certainly not happy! Instead, we have not reached the stage of being bored with worldly things.
All the scriptures say that eternal happiness does not lie in material things. The Holy Bible clearly said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.” This means we don't need to fight for the attainment of heaven. Reaching heaven is not some kind of accomplishment. Why? Because the Kingdom of Heaven is already within you! Therefore, my friends, the Reality is to know that heaven is within me, to know that bliss is within me.
Only a spiritual awakening will help us to experience that eternal bliss. This is possible through the spiritual knowledge of Brahma Vidya—knowledge of the Supreme, and Atma Vidya—knowledge of the Self. These are the keys that will give us the treasures of eternal happiness, joy and bliss.
There are three sacred texts that will help us have the experience of Brahman, God, through the knowledge of the Supreme and of the Self. These three books are called the ‘Prasthana Thraya’ (Thraya means ‘three’, Prasthana means ‘journey’). They are the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita.
It is rather unfortunate that some consider the Bhagavad Gita as the ultimate spiritual guide, and some feel that the Upanishads contain the essence of spiritual knowledge. Some say, without reading the Brahma Sutras, life is useless! All three opinions are equally wrong. Why? The Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita are not contradictory, or three different texts. Then you may ask—why three, if all are one and the same?
The point is this: the competent, intellectual seeker with a spirit of sacrifice, renunciation and detachment can grasp the whole essence of spiritual knowledge by reading just the Upanishads. However, we don't come under that category! If we did, we wouldn’t feel so bad when Swami doesn't look at us! (Laughter) If we really belonged to this class, we would not be disappointed that this morning’s Darshan (public appearance of Swami) was cancelled.
So the first class of seekers are sincere, sathwic (pious) people without desire or attachment. That class will be able to grasp the Truth, the Reality, just by reading the Upanishads. Then there is a second class, who even after reading the Upanishads, find it hard to take in. They need something more emphatic to hammer it in, like Bhagavan does in repeating several points.
Many people ask, “Why does Swami repeats things?”
“He repeats because you have not understood what He was saying!” (Laughter)
“But I do understand what He said.”
“Yes, you understand, but you have not experienced the truth of it. You just hear it, and hearing is not experience.”
Until His teachings become our experience, He continues to repeat—all His eighty years! And we are ‘successful’ in not experiencing! (Laughter) And yet we wonder why He continues to repeat!
Therefore, my friends, as we do not come under the first class of people who can grasp the Reality by reading the Upanishads, the second complementary text—the Brahma Sutras—is given. The Brahma Sutras contain the same Truth that is in the Upanishads, but it is stated with more elaboration, more explanation, and with anecdotes. This kind of repetition is needed for the second class of people. For some people, even that is not enough.
Day in and day out, do I experience the Reality in my inner spiritual life and in my outer material life? No. I know the Reality as a theory, but it hasn’t been my experience. Therefore, for the third class of people, which most of us are, the Reality has to be explained in the form of questions and answers. Our merciful God has given us the Bhagavad Gita, the third text, in just such a form. Dispelling all doubts, helping you feel Him within and without, in and around . . . thus you will experience the Reality.
Therefore, my friends, the Upanishads speak of the Divinity; the Brahma Sutras will dispel all doubts; the Bhagavad Gita will help you to experience. Thus, these three are inter-related; they are not different. All three sacred texts explain the same Reality, contain the same truths, repeating them so that we will be able to absorb, assimilate, and experience.
I would like to share with you another concept. Hearing a spiritual talk, sravanam, is a spiritual act. The listening is spiritual, and the hearing is physical. First we should be prepared to hear what is said; then sravanam is the spiritual listening.
Let me give you a simple example. Some people tell us all about their times with Baba. We are told the year and month they came to the fold of Baba, and then we hear their experiences of every year and every month since then. They open a ‘Spiritual Service Register’ and narrate every entry—but we are not interested! They don't leave you alone until you say,” I accept your seniority in these things!” (Laughter) We can't abruptly ask them to stop talking and go. What can we do? We can hear but not listen.
Most things can simply be heard, but not listened to with deep attention. However, spiritual gospel and spiritual lectures must be listened to, not simply heard. Listening is a spiritual process. We must assimilate what is said with total focused attention, one-pointedness, and single-mindedness—that is spiritual listening.
Sravanam is quite new to many of us because we have our own ideas and prejudices. We hear something in our childhood and think that we now know all about that. It is the height of ignorance, because all that you hear at one time or other is not knowledge. All that you read somewhere is not knowledge. No, no, no!
As you listen to a spiritual talk, or a sermon in a church, you have to listen in rapt attention. We must empty our minds of all previous notions to make room for the fresh. If the garbage bag is full, you can't add anything more! The brain is like that, overloaded with prejudices and the past. Therefore, it has no place for the present. This is unfortunate as we have to live in the present, not the past or the future.
The message of the Upanishads is totally related to Divinity, its majesty, splendour and all-encompassing power. So, the study of the Upanishads is to listen to its message—spiritual listening—without anything in the mind. Vacate the mind of the past. Empty it! Let the mind be in the present, totally empty. Then only will you be able to understand the Upanishads.
After listening, what do we do? We think about it. We recapitulate: we bring back to our memory what we listened to earlier. A simple example: suppose we had a nice talk or a pleasant time with each other. Later on, we think about that nice talk or time together. Similarly, what is stated in the Upanishads is thought about, pondered over and reflected upon within the mind This is called mananam, to deliberate and reflect within one’s own self on what was heard.
So, naturally some doubts will arise when we think and recollect what we heard. Is it true what he said? Does he mean this? Why not that? So many doubts come later and these doubts must be answered and clarified. Of course, there are great people who simply hear and forget. They go into samadhi (the mind free from all impulses and agitations) straight away (Laughter); but most of us may have some doubts when we think about what we heard.
This process of clearing your doubts is done by the Brahma Sutras. So the job of Brahma Sutras is to clear your doubts during the process of mananam or recapitulation. So with the Upanishads, there is sravanam, listening; with the Brahma Sutras, there is mananam, recapitulation, clearing the doubts. When the doubts are gone, what is left? You have clear-cut concepts.
Being sure in your mind that you now have definite knowledge is called Nischaya Jnana. Now what is to happen? I should experience it. I should be able to feel Supreme Brahman within and without, alone or in a crowd, in the office or outside. I should be able to live in that total awareness, which Baba calls ‘Constant Integrated Awareness’. This is Nidi Dhyasa, and for this, the Bhagavad Gita will come to our aid.
Therefore, my friends, these are the three texts which help us achieve our goal of experiencing the Reality. The first is the Upanishads, spiritual listening. The second is the Brahma Sutras, getting all our doubts cleared. The third is the Bhagavad Gita, experiencing total awareness. As mentioned earlier, all these three sacred texts come under the Prasthana Traya.
Now, what do the Upanishads teach? There are ten most popular, highly useful Upanishads—not that the other Upanishads are useless. I don't say that, but there are ten that are most often quoted. We will be dealing with those Upanishads and relating their concepts to Sai literature. I study everything through the lens of Sai literature.
The word ‘Upanishad’ means ‘secret knowledge’. (rahasya, secret, vijnana, secret knowledge.) If it is secret, why do I speak about it in public? In the spiritual parlance of Vedanta (the complete knowledge of the Vedas) ‘secret’ means that which has not yet come into our experience.
All ten Upanishads speak only of two secrets. Only two! What are they? The first is “The existence of Atma or Consciousness”. (Some may call it God or soul). But how can that be secret when I hear Swami speaking of the Atma every day? It is because we have not experienced our Atma. I know about it in theory from books that I have read, but I have not had the direct experience of the Self, Atmanubhava. Therefore, it remains a secret.
What is the second secret? The second secret is: “There is nothing else but Atma. The only One-without-a-second is Atma or Brahma, God, Consciousness.”
Eva Advitiyam Brahma.
The Reality is One alone, without a second.
So the Upanishads speak of two secrets:
1 .Consciousness or Atma exists.
2. That is all that exists—there is no second.
The next point answers this question: If there is only Atma or Consciousness, why don't I experience it? How can you say, “It is One-without-a-second” when I don’t see it and don’t know anything about it?
Naturally, these are our usual questions. The answer given in the Upanishads is this: all that you see and know need not be true; and all that you do not see need not be false or non-existent.
“All that you do not see need not be false.” An example is at night when we see the stars from where we are, they look very small; but in reality, the stars are very big. So in your experience, what you see is that the stars are small. Is it true? No! The reality is that they are so big.
“All that you see and know need not be true.” The second example is a mirage. Looking at the mirage, you think you see water; but in reality there is no water, only the appearance of the existence of water. Therefore, my friends, all that we know need not be true, and all that we do not know cannot be denied.
So, “I don’t know Atma” doesn't mean that you have no Atma. When it is said, “Only the Consciousness exists without-a-second”, you can’t say, “I have had no experience of that; therefore it is not correct.”
But you might say, "I have listened to a talk on the Upanishads that conveyed to me the existence of Consciousness or God. I could also understand that He is ‘One-without-a-second’.”
Good! Now what is the way for us to incorporate that Truth? Is it by reading? No! Is it by listening? No! There is only one path—that is enquiry or Vicharana. Atma Vicharana is the enquiry of the Self.
One can only experience Consciousness by enquiry. What do I mean by that? In every talk or at least in a string of talks, Swami will make mention of this by the question “Who am I?” The path of Self-enquiry is when you put to yourself that question, “Who am I?” and try to arrive at the answer step-by-step. Enquiry is the one and only path to experience Consciousness.
Then what about the world I live in? I am a worldly man and I have many worldly things. What is this world? That will be our next question.
Please understand that the whole world is inert or jada. What do I mean by that? This microphone is here, but the mike does not know of its existence. The mike will never say, “I am the mike.” (Laughter) The mike does not know that it is different from the glass nearby because it has no witness.
When there is a witness, called sakshi, I know what I am. "I" is the witness. That witness, that "I-ness", the true Self, is nothing but jnana, knowledge or wisdom. I know this and I know that. I know what is around me. I know that I have a mind.
Because I am a witness to myself and I see all this, I am a witness to the whole world around. This is called pragnana, awareness. Pragnanam Brahma (“The Supreme Consciousness is Brahman”) is the eternal Witness both to one’s own Self and to all else. That is the Reality as the Upanishads say.
Then comes the next question: I am the witness to my own body. I am the witness to the whole world. Correct. But awareness at the personal level is limited. It is confined by two factors. What are they?
First, I know what is happening based upon what I see around me; but I do not know what is happening in Paris or New York right now. Therefore, the awareness of the witness at the individual level is limited by space. Second, I am a person in a particular period of time. I know what is happening during my lifetime, but I do not know what happened prior to my birth, and I do not know what is going to happen after I die. Therefore, my awareness at the individual level is confined within the borders of time (kala) and space (desha).
But beyond this limited perception, there is Supreme Cosmic Awareness, Akhanda Chaitanya (total awareness). This infinite, Cosmic Consciousness is the Reality or Divinity. At the individual level, the same consciousness is limited by time and space. There must be Akhanda Chaitanya, because, without that, you can’t have existence; without that, the world has no existence.
Let me make it clear what Baba said. “That which is infinite is Consciousness; that which is finite or limited is conscience.” So Consciousness at the individual level is called ‘conscience’, the individual soul limited by time and space.
The individual soul is the jeeva and the Cosmic Soul is the deva. This is like a drop of sea water and the ocean. The ocean’s waters are great in size, while the drop of water is so tiny. Yet, that drop of water is the same as the ocean—the difference is only in quantity! In like manner, jeeva, the individual soul, and deva, the Cosmic Soul, are one and the same. The difference is jeeva is limited by desha (space) and kala (time). Beyond this, jeeva is deva, that’s all! This is the first point that the Upanishads convey.
What is the second point? Consciousness only exists as the One-without-a-second. That is the second secret of the Upanishads as I mentioned to you at the beginning. Baba always says in His talks “Jagam Mithya—the whole world is an illusion. Brahma Satyam—the Reality is the Truth.” God is the only Truth; all the rest is your imagination, a delusion! That is the second point that the Upanishads explain to us repeatedly in different ways.
So what is our present state now? Where are we now? Well, there are two points that are of immediate concern to all of us. One is, I am here as an individual. Where am I? In this world or jagath. But the Upanishads say that ‘two’ cannot be, only One! But I see two, myself and the world I live in! So, that is the reality for me.
What am I to do now? How do the Upanishads explain this? My friends, once we are familiar with Baba's literature, we will be able to understand the Vedanta, or spiritual science, much better than otherwise. You can easily grasp the toughest of concepts because Sai literature provides us with a good base to understand spiritual teachings.
Also you can more easily follow the text from other spiritual literature. For instance, Ramana Maharshi’s writings are quite different, and Aurobindo has a different approach. Nevertheless, what you read there or in any standard text will be better understood. This is true for most people.
Let us come back now to the declaration of the Upanishads that, “Only One exists without-a-second”. In our experience, two are present—the individual and the world. Let us consider these two clearly. What does Baba say? If you look into the mirror, what do you find? You see your reflection in the mirror. Your reflection is not different from you. Therefore, the reflection is same as the object. You see the reflection because of the mirror. Now, remove the mirror. When there is no mirror, there is no reflection. Only the object remains.
So the body is the mirror in which God is reflected in the form of the individual soul. Without the body, only God remains! Therefore, my friends, the difference between me and God is this body, upadhi (which means ‘vesture’). The body is that which makes me feel I am separate from God. Once the body is gone, there is nobody left to say “I”. There is only the Divine God that remains. Therefore, my friends, I cannot say I am separate from God, that there are two. Duality exists only because of this body.
Baba says, “You are God, You are God.” Nice to hear, but we know that we are not. Why? Because of the mind, ego and body attachment. Once there is no attachment and no ego, you are verily God!
I am not different from God. I feel that I am different from Him because of attachment to the body, the mind, and the ego. The name (nama), form (rupa), space and time (desha, kala), the body (deha) and the ego (manas), are all factors responsible for making me feel separate from God. When these are not there, I am God!
So who is the one who is present? I am present, I feel I am present. But no, I am not present! Why? Here is an example. In a dream, you feel that you are President of America (you can become anything in a dream—nobody will challenge you!) Dream, my boy, as long as you can! But life is not dreamland. Life is not like that! In reality you are resident, not President, here at Prashanti Nilayam.
My friends, you may feel “I am so-and-so”. No, no, no! That is all your imagination because of ‘name and form’. To feel that I am different from Him is only because of that—once they are gone, you are God. So, now who is the one that exists? Only God. The other one is your imagination, an illusion.
I said two points are responsible for duality—jeeva and jagath. Jeeva (the individual soul) we’ve discussed. The second point is jagath, the world. It is a reality, yes. The world where I live is real. It is in my experience, so how can I say that it does not exist? I enjoy my ice cream or my coffee. Is that an illusion? It is the world in which I am born, where I am living and working. How can I say it’s all false?
Now comes this point. My friends, carefully follow me: there is no world at all! (These are all points mentioned in the Upanishads and there are illustrations from Baba's literature. Don't think that I am mad—not yet, anyway!) (Laughter)
There is no world. How can I say that? Baba gives us two examples. There are many different rings and bangles made from gold. They all have the same quality, gold. So they are many in number, but all are made from the same metal, gold.
Another example Baba gives us is this: Here is mud or clay. Out of this clay, a pot is made. The pot therefore must have the same composition as that of the clay. The clay and the pot are of the same quality. So there are many pots, but the clay is one. Therefore, when the whole world is a creation of God, it should have the features of God. Everything is Divine
THE WORLD HAS THE SAME QUALITIES AS GOD
Jagath (the universe) having been created by Jagadishwara (God) should have the same qualities as God. These are Sat—existence, and Chit—it shines (you can see it, you can feel it, it can be perceived). So Sat and Chit are the qualities of the Divine. We feel God. We know His existence. This table exists—Sat. It is seen—Chit. The hall exists—Sat. We are here—Chit.
So Sat and Chit are the two qualities of the world which are two qualities of the Divine. Therefore, the world is also Divine. Jagath, the world is just a jewel made out of gold, the Divine. So where is the world now? There is no world, only the Divine, Sat and Chit.
Therefore, my friends, we have two concepts. The first concept is that ‘I” do not exist. “I” exist only because of name and form. When name and form are gone, there remains ‘He’ that’s all, no “I”. The second concept is the world is a reality, but it is nothing but Divine, godliness, loveliness. This is so because the qualities of the world, Sat and Chit, are the qualities of God.
It is the relationship between the Creator and the Creation—cause and effect. This is like the relationship between the pots and the clay, and between the gold and the jewels. Therefore, only God exists. Am I clear? As an individual, you may feel you are separate. As you see and experience, you may feel that is the world; but it is the same Reality—the One-without-a-second.
Therefore, the Upanishads convey two important secrets. The first secret is the presence of Atma, the Divinity, and the second secret is that there is only One-without-a-second.
Now, what is the problem? Why are we not aware of it? Why don’t we understand this? Many people preach about these concepts in temples. Many books contain a lot of information about them, but why do we not know? The answer is that we are in ignorance. Ignorance!
What is ignorance? Ignorance is a feeling of duality when, in fact, the Reality is non-dual. An example of ‘seeing two’ is when something is wrong with my glasses and I see my friend, Rao, as two people. Can I say to him, “Two Raos are here”? He will immediately send me to the Eye Department in the Super Specialty Hospital! (Laughter) Reality is non-dual, but your impression is duality. This is the ignorance that the Upanishads describe—perceiving duality when the Reality is non-dual.
I will give one more example before we leave. Baba gives this example quite often and the Upanishads, too, refer to the same example. A man was walking along the roadside in the dark with others. Suddenly he gives a shout! Somebody asks, “What is it? What has happened?” “I see a snake!” he says. “There is a snake here!”
In the evening sometimes, when we go for a walk, we come across snakes. Of course, they are not a danger; they are not much worse than some of the people! (Laughter)! Snakes go their own way, but man comes in your way! (Laughter). That is the difference!
Anyway, all the people are alarmed and start running away. But a seva dal (volunteer service person) person quickly comes to his rescue. He has a torch and says to the man, “Please be careful while I check this out.” The seva dal with his bright torchlight sees that it is not a snake, but a rope! This is what is called Rajju Sarpa Branthi in the Upanishads. Rajju (rope), Sarpa (serpent), Branthi (mistaken identity). This story demonstrates clearly the illusion of the ‘two’, duality. One is the actual rope, and the second is the appearance given of a serpent.
But what is the best way to help the man who thought he saw the serpent? Should he just run away? Shall we say to him, “There is no serpent.” Or shall we tell him, “Look, the serpent has left!” To a child we can say, “It has gone, it has run away.” But he is not a child, just 45 years young! And he stays agitated and frightened, not knowing what to do.
So, he needs to know two things. One is that he can't ignore it if it’s really a serpent, because it will bite him. The other is that if it’s not a serpent, there is no need to get frightened. My friends, just as a rope gives the appearance of a serpent, God gives the appearance of the world. He appears as the serpent or the world; but in Reality, the world is actually the rope or Divine.
So how are we to know this? Certainly not by not running away from it; not by shouting “Snake, snake, snake!” Instead let us take the torchlight and examine what we think is there. What is the ‘light’ we use? The light of Knowledge! Who will show you? Who will bring you the torchlight? The seva dal man in charge is your guru (spiritual teacher). The guru is the man in charge.
The Upanishads tell us that only God is present, but appearing to us differently as the world. So my friends, that is the first point repeated. (Being a teacher, I repeat things. I have served as a teacher for forty-five years—with God's grace successfully—and naturally my habit of repetition won’t go. I think you will pardon me! I know that you are great intellectuals and brilliant enough; but to make myself sure that I have reached you, these are the two points I want to make clear again.)
I do not exist; only He exists. I appear to exist because of ‘name and form’. This solves the Jeeva (individual soul) problem. The second problem is Jagath (the world). The world does not exist. Only God. Why? Because Sat (existence) and Chit (comprehension, understanding.) are the qualities of the world, and they are the qualities of God . Chit is actually Prakasha, the Light. To understand it better, we can say: “God is gold, and the world is the jewel. God is clay and world is the pot.” Gold is the reality because jewels can be fashioned this way or that way. The pot when it is broken becomes pieces of clay that can be remade into a different pot. The same quality is in all.
What is to be done now? What is the true sadhana (spiritual practice) my friends? So many books give so many choices. If I start worshipping, somebody will say "Please stop it, start meditation." When I meditate, somebody will say, "No, no, no! On every Thursday, go around the temple of Ganesha (the elephant-headed God, Lord of all existing beings) 108 times.” Somebody else will say, "Read Lalitha Sahasranama (sacred Hindu text for the worship of the Divine Mother) 15 times." Oh, very good! These all are sadhanas. I am not opposed to that, but what is the true sadhana from the point of non-dualism, Advaitha? Worship? Bhajans (devotional singing)? Meditation? Repetition? What is it?
Advaitha (the philosophy of Absolute Oneness of God, soul and Universe) says it is none of those techniques. Why? True sadhana is to give up Anatma Bhava–thinking that I am separate from God. Don't think, “I and God.” No, no! There is only One. Give up the idea that the world of creation is different from the Creator. The creation and Creator are one and the same, with the qualities of Sat and Chit.
All the other things we do are homework, preparation and very necessary! We would not say “Please stop doing those spiritual practices”. No! That is all preparation; but the ultimate is to surrender that Anatma Bhava, the feeling of separateness from God. That is what Bhagavan says.
So what is the procedure now? The procedure is this: Swami clearly said, "Correct your vision." As I said a few minutes before, when the glasses are not correct, you see two objects instead of one. So we should change our vision. Let us direct ourselves towards non-duality. Drishti (the vision) must be changed, so that you will see Srushti, the Creation, as God Himself. So the present duty of all of us is to change our approach from duality to non-duality. That is what the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads and the Brahma Sutras want us to do right now!
In the coming weeks, my friends, we will be continuing with the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, understanding that what they teach us is amply supported by Bhagavan Baba's messages. Hari Om. (Applause)
OM…OM…OM
Asato Maa Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya
Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti