Shrii
Shrii Anandamurti
A
Guide to Human Conduct
Morality is the foundation of Sádhaná
(spiritual practice). It must, however, be remembered that morality
or good conduct is not the culminating point of the spiritual march.
As a moralist one may set an ideal for other moralists, but to do
this is not something worth mentioning for a Sádhaka (spiritual
aspirant). Sádhaná, in its very start, requires mental
equilibrium. This sort of mental harmony may also be termed as
morality.
People often say, “I follow neither a
religion nor rituals; I abide by truth; I harm nobody and I tell no
lies. This is all that is necessary; nothing more need be done or
learnt.” It should be clearly understood that morality is only an
effort to lead a well-knit life. It will be more correct to define
morality as a dynamic force rather than a static one, because balance
in the extroversial spheres of life is maintained by waging a
pauseless war against all opposite ideas. It is not an intro-external
equilibrium. If the unbalanced state of mind takes a serious turn by
pressure of external allurement, and if the mental disturbance is
found to be intense, it is likely that the power for internal
struggle may yield and consequently the external equilibrium, the
show of morality, may at any moment break down.
That is why morality is, no doubt, not the
goal, not even a static force. The morality of a moralist may
disappear at any moment. It cannot be said with any certainty that
the moralist who has resisted the temptation of a bribe of two rupees
would also be able to resist the temptation of an offer of two
hundred thousand rupees. Nevertheless, morality is not absolutely
valueless in human life. Morality is an attribute of a good citizen
and it is the starting point on the path of Sádhaná.
Moral ideals must be able to furnish human
beings with the ability as well as the inspiration to proceed on the
path of Sádhaná. Morality depends on one’s efforts to maintain
a balance regarding time, place and person and therefore there may be
differences in moral code. But the ultimate end of moralism is the
attainment of Supreme bliss and therefore there should not be any
possibility of any imperfections of relativity. It cannot be said
that the ultimate aim of human life is not to commit theft; what is
desirable is that the tendency to commit theft should be eliminated.
Not to indulge in falsehood is not the aim of life; what is important
is that the tendency of telling lies should be dispelled from one’s
mind. The Sádhaka starts spiritual practices with the principles of
morality, of not indulging in theft or falsehood. The aim of such
morality is attainment of such a state of Oneness with Brahma where
no desire is left for theft; and all tendencies of falsehood
disappear.
In the Sádhaná of Ananda Marga, moral
education is imparted with this ideal of oneness with Brahma, because
Sádhaná is not possible without such a moral ideation. Sádhaná
devoid of morality will divert people again towards material
enjoyments and at any moment they may use their mental power,
acquired with much hardship, to quench their thirst for meagre
physical objects. There are many who have fallen from the path of
Yoga or Tantra Sádhaná and are spending their days in disrepute
and infamy. Whatever little progress they achieved through forcible
control of their instincts, was lost in a moment’s error in pursuit
of mundane pleasures.
It must, therefore, be emphasized that even
before beginning Sádhaná, one must follow moral principles
strictly. Those who do not follow these principles should not follow
the path of Sádhaná; otherwise they will bring about their own
harm and that of others. Ácáryas must have noticed that people of
over-selfish nature fear Ananda Marga itself for fear of following
its strict moral principles. They are concerned that the spread of
Ananda Marga may inconvenience the fulfilment of their mean, selfish
desires and therefore, they malign the Márga in an effort to
conceal their own weakness and dishonesty. But remember that those
who are lacking in moral spirit do not deserve to be called human
beings. However hard they may try, their tall talk alone cannot
camouflage the meanness of their minds for a long time.
The first lesson of human conduct is Yama
Sádhaná. We shall discuss all the aspects of Yama Sádhaná.
You know that Yama consists of five principles – Ahiḿsá, Satya,
Asteya, Brahmacarya and Aparigraha.
The practice of these five principles achieves
control by different processes. The word Saḿyama in Saḿskrta
means “regulated conduct”. It should be clearly understood that
Saḿyama does not imply destroying something or somebody.
Ahiḿsá means not inflicting pain or hurt on
anybody by thought, word or action. This word is wrongly interpreted
by many. Some so-called learned persons in fact, define the word
ahiḿsá in such a manner that if one adheres to it strictly, it is
impossible to live not only in a society but also in forests, hills
and caves. In such an interpretation of the term ahiḿsá, not only
is killing prohibited, but even to fight a defensive fight is not
allowed. By tilling the land one may cause the death of innumerable
insects and creatures under the earth’s surface. Therefore, the use
of a plough is not permissible. The followers of such an
interpretation of ahiḿsá say that those who want to lead a
religious life should not use the plough themselves, but employ other
low-born people to do the same to save themselves from the sin of
destroying life. Sugar must be poured into the abodes of the ants; no
matter whether human beings have food or not. The poor must spare
their blood from their bodies to save insects, the born enemies of
human beings.
This is no definition of ahiḿsá. It merely
causes confusion. It is contrary to true dharma; it is against the
very laws of existence. Even the process of respiration involves the
death of numberless microbes. They are all living beings and to save
them one will have to stop breathing. The administration of medicines
to the suffering will have to be stopped, because such medicines
cause the destruction of disease-causing bacteria. If ahiḿsá is
so interpreted, where will such interpreters be able to stand? They
will have to give up even filtered water, because the process of
filtration of water means destroying the insects that cause impurity.
It is also not possible to drink impure water, because then it is
likely that such microbes might die in the stomach.
In the post-Vedic age this type of ahiḿsá
was practised in India for a long period, and as a result life for
ordinary citizens became very miserable. The populace viewed with
fear the religion dominated by this so-called ahiḿsá. They were
forced to accept an atheistic belief, and they left the path of
dharma. Devoid of any code of conduct, and intent on giving first
preference to their own selfishness, such atheists became a burden to
the society and to the world. Those who wanted to enforce the
so-called ahiḿsá-influenced religion, became impractical and
impotent by nature. Thus there is a pressing need in the modern age
to re-think these historical facts from a new angle of vision.
This age was followed by another wherein
another new definition of the word ahiḿsá was propagated.
According to this definition, hiḿsá meant to cause pain to living
beings, but did not include the slaughter of animals for food. This
idea is very much mistaken. If causing pain amounts to hiḿsá, the
slaughter of animals for food must also be called hiḿsá, because
the animals do not offer their heads willingly at the altar of death
for this cause.
Recently one more interpretation for this word
has been heard. It somewhat resembles the second definition described
earlier, but it even lacks the simplicity or sincerity of that
interpretation. According to this interpretation, ahiḿsá means
non-violence or non-application of force. Possibly it is this
interpretation which has distorted most the meaning of ahiḿsá. In
all actions of life, whether small or big, the unit mind progresses
by surmounting the opposing forces. Life evolves through the medium
of force. If this force is not properly developed, life becomes
absolutely dull. No wise person would advocate such a thing, because
this would be contrary to the very fundamentals of human nature.
The champions of non-violence (so-called
ahiḿsá) have, therefore, to adopt hypocrisy and falsehood
whenever they seek to use this so-called ahiḿsá for their
purposes. If the people of one country conquer another country by
brute force, the people of the defeated nation must use force to
regain their freedom. Such a use of force may be crude or subtle and
as a result, both the body and mind of the conquerors may be hurt.
When there is any application of force, it cannot be called
non-violence. Is it not violence if you hurt a person not by your
hands but by some other indirect means? Is the boycott movement
against a particular nation not violence? Therefore I say that those
who interpret non-violence and ahiḿsá to be synonymous have to
repeatedly resort to hypocrisy to justify their actions. The army or
police are necessary for administration of a country. If these
organizations do not use force even in case of necessity, their
existence will be of no meaning. The mark of so-called ahiḿsá or
non-violence on a bullet does not make the bullet non-violent.
Those who are not adequately equipped to oppose
an evil-doer should make every endeavour to gain power and then make
the proper use of this power. In the absence of ability to resist
evil, and in the absence of even an effort to acquire such ability,
declaring oneself to be non-violent in order to hide one’s
weaknesses before the opponent may serve a political end, but it will
not protect the sanctity of righteousness.
The meaning of the word ahiḿsá in the
sphere of Sádhaná has already been explained. According to its
correct meaning, one will have to guide one’s conduct carefully to
ensure that one’s thought or actions cause pain to nobody and are
unjust to none. Any thought or action with the intention of causing
harm to someone else amounts to hiḿsá. The existence of life
implies destruction of certain lower forms, no matter whether there
is intention of doing harm or not. The process of respiration kills
thousands of millions of protoplasmic cells. Whether one knows it or
not, in every action such living cells are dying and being destroyed.
The use of prophylactics means destructions of millions of
disease-carrying germs. The crop-eating insects, parasites,
mosquitoes, bugs, spiders, etc. are also being killed in innumerable
ways. This is necessary to maintain one’s livelihood; it is not
with the intention of causing pain to them. Such acts also,
therefore, cannot be classed as hiḿsá; they are to be done for
self-defense.
As a result of clash and cohesion within the
physical structure of every entity and also for the maintenance of
structural solidarity at every moment, a process of formation and
deformation is always taking place. Rice is obtained from paddy –
is there no life in paddy? Paddy can sprout. It is also capable of
reproduction. For the preservation of the physical body you prepare
rice by killing the paddy. Do you have any intention to harm anybody
while preparing rice? It is thus seen that life depends on other
forms of life for its very existence. There is no question of hiḿsá
or ahiḿsá here. If this is conceived as hiḿsá living beings
will have to subsist on bricks, sand and stone. Even breathing will
have to be stopped or one will have to commit suicide.
It is, however, very necessary to remember two
things in respect of edibles. First, as far as possible, articles of
food must be selected from among those items in which development of
consciousness is comparatively little; i.e., if vegetables are
available, animals should not be slaughtered. Secondly, under all
circumstances before killing any animal having developed or
under-developed consciousness, it must be considered whether it is
possible to live in a healthy body without taking such lives.
The human body is constituted of innumerable
living cells. These cells develop and grow with the help of similar
living entities. The nature of your living cells will be formed in
accordance with the type of food you take. Ultimately all these
together will affect your mind to some extent. If the cells of the
human body grow on rotten and bad-smelling food, or on the fresh
flesh of animals in which mean tendencies predominate, it is but
natural that the mind will have a tendency of meanness. The policy of
eating, without due consideration, whatever is available cannot be
supported in any case, even though there may not be any question of
hiḿsá or ahiḿsá. It should not be your policy to do what you
wish. You must perform actions after due thought. For continued
subsistence a policy will have to be adopted for taking food;
otherwise it will be against the code of aparigraha. What aparigraha
means will be explained later.
Hiḿsá and the use of force are not
identical. Sometimes the use of force may result in hiḿsá, even
though there is no thought in the mind to cause pain. When the
pressure of circumstances compels the use of force against certain
individuals resulting in hiḿsá, such individuals are termed as
átatáyii in Saḿskrta.
“Anyone who, by the use of brute force, wants
to take possession of your property, abducts your wife, comes with a
weapon to murder you, wants to snatch away your wealth, sets fire to
your house or wants to take life by administering poison, is called
an átatáyii.” If any person or a nation wants to occupy all or
part of another country, the use of physical force against such
invading forces is not against the principle of ahiḿsá. Rather,
by a wrong interpretation of the term ahiḿsá or by interpreting
hiḿsá and brute force as identical, common people will have to
suffer from loss of wealth, happiness, or other hardships.
Sometimes it so happens that people instead of
convincing superstitious people, injure their sentiments by their
behaviour. A perusal of history shows that the antagonists of
idolatry have, on many occasions, destroyed beautiful temples which
were unique examples of architecture. They destroyed the beautiful
images which represented the expressions of sculptural art. All these
acts are extremely violent, because they cause severe pain to the
idolaters, and consequently the idol-worshippers adopt an obstinate
attitude towards idols even though they are fully convinced that
idol-worship is futile. As a result, not only is the spiritual
progress of the idol-worshippers hampered, but the progress of the
whole human society is retarded. It is worth noting that even if in
any country all the people without exception give up idolatry, the
spiritual aspirants, who follow the principles of Brahmacarya, will
preserve images carefully in museums out of appreciation for
sculpture and aesthetic taste. They will not destroy these beautiful
works in any circumstances. Destroying a work of art also results in
the destruction of the sense of subtle appreciation, and this is in
no way proper.
While the mind is still attached to religious
or sectarian signs or submits to superstitious rituals, it remains
engrossed in crude objects. Any crude method to prevent such
sectarian superstitions will cause reactions in the mind and this
will hamper Sádhaná. The best course, therefore, is to help these
persons to expand their minds by means of Brahma bhávaná –
cosmic ideation – and only in that case will they be able to give
up superstitions easily.
The principle of ahiḿsá, one of the aspects
of Brahma Sádhaná, must have been clearly understood now. Let us
now consider whether parents punishing a child amounts to hiḿsá
or ahiḿsá. No, it is not hiḿsá because there is no intention
of causing harm or pain at all. The purpose of such punishment is not
to make the child shed tears, the purpose of such action is only
correction. Whether it is a thief or a robber or a gentleman or a
friend or anybody else, any action with a true spirit of
rectification cannot be termed as hiḿsá, no matter how harsh it
may seem.
It must now be clear that in day-to-day life it
is not at all difficult to follow the path of true ahiḿsá. Taking
meat as food is harmful in hot countries, especially where vegetables
are available in abundance. However, under medical advice, as a diet
after recovery from illness or as one of the constituents of
medicine, eating meat cannot be called either hiḿsá or greed,
because the meat is eaten under those circumstances only to maintain
life. In extremely cold countries people eat animal flesh, wear
animal skins and burn animal fat under the pressure of necessity.
Heroism is revealed in fight against
aggressors. Consider the Rámáyańa, the great epic. It describes
Shrii Ráma waging a war with all his might against Rávańa, who
abducted his wife. Shrii Ráma’s action was in no way against the
principle of ahiḿsá, because he did not invade Lanká with any
desire to conquer the territory or to cause harm.
Consider the Mahábhárata. Mahápuruśa
Shrii Krśńa had insisted to the Pandavas to take up arms against
the Kaoravas, because the Kaoravas were aggressors (átatáyii) who
had taken possession of the land by force. No one would accuse the
very incarnation of love, Shriiman Maháprabhu, one of the great
revolutionists in the social and spiritual world, of adopting ways
associated with hiḿsá; but he too pounced like a lion on the
tyrant Kázii (Judge). If hiḿsá and use of force were
synonymous, Maháprabhu, the incarnation of mercy, certainly would
not have done so.
The use of force against an aggressor is valour
and desisting from such use of force is cowardice. But the weak
people must assess their strength before indulging in violent
conflict with a powerful aggressor; otherwise, if a fight is started
without acquiring proper strength injustice may temporarily triumph.
In history such an error has been called “Rajput folly”. The
Rajputs always went forward with courage to resist Mughal invasion.
No doubt, they fought valiantly, but they faced the enemy without
assessing their own strength. They suffered from intrigues and
internal dissensions and hence they always lost battles and died a
heroic death. It is, therefore necessary to acquire adequate strength
before declaring a war against an aggressor. To pardon aggressors
before correcting their nature means encouraging injustice. Of
course, if you find that the aggressor is bent on destroying you,
whether you use force or not, it would be proper to die at least
giving a blow to the best of your might without waiting to assemble
the adequate forces.
Satya implies proper action of mind and the
right use of words with the spirit of welfare. It has no English
synonym. The word “true” or “truth” would be translated in
Saḿskrta as “rta” (to state the fact). The Sádhaka is not
asked to follow the path of rta. One is to practise Satya. The
practical side of Satya is dependent on relativity, but its finality
lies in Parama Brahma, the Supreme Spiritual Entity. That is why
Brahma is often referred to as the “essence of Satya.”
Even though the objective of a Sádhaka is to
achieve that ultimate entity, in the process Sádhakas have to deal
with the relativity of their surroundings. Humans are rational
beings: they possess in varying degrees the capability to do what is
necessary or good for humanity. In the realm of spirituality such
thought, word or action has been defined as Satya.
For example, a person rushes to you for
shelter. You do not know whether he is guilty or not, or perhaps you
know for certain that he is not guilty. He is followed by a ruffian
bent on torturing him. If this terrified man seeks refuge in your
house, and then the ruffian comes and asks you regarding his
whereabouts, what should you do? By adhering to rta or truth you
would inform the ruffian of his whereabouts. Then if he is murdered,
will you not be responsible for this murder? Your mistake may have
resulted in the murder of an innocent person. By adhering to rta or
truth you become indirectly guilty of this heinous crime. What would
be your duty if you followed the correct interpretation of Satya? It
would be not to reveal the whereabouts of the person and rather to
misguide the aggressor so that the refugee may safely return home.
Suppose your mother is taking food. A letter is
received about the death of your maternal grandfather. If mother
enquires about the contents of the letter, what reply will you give?
If you adhere to “truth”, you will reveal the news of her
father’s death, which will cause a great shock to her mind and she
would not even be able to take her food. It would be preferable in
this case to state that all is well in their family. After your
mother has had her food, a mention of her father’s illness would
prepare the ground for her to bear the news of the tragedy. In this
way, even though something other than truth was uttered, the dignity
of Satya has been maintained.
Not to take possession what belongs to others
is asteya. It means non-stealing. Stealing may be of four types:
1. Physical theft of any material object.
Ordinarily those persons who steal material objects are called
thieves. But thieves are not only those persons who flee with stolen
objects after committing armed robbery. Whatever is taken in
possession by the use of brute physical force, of arms or of strength
of intellect, whether it is money or goods, amounts to theft, because
behind such actions there is the intention of taking others’
property deceitfully. However, acceptance of anything like money,
crops, gold, etc., in exchange for money in a proper way is not
theft.
2. Psychic theft. Here you did not take
material possession of anything, but you planned it in your mind.
This also called theft, because you have mentally stolen. Only the
fear of law or of adverse criticism prevented you from doing the
action physically.
3. Depriving others of their due physically.
Even if you do not take possession of what belongs to others, but you
deprive others of what is their due, you become responsible for their
loss. This is also stealing.
4. Depriving others of their due mentally. If
you do not actually deprive anybody of what is justifiably their due,
but you plan in your mind to do so, that too amounts to theft.
Some explanation here is necessary regarding
the third and fourth types of theft referred to above. You may have
seen that many educated people travel by train without purchasing
proper tickets. They do not directly steal money from the Railway
administration, but they deprive the railway administration of its
due. A little thought will reveal that there is a sort of barter
relationship of the passengers and the railway administration and
therefore ticketless travel amounts to theft of the type referred to
under 3 and 4 above. Those who travel by train have obtained the
facility from the railway administration. By purchasing tickets they
pay for that facility in full and consequently the railway
administration cannot be held in high esteem for rendering a social
service. When the railway is not rendering free services, not to pay
one’s travelling fare is theft.
Consider for a moment: what type of person
commits such a theft for a few rupees only! Often people of the type
indulge in all types of tall talks, freely criticize the leaders, and
accuse them of corruption and nepotism. If their shortcoming is
pointed out, they plead “It is difficult to live in the world with
such strict morality. Those who run the railway administration in
such a manner deserve it – this type of theft is justified.”
Missionaries or ascetics who convey a divine message, or political
leaders with the noble purpose of doing good to the country, are seen
to be often indulging in ticketless travel. This is a daily
occurrence. Bribing government employees to evade income and other
taxes, or demanding travelling allowance for a higher class when they
actually travel in a lower class, these are all nothing but cheating.
It is not only theft, it is also pettiness.
All these tendencies to steal are contradictory
to the code of asteya. In many cases even educated people often act
knowingly against the principle of asteya or do not want to accept
that petty stealing violates it. The author was once questioned by an
acquaintance who was a Railway employee as to why he had purchased a
full ticket for a nephew aged thirteen years, when a half ticket
might have done (half tickets being permitted up to the age of twelve
only).
There are some moralists who do not want to
cheat any particular individual, but do not consider anything wrong
in cheating the well-to-do or the government. Many a shopkeeper would
sell adulterated commodities to his customers but entertain his own
friends and guests with genuine items. It should be remembered that
all actions with such a psychological background are against asteya.
The easiest way of practising asteya, as in the case of all other
principles of Yama and Niyama, is auto-suggestion. If people, right
from the childhood, remember these codes and remind themselves what
is correct, they will not go astray when they grow up – even in the
midst of temptations – and they will be able to maintain the high
standard of thoughts and character.
The correct meaning of Brahmacarya is “to
remain attached to Brahma”. “Brahmańi vicarańam iti
Brahmacaryam”. Whenever people do some work or think of doing any
work extroversially, they look upon the object, with which they come
in contact, as a crude finite entity. Because of their constant
aspiration for material achievement their mind is so engrossed in
material objects that their very consciousness becomes crude. The
meaning of practising Brahmacarya Sádhaná is to treat the object
with which one comes in contact as different expressions of Brahma
and not as crude forms. By means of such an ideation, even though the
mind wanders from one object to another, it does not get detached
from Brahma because of the Cosmic feeling taken for each and every
object. As a result of this Preya Sádhaná (extroversial approach)
is converted into Shreya Sádhaná (introversial approach) and
Káma into Prema. ([Preya means attraction towards crude material
objects, while] Shreya means attraction towards the ultimate reality.
Káma means desire for finite objects and Prema means desire for the
Infinite).
Many misinterpret Brahmacarya to mean
preservation of semen. It should be remembered that neither the word
Brahma nor the word carya has any relevance to the word “semen”.
Moreover, even physiologically such a preservation of semen is a
bluff. Either owing to the disease in certain glands or by the use of
similar other processes, unless one becomes maimed, it is not
possible to observe such Brahmacarya. It is certainly true that if
the correct meaning of the word Brahmacarya is accepted (that is, to
feel the Cosmic Entity in every material object), control in life
becomes essential, but such control does not imply disobeying the
laws of nature. Control means to abide by nature’s laws.
The prevention of the discharge of semen by
some special measures or prevention of its surplus formation by
fasting is ordinarily termed as so-called Brahmacarya. For those who
are not married, this so-called Brahmacarya (which is really not
Brahmacarya) has some meaning, because it reduces the possibility of
sexual excitement and thus prevents a discharge which may occur due
to excitement while awake, asleep or dreaming. This is because when
there is no formation of surplus semen, there is no physical desire
to waste it. Further consideration will, however, show what this
so-called Brahmacarya is worth. Are the prevention of formation of
surplus semen and the loss of surplus semen not one and the same
thing? All that can be said is that the first alternative is good for
the unmarried and the second for the married.
People who by different suppressive methods
seek to prevent the discharge of semen, create a bad reaction on
their body and mind. Their bodies become rough and lack in lustre. A
suppression of the sexual desire results in other desires, especially
anger, taking a more terrible form. In the olden times only the
actual meaning of Brahmacarya was accepted. Later, when society was
dominated by the intelligentsia, the so-called monks, who had taken
to complete exploitation, thought that if ordinary citizens were
allowed to pursue spiritual practices, they might lose the machinery
of exploitation at any moment, of which they were so fond. If common
people are inspired by spiritual ideals their rationality will grow
and grow. The monks realized therefore that the people will have to
be kept maimed and helpless. Fear and inferiority complex will have
to be infused in people to exploit them. They found that such an
exploited mass consisted of ordinary worldly people, most of whom
were married. If, therefore, the loss of semen was anyhow declared as
anti-religious, they would be able to gain their end without
difficulty.
And the result was promptly achieved. Ordinary
worldly people began to think that they, by leading a married life,
had committed a serious wrong, a heinous sin: they had indulged in
activities against Brahmacarya. The monks observed celibacy and were,
therefore, far superior. The so-called recluses took advantage of the
situation and have, without difficulty, been exploiting the society.
Whether these recluses in fact are naeśt́hika
Brahmacáriis (those who do not waste semen at all) cannot be
decided by arguments. This can be decided by medical test. But it can
be said without doubts that many of the so-called monks will not pass
this test.
Marriage is a natural function like bath, food,
sleep, etc. Therefore, there is nothing to be condemned in it, nor
does it go against dharma. When a great man or an elevated sádhaka
is not prohibited from taking food, etc., there is no reason why he
or she should be debarred from marriage. But proper control is no
doubt greatly needed, not only over food and sleep, but in every walk
of life. The lack of such control causes disease. Food is essential
for life, but absence of control over eating causes indigestion. A
bath is refreshing, but in absence of control over bath, i.e., a
long-continued bath, would make one catch cold. Similarly, marriage
has its function but the absence of restraint in married life would
cause various diseases in body and mind.
Marriage is slightly different from other
natural functions in life, such as eating, sleeping, etc. Marriage is
not so essential for life as are food and sleep.
The need for marriage differs with individuals.
That is why in the opinion of Ananda Marga every individual has
complete freedom in matters of marriage. For example, marriage of
those persons who suffer from some physical or mental disease, or who
are not financially well off, or whose present circumstances are not
favourable for marriage (i.e., where marriage can cause unhappiness),
is not desirable. Those who are constantly engaged in the fulfilment
of an ideal, or those who have to spend the greater part of their day
in earning their livelihood or some mental occupations, should not
marry, because they will not find it possible to fulfil their family
commitments properly. The marriages of such people are harmful to the
society in many cases. Although marriage is not desirable for those
who are suffering from some disease or whose circumstances are not
favourable to getting married, there remains a possibility of their
indulging in vices stealthily if they are not married. To avoid this,
they should work for the attainment of some high ideals or do
rigorous spiritual practices. The psychological degeneration which is
inherent in the suppression of psychic tendencies can be avoided only
by an effort to fulfil a lofty ideal.
It has been said earlier, and it is being
repeated, that one has to exercise control in every sphere of life,
whether big or small. Such control does not imply killing the desire
but controlling it. Desires and tendencies are natural attributes of
a living being. Therefore, those who want to kill the desires should
better adopt some easy method of committing suicide instead of
pursuing any difficult method of spiritual practices. I do not find
any reason to support the so-called Brahmacarya for those who are
Shaeva, Shákta, Vaeśńava, or who believe in Puráńas,
because their deities, Shiva, Viśńu, Krśńa and others, were
what is commonly known as worldly people. In Puráńa the names of
their wives and children are also mentioned.
Dharma is based on Satya, “Dharma sah na
yatra na satyamasti.” “Where there is no satya there is no
dharma.” This peculiar interpretation of Brahmacarya may contain
anything and everything save except satya. Hence there is no dharma
or Brahma in it.
Humanity has to progress towards the ultimate
reality by accepting what is truth. That is the path of a sádhaka;
that is the path of dharma. It may be a privilege to parasitic
religious professionals to deny what is simple truth in practical
life, but thereby the sanctity of dharma cannot be maintained. It is
not the path of satya, it is nothing but hypocrisy.
In case of enjoyment of any material object,
the control over the subjectivity is called Brahmacarya while the
control over objectivity is aparigraha.
“Deharakśá
tiriktabhogasádhanásviikaro’parigraha.” Non-indulgence in the
enjoyment of such amenities and comforts of life as are superfluous
for the preservation of life is aparigraha. For our existence we
require food, clothes, and also a house to live in. Provision for old
age and money and cultivable land for one’s dependents are also
essential. Therefore, a number of factors have to be taken into
consideration to determine an individual’s necessity for the
preservation of life. It may be that the requirements of any two
persons are not similar. It is therefore, difficult to determine the
minimum requirements for any particular person, because it is
entirely a relative factor. The minimum requirement of a person can,
to some extent, be determined and decided by the society.
For example, no one shall accumulate more than
a certain amount of money or no one shall possess more than a certain
number of houses or no one shall be owner of more than a certain area
of landed property. But it is not possible for the society to fix the
minimum limit in all spheres. Even after setting a limit for land,
property etc., it is not possible to fix a quota in respect of
edibles. The voracious may overeat and be attacked with diseases, the
seekers of luxury may overspend on their luxuries and incur debt.
That is why it will be easier for an individual to be established in
aparigraha, if the individual and the society work together
cooperatively. Those items of personal requirement which are left to
the discretion of the individual largely depend on the conception of
that individual’s happiness and comforts.
This also changes according to time, person and
place. For example, one person may easily bear certain physical
hardships, while another person under the same circumstances may
possibly die. Under these circumstances the latter requires greater
comforts of life than the former to remove his or her difficulty and
this will not be against aparigraha. The place is to be considered
also. In the summer season in India woollen clothing is unnecessary,
but it is a necessity in Siberia during that time. Time should be
considered also. The minimum necessity of an ordinary person today is
not limited to the minimum necessity of an ordinary person in
prehistoric age. The reason is that the objects of pleasure are more
easily available today and will be available even more easily in the
future. Therefore, while practising aparigraha, if the time factor is
neglected, one will become unfit for social life and will have to
withdraw from the physical world. Advocating the use of [raw sugar],
i.e., guŕ, in the age of sugar, and bullock-cart in the age of
railways, has no meaning in the practice of aparigraha. Today for an
ordinary person whose time is not more valuable than that of another,
travelling by aeroplane is definitely contrary to aparigraha, whereas
travelling by rail is certainly not against aparigraha.
That is why I said that the society may help
individuals to be established in aparigraha by setting a standard in
certain spheres of life. But the complete establishment in aparigraha
ultimately depends on the individual.
Aparigraha is an endless fight to reduce one’s
own objects of comforts out of sympathy for the common people, after
ensuring that individuals are able to maintain solidarity in their
physical, mental and spiritual lives for themselves and their
families.
In practising aparigraha the objects of
pleasure will increase or decrease with person, place and time; but
the definition of aparigraha, as mentioned above, will be applicable
to all persons, in all countries and at all times.
The establishment of an ideal society depends
on the mutual help of the members and their cooperative behaviour.
This cooperative behaviour depends on the practice of the principles
of Yama and Niyama; so, spiritual practices, especially the practice
of Yama and Niyama, are the sound foundation of an ideal society.
It is often noticed that individuals incur debt
because of their violating the principles of Yama and Niyama,
especially due to their extravagance – and as a result, they
approach the society for relief. In this connection I must point out
that just as the society is duty-bound to give relief to individuals
by combined efforts, so also it must have control over the conduct of
individuals, over their practice of the principles of Yama and
Niyama, and also over their expenditure. Not to consult anybody at
the time of spending money but to ask for help from all when in debt,
is not a good practice. Such a mentality cannot be encouraged.
To purchase, by incurring debt, serge where
tweed will do, or gaberdine where serge will do, is surely against
the principle of aparigraha. Similarly, people should take food which
is nutritious but not rich. They have to give up the practice of
feeding others with money taken on loan. That is why social control
over the individual’s conduct and expenditure is indispensably
necessary. Hence, all Ananda Margis, when they see other Margis
acting against the principles of Yama and Niyama, must make them shun
this habit either by sweet or harsh words or by dealing even more
strictly. Thus they will have to make the society strong. Henceforth
I direct every Ananda Margi to keep strict vigilance on other Ananda
Margi to make them practise the principles of Yama and Niyama and
also to accept calmly directions of other Margis in this connection.
I am also giving one more advice in regard to
aparigraha. If any Margis have to spend on anything in addition to
the fixed expenditure (for example, expensive clothing, ornaments,
articles of furniture, marriage, building, etc.), they should, before
incurring such expenditure, obtain a clear order from their ácárya,
unit secretary or district secretary, or any other person of
responsible rank. Similarly, permission is to be obtained before
taking loan from any businessman or money-lender. Where one’s own
ácárya or any person of responsible rank is not easily available,
consultation or rather permission is to be obtained from any other
ácárya, táttvika or any right-thinking member of the Marga.
Every member should follow this instruction strictly.
The initial phase of the yaogika cult is the
practice of Yama. This has already been explained. Today’s
discourse will be on the practice of Niyama. The practice of
Brahmacarya is held in higher esteem than the other four items of
Yama. Similarly, in Niyama, the most important item is Iishvara
prańidhána. To be more clear and concrete we may say that out of
the ten principles of Yama and Niyama the remaining eight are
subordinated parts of the two items, Brahmacarya and Iishvara
Prańidhána. While dealing with their specialties, we may say that
Yama Sádhaná is the practice of the physical and psychic strata
while the Niyama Sádhaná carries equal weight in mundane,
supramundane and spiritual strata.
The first aspect of Niyama Sádhaná is
Shaoca. It means purity or cleanliness. It can be subdivided into two
parts, one relating to external sphere, i.e., external cleanliness,
and the other to mental sphere, i.e. internal cleanliness.
Shaocantu dvividhaḿ proktaḿ
báhyamábhyantarantatha
Mrjjalábhyaḿ smrtaḿ báhyaḿ manahshuddhistathántaram.
Mrjjalábhyaḿ smrtaḿ báhyaḿ manahshuddhistathántaram.
The proper use of soap, water or other
cleansers to keep the body, clothes or surroundings clean is external
cleanliness. By this cleanliness the physical objects with which
people are directly associated are cleaned and made fit for use.
When people, driven by instincts, direct their
mental stuff blindly towards the objects of pleasure without taking
any help from their conscience – or when mind ultimately gets
crudified by being constantly goaded by selfish motives – whether
or not they think of doing harm to others, their minds get distorted.
The complexes by which this distortion occurs are the dirts of the
mind. For example, if any acquaintance suddenly earns much name, fame
or knowledge, many will develop a feeling of jealousy towards him.
People suffer from mental trouble at the prosperity of others; they
do not give the least thought as to how much potentiality they
themselves possess to earn those things or to acquire those
qualities. Though that fortunate person did no harm to them, yet
being overpowered by jealousy they create trouble for, or think ill
of, him or her.
Where selfish interest is hampered, the minds
of even the so-called honest people also become distorted within a
very short time. Just as one’s clothes and houses get dirty very
quickly in a dust storm, so also the mind becomes much more polluted
by the storm of even insignificant passion in much less time.
Therefore, it is a necessity to maintain the cleanliness of body,
dress and house, but the need to keep the mind clean is still
greater. Cleansing the mind is a far more laborious job than
cleansing the body, clothes, house, etc.
Intelligent people should not, therefore, allow
their mental purity to be stained. You must always guard against the
tempest of passion. You must not yield to such storms. One more
difference between external and internal cleanliness is that to
remove external dirt – while cleansing the body, clothes or houses
– one has to come in contact with impurities for some time. But in
the mental sphere the cleansing process does not require your coming
in contact with any filth. The application of force is necessary to
remove the impurities. The weight of the actual gold can be
determined only by removing the impurities from the gold.
The application of force must be a special type
of action. External shaoca is an external activity and mental shaoca
is an internal activity. If the impurity of selfishness, which, by
entering into every cavity of the mental body, makes it weak –
makes life a heavy burden – it has to be removed, it has to be
burnt and melted in the fire of sádhaná. Such sádhaná is just
the opposite of mean and selfish sádhaná; it is such that no
impurity, no black spot, remains in the mind. The feeling of
selflessness, the feeling of universalism is the only remedy to
remove mental impurities. People who have fascination or temptation
for any material object, can gradually remove that mental pollution
arising out of selfish [motives] by adopting just the reverse course.
Those who are very greedy for money should form the habit of charity,
and they can serve humanity through such a practice. Those who are
angry or egoistic should cultivate the habit of being polite, and
they should serve humanity through that practice. Therefore, only
selfless service to humanity and the efforts to look upon the world
with a Cosmic outlook alone can lead to establishment in mental
shaoca.
Human beings’ desire to acquire things from
others knows no bounds. Their hopes are never quenched, but their
spirit of giving to others is very meagre. Generally when people do
give something to others, the intention of charity or service is
absolutely secondary; their predominant feeling is to receive
something in exchange. In other words, they have extreme greed to
garner fame by one hand and give charity by the other. A sádhaka
will have to adopt the opposite course to get rid of the burning
flames of greed, he/she will have to develop an infinite desire to
give to others with no intention at all of obtaining anything from
them. You will have to establish yourselves in the realm of infinity
by smashing the fetters of unit ego.
You must have seen many people who become angry
and sorrowful at the time of his distress saying, “I helped those
persons in their adversity, served them so much on their sick-bed,
but today they are so ungrateful that they do not even cast a glance
at me.” They may even curse, “God is witnessing everything –
they will have to reap the consequences of their actions.” You know
that such remarks are an extremely vulgar expression of mental
meanness. Such persons have not done sádhaná for mental
purification, nor have they truly served anybody in adversity or
sickness. In fact they took advantage of other people’s distress
and gave them some assistance as an advance; but the motive behind
such assistance was to recover it with full interest.
A question may be raised as to how much people
should donate for shaoca sádhaná. Should they make paupers of
themselves? Where service is the goal, people should fully observe
aparigraha, acquiring only the bare necessities of life, for
themselves and their direct dependents, without which they cannot
live, and utilize the rest for the collective welfare of the
universe.
But one who is dedicated to an ideal must be
prepared to gladly and eagerly give up one’s all – even one’s
life – for the collective interest. Even in a house where food is
not abundant, you should keep something for the residents of the
house to appease their hunger, and donate the rest to the needy. In
this case, thinking of the residents’ necessities is not narrowness
or meanness, because the preservation of life is certainly very
important, though not the ultimate aim. When one is fighting for an
ideal, however, to accept defeat means to plunge in severe gloom.
Where there is not the least possibility to remove the gloom, one
will have to sacrifice everything to uphold one’s ideal. You should
always be ready like an armed soldier to meet such exigencies.
Tośa means the state of mental ease.
Santośa, therefore, means a state of proper ease. Contentment is
not at all possible if the individual is running after carnal
pleasures like a beast. As a result of extroversial analysis, the
objects of enjoyments go on increasing both in number and abstraction
and that is why one’s mental flow never gets any rest. Under such
circumstances how can one attain perfect peace of mind? Achieving the
desired objects may give one pleasure for an hour or so, but that
will not last long. The mind will again run in pursuit of new
objects, leaving behind the objects already tasted – the
long-cherished objects will lose their importance. This is the rule;
this is the law of nature.
Human desire knows no end. Millionaires want to
become multimillionaires, because they are not satisfied with their
million. Ask the millionaires if they are happy with their money.
They will say, “Where is the money? I am somehow pulling on.”
This answer indicates their ignorance of aparigraha. But such
feelings have another adverse effect on body and mind. Out of
excessive fondness for physical or mental pleasures people become mad
to earn money and amass wealth. As money becomes the be-all and
end-all of life, the mind gets crudified. Constant hankering after
money results in negligence of one’s health, and this makes the
body unfit. Therefore, santośa sádhaná lies in being contented
with the earnings of normal labour, without any undue pressure on the
body and mind. To remain contented, one has to make a special type of
mental effort to keep aloof from external allurements.
You are aware that there are two effective
methods to detach the mind from tendencies; one is auto-suggestion
and the other outer-suggestion. If anyone always tries to think
thoughts just opposite to the mean tendencies which occupied the
mind, a change in one’s nature is bound to occur. This is
auto-suggestion. A change in one’s nature is also brought about if
such ideals are repeatedly conveyed to one’s ears by some external
agents. This is called outer-suggestion. In the case of santośa
sádhaná the aspirant must always follow auto-suggestion.
Santośa sádhaná does not imply that you
should allow yourself to be exploited or oppressed by someone who
takes advantage of your simplicity, and you should tolerate it
silently. It is by no means proper for you to give up your right of
self-preservation or your legitimate dues in life. You have to go on
fighting with concerted efforts for the establishment of your rights.
But you must never violate the principle of santośa by wasting your
physical and mental energy under the sway of excessive greed.
Tapah means to practise penance to reach the
goal. To practise shaoca it is not necessary to undergo physical
discomfort to serve humanity. A donation of ten rupees brings no
physical discomfort for millionaires. It is, therefore, not tapah for
them but this gift helps them in practising mental shaoca. There must
be one and only one purpose behind the practice of penance and that
is to shoulder sorrows and miseries of others to make them happy, to
free them from grief and to give them comforts.
Just like shaoca sádhaná, in the practice
of tapah there must not be even the least bit of commercial
mentality. Shudrocita sevá (physical service) in almost all cases
relates to tapah. Therefore, those who are afraid of physical labour
or hate the shúdra (labourer) can never become a tápasa. If you
serve sick people who are in great pain for hours together to give
them needed relief, this is tapah; but if you serve them with the
selfish motive of securing their assistance in your bad days, the
entire effort of tapah is lost in a moment. Tapah sádhaná is,
therefore, to be above selfishness. As a rule, practice of tapah will
lead to mental dilation, and this dilation will certainly help a
sádhaka, to a large extent, in practising Iishvara prańidhána.
The sádhakas of tapah know that the served is Brahma, their
cherished goal. They are servants and the service rendered by them is
their sádhaná.
The very purpose of tapasyá of those who
ready themselves to render service to the served only after
consideration of their caste, creed, religion or nationality is
defeated, because it is not possible for them to serve with due
sincerity with such a lack of large-heartedness. Those who look upon
the served only as an expression of the Cosmos and look after their
comforts selflessly develop devotion or love for the Supreme in a
short time. When love is aroused, and devotional sentiment is
expressed, what else remains to be achieved?
What place does knowledge or reasoning occupy
in tapah sádhaná? This is a very important question. Truly
speaking, far greater knowledge is required to render service
pertaining to tapah than to render service pertaining to shaoca.
Tapah devoid of knowledge is bound to be misused.
The opportunists will misuse your energy by
extracting work from you to serve their selfish ends, and at the same
time this will deprive the real sufferers of their due services from
you. A rich miser approaches you with a tale of woe and entreats you
to give him relief. Being moved with pity, if you do what is needed
to relieve him of his suffering, the very purpose of tapah will be
defeated, as it is without any knowledge or reasoning. The end result
of your service will be that the rich man whom you have served will
become more miserly and more selfish and will, in the future, try to
deceive in a greater way people who dedicate themselves to the
service of humanity. Secondly, as you will, to some extent, know his
inner motive, you will become mentally depressed and you will also
develop a hostile attitude towards him.
Therefore, while following the principle of
tapah you should ascertain fully well whether the person you are
going to serve, really needs your service. Only then should you
engage yourself in service.
In practising tapah you should always give
consideration to those who are inferior to you and not to those who
are superior. Your responsibility is greater for those who are
weaker, poorer, less educated, more ignorant and downtrodden in
comparison with you. Your responsibility is very little for those who
are above your level, who are better off and more powerful than you.
Therefore, you will have to ascertain with discrimination where your
responsibility lies and to what extent; otherwise all your time,
energy and labour employed in tapah will be in vain. To banquet the
rich is of no use – give food to the starving. There is no need to
send presents to your superiors – send medicine and food to the
sick. Don’t waste your time in flattering the rich; it will yield
no result. Conquer the hearts of the underprivileged by your
sympathetic behaviour and accept them in your society.
You cannot attain Brahma by tapah, if it is
devoid of discrimination; because in such cases you do not make the
proper use of objects. Of course it is better to do something than
nothing and with this end in view, tapah even without discrimination
has some value. It has some psychological benefit. Buddha said,
You can definitely influence a miser by your
charity, and there is nothing bad in this; but it is not what is
understood by the term “tapah”.
There is another peculiarity in tapah. When the
activities of human beings are not guided by discrimination, they are
goaded by instinct. Tapah with discrimination changes the course of
action and leads people towards emancipation. Of course, devotion
also gives rise to discrimination but such devotion cannot be aroused
in those who have not experienced Cosmic bliss.
Svádhyáya means the clear understanding of
any spiritual subject. In ancient days students carried on their
day-to-day Svádhyáya in the hermitage of the rśis. But the
circumstances have changed and the term Svádhyáya has also lost
its meaning with passage of time. Nowadays reading religious
scriptures without grasping the meaning is also considered to be
Svádhyáya. Religious professionals have misguided the public by
their misinterpretation of the term svádhyáya. They say, “These
are the results of reading such-and-such books; it matters little
whether you understand the meaning or not. If you cannot find time to
read books, simply touch your head with them thrice; or if you have
no time to hear religious sermons, offer fruits or sweets to the
deity. This will yield the same result. This is the real thing”.
Svádhyáya means not only to read or hear a
subject, but also to understand its significance, the underlying
idea. Acceptance of the outward or crude meaning has only led to the
corruption of Vaeśńava and Shákta sádhaná and this
ultimately greatly distorted people’s religious belief. For
example, one aspect of tantra sádhaná is called máḿsa
sádhaná. What is this máḿsa sádhaná?
Má shabdát rasaná jineyá tadamshán
rasaná priye
Yastad bhakśayennityaḿ sa eva máḿsa sádhakah.
Yastad bhakśayennityaḿ sa eva máḿsa sádhakah.
“Ma” means “tongue” and “máḿsa”
means “action of the tongue”, i.e., vocal expression. The
sádhaka who takes máḿsa (vocal expression) every day, i.e., who
practises control over speech, is a máḿsa sádhaka. How
beautiful the meaning is! But the so-called interpreters who are
dominated by their material desires never hesitate to slaughter
innocent goats at the altar of the deities in the name of máḿsa
(meat) sádhaná. The number of goats to be sacrificed is
determined by the number of those who will eat the flesh. Alas! what
an interpretation!
To understand the underlying meaning of what is
laid down in scriptures, the idea is to be grasped first; otherwise
the proper spirit will never be realized. If I say, “Shaońd́ikah
surálayaḿ gacchati,” it will naturally mean “The liquor
merchant is going to the liquor (surá) shop.” But if I say,
“Naradah surálayaḿ gacchati,” it means “Nárada is going
to the abode of surá (heaven).” But in the former case it was the
house of surá, i.e., liquor shop. Thus the same word carries
different meanings in different contexts. You have now understood how
cautious you have to be in practising svádhyáya. Those with
vested interest seek to keep the public away from the true spirit of
the true shástras, because this facilitates their exploitation.
There may be many interpretations of the term
“Iishvara.” But it commonly means “the controller of this
universe”. He who controls the thought-waves of this universe is
Iishvara. Therefore, “Puruśottama” and “Iishvara” are not
identical conceptions. In philosophy the word “Iishvara” has one
more meaning – it is the witnessing counterpart of the objective
Prakrti where the static principle is dominant. It is the witnessing
entity of the causal world, it is the magnified essence of prájiṋa,
it is an entity free from all bondages.
Whatever may be the minor differences, to a
sádhaka, Iishvara is understood to be nothing other than Saguńa
Brahma or God.
Prańidhána means to understand clearly or
to adopt something as a shelter. Therefore Iishvara prańidhána
means to establish oneself in the Cosmic idea – to accept Iishvara
as the only ideal of life. The physical body constituted of five
fundamental factors does not disobey the laws of the cycle of His
thought-wave, extroversial or introversial. It is your mind that
violates them, and this results in the degeneration of the unit
consciousness; because unit consciousness is reflected in the mind
and nowhere else. So Iishvara prańidhána means to move with
accelerated speed towards that Supreme Shelter, God. Therefore,
Iishvara prańidhána is absolutely based on bháva, or ideation –
it is a mental effort in its entirety. Shouting at the top of one’s
voice for a big crowd to assemble, or showing devotion by beating
drums, etc., has got no place in it. Your Iishvara is not deaf. Don’t
shout to convey your mental feelings to Him.
One will have to detach the mind from worldly
propensities while meditating upon Iishvara (God). First the mind
will have to be withdrawn from the limited “I” feeling, and
focused at a point. Then one will take the thought of the Macrocosm
around that point with the help of the ideation of the mantra
prescribed according to one’s own saḿskára (mental
potentiality). He is the subtlest Entity; therefore He can be
realized only through feeling and by no other means.
Perhaps you know that japa is of three kinds –
vácanika, upáḿshu, and mánasika. Vácanika japa, the attempt
to attract His attention by reciting prayers in a loud voice, is
absolutely meaningless. Respect, affection, sincerity and devotion
are attributes of the inner heart and are not to be expressed loudly
in the language of flatterers. Vácanika japa, therefore, serves no
purpose. However when a desire for vocal expression of an internal
feeling is aroused, the divine touch can be expressed in sweet
language in the form of a verse or song. As for example the mantra
“Oṋḿ namaste sate sarvalokáshrayáya” occurs to my mind.
Mantras of this type are very good, but they cannot serve the purpose
of auto-suggestion of Iishvara prańidhána.
Verses or mantras uttered in such a low tone
that they are hardly audible are called upáḿshu japa. Although
this is better than vácanika japa, it cannot be considered an ideal
style of japa. Mental japa is the best process of Iishvara
prańidhána. One’s ideation should be expressed mentally and the
mind should be its witnessing entity.
If this mental japa is practised regularly and
properly after learning the same from a competent teacher, the mind
will progress in a particular flow, a forward movement on the path of
Pratisaiṋcara of Brahma. The speed of the mind generated by a
Sádhaka by means of Iishvara prańidhána is faster than the
mental speed of Brahma by which He is leading His psychic creations
towards perfection through the path of Pratisaiṋcara.
When the mental flow of a spiritual aspirant
moves along the introversial phase of Macrocosmic meditation, one’s
animative force, having the potentiality of divinity itself, rises
above all tendencies – all saḿskáras – and proceeds towards
Eternal bliss. In this state the mind is vibrated with Cosmic
feeling. The unexpressed divine qualities of the higher glands find
expression and the resonance of the mind vibrates the nervous system.
This gives rise to pious expressions in the physical body. In the
case of those people whose occult feelings are not physically
expressed due to causes associated with the nerves, the mental
vibrations cause certain radical changes, in the various glands
within the body. These occult feelings are basically of eight types:
stambha (astounding), kampa (trembling), sveda (sweating), svarabheda
(hoarseness of voice), ashru (tears), romáiṋca (horripilation),
vaevarńa (change of colour) and pralaya (fainting fit). There are
other feelings associated with these major feelings. For examples,
nrtya (dancing), giita (singing), viluńt́hana (rolling), kroshana
(weeping), huḿkára (roaring), lálásráva (salivating),
jrmbhańa (yawning), lokápekśá tyága (indifference),
at́t́ahásya (bursting into laughter), ghúrńana (whirling),
hikká (hiccoughing), tanumot́ana (relaxation of the physical body)
and diirghashvása (deep breathing).
The probability of such signs is very little in
the case of vácanika and upáḿshu japa. That expression is very
natural in case of those who have learned the correct process of
sádhaná. These are associated with pleasure, and not with pain of
any kind. Therefore, those who do not practise sádhaná should not
be unnecessarily afraid of these signs.
When such occult symptoms appear, the sádhaka
also should not worry in any way. In
this state if the sádhakas pay attention to
expressing those signs, their progress will be retarded. If they
suppress these occult feelings, their bháva or ideation itself will
be disturbed and their minds will become detached from Iishvara
prańidhána. You should always remember that Cosmic feeling is
above everything else; it is unwise to waste time paying attention to
the external symptoms of the ideation or bháva.
These occult symptoms disappear as soon as the
mind is detached from Cosmic objectivity. When sádhakas attain the
capability to establish themselves in Cosmic feeling for long
periods, those ideations are confined to the mental body only and the
physical body becomes calm to a great extent.
It is desirable to practise various lessons of
sádhaná alone, in a lonely place, but Iishvara prańidhána can
be practised both individually as well as collectively. In collective
Iishvara prańidhána the combined mental efforts work together,
and so give rise to the expression of the higher signs in a very
short time. Therefore, like all other aspects of sádhaná,
Iishvara prańidhána should positively be practised alone, in a
lonely place; but in addition, do not miss the opportunity of
collective Iishvara prańidhána whenever some of you conveniently
meet together. The indomitable mental force aroused as a result of
collective Iishvara prańidhána will help you solve any problem,
great or small, on this earth. It is for this reason that you should
always be zealous to attend weekly dharmacakra regularly.
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