Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

For every living being engaged in its pilgrimage in the Karma Kshetra (field of action), the mind, the tongue, ears, eyes, nose, hands, feet etc., are the Karanamulu (instruments) provided for its daily use. To achieve success in this physical world it is essential to have these three: Karanamulu (instruments), Karanam (cause or purpose) and Kartha (doer or agent). The one who wields the instruments is the Kartha or doer. The desire which propels him to act is the Karanam or cause. Man's primary aim should be to recognise the unity underlying these three factors.

In common parlance, we say that the eyes see, the ears hear, and the mouth speaks. But if this were to be true, why is it that after a man's death, these very instruments, though found intact, cannot discharge their functions? Obviously, there is an invisible divine power in the body which imparts life and energy to all these organs, and when that power leaves the body, they cannot function.

In ordinary terminology, this power is called Prana (Life-principle). But wherefrom does this Prana come, where does it go and at whose bidding? These are the questions raised by the Kenopanishad, which undertook to investigate whether this divine energy, which animates the several instruments in the body, is inherent in Prana (the Life-principle) or whether it belongs to a power superior to Prana. In this connection, let us consider an illustration. We see that the earth is illumined by moonlight. The moon itself shines because of the sun's light reflected on it. But wherefrom does the sun get its light? It is the divine power that lends its lustre to the sun. The hydrogen and helium contained in the sun have originated from that divine power which the Upanishads designate as the Brahma-tatwa (the principle of the Supreme Absolute Reality). The Upanishads further declare that it is due to the effulgence of Brahman that the world shines and that there is no effulgence in the universe which can illuminate Brahman. It is the light of Brahman that enables the eyes to see all things except Brahman. The mind is able to function because of the light of Brahman, but it cannot grasp or describe Brahman. This is why the Upanishads proclaimed about Brahman:

Although such a unique divine power resides in himself, man is unable to recognise it. Why? Because in his daily life man is developing only Bahya drishti (outward vision) and is not putting forth any effort whatsoever to cultivate and experience the Anthar-drishti (the Inner Vision).

It is quite possible for man to recognise this truth (of the Brahmic principle in him) if he resorts to proper enquiry and acquires the needed purity of mind and heart. It is a pity that every man considers himself a powerless weakling, despite the enormous power latent in him, waiting to be revealed and released in all its glory. How is man to examine and experience such a divine power? The Kenopanishad deals with this question and points out that this divine power is the life of our life, the mind of our mind, the eye of our eye, the ear of our ear, the speech of our speech, because it is the motivating, coordinating and illuminating principle underlying all such organs of the human personality. We can easily grasp this truth by understanding that just as the headlights and other lights, the horn, the engine, the wheels, etc., of an automobile depend on the battery current for their respective functions like giving light, sound and propulsion, all the organs of our body are animated or motivated by the divine Atmic power inside, thereby enabling them to discharge their respective functions.

All the flowers in a tree do not turn into fruit; likewise, all the fruits do not ripen on the tree. But all the ripe fruits cannot but fall down from the tree. This indicates the important secret underlying human life. As soon as the purpose, time and task for which a man is born are over, his body loses its power and vitality and drops down in a lifeless condition. But what is the basis for this Jiva Tatwa (Life Principle)? It is only the Atma Tatwa (Atmic Principle). However, man is prone to consider only the body and senses as all-important.

There is the mind, which is superior to the sense organs. It is this very mind that is spoken of as "Indra" by the Upanishads, because the mind is the Lord or controller of the senses. The Kenopanishad urges man to merge the senses in the mind, and the mind in the Atma, in order to experience the divine power inherent in the Atma-mind complex. But today's man, instead of merging the senses in the mind, and the mind in the Atma, is devoting his senses and mind to worldly pursuits, under the wrong notion that mind and Atma are quite separate.

There is an all-pervading power that permeates the body, senses, Antahkarana or the inner instruments, and the individual soul or spirit. This omnipresent power is called Chit Sakti (Constant Integrated Awareness or consciousness) or Brahma-Tatwam (the principle of the Supreme Absolute Reality). This all-powerful Atmic principle resides in every human being in subtle form. Man is not able to recognise this divine power because he is preoccupied with utilizing his physical and mental faculties for the acquisition of wealth and worldly goods. Atma is always the 'Seer' and never the 'Seen'.

Let us now consider the karana (tools) and Atma from the standpoint of drisya (seen) and drashta (seer). All objects seen by the eyes are the 'seen' and the eyes are the 'seer.' When the eyes are open but do not see the objects present before them due to the mind wandering somewhere, the eyes become the 'seen' and the mind becomes the 'seer.' When the Buddhi (intellect) observes the wanderings of the mind, the Buddhi becomes the 'seer' and the mind, the 'seen'. In the state of Samadhi, Atma is the 'seer' and intellect, 'the seen.' There is nothing that can see the Atma. Hence it is always the 'Seer' and never the 'Seen.'

Thus we notice that the mind and other senses are drisya (the seen) and therefore are termed karana (tools) which are put to work by the drashta (the seer, viz, Atma). In the absence of the drashta (Atma), all the tools will be useless, however valuable they might be. For example, a machine worth crores (billions) of rupees is installed; but if there is no current which operates it, it will turn out to be a useless mass of steel. Likewise, in the absence of the Atmic power which enables all the organs or tools to function, the body becomes a worthless mass of flesh and bones. Therefore it is the foremost duty of man to realise the Atma (Self) which imparts value to the otherwise valueless body and the karana (tools) therein, and also to regulate the activities of all these tools in the right manner, so as to achieve the fulfilment of the purpose of human life.

However, it is not that easy to change human nature. For instance, suppose you grow a crop of garlic by using the powder of Patchakarpooram (an aromatic variety of camphor) as the soil, kamma kasturi (a fragrant variety of musk) as the manure, and scented rose water for irrigation, will the produce of garlic you get as a result of all your effort give up its natural, pungent odour? So also, despite all his sadhana (spiritual practices) and holy company, the worldly Vasanas (the impressions, tendencies or latent desires) accumulated in the course of his several past lives will not leave man so easily. Therefore it is necessary for man to understand first of all, the true nature of his own body.

What is this body? It is a repository of filth, urine, flesh, blood and such other things. However, in this very body there shines the gem of purest ray serene, namely, the Atma. Gems do not grow like fruits on trees, but are to be found in dirt. Similarly the body which is of the nature of Mrinmaya (full of dirt) harbours in itself the Atma which is of the nature of Chinmaya (full of pure consciousness). The secret of man's success lies in the thorough understanding and unravelling of this Chinmaya tathwa (principle of pure consciousness). The body is transient and ephemeral, but it enshrines the immortal and eternal Atma and hence the body should not be neglected but properly looked after, till we realise the Self.

Once upon a time in a war between the Devas (demigods) and the Asuras (demons), the former came out victorious; and puffed up with pride, they assembled together to celebrate their victory. Brahma wanted to prick the bubble of their ego and pride, and to open their eyes to the fact that their victory was due to divine grace and not to their own strength and valour. So Brahma appeared before them in the guise of a Yaksha (celestial being).

On seeing him, Agni (Fire-God) came to him. When the Yaksha asked Agni as to who he was, the latter proudly answered, "Don't you know me? I am Agni Deva (Fire-God), the great hero who can reduce to ashes the entire world in a trice."

Thereupon the Yaksha placed before him a blade of grass and said, "O Fire-God! please burn this blade of grass." Despite all his efforts, the Fire-God could not burn the blade of grass and he went back humbled.

Next came the Wind-God Vayu and bragged before the Yaksha about his unequalled might in devastating entire villages, trees, forests etc., in the form of cyclones, tornadoes and tidal waves, etc. The Yaksha smiled and asked Vayu to blow away the blade of grass. With all his might and herculean effort, the Wind-God could not even shake the blade of grass and had to beat a retreat.

On witnessing the failure, frustration and humiliation of his two mightiest lieutenants, Indra, the king of the demi-gods, himself came forward to see the Yaksha at close quarters but when he reached the spot he saw a woman standing in the place of the Yaksha. He addressed her, "O Mother! kindly tell me who you are and who is the one who has just vanished from sight."

Then she answered, "I am Uma. The one who was here earlier in the guise of a Yaksha was Brahma, who came to destroy the highly inflated ego in all of you assembled here. So long as you have the ego, you cannot have Self-realisation. That is why none of you could recognise Brahma although he appeared right in front of you. As Indra, you personify the mind which is the leader of the senses, and which is a bundle of desires. That is why I have given you a vision of myself as a woman, who is the embodiment of desires."

On hearing these words of Uma, the ego of every demi-god became deflated and in all humility they prayed to Brahma as follows.

"O Lord! Not even a blade of grass will move without your command, what to speak of the microcosm and the macrocosm. Without understanding this, some people like us become puffed up with pride. Bhagavan! What is the use of various kinds of possessions and powers like wealth, physical strength, intellectual acumen, etc., if one does not have the ability to know you? And none can know and experience you except through the strength of Bhakti (devotion or love)."

The lesson this episode teaches us is that we are mere tools in the hands of the Almighty and we should not become egoistic and proud thinking that any success or achievement is due to our own innate strength. We cannot win God's grace except through Bhakti. And what is Bhakti? It is but loving God with a pure and selfless heart devoid of ego and pride. We should use the God-given and God-motivated tools called senses in the right manner. These tools often become affected by diseases. For instance, when the eyes are jaundiced, everything appears yellow. When one is suffering from malaria, even sweet things taste bitter to his tongue. In this manner our sense organs become the victims of Roga (disease) instead of helping us to attain Yoga (union with God). What is Yoga? According to Patanjali, it is controlling the vagaries of the mind and the tendencies of the senses. First of all, we should keep our sense organs under control.

At this youthful age of yours, it is but natural that your senses should be strong, active, impulsive, impetuous and turbulent. But you should exercise control over them, lest they drag you into wrong paths. Practise the following maxims:

Bear in mind what the Kenopanishad taught to the celestial beings, the sages and other human beings. It taught them about the inexorable, immutable and inescapable law of Karma, duly stressing the fact that the results of good or bad actions are not like the milk that you get immediately as you draw it from the udder of a milch cow, but they are like the fruits that you get from a tree long after the seed is planted. Therefore, don't feel elated just because your bad actions have not given you the bad results immediately; you are sure to experience them in due course. You can never escape them. Therefore take to the virtuous path of life even from this young age.

You should also understand the importance of the faculty of speech and the great role of the tongue. Addressing the tongue, saint Jayadeva praised its immense power and called upon it to chant the name of the Lord and not indulge in unholy talk. The tongue displays a sense of discrimination in the choice of food. It has also a remarkable ability to observe restraint by not getting bitten by the teeth. It never goes beyond its bounds. Such a highly valuable organ should be used for the sacred purposes for which it is intended. This is the exhortation of the Upanishads to all mankind.

In sweet and simple words, the Upanishads, which constitute the quintessence of all Vedas, proclaim profound truths which will dispel man's ignorance and fill him with the Prajnana Jyothi (the divine light of constant integrated awareness). Unfortunately such a priceless treasure is being ignored at present. It is up to you, students, to retrieve the situation by moulding your lives even from now on in the light of the Upanishadic teachings.

Acquire humility along with your education. Respect your parents, teachers and elders. Love those who are younger than you. Students today are given to excessive talking, bragging and ostentation. You should not give room for such shortcomings.

The world outside is filled with strife and fear. The students should go to the rescue of those who are the victims of fear, and serve them with love and devotion. This is the spirit behind the well-known Upanishadic verse which is a peace invocation:

You should appreciate the fact that the Upanishadic Rishis (sages) undertook more intelligent, more intensive, and selfless research into life's most fundamental problems, in shining contrast to the researches of the scientists of to-day. Do not underrate these ancient Rishis whose invaluable findings have been enshrined in the Upanishads which serve as guideposts that lead mankind to the fulfilment of the purpose of human life. Imbibe and follow in your day-to-day life the simple yet profound teachings of the Upanishads and make your lives blessed.