DIFFERENT TYPES OF ASPIRANTS

Many in society wish to be spiritual aspirants. Is it so easy to develop spirituality? It cannot happen suddenly. One has to develop the quality from very early childhood so that it can mature at a later stage. lt is not possible for every aspirant to be spiritual despite the efforts that makes. Hundreds of paper kites are seen in the sky. But out of them one or two free themselves by the snapping of the string! In the same analogy out of hundreds of aspirants only one or two manage to free themselves from the bondage of the world! There are different types of aspirants. One class of Yogis are hidden Yogis. The other class are open Yogis. The former go through religious practices secretly and are away from public gaze. The latter carry out their spiritual practices openly and converse freely on spiritual subjects. In some plants and creepers the fruit comes first and the flowers next. In general, the flower blooms first and the fruit appears later. Similarly, ordinary people have to perform Sadhana before they realize God. In the other class of aspirants God is realized first before the performance of sadhna! The best aspirant is the one who gives up the world totally and comes out of it. The perfect aspirant that remains in the world has some small imperfection in his character!

Just like the young bamboo that can be bent easily, it is easy to bend the young heart towards God! It is not easy to bend the full grown bamboo as it breaks when bent. The old or untrained heart of the old escapes the hold whenever it is so drawn! It is only the ripe mango that can be offered to God but not the one pecked by the crow. Children are expected to be dedicated to the service of God before impure worldly desires touch and taint their hearts. It is very difficult for them to follow the path of virtue once worldly desires and sensual pleasures enter their innocent hearts. The love of the boy is whole and undivided. But after marriage half of his love is given away to his wife. When children are born a quarter of his love is shown to  them! The balance of the last quarter is devoted to his parents, honor, fame and others! In other words he has no love  left to offer to God! So early direction to God is the first and the best step to gain and realize God. It is rather difficult for the aged and grown up people to attempt! What is the difference between the Jnanis living in the world and those that have renounced the world? In terms of their jnana or knowledge there is no difference. But the one in the world is subject to fear as he is amidst sensual attractions that may lead to his downfall! However careful one may be, worldly presence taints him slightly like the soot in the room where he remains!

Worship and spirituality is classified into three types. Accordingly aspirants belong to these types. Those that worship from the depth of their heart and without vanity or ostentation belong to the Satvik type.  The Rajasic aspirant is the one who worships with fuss, music, dance and grand feast! The third is the one who sacrifies innocent goats or sheep on the altar and offers meat and wine for offering. He is involved in dancing and singing while worshipping the deity. He is the Tamasic worshipper! True aspirant is like the flint that does not lose its inner fire despite being in water for thousands of years! He is firm in his faith and inspite of impure surroundings remains imperturbable! The name of the Lord is enough to Kindle his inner fire of devotion! Not only this, these true aspirants, like the engine that draws the train behind it, lead many a person to God! The indescribable bliss in realizing God makes the true aspirant impervious to all temptations, attractions, and cheap worthless pleasures of the world! It is the nature of the true aspirant and the pious Soul to shy away from anything “ Light and useless, and retain whatever is weighty and good. “ Like the ant that rejects the sand in a mixture of sugar and sand and picks up the sugar grain, the best of the aspirants, Paramahamsas choose the Good from the bad! The true aspirant, though caught in the meshes of worldly pleasures shall come out of them finally!

What is the strength of a true aspirant? “ He is a child of God, and his devotional tears are his mightiest weapon.” says Sri Ramakrishna. What is the indication that an aspirant has reached a state of birthlessness? “ That man whose hair stands on end at the mere mention of the 'name' of God, and from whose eyes flow tears of love-------he has indeed reached his last birth.” asserts Bhagawan Sri RamaKrishna.

A true aspirant or a religious person shall never commit a sin when he is alone and when  none observe him! He knows that God is omnipresent as the silent witness to every action of the individual. The fear of sin and the silent presence of God everywhere, prevents him from becoming a victim of temptation or seduction of any woman in a lonely region. Such a person shall not even cast an immoral glance at the young woman! The true aspirant is not at all enamored of a bag of gold in a lonely  or uninhabited residence. He is never drawn to it as he is a true religious aspirant! Practice of religion for  show or out of fear of the public can never be called truly religious! The hallmark of true religion is its silence and secrecy!!

THE WORLDLY WISE

Entire human race is worldly wise without any doubt! People are interested in trivial things without an understanding of what is ephemeral and what is eternal! They are totally wrapped up in Maya or illusion and mistake the unreal as real and the real as unreal! They are victims of attachment the most dangerous quality that drags them down! The Upanishads call them as “ SriKama”—those after money and material. The purpose of human birth is to realize oneself or recognize that he is not the body but the indestructible eternal Atma! How many are capable of realizing this state? It is a rare possibility as man is drowned in the sea of Samsara or family life! The simple, trivial, transient pleasures are mistaken for bliss or Ananda which is beyond the reach of great saints and sages! Why is man like this? Is it for a life of this nature that God has created man? Man is imbued with everything, the indriyas, the senses, mind, intellect and the Gunas for utilizing them for self realization! But the attraction and temptation for silly pleasures has led him astray! He is totally oblivious of his eternal nature and identifies himself with the body and experiences all the vicissitudes of worldly life!

“Men are of two classes—men in name only and the awakened men. Those who thirst after God alone belong to the latter class: those who are mad after 'woman and gold' are all ordinary men” remarks Sri RamaKrishna. Evil nature is personified to a great extent in humanity as they hide many vile and cruel qualities within themselves.” Some are tearing wolves, others are ferocious bears, and some again are cunning foxes or venomous snakes, though they all look like men” says  Sri Ramakrishna. Like the sieve that keeps the coarse grains and rejects the fine ones,  the evil souls reject the good and retain the evil! People do not want to be free! One without a family or relatives takes a cat or dog or a bird as a pet and delights in fondling it! Thus he “slakes his thirst for milk with mere whey.” Responsibilities of family life rob man of his joy even as he looks dejected and anxious. The worldly wise ‘cannot at all comprehend the ecstasy of Divine communion in the same way as a little boy or girl has no idea of conjugal pleasures.  The lure of “woman and gold” is irresistible for worldly man! He has no faith in religion, doesn’t chant the name of God, scoffs at prayers, pious men and religious societies! The heart of a sinful man is like the dog's tail! However much we try to straighten it we are sure to fail in our attempt.

Unburnt clay can be shaped into many forms. Nothing is possible after it is burnt. Worldly Wiseman, burnt in the fire of innumerable desires, cannot reach up to higher sentiments or molded into a beautiful form!  His is the soul in bondage—(Baddha-jiva). He is like an impervious stone that water cannot soak! After undergoing severe ups and downs in life, man tries to take refuge in God but the temptations and attractions of the world bring him down to earth! The worldly wise are never awakened despite the trials tribulations of family life. They are like the camel that feeds on the prickly bush and the nettle in spite of bleeding in its mouth. It is impossible for him to forget the world and concentrate on God! Even when he is removed from worldly ambience and placed in holy environment he is a fish out of water and cannot remain there for long. No preceptor or Guru can impart exalted precepts to him as he is sure to misuse or misinterpret them for his selfish ends!

It is not as if the worldly wise can easily turn Godward. The vasanas of his previous births chase him along. He is led by the force of his Karma in his innumerable previous births. The result of his good and bad deeds is too difficult for him to escape and he is bound to enjoy or suffer. There is no other way for him. Piety, religion are not constant with the worldly wise. The moment they meet with misfortune, sorrow or poverty all their piety is forsaken. No sermon can turn them to God! Their detachment to worldly life is momentary! It is called “ Purana vayragya.” They feel like following the good tenets in the religious discourse. But the moment they return home they forget and once again fall into the rut! Devotion and religiosity remains with them as long as they associate themselves with the good or holy surroundings. The moment they are away from them their devotion dies down! Worldly man is fickle minded in his devotion. He is like fly that sits on dirty things and next lands on offerings to God!

Like the worm that exists in the dung hill, Worldly Wise cannot live elsewhere. He is wedded to filth and the dirty environment of the ordinary world. Wherever we place him, he feels sad and out of place. He is always saturated with worldly thoughts and desires! Worldly man is like a wet match stick that does not ignite itself despite many rubs. A true devotee is similar to the dry match that catches fire with the slightest rubbing! All the intelligence, knowledge of the worldly wise is futile as  they are directed  towards wealth and worldly renown! Like the soiled mirror that cannot reflect the rays of the sun, the worldly man can never realize the glory of God because of his impure heart! “ All the world is a stage and all men and women merely players.” Free souls are those with pure heart. They are like the bees that are lost in drinking honey always and not interested in tasting anything else!

THE EVIL OF AHANKARA OR EGO

It is Impossible to find an individual without the quality of egotism or Ahankara! Thek inner adversaries or Arishadvargas include the quality of arrogance, pride and other qualities. While man is born with these qualities, he augments them as he grows and is liable to be undone by the same later.  Egotism is a form of Maya or illusion. The words Ahamkara and Aham, according to context, refer to the sense of “ I “ the   “ I “ , the ego or the ' I-ness'. According to Indian  philosophy and spiritual discipline it is the principal of individuation that gives rise to the sense of “ I “. This is a total identification of the body excluding the indestructible Soul or the Atma that is the cause of all activities in creatures! All struggles and sorrows of humanity arise out of this totally wrong identification of “ I “ with the body! The very purpose of human birth is to realize oneself or identify itself with the eternal Atma embedded in the innermost recess of the heart. Man is unable to realize God or recognize the Atma within because of his ego hovering over him like a cloud cutting off the  rays of the sun. As long as egotism persists God can never be realized.

Man' ego is the Maya or illusion that shuts out the light of God. The death of ego or “ I “ is absolutely essential for salvation which can happen only through the grace of God. Egotism is like a screen or cloth placed in front of you blocking your sight beyond. Thus it blocks God very near to you. Egotism is the root cause of the cycle of birth and death which man can never escape. Egotism is the heat that turns the Jiva haughty! In the picture of God Sri Rama we see Him in the front followed by his spouse Sita and brother Lakshmana. Lakshmana is very near to his brother Rama. In between them is Sita who prevents the full view of Sri Rama! In other words Sita is the Maya or egotism that prevents the total, full view of God! “I” and mine—this is ignorance; “  'Thou' and 'Thine'—that is true knowledge” asserts Sri RamaKrishna! For a true devotee God is the doer! He is only an instrument in the hands of God. Sri Sankara echoes the same idea in his “ Sivamanasa puja” stotram. “ Yadyat karma karomi tattadakhilam Sambho tavaradhanam” The sense of carrying out the orders of God should be ingrained in the heart of the true devotee. He should feel that he has the right to serve God according to His orders! Even saints and sages are the victims of the evil of Ahankara or egotism! Viswamitra created a new world for his disciple, king Trisanku. King Nahusha lost his kingship of Swarga through his arrogance or ego! Ravana, king of Lanka was destroyed through sheer egotism and belittling Sri Rama as an ordinary mortal!

Despite serious effort egotism doesn’t disappear. It may appear to lie low but springs up instantly according to circumstances. Egotism is not all bad. As in the case of Vidya and Avidya Maya, two types of egotism—Ripe and Unripe Egotism are recognized. A feeling that every thing one sees, hears, feels and even the body is not his but that of God indicates Ripe Ego! The individual realizes that he is eternal; he identifies himself with the Atma or Soul. Severe attachment to one's wife, children, property and body is the manifestation of Unripe ego. One with Ripe Ego considers himself as the servant of God whereas the the one with Unripe Ego is worldly wise, attached to wealth and lust. Is it possible to conquer this Ego? It is herculean task and almost impossible. “ You wicked “ I”, if you will not go by any means, remain as the servant of God.” Says Sri RamaKrishna. This is Ripe Ego that leads to God indicating ones progress in Bhakthi yoga or the path of devotion. One with Ripe Ego considers himself to be the instrument in the hands of God. 

Does it mean that the man of realization is devoid of any ego? Traces of its former existence remain but they are harmless! According to Sri RamaKrishna some great souls merged in God consciousness come down to earth for the good of mankind. They keep the Aham of Vidya which is similar to the higher self. But this ego is a mere appearance. A piece of rope retains its form when it is burnt. But it cannot be used for binding other objects! Likewise, the ego destroyed by the fire of true Knowledge is harmless!

It is said that Hanuman had the vision of God  both in His form-Sakara as well as formlessness—Nirakara! But he is conscious of his ego of a servant of God! Very great Brahma Jnanis and saints like Narada, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumara considered themselves as servants of God only! They keep ‘the ego of Knowledge and  a trace of individuality for teaching others and saving truths of religion. We find in the world people with Unripe Ego not at all bothered about their essential Reality! They are more interested in transient pleasures of the world and attachment to their families, wealth and property! Very few are those that contemplate on this Unripe Ego and turn to develop the Ripe Ego! All problems shall be solved if you feel and believe that you are a servant of God carrying out His orders! He is the Master whom you obey implicitly! Everything is His and not yours! It is easier said than done! How many of us can think and act like that? That is the real question!

MAYA-- SOME INTERPRETATIONS

The word MAYA is frequently used in philosophy and religion. Every one is familiar with the name but is unable to comprehend what it is. The Upanishads declare that Brahman is real while the universe is illusory or unreal. “ Brahma satyam jagan mithya.” It is very difficult to believe that the world that we live in is unreal. How can we imagine that our experiences, relationships, contacts are unreal? But philosophy again and again reminds us that the world is unreal. It is so because it appears to be real while in essence it is unreal or illusory or 'mithya'. One interpretation is that truth or Sathya is permanent, constant, never changing nor can be changed at any time. That entity is called BRAHMAN. But the world is ever changing, according to seasons and time and liable for total destruction. Yugas have changed and the world too along with them! Thus it is the cardinal  quality of Maya to project the Real as Unreal and the unreal as the Real! The appearance of the ordinary rope, in darkness, as a snake, is also an illustration of Maya. The size and shape of the rope in total darkness creates an illusion that it is a snake though the snake is not present there! Darkness represents ignorance or Avidya. That is dispelled soon after illumination or knowledge!

Maya can be considered as the cosmic power of the Lord. It is both the deluding and liberating  power according to certain conditions. As a deluding power it is called Avidya equated to ignorance and darkness. Man is steeped in ignorance even from his birth as he thinks that the world is real and his wife, children and property are real and permanent! The grip of Maya is so great and terrible that man is never free from it till his countless births! The Lord says, “Mama Maya duratyaya”—It is impossible to overcome My Maya. It is interesting to note that the creator of Maya is never bound by it. Like the Spider that weaves the web and catches all insects but remains unaffected by the sticky nature of the web, God has the sport of watching the hapless mortals caught in His web! According to Sri RamaKrishna  “ Force in action is Maya, force in potency is Brahman.” Brahman is tranquil while Maya is turbulent. Shakthi or energy is said to be the embodiment of Maya. Brahman is fire while its burning property is Shakti. Can there be creation without Energy or Shakthi? Adi Sankara in his Soundarya Lahari glorifies Sri Mata’s power. It is by having Her ‘pada dhuli' that Brahma creates, Vishnu protects and Siva destroys the universe and its creatures! Intelligence and Energy represent Siva and Shakthi. Both are necessary for creation. clay and water are both needed for making a pot. Siva alone cannot create without the help of  Shakti! She is the personification of Maya!

It is Maya that prevents man from realizing  God! Like the cloud that covers the sun Maya hides the deity. When the cloud moves away the sun shines brilliantly. Similarly when Maya is removed God is realized in full. God is inextricably interfused with Maya. It is impossible for the ordinary mortal to understand Maya and get rid of it. It requires a rare breed of person who can control his senses and devote himself to God always leaving aside all his worldly attachments. The swan is supposed to drink only milk from a mixture of water and milk! One should be like the swan that can leave aside the water and drink deep the fresh milk if he wants to realize God! A rare type of saint called Paramahamsa is the only qualified person to  reach God! One who realizes the nature of Maya is free from it as it flees like a thief detected!

While mostly Maya is the deluding force plunging mortals into insurmountable troubles and anxieties, the other side of it is the liberating force. The former is called Avidya Maya and the latter Vidya Maya.It is Vidya Maya that leads man to God. Avidya Maya leads man astray and far away from God. Vidya Maya is characterized by the qualities of Knowledge, devotion, non attachment and compassion that form the royal road to reach God. Without Maya God cannot be revealed. The first thing to do to know God is to know ‘Sakthi, the manifested power of God!

 Maya is the chief cause for “ attainment of Supreme Knowledge and final beatitude! The duality we see in life is because of Maya as well as relativity. When one transcends Maya, there is no enjoyer or the object of enjoyment! There is total loss of individual identity as the individual merges in to the BRAHMAN! Maya never hurts the devotee of God. The cat never hurts her kitten while catching them with its teeth. But it kills the mouse with the same teeth! Thus Maya is razor like and double edged! One has to decide if he wants to tread the path of God or be drowned in the illusion of  Maya and worldliness!