ON WEALTH AND OTHER THINGS

On Money and other things

Money or wealth is a very important thing in life! One cannot live without money! Money makes many things we say. Money is necessary to acquire even a small need for our existence. it is said there is no difference between a dead person and a man without money!  It is for money and wealth that man struggles throughout his life. But too much of money or wealth is dangerous.There is suffering in earning, saving, and spending money.Then why should people earn such money? Money cannot bring happiness to man. It can give him pleasure and luxury in life. It may lead to robbery and even murder at the hands of the greedy and the envious! “ ma kuru dhana jana yauvana garvam” counsels Adi Sankara in his Bhajagovinda stotra. Money is not stable. It moves from one person to another. It is as unstable as the bubble from the wave of the sea. Money misused destroys man.That is why it is advised that one should have just the money required for his existence.

The first wealth is health according to Emerson as nothing can be enjoyed without it. According to Chanakya, “ Give your wealth only to the worthy and never to others” as they may misuse or abuse it. “ Seek not greater wealth, but simpler pleasure; notmjmy the other higher fortune, but desperation felicity”says Mahatma Gandhi. Wealth without charity cannot be called ideal possession. “ The wealth which you will keep for ever is the wealth you have given away” says Marcus Aurelius.

Scholarship is a quality cherished by quite a few people. The essence of true scholarship is its originality. Creativity is its soul. One has to struggle to acquire scholarship. ‘ A scholar who loves comfort is not fit to be called a scholar in the words of Confucius. Mere memory cannot constitute scholarship. It is proper judgment that is required. He will be a walking dictionary if he has all the books in the world in his mind and nothing else. Sans originality or creativity, erudition is just ‘dust shaken out of a book into an empty skull.’

Every individual is endowed with imagination. But it varies from one individual to the other.Imagination takes you to a different world altogether. When imagination runs riot poetry comes into being. Imagination is poetry according to  Shelley, the famous English poet. “ Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.” says Albert Einstein. Jonathan Swift, the famous novelist, calls imagination as the art of seeing things invisible, and ‘ the preview of life’s coming attractions.’ Art and poetry would not have seen the light of the day without imagination!

“Wealth,scholarship,intelligence-- all become worthwhile only when used in the right way” states Bhagawan Sri Satya Sai Baba. Wealth accrued in  an illegal manner becomes black money. Earned through bribery it is tainted. Used for mere pleasures and luxuries, it degrades man! Spent for charity and righteous causes, it ennobles the human being. Scholarship that tends to mere criticism of other scholars and their work is not scholarship at all. Intelligence when it contributes to the welfare of humanity is ideal. But when it takes a devious turn and aims to destroy humanity it ceases to be worthwhile!  Most of the scientific inventions and discoveries, though well intentioned, are now turned into tormentors of mankind! Invention and imagination of such kind is better avoided. It is not important that we have these possessions, but it is of paramount significance how they are utilized for the good of society at large.

DOES GOD LOVE YOU?

DOES GOD LOVE YOU?

We visit temples and think we love God. We perform religious rituals and imagine we are virtuous and love God. We go on pilgrimages , bathe in holy rivers and think that we he have washed off all our sins because we love and offer worship to God! But even as we do these seemingly pious acts our minds are elsewhere without concentrating on the deity. Our ego does not leave us. It is as if we are on picnic to holy places to spend some pleasant time. We pat on our own back and call ourselves devotees of God! Is this a correct assessment? It cannot be. “ It is not all that important how much you love God; what is more important is how much God loves you!” Declares Bhagawan Sri Satya Sai Baba. It is only when you are dear to God and he runs to you at your call you can call yourself a real devotee!

On an occasion creator Brahma, Indra and other devas visited Vakunta. Indra asked Lord Vishnu who was the Lord’s favorite devotee. The Lord replied that Rantideva, son of Sanskriti was dearest to him. Brahma and others were shocked and surprised at this and thought that they were all belittled in spite of their devotion to the Lord. The Lord explained that the way of Rantideva’s devotion was extraordinary. Not satisfied with the remarks of the Lord, Brahma, Indra and other devas wanted to test king Rantideva’s devotion. Soon famine engulfed the kingdom of the king. Rains became scarce. People suffered without food and water! The king opened up his palace and treasury for the use of his subjects! Seeking the grace of Lord Vishnu, the king decided to fast and meditate on the Lord.He became lean and emaciated after 48 days of fast. His ministers and others persuaded him to break his fast and secured some food and water. The King agreed reluctantly to end his fast.

Just at that moment came a man tottering and requested for some food. Kind and compassionate, the king gave a portion of his food to the man who thanked him and went away! As the king prepared to eat the rest of the food, a man with tattered clothes approached him and and collapsed before him.Rantideva gave him a share of the remaining food and saved him. Surprisingly, a third person came with his dogs and demanded food for him and his dogs! The King gave away the last portion of the food he had and sent the person satisfied. There was now water alone for the king to drink! Rantideva was extremely satisfied that he had helped people in great distress!

Then came a chandala of very low caste and said that he was dying of thirst! Without a second thought, the king gave away the little water he had, to save the life of the man! But he said that he was an untouchable and unfit to get water from the king! King Rantideva said that all are children of God and that he saw Lord Vishnu in him! The moment the king uttered these words, creator Brahma, Indra, Varuna and Yama, the God of death stood before king Rantideva! They were struck at the compassion he showed to the poor and the downtrodden. They wondered at the selfless sacrifice he had made to save the lives of the needy and the deserving!

They now understood how Rantideva was one of the best devotees of Lord Vishnu and why the Lord loved him dearly!The first three people who pleaded for food were devas! The God of death came as a chandala to test whether the King would accept him! God loves only such people who are selfless, kind and compassionate to all living creatures”ekahparatama bahudehavarthi”-  The atma is one but manifests in all creatures in the world! One should see God in every object in the universe! Lord Vishnu granted moksha to Rantideva for his ideal qualities of a true devotee!

PARITHRANAYA SADdHUNAM.......

 “Parithranaya Sadhunam”………

Lord Vishnu killed Hiranyaksha and

Hiranyakasipu in Krutayuga and saved the earth from the demons! Later in Threthayuga Ravana and Kumbhakarna were got rid of during his incarnation as Sri Rama. Dwapara yuga was infested with a number of demons like kings Sisupala and Dantavaktra whose atrocities could not be endured by  mother earth. She appealed to the Lord who promised to incarnate soon and rid the world of these demons! Thus the Lord incarnated as Krishna  and chose Vasudeva and Devaki as his parents! It was Divine  conception for Devaki and the child Krishna an absolute incarnation of Vishnu-’ Swayam Bhagawan. Unlike the others, Krishna’s is a ‘ purnavatar’. Krishna was born on the eighth day of the waning moon of the month of Shravan as per the lunar calendar. The Lord was born in his original form, with four hands and the disc and the conch, in the prison cell but soon became a child!

Krishna was exceptionally beautiful. The word means ‘ black, dark,or dark blue. ‘ karshati iti krishna’-means one who attracts others. He is called  Govinda, finder of ‘go’-cows or Vedas, Gopala-protector of cows or souls. Like cowherds who protect the cows, the Lord protects the souls of the living beings! Krishna is described as an infant eating butter, as a young boy playing flute, as a  young man with Radha and other women and also as a mentor clearing the doubts of Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita!  Krishna is depicted as a God child, a prankster, a model lover, a Divine hero, and the Supreme being! Srimad Bhagavata glorifies Krishna’s sports as a child. He is all pervading in the Mahabharatha. Vishnu Purana and Harivamsa enumerate the greatness of the avatar. Whenever Dharma is endangered and adharma raises it's ugly head the Lord takes avatar to destroy evil and protect the good!

The first act of destroying evil commences with the killing of Putana, sent by Kamsa. Child Krishna sucks her life along with the poison from her breasts! A series of demons like Bakasura, Sakatasura and others are despatched to death playfully.Kamsa is killed next along with the wrestlers and the elephant that had run amuck. Later Krishna kills Sisupala and helps Bhima to kill Jarasandha who were terrorizing the people. Many other rakshasas were eliminated by Krishna as and when it became necessary. The most important role of Krishna in protecting Dharma commences during the Mahabharatha period. He becomes the friend, philosopher and guide to the Pandavas who were the embodiment of Dharma.It was Krishna who came to the rescue of Draupadi when

she was disrobed in the court in the presence of her husbands and the elders like Bhisma and Drona and others.

In the great Kurukshetra war that lasted for eighteen days, Krishna becomes ‘ parthasarathy ‘- driver of the chariot of Arjuna and leads him to victory! He dispels all the relevant doubts of Arjuna over killing his teachers, kith and kin. He counsels Arjuna to give up attachment and understand that the atma or soul is Indestructible, eternal and all pervading and manifest in every living creature.The paths of Karma, Bhakti and Jnana are explained to the Pandava warrior. In the forest Krishna saves Draupadi from the anger of sage Durvasa by just taking a morsel of food from her. Again and again he goads Arjuna to kill the Kauravas as they are the personification of evil and deserve to be killed mercilessly.

Krishna even goes as a messenger of peace to avoid war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas but as fate would have it they refuse to listen to him. Krishna plays a crucial role in killing Jayadratha who along with Karna and others killed Abhimanyu in the ‘Padma vyuha'. He brings him out of his hiding by covering the Sun with his Chakra when Arjuna beheads him with his arrow! He persuades Arjuna to kill unarmed Karna when his chariot sank into the earth by reminding the cruel manner by which Abhimanyu was killed. Finally he saves the foetus in the womb of Uttara from the terrible arrow of Aswatthama! Thus the only heir of the Pandavas, Parikshit, was left to rule after the all destructive war! Thus the Lord was always by the side of Dharma or righteousness, established it, and true to his word, destroyed the  evil and sinister forces!

A PEEP INTO THE GAYATRI MANTRA

A PEEP INTO THE GAYATRI MANTRA

The full moon day of the month of Sravana of the lunar calendar every year is celebrated as the day of ‘Upakarma’. It is the day when all the Brahmins put on the new sacred thread discarding the old one and perform GAYATRI chanting. They are expected to chant the mantra 108 times normally and 1008 times the next day! GAYATRI mantra is one of the oldest and most powerful of the mantras and is revered as ‘ maha mantra’. One who fixes and establishes it firmly in his mind is assured of a happy life. It protects the individual who chants it with faith and devotion and hence is called Gayatri! “ gayantam trayate iti Gayatri.”

Gayatri is called as the ‘ Vedamata’ of all the Vedas, Rig, Yajur, sama, and Atharvana Vedas. The mantra is composed of 24 syllables arranged in triplets of 8 syllables each. This metrical arrangement is called ‘tripathi’ and also Gayatri chandas. The mantra is from the Rig Veda (mandala 10:16:3). Om signifies the Pranava emanating from prana. The letter A indicates sound starting from the navel and emerging from the throat. The letter U represents it rolling over the tongue while M ends the sound on

the lips! The three avasthas of waking, dreaming, and  sleeping are indicated by the letters A U and M respectively! Pranava is thus the primordial sound symbolizing the universal Absolute.

In chanting the vyahrutis, ‘Bhu’, ‘Bhuvah’ and ‘Suvah’ the chanter meditates on the glory of God that illuminates the three worlds. ‘Savitur’ in the mantra is not the ordinary Sun but the ultimate light of wisdom. ‘Bhargo stands for illumination. The three vyahrutis represent the following as per the deeper meaning: ‘Bhu’ stands for earth, the past, morning, tamas,and the gross body. ‘Bhuvah’ represents the atmosphere, the present,  the noon, rajas, and the subtle body. ‘Suva’ shows space beyond the atmosphere, the future, evening, satwa, and causal body!

“ Gayatri is described as having five faces. The first is Om. The second is ‘Bhur Bhuvah Suva’. The third is ‘tat savitur varenyam’.The fourth face is ‘Bhargo devasya dhimahi’ The fifth is ‘Dhiyo yonah prachodayat’. The Five faces represent five pranas. Life forces protect the five pranas in man.When intelligence and intuition are developed, she is Gayatri.When life forces are protected she is the guardian deity Savitri. When speech is protected she is Saraswathi. Thus she is called ‘ sarvadevata swarupini’ the embodiment of all devas” explains Bhagawan Sri Satya Sai Baba (sss vol 16,06,March,1983)The meaning of the Gayatri mantra is “ we meditate on the adorable glory of the radiant Sun; may he inspire our intelligence”

Every brahmin bachelor and the family man, after his ‘upanayana’, has to perform ‘Sandhyavandanam’ thrice a day, in the morning, afternoon and the evening. But it is observed more in the breach than in the observance. It is pity that the brahmin community has lost its glory fascinated by the attraction of modern life, customs and manners. According to the  pramana it is a terrible sin not to know Sandhyavandanam or perform it daily as he is considered impure and unfit for any karma. Whatever karma he does will not bear any fruit. According to the pramana he shall suffer a punishment called ‘tamisra’ in the underworld or hell! He will be considered as a sudra during his lifetime! He will be reborn as a low animal. Our ancestors thus considered Gayatri in such great respect and esteem. The brahmin is called ‘ dwija' which means twice born. He gets his second birth only after Gayatri upadesa or Brahmopadesa by his father! Only then he is qualified to perform religious rituals and other karmas. Let us protect our dharma and follow the footsteps of our ancestors as far as possible!

EDUCTION-- WORLDLY AND SPIRITUAL

Education --worldly and spiritual

While knowledge and education in all fields is open to man,it is his interest and passion that leads to his choice of a particular field. It is of interest to know whether the education man has received so far has made him happy and wise! The way man has been living and behaving indicates to us that he is none the wiser for all the knowledge he has amassed! The so called civilized world is full of violence, deceit, hatred, greed,selfishness materialism and other negative qualities! Why is man, in spite of his knowledge and education, unable to free himself from these  evil propensities? It is because of the worldly education that he has been receiving continuously!” Worldly education makes man great, whereas spiritual education makes him good” declares Bhagawan Sri Satya Sai Baba!

All branches of knowledge cater to the physical and material needs of man! “Udara Nimittam  bahukruta vesham” says Sri Sankara in his Bhajagovinda stotra. The very purpose of life is forgotten by man. No doubt, he has become great physically and mentally but has neglected his ethical, moral and spiritual side.He has learnt all about the earth, sky and nature but has forgotten to study his own real nature! Thus there is a lopsided development in man! All the ills of the present day world and society are because of this total involvement in material existence without any thought on the spiritual side. While attachment to the body is needed,excess of it is detrimental.True spirituality exists in ‘understanding the unity of the entire humanity and giving up the sense of attachment and hatred. Cultivating moral values and acting righteously and love for all are  absolutely essential for resolving the conflicts in the world.

What is this human life? It is ,’a combination of morality, spirituality and righteousness.’True education is expected to confer virtues, good intellect, duty, devotion and discipline. Mere accumulation of wealth, scholarship and intelligence is of no use. They become worthwhile only when utilized in the right way! Spiritual education can be cultivated personally. There is no need to join any college or university. Love is present in all of us but it is only selfish and showered on our children and kith and kin. If that love is enlarged and shown to every human being in the world it becomes spiritual. Love is the prime component in human values!

What are the other components of spiritual education? Service to humanity is the first and foremost requisite since the same eternal spirit or atma manifests itself in every living creature! ‘ ajayamano bahudha vijayathe’, ‘ekah paratma bahu deha varthi’-- are the golden words of our Vedas and the Upanishads! Spirituality does not require going to the forest abandoning all and performing tapas.It demands compassion, mercy, and pity for the suffering teeming millions in society. We should see God in every person or thing as service to man is service to God! In case we are unable to help others, at least we can express our sympathy for them. An aspirant for spirituality should be ready to sacrifice to save people in distress. He is expected to be totally selfless in doing his work. This will rid him of his ego and elevate him to higher plane consciousness.

There is serious moral degradation in the present society in the world. No amount of material comfort and pleasure can help man. One day or other he has to think about his spirit or soul. He should realize that he is not the body but the Indestructible atma or the spirit. There is nothing that he can take with him when he dies! It is the effect of his good and bad deeds that follow him. He should maintain ceiling on his desires lest he cannot free himself from the cycle of birth and and death.He can achieve spirituality by keeping company with devotees, chanting the glorious names of God,and reading scriptures. He should combine his daily duties with some of the cardinal principles of spirituality to avoid the stress and strain of this mundane world.Being a social and rational animal, he must realize the significance of spirituality in his life and conduct himself accordingly. Man bereft of spirituality is no better than the animal!