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!
“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!
No comments:
Post a Comment