Swami narrates the pitiable plight of Man through a parable.
A man, an aspirant went to a jungle and climbed a tree to save himself from an
angry lion. On the tree a bear attacked him. To escape from the bear’s attack,
he slid down from the branches through two prop roots of the banyan tree.
Meanwhile he saw two rats cutting at the roots to which he was clinging
precariously! Surprisingly, a honeycomb
from atop leaked and a few honey drops
fell near him. He tried to catch a few drops on to his tongue but failed. He
called out to his Guru in despair and was saved finally! Swami explains that
the world is the jungle. The lion is
fear itself leading man to take up family life. The bear on the tre is
anxiety. The two roots are the family ties and attachments called hope and
despair. The two rats signify day and night gnawing into span of life. The
honey drops are the moments of egoism. Swami remarks, “ Finding that the drops are trivial and out of
reach, you cry in the agony of renunciation, calling on the Guru, the Guru appears, whether from within or
without and saves you from fear and anxiety.” (SSS vol 5 pp 143)
Swami’s
explanations of profound philosophical questions are inimitable and yet very
simple and sensible. They go to the heart of every common man straight. One
such explanation is on ‘ maya.’ And another
about the inevitability of reaching God. Swami says, “ As the shadow you cast is reduced bit by bit with every step you take towards the Sun, until, when
the Sun shines right on the top of your head the shadow
crawls under your feet and disappears, so ‘maya’
becomes less and less effective as you march towards Jnana until, when
it is well established in your understanding, ‘ maya’ falls at your feet and is powerless to deceive
you further, it disappears, so far as you are concerned>” (SSS Vol 5
pp229)
The efficacy
and need for silence is stressed by Swami. It is said in Sanskrit , “ mounam sarvartha sadhanam”,
silence achieves everything . In the silent, still atmosphere God is easily
realized. Swami is a stickler for
silence. Prasanthi Nilayam means the abode of extraordinary
or special peace and silence. Swami addresses his audience, “ You feel the presence of God when silence
reigns. In the excitement and confusion of the market place, you cannot hear
HIS foot fall. He is SABDABRAHMA- resounding when all is filled with silence.
That is why I insist on silence, the practice of low speech and minimum sound.
Talk low, talk little, talk in whispers sweet and true… loud noise is a
sacrilege on the sky just as there are sacrilegious uses of earth and water.”
(SSS Vol 5 pp 236)
Swami exhorts
one and all to achieve what is called ‘ nil balance.’ All good deeds have to be enjoyed on earth and all evil
ones suffered. There is no cancellation
between the good and the bad. You cannot strike out a balance sheet and
equate profit and loss or assets and liabilities. In spiritual realm there
should be nothing good and bad. The JIva or the individual soul, therefore, is
bound by whatever karma he has done in the previous birth and what he has done
in the present one. Birth is therefore inevitable. Swami remarks, “ A green gourd sinks in water; but a dry one floats.
Become dry, rid yourselves of
attachments, desires, avid anxieties and worries. Then you can float unaffected
on the waters of change and chance. Even water, when it becomes steam, rises
into sky. Become light, lose weight, bale
out so that you may rise higher and higher.” (SSS Vol 5 pp 245)
Sri Sathya Sai
considers the youth of the country as the
foundation of the nation. Elderly people should set an example
to them. The most unhealthy attitude among the modern student
generation is to question the very existence of God. The general atmosphere of
home, school, society and leadership is polluted. Swami lays increasing stress
on virtuous character. Swami deplores how man is caught in the web of
materialism. Bhagawan says, “ Like a bird that sees a lump of flesh in the far
distance but does not notice the net spread over it to catch it, Man too sees
but the charms of the material objects; he does not notice the entanglements
which they cause.” ( SSS Vol 5 pp 319) ( continued)
No comments:
Post a Comment