24. Failures and suffering are stepping stones for success

I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith.                                                     – Gandhiji

There is a Sanskrit adage ‘Krishito Nasti durbhiksham’ which means efforts of hard work will never be wasted. But deep-rooted habits require greater effort to break, especially when you believe they are just reasons.

Meaningful accomplishments demand perseverance and hard work, usually in the face of unexpected delays and disappointments. One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat. Most people are guilty of this mistake at one time or another. One of the main weaknesses of mankind is the average man’s familiarity with the word “impossible.” He knows all the methods which will not work and all the things which cannot be done.

Gandhiji too failed many times during his experiments in personal life and freedom struggle. He saw himself as an integral part of the universe and hence if anybody wrongs, he used to punish himself by way of fasting. He also conducted experiments in celibacy because to control the followers one has to first achieve self-control. But those experiments became a source of misunderstandings and criticisms.

His support for Khilafat movement did not result in the much hoped alliance between the two religions. His non-violent campaigns turned violent in places such as Chouri choura and had to be called off, citing that people are not yet mature for such campaigns. His idea of Ramrajya (meaning Divine State, and not kingdom of mythical Rama) as an ideal state met with strong opposition from various sections of the society.

Gandhiji repeatedly refused when people insisted on giving him the reverential title of Mahatma (Great Soul). He publicly confessed his   mistakes but kept learning from them and did not give up freedom struggle totally. He once said a small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history. ‘If I have the belief that I can do it, I can surely acquire the capacity to do it even though I might not have it in the beginning’.

Another weakness of man is the habit of measuring everything, and everyone, by his own beliefs and standards. Their thought habits have been so steeped in ignorance and superstitions that they refuse to believe anything which they do not understand. They foolishly believe that their own limitations are the proper measure of limitations for everybody.

A historian who later became Gandhiji’s co-worker couldn’t accept that nonviolent fight could bring independence.  He said ‘”Mr.  Gandhi, you may know all about the Bhagavad Gita, but you know nothing at all about history. Never has a nation been able to free itself without violence’.

Gandhiji smiled and corrected him gently. ‘The first thing you have to learn about history is that, because something has not taken place in the past, that does not mean it cannot take place in the future.’

After returning from South Africa Gandhiji spent thirty long years in Indian freedom struggle. The road to success is a long one and requires commitment and persistence.

When Gandhiji came back from his student years in London, fully cultured and conscious of what he thought to be his legitimate rights, the first person he tried to impress was his wife. However, Kasturba was a woman with a will of her own. When Gandhiji began to demand his rights Kasturba, naturally started to do the same, at the same time. Often their disagreements became so fierce that Kasturba was reduced to tears, which only irritated Gandhiji more.

Once, Kastur Ba refused to clean to the toilets used by guests, saying it was beneath her dignity. Exasperated, Gandhiji shouted at her “I will not tolerate this nonsense in my house!”

Kasturba retarded, “Then keep your house to yourself and let me go”!

In a rage Gandhiji grabbed her arm and pushed her out of the house and closed the door.

She cried, “Have you no sense of shame?” Where can I go? I have no family in this country to take me in. Because I am your wife, do you think I have to put up with your abuse? For heaven’s sake behave yourself and open the door. Let us not be caught in front of others making such a scene!”

At that time Gandhiji thought it was his right as a husband to impose his opinions on his wife. But as the years passed and the storms between them continued, he began to realize what anguish he was causing her by his rigid beliefs. At last it occurred to him that rather than exercising his “rights,” he could fulfil his duties.

Immediately, instead of forcing Kasturba’s obedience to his newfound beliefs and values, Gandhiji began to try to win her over by his own example. It was  a long, painful process. Often he had to ignore his cherished likes and dislikes to see things from her point of view rather than his own. But gradually he began to see that there was no friction between them except what he had imposed. He also discovered that Kasturba had always been trying to win him over by love.

By her personal example, Kasturba showed the way to root out the anger and competition eroding their marriage: not by retaliating and inflaming the situation more, but by constantly trying to support him and bear with him through his outbursts and mistakes. She kept her eyes always on what was good in him and encouraging him silently to live up to her respect.

It was one of the most radical discoveries he was to make in a lifetime of experiments: in order to transform others, you first have to transform yourself.

Gradually Gandhiji began to see that she was practicing every day what he himself had been admiring as a theoretical ideal. Gandhiji learned Kasturba’s patience and in return inspired her with his own fiery enthusiasm. She started treating untouchables with love and respect. Each became the other’s teacher. It was a long, arduous exacting discipline, which he used to say required the patience of a man trying to empty the ocean with a cup. But every time they overcame a barrier between them, they found they were not only able to love each other more, they had more love and patience for everyone else as well. By the time Gandhiji had learned to bring this love to bear even on his opponents, Kasturba too was in prison, gathering other women to her leadership.

“Be the change you want to see in the world. First people will ignore you, then they will ridicule you, then they will fight you, and then you win”.                                                                    – Gandhiji

After you have begun putting the concepts of this book into practice, you may notice difference in your interaction with the people around you. You may begin to realize that some of the significant people in your life, both inside and outside your home, don’t seem to like the changes in you – even  if the  old you was a total disaster! Just when you expect cheerleaders dancing all around you and encouraging your development, you may find yourself faced with firing squads.

The reason is that people around are accustomed to interacting with you in a certain way. When that familiar pattern of interaction is disturbed, they may be clueless about how to interact with you. Hence there can be upset of varying degrees. Even when you understand it, this upset can be very disturbing and impede your progress.  Another reason is that your well-wishers genuinely wish your safety and are afraid if you venture from the known world to the unknown. They may also worry about your state of mind and pull you back. Another reason is that family members naturally worry that you may neglect them and household responsibilities.

Some of the symptoms of transformation you may notice after using these principles may be below:

• Sudden increase in hunger for knowledge
• Disregard for time and absence of mind
• Becoming more generous and loving
• Rejection of previous norms and limitations
• Childlike sense of wonder and joy, and so on.

The symptoms are not important and should not be pursued. They serve as indicators that all these things are normal in transformation from ‘’old you’ to

‘new you’.

When we make a resolve to live based on certain principles, the life won’t be a cake walk but often a road filled with thorns. It is important to remember that other people may not be at the same level of maturity to understand your experiences. Trying to convert others only causes friction and fights. So instead  of  trying  to  impress  others  about  your  ‘’discoveries’  or  force  your beliefs on them, you may consider sharing these principles with your friends and family members. By helping others to improve, you will help yourself, by creating a better world to live in. It is very essential to be associated with other aspirants with similar goals as yours so that you won‘t be pulled back by your old associates and old habits.

Success comes to those who are success-conscious. Failure comes to those who allow themselves to become failure-conscious. Your subconscious mind works continuously, while you are awake, and while you are asleep. Spasmodic or occasional effort to apply the rules will be of no value to you. You must apply all of the rules until their application becomes a fixed habit with you.

Symptoms of lack of persistence:

1. Failure to recognize and to clearly define exactly what one wants.
2. Procrastination, with or without cause (usually backed up with excuses).
3. Lack of interest in acquiring required knowledge.
4. Searching for short-cuts, trying to get something without giving a fair equivalent in return (gambling, lotteries, theft etc).
5. Fear of criticism, failure to create plans and to put them into action, because of what other people will think or say.

Many people believe that success is the result of favourable “breaks.” But those depending entirely upon luck, are nearly always disappointed, because they  fail  to  acknowledge  that  ‘luck’  is  a  point  where  ‘opportunity’  meets

‘preparation’.

If we want to climb Mount Everest our every step must be put towards Mount Everest. Persistence is a state of mind, and it can be cultivated. There are below four simple steps which lead to the habit of ‘persistence‘. They require no great amount of intelligence but little time and effort.

The necessary steps are:

1. A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage you to follow through actions
2. A definite and written purpose backed by a burning desire for its fulfillment
3. A definite plan expressed in continuous action
4. A mind closed tightly against all negative influences – self-made and that of outsiders

With persistence, nothing is impossible!

In our lives we must always hope for the best but be prepared to face the worst. We strive to solve our problems, achieve our objectives and become successful. But life is not fair always. Life is uncertain and ever changing. Throughout history people have lost possessions and beloved ones in natural calamities or man-made calamities such as wars, holocausts, partitions and so on.

We know that all earthly possessions and people are temporal and should perish one day. But we wonder ‘why me? What have I done wrong to undergo such suffering?’ It is impossible to come up with accurate answer for such questions. But the most logical explanation is to think that we are working out our past karma and then decide how we respond in a particular situation.

God probably causes diseases and disasters to awaken us to the realization that we are not this physical body and this world is not our permanent abode.

When we are no longer able to change a situation – for instance an incurable disease such as terminal cancer or loss of a limb – we are challenged to change ourselves. Dancer Sudha Chandran lost one leg in an accident, but could dance using a prosthetic leg, drawing crowds, mesmerizing and inspiring them. She said that, if not for that accident, she would have remained an ordinary dancer among thousands. Her achievement became a movie and also a lesson in school curriculum.

Suffering ceases to be suffering the moment it finds a meaning, such as sacrifice for the sake of family or nation. When we lose or renounce family, we should be ready to embrace a bigger family, which is the world. The best way to face suffering is to lose ourselves in loving and serving others.

Thus we may find purpose of life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed. Then we can witness the unique human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into a human achievement.

Gandhiji redirected his frustration with injustice and unfairness and channelled it into a drive to fight them.  He gave up successful and lucrative law practice, which was very high paying in those days. Though he and his family members could live in luxuries, he voluntarily chose suffering; imprisonments, beating by the police and rigorous fasting that damaged his health. Voluntary suffering can be equated with Tapas, which is one of five niyamas of ahstanga yoga mentioned in Raja Yoga. It leads to purification and self-evolvement.

Gandhiji internally understood that his ill treatment by the British was part of collective karma of Indians, higher castes were exploiting lower castes, and in turn they were being exploited by the British who were superior in science and technology.

Hence on one hand he aimed at bringing unity among various castes and religions.  On the other hand he loved even his political opponents and oppressors such as the British. He reasoned that people may do wrong things, not out of evil intentions, but out of ignorance. So the best response would be to educate them, not retaliate. His suffering in the hands of the British awakened their conscience and led to a change in hearts.

Most of the human suffering can be of the below two categories.

1. Financial loss – losing job or business failure, theft, fire so on.
2. Emotional loss – losing loved ones, family members.

While the loss in first category can be recouped to some extent through insurance, the loss in second category cannot be replaced even through insurance coverage and it is often the most devastating.

Below are few ways how we can turn suffering into stepping stones for our growth.

• First thing we have to admit is that almost every human being goes through this suffering phase, in varying degrees, at one time or the other in their lifetime. Many of them often emerge stronger physically and emotionally after this phase.
• It may give a deeper understanding of philosophical answers such as our role in the world.
• Develops an understanding and empathy for sufferings of other people.
• Develops a deeper appreciation for life. This includes a deeper appreciation for the simple moments, opportunities in everyday life and for relationships that are often taken for granted.
• Develops a positive shift in values and priorities. This often includes a renewed sense that time and relationships are precious.

In the wake of suffering, many people find themselves expressing their emotions in a more open way. This often strengthens relationships and social support as one becomes more willing to admit limitations, vulnerabilities and appreciate help from others.

Blessed are those who undergo hardships, intense trials and learning, because they emerge stronger. Thus suffering can become stepping stone for success.

Rabindranath Tagore had lost most of his family members at a young age. That tragedy prompted him to come up with the Noble winner Gitanjali. He has not only rebuilt his own life but also has been inspiring many people to do so.

His life is a testimony to the truth that even in the greatest suffering a man has the spiritual freedom to choose how he responds in a given situation. Strange and varied are the ways of life, through which people are sometimes forced to undergo all sorts of suffering before discovering their true self, and their own capacity to transform their own and other’s lives too.

When we are forced to face bad things, we should always have faith that when God closes one door, He opens another. We must surrender to the will of God, but take responsibility for our life into our own hands. Then we can make our life a beautiful work of art!

All the best!

23. How to apply spirituality in daily life?

Swami Vivekananda said “one ounce of practice is worth a thousand pounds of theory.” But many people are clueless about how to put spiritual theory into daily practice. They believe that spirituality makes us shun the luxuries of the world while materialism makes us neglect spirituality. Is it possible to blend both of them?

Most people believe that ‘materialism’ refers to a culture which is mainly motivated by the acquisition of money, possessions, material goods, and worldly success.

But materialism really means the belief that there is nothing above or beyond material life; and that the idea of Atman and Brahman are ignorant delusions.

The opposite of materialism is spiritualism, but this is yet another word which has become misused, far more so than materialism. To a modern mind it may bring up images of monks begging for alms or saffron clothed god-men living in mansions and performing cheap tricks for a living.

Spiritualism really means the belief that the ultimate reality is not something material and physical, but rather something purely spiritual and transcendent, and that this is the source and final destiny, of everything and everyone. It does not refuse the matter and physical phenomena but maintains that these are only impermanent in nature, and only to be used as instruments for spiritual experience and evolution.

To give a simple example, while a materialist loves things and uses people, a spiritualist loves people and uses things only as tools.

Gandhiji successfully blended the material or individual life with spiritual or collective life. As occasion demanded he emphasized one over the other. For instance he often quoted “I could carry God, to the poor, in a bowl of rice”.

It is easy to misunderstand and misinterpret him by focusing attention on onside and ignoring the rest of his thought thereby distorting his meanings and intentions. He has been often attacked by spiritualists and materialists alike.

The spiritualists accused him of lowering the spiritual life by mixing it with politics and economics. But most of them failed to guide masses in applying moral values in everyday life.

The materialists accused him of confusing masses by mixing political and economic issues with his ideas of Truth, ahimsa, asteya, aparigraha etc. But they too failed in giving real solutions.

For instance the capitalists encourage individual liberty and enterprise but that often lead to exploitation of the lesser fortunate. The communists declare that they are intended to achieve the economic equality of the masses and have nothing to do with the spiritual values at individual level. In many countries their experiments only led to oppression and equal distribution of poverty.

In analysing how Gandhiji blended the material with the spiritual, we must consider not only his spoken or written words, but also the way he lived. We need to observe how he handled critical situations, organized institutions and movements and dealt with co-workers or opponents. ‘To err is human’. He too erred on many occasions and corrected himself. Hence he advised readers, “if there are inconsistencies in my teachings, the latter prevail over the former”.

Gandhiji referred to Bhagavadgita as a guide in all his experiments. To teach the Bhagavadgita to Arjuna, Krishna chose battle field as the background, instead of a hermitage or forest retreat. Hence the Bhagavadgita is not a book that has to be kept locked in a box and worshipped, and to be opened only after retirement from active life. It is a guide that must be used at any time of our life. It does not tell us to renounce life and run away from problems. Instead it propels us to run head on into life’s battles with faith and fearlessness.

Had Arjuna run away from battle field, he could be termed as the so called ‘spiritualist’. Renouncing his duty to fight the evil and protect the good, would mean denying creation’s grand scheme of things, where each being must do his part. Were he to indulge in the war straight away without listening to the Bhagavadgita, he could be termed as the so called ‘materialist’, only intended to gain kingdom and riches. The gist of the Bhagavadgita’s teaching is that Arjuna performed his duty as a soldier without getting entangled with war’s karmic consequences.

Material success without spiritual foundation is bound to collapse. Hence every man must balance his life with pursuit of four purushardhas – dharma, ardha, kama and moksha.

An aircraft manoeuvres in several altitudes and directions. But it always follows a flight plan to reach the destination by taking instructions from the ground control tower. Suppose if ardha and kama are two wings of an aircraft, then moksha is the destination and dharma is the control tower. A person without spiritual compass is like an aircraft without flight plan and will be doomed in life.

But we need success in material life too. For centuries, pundits, in their sattvic arrogance scoffed down at rajasic people and misinterpreted that desire-less state is the highest state to be achieved.  

During the middle ages endeavours such as sea voyages, scientific explorations, commerce and creation of wealth, acquiring army to protect the weak were all discouraged. Slowly the country slipped down into tamasic ignorance, dullness and slavery.

Desire is the fire, energy of life, and can be used for constructive purposes such as obtaining independence, inventing medicines, technological advancements, creating wealth and jobs and so on, and to explore all the marvels of God’s creation.

Desires, if used for destructive purposes or selfish gains, can lead to self-created fall, because ultimately dharma prevails and ‘Truth alone Triumphs’.

Our body and minds are instruments to attain liberation, pursue dharma, earn ardha, fulfil kama and be of service to other beings. Hence we need success both in proper use of material resources and in our spiritual evolvement.

In the chapter on ‘power of faith’ we have learnt the power of prayer. We must always pray God, the way great composer Thayagaraja pleaded, to let us serve Him as a royal guard. That is the closest one can get to God. An average servant may have fewer expectations, of his capabilities and commitment, by his master. A royal guard on the other hand strives to be pure, disciplined, capable and always vigilant on duty. This may not be the highest but certainly the best position one can aspire for in life and seek from God.

Constantly remind yourself that you are serving, supporting and protecting God’s creation. In any of your field of action, observe yourself, to find if you are truly doing these duties as a royal guard must do.

We can observe that Gandhiji truly served as a royal guard because he was free from the six vices and also was fearless to fight the British Empire. He gave up even his own life to stop people from killing each other during partition riots. He always enjoyed his work to the last moment, without either complaining or taking a vacation. The ultimate purpose of life is only to serve God and His creation. If you pray God to let you serve as a royal guard, He will guide and lead you in every moment of life. Then anything and everything that you do in any field of action can become sadhana (practice) towards moksha (liberation).

Uthara – Bantu reethi

Life is a school where we keep coming back again and again to learn lessons and evolve towards perfection. It is only the ignorant ego that is born again and again but there is no rebirth for true Self. Gandhiji once said “I have travelled so far, and yet all I have done is, coming home” indicating his journey of separation from God to finding God.  But deep rooted tendencies such as greed, hatred, wickedness, laziness, irresponsibility, untruthfulness and fears cannot be removed so quickly and easily. Before trying to remove them from other people, we need to remove them from ourselves first and be an example to others. We need to cultivate positive tendencies such as faith, love, fearlessness, compassion, non-possession so that the influence of negative tendencies gets reduced.

Our objective in this e-book is not to put Gandhiji on a high pedestal and worship him as a god or saviour. Our objective is to take him as an example and follow him in the path that he walked.

Such path may be filled, not with roses and welcoming applauses, but with trials and challenges. One should be prepared to be a lonely fighter walking upon the toughest terrain. But certainly the journey is worth the efforts, if we just have faith that God is with us all along. Let us also make our individual life an experiment with Truth, the way Gandhiji termed his autobiography as ‘My experiments with Truth’.

22. Is death really our final destination?

Many people often ask, “Everybody dies. What is the big deal about life?”   

Not everybody truly dies. Those who die in body, with God’s name on their lips, live forever in spirit.

There is a huge difference in life between death and immortality. A lioness carries her cub in mouth to transfer to a safer place. She may also hunt a deer and carry it in her mouth. It is the same mouth, but whereas the cub is safe and comfortable, the deer suffers in the jaws of death. Similarly, at the time of death the enlightened persons embrace death with grace, whereas ordinary people fear and suffer.

God is Time – both death and immortality; Being and non-Being. There is no end to God’s Divine manifestations, because He is Omnipotent, Omni pervasive and nothing exists outside of Him.

That’s why Bruhadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28) says

“O God, lead me

From untruth to Truth

From ignorance to Enlightenment

From death to Immortality!”

It was 15th August of 1947. Decades of persistent efforts of Gandhiji and other freedom fighters yielded fruits. The British agreed to give independence to India, but divided it on religious grounds. The whole country celebrated the day. There were singing and dancing processions and parades everywhere.

But Gandhiji was in faraway Calcutta striving for peace between Hindus and Muslims. Riots had again broken out there and he was in the midst of that fire. He stayed in a hut in a poor area. He  wandered from street to street and house to house requesting people to stay calm. When all that failed he went on fast. This had the desired effect on the minds of the people. The leaders of both communities assured him that they would control their people. Gandhiji accepted that assurance and broke the fast.

Few extremists accused that he was a traitor who had sacrificed Hindu interests to appease Muslims. There was an assassination attempt from which he escaped unhurt, and continued his mission.

On the evening of 30th January 1948, Gandhiji walked out of his temporary residence at Birla House to reach prayer house. Weakened by fasts and tours, he walked slowly with the support of his two grandnieces. Hundreds of followers gathered to touch his feet, to get his blessings and join him in prayers. Gandhiji paused and folded his hands in traditional Namaste salutation. A person stepped out from the crowd greeting Gandhiji with folded hands. Then he drew a pistol and shot Gandhiji three times at close range. With bullets in chest and abdomen, Gandhiji died instantly saying ‘Hey Ram’ (Oh God). But he lives in spirit, forever.

Gandhi – Is death really our final destination?

The fight of Satyagraha is for the strong in spirit, not the doubter or the timid. Satyagraha teaches us the art of living as well as dying. Birth and death are inevitable among mortals. What distinguishes the man from the brute is his conscious striving to realize the spirit within. The last eighteen verses of the second chapter of the Gita which are recited at the prayer give in a nutshell the secret of the art of living. It is given there in the form of a description of a sthitaprajna or the man of steady wisdom, i.e. a Satyagrahi in reply to Aijuna’s query to Lord Kirshna: The art of dying follows as a corollary from the art of living. Death must come to all. – A man may die of a lightning stroke or as a result of heart failure. But that is not the death that a Satyagrahi can wish for or pray for himself. The art of dying for a Satyagrahi consists in facing death cheerfully in the performance of one’s duty… I believe in the immortality of the soul. I would like to give you the analogy of the ocean. The ocean is composed of drops of water; each drop is an entity and yet it is part of the whole, ‘ the one and the many’. In this ocean of life, we are little drops. My doctrine means that I must identify myself with life, with everything that lives, that I must share the majesty of life in the presence of God. The sum-total of this life is God. We may not be God, but we are of God. I want to say emphatically that we should not at all grieve over the death of one whom we consider a saintly man; and we should have a firm faith that it is only after his death that his true work commences, or rather begins to bear true fruit. What have been considered to be his great achievements during his lifetime will pale into insignificance before the future ones. Of course it is our duty to follow, up to the extent of our capacity, the good steps of those whom we respect as saints. – Gandhiji

Albert  Einstein,  a  famous  scientist  said,  “Generations  to  come,  will  scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon  this  earth.”

Gandhiji’s achievements were many. Each one of them, judged by the manner of its execution or by its results, would have made his name honoured anywhere in the world.

Gandhiji brought liberation from foreign rule to a fifth of the human race.  And India’s freedom was, in a way, the harbinger of freedom to many countries in Africa and Asia. Several world renowned leaders such as Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, Junior Martin Luther King and Barack Obama of America and countless others drew inspiration from Gandhiji.

Of no less significance was what he did for those who were once despised as ‘untouchables’. He broke their centuries-old shackles of caste tyranny and social indignity. He insisted that freedom should be measured by the all- round social, moral and economic well-being of the millions who live in the villages.

His very death was an achievement in itself, for the martyrdom shamed his people out of hysteria of hatred and fratricide, and helped the new-born nation to consolidate on secular and democratic principles. But he stopped some of his co-workers who had formed a society named after him to promote his ideals.

There is no such thing as Gandhism, and I do not want to leave any sect after me. I do not claim to have originated any new principle or doctrine. I have simply tried, in my own way, to apply the eternal truths to my daily life and problems … The opinions I have formed, and the conclusions I have arrived at, are not by any means final. I may change them tomorrow if I find better ones. I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills. All I have done is to try experiments in both, on as vast a scale and as best as I could. In doing so, I have sometimes erred, and learnt by my errors. My uniform experience has convinced me that there is no other God than Truth. And if every page of these chapters does not proclaim to the reader that the only means for the realization of Truth is Ahimsa, I shall deem all my labour in writing these chapters to have been in vain. And, even though my efforts in this behalf may prove fruitless, let the readers know that the vehicle, not the great principle, is at fault. After all, however sincere my strivings after Ahimsa may have been, they have still been imperfect and inadequate. The little fleeting glimpses, therefore, that I have been able to have of Truth can hardly convey an idea of the indescribable lustre of Truth, a million times more intense than that of the sun we daily see with our eyes. In fact what I have caught is only the faintest glimmer of that mighty effulgence. But this much I can say with assurance, as a result of all my experiments, that a perfect vision of Truth can only follow a complete realization of Ahimsa. To see the universal and all-pervading Spirit of Truth face to face one must be able to love the meanest of creation as oneself. And a man who aspires after that cannot afford to keep out of any field of life. That is why my devotion to Truth has drawn me into the field of politics; and I can say without the slightest hesitation, and yet in all humility, that those who say that religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means. Identification with everything that lives is impossible without self- purification; without self-purification the observance of the law of Ahimsa must remain an empty dream; God can never be realized by one who is not pure of heart. Self-purification therefore must mean purification in all the walks of life. And purification being highly infectious, purification of oneself necessarily leads to the purification of one’s surroundings. But the path of self-purification is hard and steep. To attain perfect purity one has to become absolutely passion-free in thought, speech and action; to rise above the opposing currents of love and hatred, attachment and repulsion. I know that I have not in me as yet that triple purity, in spite of constant ceaseless striving for it. That is why the world’s praise fails to move me, indeed it very often stings me. Conquering the subtle passions is much harder than the physical conquest of the world by the force of arms. Ever since my return to India I have had experience of the dormant passions lying hidden within me. The knowledge of them has made me feel humiliated though not defeated. The experiences and experiments have sustained me and given me great joy. But I know that I have still before me a difficult path to traverse. I must reduce myself to zero. So long as a man does not of his own free will put himself last among his fellow creatures, there is no salvation for him. Ahimsa is the farthest limit of humility.  –  Gandhiji

21. How to handle Kama, sex energy?

In the four purushardhas the third one is kama. It usually has below two meanings.

1. It is a short form of ‘kamana’ which means desire to obtain an object or objective.
2. It can also be the actual process of procreation, thus refers to sex.

In the chapter on ‘desire’ we have used the word ‘kama’ in reference to desire without sexual connotation. However in this chapter the word ‘kama’ is used in connection with sex.  

Every creature wants to avoid death or live forever. But that is not possible. The nearest possibility to achieve immortality is having offspring to continue the genetic lineage. Thus nature has made the sexual urge very powerful so that the process of creation continues. That is reproductive instinct.

Kama or sex urge is very difficult to overcome even for monks who give up wealth, power, family and so on. But kama is considered an essential and healthy goal of human life when pursued without compromising the other three goals: dharma (righteous life), ardha (proper means of earning) and moksha (liberation). A life of sexual gratification is allowed only for grihastha ashram and forbidden for other three ashrams, especially to disciples and sanyasis.

Sex is not an ugly topic that must be pushed under the carpet. It is holy and hence found space on temple sculpture. It is a welcome trend that sex education is a part of curriculum to students.

In this background many people have many questions such as whether to get married or practice celibacy, how to control sex urges, and so on.

We like to keep most of our emotions, to us alone, except love. To express love we need another person. Love is also the only emotion that creates something – it creates new life. Love brings not only life and joy, but also pain and suffering.

Painting courtesy of Igor Stefanović

.Love your partner, but be detached because we human beings are imperfect and impermanent. One day either he or she may ditch you or may be taken away by death leaving you in suffering.

Traditionally the institution of marriage is established for the below reasons.

1. To fulfill sexual needs in a socially accepted and organized manner.
2. For division of labour between man and woman, whereby a man goes out for earning and woman takes care of children and household chores.
3. To provide a stable environment for bringing up children because they are more dependent upon parental support for up to 20 years, unlike offspring of other animals and birds

Usually a person gets married because he or she needs support. This support may be physical, emotional, psychological, social, or financial.

If you get married without you having the need to do so, then it is invitation for troubles, because you will make life miserable not only to yourself but also to the partner.

Do not look for the perfect man or the perfect woman, because there can be none. All humans can only grow from imperfection towards perfection. If you understand what needs make you seek a companion, find someone who is reasonably compatible with you.

One reason why marriage can be tumultuous is because you have to share so many things in this relationship. The issue is neither marriage, nor is it about a man and a woman, husband and wife. In any situation where you are forced to share a lot with other people, you will face similar problems.

In a marriage, you usually have to share the same space, the same everything. Consequently, every day, you are treading on each other’s toes in one way or the other. In other relationships, if someone is overstepping the boundaries, you can set boundaries. But in marriages you need to be as close as possible. The greater the closeness, the greater the possibility of conflicts.

Another aspect is that if you try to extract something out of each other, and you or the other person does not get what he or she wants, there will be constant conflict.

Successful marriages or relationships have three ‘C’ in common

1. Commitment: Time and resources needed to make the partner happy
2. Compromise: Especially set aside ego and show willingness to change
3. Communication: Understand your partner, express your feelings, admit mistakes and so on

On the question about whether it is necessary to get married, it’s better to walk alone than to walk with someone who drags you behind. Also it’s better to climb alone than carrying the burden of four or more people.

A stable relation between parents is a must for a child. But abusive relationship between parents can be more damaging for a child’s growth.

As per scriptures, a householder, after he has taken care of his progeny, his parents, his traditions and cleansed his mind is ready to enter the third stage of life, or Vanaprastha. He must lead a frugal life during this stage, sleeping on floor, eating only fruits and bulbs. The more he gives up the worldly delights, the closer he gets to the knowledge of his spirit, and more ready he is for the last stage – the Sanyas Ashram, where he renounces everything and focuses entirely on spiritual pursuits. In these modern days living in forest hermitages may not be possible, but following vanaprastha and sanyas ashram mentally is necessary so as to come out of relationships and possessions that bind us to karma.

Vanaprastha is the stage where man does not need sex for procreation and is capable of overcoming animal instincts and pursue spiritual growth,

In the chapter on mysterious connecting link, we have learnt that on the physical side, sub-conscious mind is the source of vital processes such as breathing, preservation of one‘s own life, desire to procreate life through offspring, caring for offspring etc.  In the chapter on Raja Yoga we have learnt that Swathisthana Chakra is source of vitality and sex energy. But the path of tantra yoga is very dangerous and not recommended for ordinary seekers.

A lot of energy is required to produce semen necessary to create another life form. Thus it can be reasoned that conservation of semen is an essential part of conserving energy.  Hence scriptures stipulate that Brahmacharya is an essential part for students and also Sanyasis.

Sexual suppression vs. sublimation:

Suppression of sex is not an ideal solution because it often leads to mental damage.  If the urge is suppressed, it may strike with double force, when an opportunity arises. What is important is not suppression, but sublimation or transmutation of sex energy.

Sublimation of sex energy:

Usually sexual energy takes physical expression either in the form of intercourse or masturbation. Instead of reckless physical indulgence, it can be harnessed for spiritual growth. There can be different way to do this.

1. Change your point of viewing woman: Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to see mother in every woman. You can try to see every woman as manifestation of Atman, because Atman is neither man nor woman.
2. Control palate: The attraction towards opposite sex arises out of rajasic nature. Cultivate sattvic nature by taking sattvic food, moderation and fasting. If you can control tongue, it becomes easy to control other organs.
3. Avoid bad company that reminds sex: Be in the company of good people, satsang.
4. Purify yourself with tapas, japa, dhyana etc.
5. To conserve sex energy, whenever sexual urge takes over mind, instead of indulging in physical expression, you may also follow the below procedure.
6. Close your eyes
7. Get into udyana bandha (abdominal lock)
8. Get into mooladhara bandha (anal lock)
9. Visualize that your kundalini energy is rising up from swadhistana chakra into sahasrara
10. Be in that state as long as sexual urge for physical expression stays

In the above procedure, the asanas and bandhas should have already been learned from a qualified guru.

In Sanskrit sex energy is called Indriya Shakti. Great importance is given to Indriya Nigraha, control of this energy. Gandhiji too experimented with Brahmacharya in his own life because he felt he needed to control himself first, to effectively control freedom movement.

What is Brahmacharya? It is the way of life which leads us to Brahma (God). It includes full control over the process of reproduction. The control must be in thought, word and deed. If the thought is not under control, the other two have no value. There is a saying in Hindustani: “He whose heart is pure has the all-purifying waters of the Ganga in his house.” For one whose thought is under control the other is mere child’s play.

The Brahmachari of my conception will be healthy and will easily live long. He will not even suffer from so much as a headache. Mental and physical work will not cause fatigue. He is ever bright, never slothful. Outward neatness will be an exact reflection of the inner. He will exhibit all the attributes of the steadfast one described in the Gita. It need cause no worry if not one person is met with answering the description.

Is it strange that one who is able completely to conserve and sublimate the vital fluid which has the potentiality of creating human beings should exhibit all the attributes described above? Who can measure the creative strength of such sublimation, one drop of which has the potentiality of bringing into being a human life?

Life without Brahmacharya appears to me to be insipid and animal-like. The brute by nature knows to self-restraint. Man is man because he is capable of, and only in so far as he exercises, self-restraint. What formerly appeared to me to be extravagant praise of Brahmacharya in our religious books seems now, with increasing clearness every day, to be absolutely proper and founded on experience.

From that day when I began brahmacharya, our freedom began. My wife became a free woman, free from my authority as her lord and master, and I became free from the slavery to my own appetite, which she had to satisfy. No other woman had any attraction for me in the same sense that my wife had. I was too loyal to her as husband and too loyal to the vow I had taken before my mother to be slave to any other woman. But the manner in which my brahmacharya came to me irresistibly drew me to woman as the mother of man. She became too sacred for sexual love. And so every woman at once became sister or daughter to me. Gandhiji

20. Way of love – Bhakti Yoga

The path of bhakti yoga is comparatively easier than that of dhyana yoga, because while meditating on the Absolute Being, the dhyana yogi can draw upon only his own spiritual and moral resources. Unless the process of catharsis has reached perfection, his effort may well be endless. But the devotee surrenders to the Supreme with all his weaknesses and imperfections, and finds that he is pulled out even from the lowest. – Gandhiji

In the chapter on ‘power of faith’ we have learnt that faith in God is a preliminary requirement for success in life. In the chapter on ‘power of love’ we have learnt the importance of loving and serving human beings. In the chapter on ‘maya’ we have learnt that Bhakti Yoga is one of the four paths to transcend maya and reach Bramhan.

Our human minds are finite and limited while God, Brahman is Infinite and Indescribable. Hence no human can claim to know fully about Brahman. But in Sanathana Dharma there are two ways to worship Him, as Nirguna Brahman and Saguna Brahman.  

Nirguna Brahman is without gunas or attributes (nameless and formless) while Saguna Brahman is with gunas (attributes such as names and forms).  

In Saguna Upasana God’s creative aspect can be called ‘Bramha’, sustaining power as ‘Vishnu’ and destructive power as ‘Shiva’. Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge required for creation, Lakshmi goddess of wealth needed for sustaining and Parvati goddess of power needed for destruction. Brahman in feminine form is called ‘Shakti’.

Sanathana Dharma allows simultaneous worship of multiple deities such as panchayutana puja in which Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Surya and an Ishta devata (desired deity) are worshipped. Vishnu is worshipped in His multiple avatars, such as Lord Narasimha, Rama and Krishna, taken to reestablish dharma. In Shrimad Bhagavata (7.5:23-24) Prahlada tells his father, Hiranyakashipu, about the nine forms of bhakti. They are as under.

Sri Ramadasu – Allah song

In bhakti yoga a complete surrender-ship to God is essential. We must surrender to Him and abide by His will whether He appears or vanishes. If we tell Him to do as we please, it is not surrender but command to Him. We cannot have Him obey us and yet think that we have surrendered. He knows what is best and when and how to do it. We must leave everything entirely to Him. His is the burden; we have no longer any cares. All our cares are His. That is surrender and bhakti.

The devotee holds on to his Ishta Devata or beloved God. To feel God’s presence at all times is a devotee’s happiness, in which he finally loses his lower self or ego. What remains is love and hence ‘God is Love’.  A devotee’s mind is no longer ‘mind’ but has become ‘Love’, which is Sat-chit-ananda or Eternal-Consciousness-Bliss.

19. Know who am I – Jnana Yoga

Most people, whenever they refer to themselves as “I’, refer to their body and mind complex. But we can reason that the true identity cannot be either body or mind. This is because the body is changing, growing from infancy to adulthood and then deteriorating with old age. For instance, when “I” was an infant, I was one feet tall. Now “I” am five feet tall. Hence body cannot be “I’. Body is an accumulation of food turned into flesh.

Similarly, mind is also changing, from gathering memories in childhood to losing memory in old age. Hence mind cannot be “I”. There must be a constant factor that is changeless and witness to the changes in body and mind.

Sages have explained the above truth in various puranas and Upanishads. In Markandeya purana queen Madalasa sings to her child explaining that he is neither body nor mind.

Practitioners of jnana Yoga do self-enquiry to distinguish themselves from body, mind, senses, and intellect until they know that they are nothing but the Self.   This is also called “Neti Neti  (Not this Not this)” approach which is understanding Brahman by first understanding what is not Brahman, as under.

• The gross body which is composed of the seven dhatus (plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, bone marrow and reproductive fluid), I am not;
• the five cognitive sense organs, viz. the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell, which apprehend their respective objects, viz. sound, touch, colour, taste, and odour, I am not;
• the five cognitive sense organs, viz. the organs of speech, locomotion, grasping, excretion, and procreation, which have as their respective functions speaking, moving, grasping, excreting, and enjoying, I am not;
• the five vital airs, prana, etc., which perform respectively the five functions of in-breathing, etc., I am not;
• even the mind which thinks, I am not;
• the nescience or ignorance too, which is endowed only with the residual impressions of objects, and in which there are no objects and no functioning’s, I am not.

After negating all of the above-mentioned as ‘not this’, ‘not this’, that Awareness which alone remains as witness – that I am

Some of the important sacred texts useful for Self-enquiry are given under. There are two classifications of texts – Shruti (that   which   is   heard) and Smriti (that which is remembered).

1. The Shruti refers to the body of most authoritative texts not authored by any person and hence called apauruṣeyas. They are considered revelations received by sages in intense meditation.  They include the four Vedas:  the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda. Each Veda has been subclassified into four major text types – the Samhitas (mantras), the Aranyakas (text on rituals), the Brahmanas (commentaries on rituals), and the Upanishads (philosophy and spiritual knowledge).

‘Veda’ means knowledge and ‘Anta’ means end. Because the Upanishads are the final or end part of vedas, they are also called Vedanta. There are 108 main Upanishads, of which the above ten are the most important.

1. The Smriti are a specific body of texts attributed to an author. As a derivative work they are considered less authoritative than Shruti. They include the epics (Ramayana and Mahabharata),  the Sutras and Shastras, the Puranas, shad darshanas or six philosophies (Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta) and so on. 

When a scholar asked Gandhiji if the scriptures or Shastras are infallible guides, he answered as under.

We have in Hinduism hundreds and thousands of books- whose names we do not even know which go under the short name of Shastras. Now when we want to find out whether a thing is good or bad, I do not go to a particular book, but I look to the sum total of the effect of Hinduism.

                    In Hinduism we have got an admirable foot-rule to measure every Shastra and every rule of conduct, and that is Truth. Whatever falls from Truth should be rejected, no matter wherever it comes from, and therefore the burden lies on the shoulders of that person who upholds a practice which is inconsistent with Truth, so that if a man wants to defend, for instance, untouchability, he has to show that it is consistent with Truth. Unless he shows that, all the authorities that he may cite in support of it are to me irrelevant.                                                        – Gandhiji

The Three Bodies (Sariras) & Five Sheaths (Koshas):

Taittiriya Upanishad mentions that every one of us has five koshas or  sheaths. These can be grouped into three bodies. The first two – physical  body and vital force are called the sthula sarira (gross body). The next two – mental body and intellect are called sukshma sarira (subtle or astral body). The last one – bliss sheath is called the karana sarira (casual body).

Each kosha‘s name contains the word ‘maya’, which here doesn’t mean ‘illusion’, but means ‘consisting of’.

1. Gross Body (Sthula Sarira)
2. Annamaya Kosha (food sheath): This sheath is our physical body and is the densest of all the koshas. It includes our flesh, bones and also the tissues which make up our muscles and organs. Here, energy is solidified into matter and it is made of the five elements, of which the earth element is the dominant one. It is called the food layer because it is created by the food that we eat.
3. Pranamaya Kosha (energy sheath): This kosha is the vital life force that moves through the body. It literally consists of the breath and the five pranas, namely: prana, apana, udana, samana and vyana. These forms of prana control various functions within the physical body, and without prana, the body would be lifeless, and unable to move or think. It is the prana that makes the blood flow, carries impulses through the nerves from our body, to the brain and back.
4. Subtle Body (Suksma Sarira)
5. Manomaya Kosha (mind sheath): This kosha is made up of our thoughts, feelings and emotions. It is through the prism of this dimension that we perceive the world and our likes and dislikes (raga and dvesha) via the agency of the five senses.
6. Vijnanamaya Kosha) (wisdom sheath): In this kosha we reach intuitive knowing and higher levels of consciousness. In this sheath the awareness of the body and mind is lost, and awareness is established as the ‘higher‘ mind. We know, decide, judge, and discriminate from the wisdom part of ourselves,  our higher consciousness. Consequently, the higher mind turns

within towards the soul, seeking the Truth, and searching for the eternal center of consciousness.

• Causal Body (Karana Sarira)
• Anandamaya Kosha Ananda (bliss sheath): It is the spiritual or causal body,  where,  finally,  you  become  one  with  the  ‘divine  spark’,  which  is your soul. Anandamaya kosha is connected to the unconscious or super conscious mind. It is only when the higher mind fuses with the super conscious mind, (or unconscious mind,) that one awakens to the Presence with a sense of connection to all. It is the highest level of vibration in this life.

Mundaka Upanishad illustrates the relationship between man and God as under, through two birds.

One may wonder, ‘what happens to our body after death?’

It is mind that makes a person believe he is body and not Atman. The gross body disintegrates at death. The subtle body disintegrates at rebirth, allowing a person to develop a new personality in his next life. The causal body reincarnates again and again, carrying the karma with it like luggage. It finally disintegrates at the time of liberation, when the Self disengages from the cycle of birth and death. A person graduated from a school wouldn’t be interested to sit in the same school again. Similarly enlightened beings know that life’s purpose is not to be born again and again, but ultimate liberation”.

To explain the relationship between two aspects – Atman (jiva) and Brahman (Ishwara), there are below three main schools of vedanta.

1. Dvaita (dualism): The most famous exponent of this school is Madhva. Here, Brahman and the Atman are considered to be two separate entities and not related in any way. Brahman here is a purely personal God, usually worshipped in the form of Vishnu or his Avatars such as Rama and Krishna. This school appeals directly to the heart, in the desire of persons to have a God to worship and serve.
2. Advaita (non-dualism): The most famous exponent of this school is Sankaracharya. He summarized the essence of his philosophy into three concise sentences. These are:

“Brahma Satyam.

Jagat Mithya.

Jivo Brahmaiva Na Parah.”

These can be translated in English as ‘God only is real. The world is unreal. The individual is none other than God’.

The analogy given for Advaita is that of the snake and the rope. In the dark, we may mistake a rope for a snake and for a time take it to be a real snake. But soon we realize that it is in fact a rope only. Once we know it to be a rope, we do not see the snake anymore. The rope had never existed, it was purely in our minds. So also, although it is only the Brahman which exists all around us, we see the world which is only a reading of Brahman by our minds. But once we attain realization and see that it was Brahman all along, we do not see the world anymore.

• Vishista Advaita (qualified monism or qualified non-dualism): The most famous exponent of Vishista Advaita is Ramanuja. In this school, The Brahman and Atman are also considered two equally real entities, as in dualism, but here the Atman is not separate from Brahman but is formed out of Brahman.

Here also as in dualism, Brahman is a personal God with omniscient qualities. He has created the world, but He has created the world out of His own self. Thus the world bears to Brahman the relation of part to whole, or the relation of a  ‘qualified effect‘ to the base (hence qualified monism). The famous analogy given for this is the sea and wave – Brahman is the sea and the objects of the world, both non-living and the living souls, are like waves upon this sea. All waves are ultimately the sea only, but as long as we see the wave we think it to be different from the sea. The wave is of name and form only. Other analogies given for this are gold and gold jewellery, clay and clay pots. The difference between these three levels of Vedanta can be better understood through below explanation given by Hanuman.

Oh Rama. When I am identified with body, I am your servant.

When I am identified with mind, I am part of you.

When I am identified with soul, I am you.

In the above three statements, the first one is dualism, second one is qualified dualism and third one is non-dualism. Thus all three are correct based on what level we are identifying with – body, mind or soul. At dualistic level we can call ourselves children of the loving Father or humble servants of the Lord.

All life is perfectly and purely divine and in our innermost spiritual being we are completely one with God, Truth, Consciousness. We are all sparks of the divine fire. Each divine spark, each one of us, is on an indescribably lengthy journey through the cycle of incarnation (birth, death, and rebirth) and this cycle or journey is governed by the law of karma, which is the law of self- created destiny. Gandhiji once said “I have travelled so far, and yet all I have done is, come home”.

A self-realized person is called ‘Dvija’ meaning ‘twice-born’. The first one is  physical   birth through  his   parents. The    second    ‘birth’   occurs    during an initiation ceremony called Brahmopadesha in which the Acharya helps the student realize the Self.

For a beginner spiritual aspirant it can be very difficult to stay grounded in the awareness that he is Atman because there are three layers of ignorance which need to be removed in the below manner.

1. For instance when he listens to or reads (Shravanam) the four great sentences (mahavakya) such as ‘Tat Tvam Asi (You are That), the first layer is removed and he ‘knows’.
   1. When he reflects (Mananam) on the meaning (the word ‘That’ indicates God or Brahman and ‘You’ indicates the individual or Jiva) the second layer is removed and he ‘understands’.
   1. When he meditates and applies (Nidhidhysanam) those teachings in life the third layer is removed and he experiences (Self-Realization)‘.

Hence Shravanam, Mananam and Nidhidhysanam all these three are very important to firmly grow in spirituality.

18. How to excel in action – Karma Yoga

The Bhagavad Gita is addressed not only to Arjuna, but also to each and every one of us. Krishna addressed Arjuna as Bharata in several verses. In Sanskrit ‘Bha’ means ‘light and wisdom’ and ‘rata’ means devoted. Bharata means the one who is devoted to the light of wisdom. Sages address all wise people as ‘Bharata’ and the land they live in is known as Bharat.

Bharat, spiritual India has no boundaries and shows her divine torch of wisdom to the entire world. Persians referred to the people living beyond Indus River as Hindus. Hence the word Hindu is not a religious identity but only a geographical identity.

From time immemorial this land is not defined by belief in one particular god or book. It is a land of followers of Sanathana Dharma (Eternal Truth) and seekers of spiritual wisdom, Truth  and liberation. Hence seekers of any other faith also can follow Sanathana Dharma without having to undergo conversion rituals or disturbing their existing social relationships.

To relate to God is religion. But Sanathana Dharma is not an organized religion in the ordinary sense, because it is Eternal, and there is no founder or prophet. It does not accept the exclusive claim of any individual, however highly evolved, to the monopoly of Truth or path to reach God. It is a spiritual way of life with variations and combinations of concepts such as dualism or non-dualism, Saivism or Vaishnavism, monism or pantheism, Jnana Yoga or Bhakti Yoga. The path taken by a seeker may be a combination of two or more paths based on his nature and maturity.

Thus Sanathana Dharma appears to be a colourful fabric but the common thread in it is seeking the Supreme Being hence it is ‘unity in diversity’.

Spiritual life is not about withdrawing from active life and living as a recluse begging for alms. The Bhagavad Gita teaches us to run into problems head on and fight the evil and stand for the good. Self-realized persons such as Arjuna and Gandhiji embraced the society and strived to make this world a better place to live. Unfortunately we have the tendency to put great people on high pedestal and just worship them instead of learning from them as role models in daily living.

Just when India obtained independence, it was plagued with communal riots. Gandhiji was working restlessly even at the age of 78 until the day of his assassination. He toured many riot prone areas and facilitated peace process among warring communities. Men turned into beasts and indulged in murders, rapes, looting, burning homes and so on.

Gandhiji advised people that they should live like human beings and die like human beings instead of turning into beasts. He was also busy coordinating between the Prime Minster and Home Minister and other leaders. He was also active in helping the drafting of constitution for new born nation. Gandhiji didn’t have anything to gain from his activities, but he was working out of love for fellow human beings and a will to serve them. He summarized the Gita’s message in one phrase ‘nishkama karma’, which literally means ‘karma without kama’, or ‘selfless action’. Kama is not just ‘desire’; it is ‘selfish desire’. It is important to note that desire is the fuel of life. Without desire nothing can be achieved, let alone so stupendous feat as liberation, or something natural such as procreation and continuation of life.

Nishkama karma is not just philanthropic activity. Good works that benefit others still carry a substantial measure of ego involvement. Action without selfish motive purifies the mind because the doer is less likely to be ego- driven later.

If a man does something and then keeps thinking about it, ‘how much I have done for somebody,’ he is in the lowest level of the mind.  He will inevitably suffer because he is expecting people to be nice to him in return for his deeds. If they praise, it may cause egotism and deviation from the path. If they are not nice to him, he will be disappointed and gives up working altogether.

The Bhagavad Gita (2:48) says yogastha kuru karmani – Be steadfast in the performance of your duty, abandoning attachment to success and failure. Such equanimity is called Yoga.  The Bhagavad Gita (2:50) also says ‘Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam’ – Yoga is excellence in action.

An individual‘s welfare is encompassed in the society‘s welfare. To function properly, a society needs teachers who guide people, leaders who protect people from internal and external enemies, farmers and entrepreneurs who create and distribute wealth, workers who serve the society. These four classes can be regarded as divisions of labour.

1. Acharyas:  Acharya is  a  Sanskrit  term  meaning  ‘one  who  teaches  by  his conduct’. A teacher does not necessarily mean a person who teaches sciences or languages. There is a Sanskrit adage saying ‘Guru Sakshat Param Brahma’. A true teacher is the one who is self-realized (realized that he is not separate from Brahman) and guides other people to achieve such knowledge. Guru means one who removes ignorance.  

Unfortunately now-a-days many teachers draw hefty salaries, but seldom teach. They mostly indulge in earning additional money through private tutoring, money lending, real estate transactions, life insurance business, and so on. Since parents and teachers have great influence on young minds, they become bad role models for our future generations.

The following is an excerpt from Gandhiji‘s life.

A woman was upset that her son was eating too much sugar. No matter how much she chided him, he continued his habit. Totally frustrated, she decided to take her son to see the boy’s great hero Gandhiji. She approached him with great respect and said, “sir, my son eats too much sugar. It is not good for his health. Would you please advise him to stop eating it?”

Gandhi  listened  to the  mother  carefully and  told  her,  “please  go home  and come back in two weeks.”

The woman looked perplexed and wondered why he had not asked the boy to stop eating sugar. Anyway she took the boy by the hand and went home.

Two weeks later she returned, boy in hand. Gandhiji looked at the boy and said, “boy, you should stop eating sugar. It is not good for your health.” The boy nodded and promised he would not continue this habit any longer.

The boy’s mother turned to Gandhiji and asked, “sir, why didn’t you tell him that two weeks ago?”

Gandhiji smiled and said, “two weeks ago I myself was still eating sugar.”

Gandhi lived in such integrity that he would not allow himself to give advice unless he was living by it himself.

A teacher situated miles away, can influence the spirit of the pupils, by his way of living. A cowardly teacher would never succeed in making his pupils courageous. A stranger to self-restraint could never teach his pupils the value of self-restraint. I would be wasting my time, if I were a liar, and teach others to tell the truth. I saw therefore that I must be an eternal object-lesson to the pupils living with me. They thus became my teachers, and I learnt that I must be good and live straight, if only for their sakes. -Gandhiji

2. Leaders: When someone does something selfish or deceptive people say, Oh, look, he is playing politics’. But that is not what politics really is. And it is not an evil profession, either. Politics means activities involved in the governance of a group of people, usually a local body, state or country. Whether politics is noble or evil depends upon the person practicing it.

Those who say that religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means. Spirituality that has no bearing on and produces no effect on everyday life is an ‘airy nothing. –Gandhiji

His advocacy of spiritualization of politics was not intended to mix politics with religion. It was rather, a passionate appeal for moralizing the culture and practice of politics. Gandhi’s concept of religion transcends the rigid framework of a sectarian approach. He said that it binds one to the truth within and purifies actions. As a practical person he always tried to strike a balance between the political realities on the ground and his moral ideological pursuits.

In the field of politics there is an urgent demand for new leaders; a demand which indicates nothing less than an emergency. Now a days many politicians have become corrupt and mere power brokers. They protect corrupt officials and exploit weaknesses of voters through money, liquor, playing caste divisions and so on.

A true leader leads people towards the common good. He even sacrifices his life for the sake of serving and protecting people. As Gandhiji rightly said, the antidote for bad politics is not ‘no politics’, but ‘good politics’. Hence there is a dire requirement for people with noble ideals to enter politics and serve the people, irrespective of winning and ruling. Democracy is not a spectator sport, but participatory sport. So every citizen should actively participate in it instead of just voting once in every five years.

Either acting alone, or by associating with like-minded people as a political party or NGO, one can fight for people‘s problems through channels such as Right to Information Act, Public Interest Litigation (PIL), Sathyagraha etc.

3. Entrepreneurs:  Gandhiji  said “the  earth  provides  enough  to satisfy  every man‘s need but not every man‘s greed”. Greedy businessmen thought and acted in terms of profits alone instead of thinking and acting in terms of human equations! The real businessman must regard himself as a trustee, whose duty is to manage the business in such a way that it will work hardship on no individual or society. Making goods and services available to the customers at a fair price, paying reasonable wages to the workers, paying taxes promptly to the government etc are the responsibilities of an enlightened businessman. Entrepreneurship is also important for the wellbeing of society because being a provider of employment is better than being a seeker of employment.

A businessman, who is aware that the same soul as in him also resides in all other beings, cannot cheat his customers or the government. However, many businessmen may think that it is very difficult to be truthful in today‘s realistic situations. As a starting point, such men may progress spiritually, by being generous and contributing to righteous and philanthropic activities.

4. Servants: Gandhiji performed tasks such as weaving, sweeping dust and cleaning lavatories in Ashram. Thus he demonstrated that there is dignity in labour and there is no shame in being a servant. Whatever occupation or field of action we are in, we can perform it the way Gandhiji had conducted his legal career.

So far as I can recollect, I have already said that I never resorted to untruth in my profession, and that a large part of my legal practice was in the interest of public work, for which I charged nothing beyond out- of-pocket expenses, and these too I sometimes met myself. I had thought that in saying this I had said all that was necessary as regards my legal practice. But friends want me to do more. They seem to think that, if I described however slightly, some of the occasions when I refused to swerve from the truth, the legal profession might profit by it.

As a student I had heard that the lawyer’s profession was a liar’s profession. But this did not influence me, as I had no intention of earning either position or money by lying.

My principle was put to the test many a time in South Africa. Often I knew that my opponents had tutored their witnesses, and if I only encouraged my client or his witnesses to lie, we could win the case. But I always resisted the temptation. I remember only one occasion when, after having won a case, I suspected that my client had deceived me. In my heart of hearts I always wished that I should win only if my client’s case was right. In fixing my fees I do not recall ever having made them conditional on my winning the case. Whether my client won or lost, I expected nothing more nor less than my fees.

I warned every new client at the outset that he should not expect me to take up a false case or to coach the witnesses, with the result that I built up such a reputation that no false cases used to come to me. Indeed some of my clients would keep their clean cases for me, and take the doubtful ones elsewhere.
-Gandhiji

It would be a good head-start if people start contributing to the society at an early stage. During student years a person can participate in programs such as NSS (National Service Scheme), NCC (National Cadet Corpse), blood donation camps, relief camps during natural calamities, tree plantation and other volunteer services. Such programs provide a person with valuable experiences in communication skills, leadership skills and personality development and empower self-esteem.

According to the law of karma, we reap what we sow. If we act bound by Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic natures, they bind us with attachments, and we wander away from our real goal. For instance if we accumulate wealth due to Rajasic nature, we are bound by the cycle of life and death until we lose attachment with such wealth. If we commit evil deeds because of Tamasic ignorance, we have to bear the consequences to learn life‘s lessons.

Once a person asked Gandhiji  “How can we serve God when we do not know God?” Gandhiji answered as under.

We may not know God but we know His creation. Service of His creation is the service of God. We can but serve that part of God‘s creation which is nearest and best known to us. We can start with next- door neighbour. We should not be content with keeping our courtyard clean; we should see that our neighbour‘s courtyard is also clean. We may serve our family, but may not sacrifice the village for the sake of the family. Our own honour lies in the preservation of that of our own village.

But we must each of us understand our own limitations. Our capacity for service is automatically limited by our knowledge of the world in which we live. But let me put it in the simplest possible language. Let us think less of ourselves than of our next-door neighbour. Dumping the refuse of our courtyard into that of our neighbour is no service of humanity, but disservice. Let us start with the service of our neighbours. –Gandhiji

Karma yoga can be started with small activities such as participating in an annadana event (donating food to the poor). Volunteer to be the first to serve food in every one‘s plate and be the last to eat and fill your own stomach. While travelling in a bus or train, offer your seat to a fellow passenger. Such small acts lead to bigger acts.

Also try a number of things which you think you are good at. Some genuine well-wishers may pull you down, because they don’t want you to get in to dangers. Some naysayers may judge you and ridicule you. But listen to your inner voice.

Every person has a set of unique strengths, gifts and talents. Some times you may need to get education and training again. For the time being ignore what you are not good at. Find your strengths, your gifts and talents, and develop them!

Once you discover your field of action, your life takes on a whole new meaning and you can’t wait to wake up each day!

One may wonder, ‘can we abstain from performing karmas?’

We learnt that performing karmas make people get entangled with their results. So to escape from the bondage of karma, few people may try to renounce active life and become monks. But, no man can abstain from doing karmas, because tasks such as eating and talking also constitute karmas. Hence we, who want to achieve liberation, should continue doing karma with detachment to the results as instrument of God and service to mankind.

In God’s creation even earth worms recycle soil to support plant growth. If life gives us only lemons, we must make the best lemonade and provide the best service to customers. Karma Yoga can be as simple as that!

17. Walking on the Royal Path – Raja Yoga

Very few of us see life as it really is. Most of us see things only as we are, looking at others through our own likes and dislikes, interests and fears. It is this separatist outlook that fragments unity in life – person against person, community against community, nation against nation. In fact no man is an island and he is bound to other persons from womb to tomb.

In order to see life as it is, one undivided whole, we have to shed all attachment to personal gain, power, prestige or ego. Otherwise we will be only looking at life through our individual conditioning, and we will see the world not as it is, but as conditioned by our likes and dislikes. Through many years of such conditioning, trying again and again to satisfy our ego, we have come to believe that this is our real personality. In reality it is just a mask of ego which we have merely forgotten how to take off. Beneath the mask is all the glory of our real Self; complete fearlessness, unconditional love, and abiding joy.

There comes a time when an individual becomes irresistible and his action becomes all-pervasive in its effect. This happens only when he reduces himself to zero. A seeker after truth cannot afford to be an egoist. So long a man does not of his own freewill put himself last among his fellow-beings; there is no salvation for him.                                                                – Gandhiji

It is widely known that Gandhiji had practiced one form of meditation technique. When Gandhiji succeeded in taking off his mask and ‘making himself zero’ through many years of living for others rather than for himself, he found that what he had eliminated from his personality was only his separateness, his selfishness, his fears. What remained was the love and fearlessness that had been hidden there all the time.

Usually a person always resides in one of the below three states:

1. Awakened state: Here a person is aware of his body and mind.
2. Dream state: Here a person is aware of his mind but not body.
3. Deep sleep: Here a person is aware of neither body nor mind. In that state a person is neither rich nor poor, neither ignorant nor wise, not a man or woman. He is not a Hindu or Christian or American or Chinese. He is, just he is, in true state – his true Self.

But a man cannot be aware of this true state in deep sleep. This state can be consciously experienced only in deep meditation. In meditation a person rises above the identities such as gender, religion, language, nationality and can see the universe with clear perception. Meditative experience also helps the seeker to easily understand the teachings of Upanishads.

There are many versions of meditations, chief among them being focusing on breath or an object, chanting a mantra repeatedly or occasionally, etc. We will use the last version in our practice in this book. It is advisable that meditation is practiced under the supervision of an able teacher. In the absence of such a teacher, the below method can be followed.

Pick any word of your choice, but small and easy enough to remember and pronounce. It can be Om, or Ram, or Moses or Jesus or Allah. There is nothing religious about meditation.

The word calms the mind and prepares it for meditation, which is the key to transformation of character and consciousness. Meditation is not a religion. It is a dynamic discipline independent of any belief, in which all one‘s powers of concentration are brought to bear upon one overriding ideal to drive it deep into every cell of the mind, until it gradually consumes all smaller ideals and goals.

Through this discipline one enters the deepest levels of consciousness, where the storms of deep seated conflicts rage continuously night and day. It is at these awesome depths, as Gandhiji put it, that love wrestles with anger and fear and ultimately gains mastery over all other feelings.

Prior to meditation, do not eat too much or too little, because such conditions are not suitable for meditation. You should be neither hungry nor too sleepy, with stomach full of food.

Switch off your phone, because even a small sound can be very alarming in deep state of meditation. Request others not to disturb you at least for 15-30 minutes and choose a secluded room or area.

Sit in a chair neither too high nor too low, so that you can feel comfortable with your feet touching the ground.

Hold your body, head and neck firmly in a straight line so that you don‘t slouch and keep your eyes closed.

You will notice that your mind constantly keeps changing between the below three states.

1. In the first state, a new thought (about some object or idea) generates.
   1. The continuation of above thought is the second state.
   1. Suddenly above thought ends, and this is the third state.

Then again a new thought starts in mind and continues for some time and  then ends. Thus the mind always switches between these three states of thought. Waves of thought are produced in a stream one after the other.

Do not indulge in stopping a current thought or starting a new thought or continuing the current thought. At constant time intervals (say 15 seconds apart), chant your word of choice, in mind, without opening lips. You should be able to do this meditation effortlessly, without much struggle.

Schedule 15-30 minutes for meditation and plan to come out of this meditative state after this duration.

Meditation experience includes being in a state which is neither wakefulness, nor sleeping nor dreaming, and becoming detached from physical self‘. Meditation also relieves stress and enables us to better focus our thoughts and energies.

Though our relationship with the world is impermanent, our relationship with God is eternal. To explain about our relationship with God, Truth, Consciousness sages have used two words – Atman and Brahman.

In meditation, sages discovered a core of consciousness beyond time and space. Even though a person‘s body and mind experience changes in time such as childhood, youth and old age, there is an identity that remains changeless and stands witness to the changes happening to the body and mind. This core of consciousness is also beyond space in the sense that it is not confined to one particular limb or organ, and there is no beginning, middle or end points to this core. The sages referred to this core of consciousness as individual soul or Atman, Inner Witness, the Divine Self (referring God as the in-dweller in each individual).

In profound meditation, the sages also discovered that there is an indivisible unity, Truth, Consciousness pervading the entire universe. They called it Brahman. Brahman is the Supreme Godhead, Who is the cause of creation, preservation and dissolution of universe. Brahman is also referring God as transcendent in endless universe (beyond the perception of our senses and thinking). Brahman is one and infinite. There cannot be two or more infinites because that means they end by limiting each other.

Brahman is also described with the word ‘Sat-chit-ananda’ meaning Sat (ever existing), Chit (Consciousness) and Ananda (blissful). The word Satya (Truth) is derived from ‘Sat’ which means ‘Being’. But there is no real separation between Atman and Brahman. Brahman is the mighty ocean whereas individual Atman is a tiny drop of water. God as Truth is inherent in both Atman and Brahman.

We may not be God, but we are of God, even as a little drop of water is the ocean. Imagine it torn away from the ocean and flung millions of miles away. It becomes helpless, and cannot feel the might and majesty of the ocean. But if someone could point out to it that it is the ocean (and teach it to realize it), its faith would revive, it would dance with joy and the whole might and majesty of the ocean would be reflected in it.-Gandhiji

Thus Truth is present in each one of us as Atman, Inner Witness, Divine Self, and at the same time present as Brahman pervading the endless universe. Truth is subtler than the subtlest and mightier than the mightiest. An atheist deluded by tamasic or rajasic arrogance cannot find God anywhere whereas a theist can find God everywhere. If  we are evil, there is no place, either inside of us or outside of us, where we can run away and hide from Truth or overpower it. Truth is Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent and Eternal.

There is no place, either inside or outside of us, where Truth can be hid, contained, in this world or anywhere in this endless universe. As all seeing four lions in Indian national emblem declare ‘Truth alone Triumphs’.

In deep meditation every trace of separateness (‘I’, ‘mine’, ‘my’) disappears and life seems an undivided whole. A man experiences a state that is beyond three states of awakedness, dream and deep sleep. This is called Turiya state, the fourth dimensional. In this state of mind, time freezes and there is no past, present or future.

Once this vast and vivid experience of One Self has dawned, there will be a tremendous surge of true love in a person for the whole world around. He finds his fulfilment only in recognizing the same divinity in every form, and his satisfaction in serving all names and forms as God‘s own forms. To him the world of names and forms is all a fabulous entertainment.

That was the occasion of ‘Vishwa Roopa Sandarshanam (Cosmic Vision)‘ when Arjuna found in deep meditation, in the fourth dimensional state of Turiya, that he was not separate from Krishna, Truth, Consciousness, Who is Omni pervasive and has many forms and names.

But a person cannot remain in Turiya state of fourth dimension for a long time. After a while, awareness of body and mind returns, and then the conventional world of multiplicity rushes in again.

One may wonder, ‘what is it that makes Truth appear to be a world of separate transient objects’

It is because of maya constituting Sattva, Rajas and Tamas that makes us believe that we are the body rather than Atman and perceive the world in fragments. One way to overcome maya is practising raja yoga.

Generally people refer to yoga as Hatha Yoga, which is a combination of physical postures that give strength and fitness to the practitioner. However the true meaning of ‘Yoga’ is ‘Union’. It refers to union or oneness with God. Tantra Yoga involves union of male and female with an intention to conserve vital energy. This path is paved with many dangers and not suitable for ordinary people. Hence only Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga and Gnana Yoga are explained in this book.

We know that the globe can be divided into imaginary lines such as latitude, longitude, equator, tropic of cancer and Capricorn. Similarly a person‘s spiritual body can be divided into seven chakras starting from Mooladhara Chakra at the bottom to Sahasrara at the top. His spiritual energy lies coiled down as a serpent near Mooladhara Chakra. When awakened with spiritual practices, this energy reaches Sahasrara and this rising up is called ‘Kundalini awakening’.

Intense spiritual practices enable a practitioner to obtain super natural powers, called ‘siddhis’. That could become the path of sever penance where a meditator wants to reach God, but overcome by selfish desires, wants to become God himself, and finally brings his own demise.

Our aim in meditation is just to realize our relationship with God, Truth, and Consciousness. We should not run after siddhis (supernatural powers), but stick to our main goal which is liberation. So instead of dwelling too much in Raja Yoga, we should practice Gnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga too.

Raja Yoga is also called Ashtanga Yoga (the eight limbs leading to absolute mental control). Sage Patanjali compiled the below eight limbs in Yoga Sutras as progressive steps which purify the body and mind, ultimately leading the aspirant to enlightenment.

1. Yamas: These are below five moral restraints (Don’ts) that should be practiced in thought, word and deed.
2. Ahiṃsa: Non-violence, non-harming other beings
3. Satya: Non-falsehood or Truthfulness,
4. Asteya: Non-stealing
5. Brahmacharya: Chastity, marital fidelity or sexual restraint. Bramhacharya, as commonly believed, does not mean abstaining from sex or staying unmarried. It should be noted that Krishna and Arjuna had wives and obtained children. It is nature’s design that life procreates and multiplies. True brahmacharya means being conscious of the fact that one is Atman which is not separate from Brahman.
6. Aparigraha: Non-possession

• Niyamas: These include virtuous habits and behaviours (Do‘s) as below
  • Saucha: purity and cleanliness of mind and body
  • Santoṣha: contentment, optimism, acceptance of others, acceptance of one’s circumstances as they are in order to get past or change them,
  • Tapas: austerity
  • Swadhyaya: study of sacred texts
  • Ishvara praṇidhana: contemplation of Ishvara (surrender to God’s Will)

• Asanas: Asana is a posture that one can hold for a period of time, staying relaxed, steady, comfortable and motionless. Patanjali did not list any specific asana, except the suggestion, ‘Sthiram Shukhasanam (posture one can hold with comfort and motionlessness)’. The posture that causes pain or restlessness is not a yogic posture.

Later yoga scholars developed and recommended numerous postures such as Padmasana (lotus), Savasana (corpse), Vajrasana (heroic), Bhujangasana (serpent) etc. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika describes the technique of 84 asanas, stating four of these as most important: Padmasana (lotus), Bhadrasana (decent), Simhasana (lion), and Siddhasana (accomplished). Asanas also help a practitioner to attain physical fitness.

• Prāṇāyāma:      It       is       a       combination       of       two       Sanskrit words prāṇa (breath) and ayāma (restraining). It is the practice of consciously regulating breath (through inhalation and exhalation). This is done for instance, inhaling and then holding breath for a period (Kumbhaka), exhaling and then holding breath for a period (Rechaka), and repeating these cycles. Prāṇāyāma helps a person to be of good health by proper supply of oxygen to various organs.

• Pratyāhāra:  It is a combination of two Sanskrit words prati (towards) and ahāra (fetch). It is a process of withdrawing one’s senses from external objects, persons, and situations. It is turning one’s attention inwards to one’s true Self, examining and experiencing Self.

Pratyahara marks the transition of yoga from first four limbs of external forms to last three limbs of inner state, from outer sphere of body to inner sphere of spirit.

• Dhāraṇā: It means concentration and one-pointedness of mind. The mind is fixed on a mantra or object or one’s breath without jumping from one thought to another.
• Dhyāna: It means “meditation or contemplation”. Dhyana is contemplating on whatever Dharana has focussed on. Dharana is a state of mind, Dhyana the process of mind. Dhyana is distinct from Dharana in that the meditator becomes actively engaged with its focus. If in Dharana a meditator focussed on a personal deity, Dhyana is its contemplation.  

Adi Shankara gives the example of a yogi in a state of dharana on morning sun may be aware of its brilliance, color and orbit; the yogi in dhyana state contemplates on sun’s orbit alone for example, without being interrupted by its color, brilliance or other related ideas.

• Samādhi: It is the state of ecstasy where one’s mind is so absorbed in whatever it is contemplating on, that the mind loses the sense of its own identity. There is no distinction between the meditator, the act of meditation and the subject of meditation. There is only oneness, Samadhi or union.

It is of below two kinds:

1. Savikalpa or Samprajnata Samadhi (with difference or separation from God): It is meditation with support of an object such as the image of a deity or the tip of the nose. Here conceptualization (vikalpa) still takes place, in the form of perception, the word and the knowledge of the object of meditation. The individual is conscious only of the God within; he is not conscious of creation without (the exterior world).

Nirvikalpa or Asamprajnata Samadhi (without difference or separation from God): It is meditation without an object, which leads to knowledge of Consciousness, the subtlest element. The individual no longer sees himself as a “Mr. A”. He realizes that the ocean of God has become not only the wave of Mr. A within but also the waves of all creation without (external world). He communes with God in his ordinary waking consciousness even without bodily fixation and even in the midst of worldly duties.

16. How to penetrate the matrix of maya

What I want to achieve, what I have been striving and pinning to achieve these thirty years – is self-realization, to see God face to face, to attain liberation. I consider no sacrifice too great for the sake of seeking Him. The whole of my activity whether it may be called social, political, humanitarian or ethical is directed to that end. – Gandhiji

One may wonder, “we have been given four goals or purushardhas – dharma, ardha, kama and moksha to find the purpose of life. But even then it is so difficult to reach the final goal of moksha. Why so?”

The answer lies in that one part is a rebellious ego and another part is that this creation is God’s Maya or Divine illusion. Through His Maya, God creates the universe out of Himself. As God is Omni pervasive, there is no place whereupon God stands aside as a Creator. He is the Creator and He is also the Creation. All things and beings in the universe are called illusion, because they are ever-changing, impermanent and unreal, whereas Truth alone is real.

For instance, in darkness we mistake a rope to be a snake. When we see it in light, we see that snake does not exist and there is only a rope. Same is the case with maya. The dynamics of maya and the way to overcome it can be illustrated to some extent as under.

In our illustration to describe Truth as Atman and Brahman we have used two dimensional format because of our human limitations in conveying or understanding of Truth. But this Truth cannot be really described as circle or globe or any other format. It can only be perceived through direct experience.

Though the world is illusion we can perceive it because of two things – space (Desa) and time (kala).

Of all the five elements space is the most subtle. Out of this space grosser forms such as air, fire, water and earth are formed. Thus celestial bodies and also our physical bodies come into existence. But these bodies are not permanent and they transform from one element to another.

Time is eternal but we can perceive it only relatively. For instance we consider earth’s rotation on its axis as a day of 24 hours and further subdivide it into hours, minutes and seconds. Earth’s revolution around the Sun causes seasons and we count it as a year of 365 days. From moon’s movement we infer the passage of time as fortnights and months. If the earth is moving in a straight line instead of orbiting in cycles, our perception of time would be different.

The time measurements on a different celestial body can be quite different. For instance our fifteen days equal one night and other fifteen days equal a day for moon. Thus our perception of time is only relative and not true.

Space (desa) is also not absolute because it changes with passage of time. Human bodies, continents, celestial bodies and so on are born, undergo changes and perish. But Brahman exists as a changeless foundation beyond the limitations of space and time.

We know that nature has so many indicators to make us understand the nature of maya. We all come into this world with empty hands and again depart from the world with empty hands. So, all the earthly things are not really ours. Even if one person earns money as much as thousand workers can earn, still he can eat only one man’s capacity of food. Any more food than that causes ill health and kills him.

Recognizing that this world is only illusion doesn’t mean that we deny and walk away from matter and physical phenomenon. We recognize that they are unreal but necessary means to arrive at the end, the Real. All our relationships with people and possession of objects are because of our karma. As soon the debt of karma ends, our relationships and possessions also end.

Though lotus is born out of muddy water it still stays detached from the mud while containing fragrance and beauty. Similarly we must live in the world but stay detached from its impurities and entanglements.

Now again one may wonder, ‘why there is so much variation in the creation?’

This universe consists of energy and matter, which can be transformed from one into other. Every thought-energy (mind) and matter is a combination of below three gunas (qualities). No single English word can translate these three words precisely but the below description gives an idea how they influence a person.

Tamas • Ignorance • Inactivity • Dullness • Inertia It is the lowest state in terms of evolution where nothing much happens either for good or bad.	Rajas • Activity • Energy • Excitement • Passion It is ambitious and provides motivation to act, but may also express itself in anger, hatred or greed.	Sattva • Purity • Harmony • Balance • Peace • Clarity In terms of evolution it is on the highest level.

The play of gunas in nature can also be illustrated by comparison with the three states of matter – solid, liquid and gas.

Tamas : Just like a block of ice, tamas is frozen energy. It has a good amount of energy in the chemical bonds that hold in together, but the energy is locked in and rigid.	Rajas : When the ice melts, some of the energy is released as the water flows; rajas (activity) is like a flooded river, full of uncontrolled power.	Sattva : It can be compared with steam when its power is controlled and made useful in running locomotives and engines.

Gunas are the very fabric of universe, the veil that hides unity in a covering of diversity.

Tamas is maya’s power of concealment, the darkness or ignorance that hides unitive reality. Rajas distracts and scatters awareness, turning it away from reality toward the diversity of the outside world. Thus the gunas are essentially born of the mind. When the mind’s activity is stilled, we can see life as it is.

The rajasic person is full of energy; the tamasic person is dull, indifferent, insensitive; the sattvic person, calm, resourceful, compassionate and selfless. Yet all three gunas are always present with differing proportions: their interplay is the dynamics of our personality.

We all have times when we are bustling with thoughtful energy, times when we are peaceful and times when we feel dullness or  inertia to do anything. We are the same person; we are simply experiencing the play of the gunas.  As long we identify with mind and body, we are at the mercy of this play. But our real Self is not involved in the gunas‘ interaction; it is witness rather than participant. To realize our true Self, we need to rise from Tamas to Rajas and from there to Sattva and finally transcend beyond Sattva guna.

Being pure, Sattvic nature enables spiritual advancement. But even in this state a problem may arise when a person finds pleasure in sacred knowledge and becomes arrogant of it. It is called Sattvic ego. Any pleasure, even good ones, creates attachments. They are like gold ropes, binding the soul to the pain and suffering of the material world.

In Rajasic person, desire goads him into action and creates a sense of  doership in the mind. It spawns a thirst for acquiring and clinging to worldly things – to people and pleasures that attract senses. This attachment, when opposed, causes anger. Anger makes a person lose control over his emotions, does not let him think properly, and clouds his judgment of what is right and what is wrong. He soon follows his doom.

All things in nature are just combinations of three attributes – even the mind, senses, and objects that attract the senses. The person who transcends beyond these three attributes is in essence transcending nature itself. Such person unites with God and gets liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth.

Then again one may wonder ‘how can we overcome maya if it is not real but so powerful?’

Maya can be both delightful and also treacherous. To transcend beyond Maya of three gunas and achieve liberation Sanatana Dharma prescribes simultaneous practice of all four paths – Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga.

The above four paths are not mutually exclusive and contradictory but suit differently based on an individual‘s temperament and level of maturity. Jnana yoga is better suited for people who are intellectual in nature. Bhakti yoga is better suited for people who are emotional in nature. Raja yoga is better suited for people who are contemplative. Karma yoga is better suited for people who are very active.

Though we adhere to one main path we need to practice other paths too. This is because gnana Yoga is the solution for Tamasic ignorance and teaches us to live in accordance with dharma and law of karma. Karma Yoga is the solution for inaction caused by Sattvic calmness and happiness. Raja Yoga and Bhakti Yoga are the solutions for agitations and selfishness caused by Rajasic desires and activities.

Truly God is present everywhere. Just as sunlight reflects well in clean water, but not in dirty water, God can be found to a greater degree in a pure person. Individual water drops share the majesty of mighty Ocean. We must keep in mind that seventy percent of our body is water.  Spiritual pursuit is a process of purifying ourselves to find God within.

To reach the invisible Brahman by using the visible world as a vehicle, the sages have prescribed the below four stages.

In Sanyasa phase a person detaches from a small family and progresses to accept the society and world as his larger family. He is fully devoted to God. Sanyasa doesn’t mean wearing saffron robes and living in a forest secluded from people. A true sanyasi lives in the world and for the world without getting attached to or entangled by it.

To progress in the above four phases there are below two paths:

When one is awed at the power of maya it seems as though God creates man with a rebellious ego and attraction towards the worldly things and then punishes him for indulging in it. But one has to think deeper. Man has choice to turn either ways – outwards to the material world or inwards to the Self or God within.

A soul is contained in a body but essentially limitless. So a man always wants to expand to experience this limitless soul. Unfortunately most men attempt doing so through conquest of lands, women, and possessions and so on, which are impermanent in nature. Hence this outward conquest never appeases a man. When he turns inwards and finds the God present there all the time, then only he finds everlasting peace, because God alone is permanent.

A mother plays hide and seek game with her child but all along makes it easier for the child to find her. The twinkle in the eyes of child after finding mother again is priceless. Similarly God as the Inner Guide always makes it easy for a person to find Him, who is in fact never separate but always within. In that sense the life a great cosmic hide and seek game.

Maya is a mere projection of God. A seeker can penetrate it to reach God, but no one can ever go above and beyond God. The four paths leading to God will be explained in later chapters.

15. What is the purpose of life?

A certain boy had burning questions such as ‘what is the purpose of my life’, ‘why God created me’ and so on. He wandered through many places for several days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. He was told by fellow travellers that it was there that a wise man, who could answer his question, lives.

Upon entering the main room of the castle, rather than finding an old man with white beard, the boy saw a magnificent person wearing majestic clothes, ornaments and weapons. The room was bustling with activity; visitors came and went, children were playing in a corner, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there were tables covered with platters of seemingly the most delicious food. The wise man conversed with visitors, served them food and played with children. The boy had to wait for some time before it was his turn to receive attention.

The wise man listened attentively to the boy’s question, but told him that he didn’t have time just then to give answer. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in three hours. “Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,’ said the wise man, handing the boy a lamp. “As you wander around, carry this lamp without letting the fire die”.

The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace through many rooms, keeping his eyes fixed on the lamp. After three hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.

“Well”, asked the wise man, “did you see the beautiful statues in my living room? Did you notice how many books I have in my library? Did you see the exotic plants and pets in the garden that I have collected from all over the world”?

The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to let the fire in lamp die.

“Then go back and observe all the marvels of my palace”, said the wise man. “It would be an honour to the host if you appreciate his taste in decorations and creativity”.

The boy picked up the lamp and returned to explore the palace again, this time observing the works of art on the ceilings, floors and the walls, gardens and fountains, beautiful servant maids and so on. 

Upon returning to the main room, the boy expressed his wonder and appreciated the wise man’s taste. “But where is the fire in lamp that I entrusted to you?” asked the wise man. Looking down at the lamp, the boy saw that the fire was gone. The wise man said, “the purpose of life is to serve God and His creation, without getting distracted by the marvels of the creation”.

A well-known psychologist Abraham Maslow posited that human needs can be arranged in the below hierarchy.

1. Biological and physiological needs – air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep.
2. Safety needs – protection from natural elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom from fear.
3. Love and belongingness needs – friendships, relationships, intimacy, trust and acceptance, receiving and giving affection and love.
4. Esteem needs – (i) esteem for oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence) and (ii) the desire for reputation or respect from others (e.g., status, prestige).

Self-actualization needs – realizing personal potential, self-fulfilment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.  It is a desire to expand and become everything one is capable of becoming.

This five-stage model can be divided into deficiency needs and growth needs. The first four levels are often referred to as deficiency needs (D-needs), and the top level is known as growth or being needs (B-needs).

Deficiency needs arise due to deprivation and motivate people when they are unmet. Also, the motivation to fulfil such needs will become stronger the longer the duration they are denied. For example, the longer a person goes without food, the hungrier they will become.

When a deficit need has been ‘more or less’ satisfied it will go away, and our activities become habitually directed towards meeting the next set of needs that we have yet to satisfy. These then become our salient needs. However, growth needs continue to be felt and may even become stronger once they have been engaged.

Growth needs do not stem from a lack of something, but rather from a desire to grow as a person. Once these growth needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization. Every person is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy toward a level of self-actualization. Unfortunately, progress is often disrupted by a failure to meet lower level needs. Life experiences such as failed relationships and loss of a job may cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of the hierarchy. Therefore, not everyone will move through the hierarchy in a uni-directional manner but may move back and forth between the different types of needs.

The sages, to explain how a person can balance these needs in an organized manner, have divided the purpose of life into the below four parts:

1. Dharma (righteous living)
2. Ardha (earning money for livelihood)
3. Kama (fulfilling righteous desires)
4. Moksha (liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth)

The above four are called purushardhas and said to be the main goals of human life. ‘Purusha’ means a person and ‘Ardha’ means purpose or meaning. These four are equally essential to both men and women.

These four goals are in no sequential order, and are not airtight compartments. They often run into one another, in any order. For instance, we need to earn money or satisfy desires without violating dharma. All four are important, but in cases of conflict, dharma is considered more important than ardha or kama. Moksha is considered the ultimate goal and destination of human life.

At the time of education, an individual has to learn about dharma. He has to practice dharma throughout life. For example one should not cheat in exams or resort to giving bribes, using influences etc in obtaining employment. One has to perform duties with heart‘s content and involvement and without accepting bribes. Thus a person has to live as per dharma and earn money to sustain himself, family and the society.

Even non-performance of righteous duty is a violation of dharma, in the grand scheme of things. He has to fulfil his righteous desires such as obtaining children and simultaneously pursue path to liberation. Liberation is not something that might happen after death. We should attain it, here in this life itself. In reality we are never separate from God, but it is ego that binds us to body and mind, and makes us appear separate individuals.

First part of this e-book explains the principles necessary for success in materialistic life or economic wellbeing. Such success is needed because it is difficult for an individual to think of higher goals, as long he is struggling to make a living. But, materialistic gains without a spiritual base leave emptiness, dissatisfaction, and sadness. Hence man’s life becomes effective only when he pursues materialistic goals with a spiritual foundation.

Unfortunately many people believe that spirituality is only for the old people retired from active life. But their childhood is spent in ignorance and sports. Youth is spent in satisfying sensual pleasures and chasing money. Old age is spent in worries about children, regrets about past, ill health and so on. They will never get a chance with spiritual success because there are three problems with this approach.

1. We don’t know for sure how long we are going to live, and any moment can be our last moment.
2. For a person immersed in material pursuits for long time, a transformation to spiritual pursuits is very difficult, because deeply imprinted tendencies are hard to break.
3. Mind and body become very weak in old age and are not conducive for any new spiritual pursuits.

In ancient days spiritual education was given to students of an early age, say 8- 12 years. At that age they are not burdened by family responsibilities and their brain cells are very active and their learning process is at its best. However those people who start late in spiritual pursuit need not despair. Better late than never and the right time for spiritual pursuit is right now! The wise say that we should not seek possessions first and God last. If we first seek God through Self- realization, all things such as wealth, wisdom, power and immortality will be added unto us.

There are estimated to be 8,400,000 species of life – including aquatics, plants, birds, beasts, insects, and human beings. The wise say that it is a very rare opportunity to be born as a human being, of all creatures. Human beings can be distinguished from other creatures through many characteristics, the chief among them being thinking and the reasoning and discretionary power to choose between the good and evil. All other creatures are driven by instinct and live as nature intends them to be. They do not have the concept of good or evil, punishments for bad behaviour.

However, we humans have the discretionary power to choose between good or bad, and also have developed systems such as prisons to punish and reform the bad. We also have notions of heaven as reward for the good deeds and hell as punishment for the bad. Having such reasoning power, we might wonder, at one time or another, what is the purpose of being born? Is it just to eat, sleep, enjoy the pleasures and die like all other creatures? Or is there any worthy goal that makes this life worth living?

Most of us spend our days in the familiar world of five senses. But what lies beyond that, if anything, we have no idea. Most of us are happy to stay where we are. We may be even little afraid to explore the unknown. Why we should leave the familiar world, we might ask.

Yet there are always a few who are not content to spend their lives indoors. Simply knowing there is something unknown makes them very restless. They have to see what lies out there – as someone said of Mount Everest, “I have to climb it, because it’s there”.

That is true of adventurers of every kind, but especially of those who seek to explore not mountains, jungles and oceans, but consciousness itself. While the rest of us stay put, they quietly slip out to see what lies beyond.

Then, so far as we can tell, they disappear. We might not have any idea about where they have gone. But every now and then, like friends who ventured to mysterious islands, they report back with fantastic photos, rambling messages about a world beyond ordinary experience, urging us to come and see. ‘Look at this! Isn’t it marvellous? I wish you were here to see this’.

The Bhagavad Gita is one of such earliest reports given by the sage Veda Vyasa to inform us that there is more to life than the everyday experiences of our senses. It guides us with a map of territory, shows various approaches to the summit with their rewards and dangers, and tells us what to pack and what to leave behind.

According to the great epic Mahabharata, wicked Duryodhana and his brothers, Kauravas, usurped the kingdom belonging to their cousin brothers Pandavas. When all peace negotiations failed to resolve the dispute, vast armies were assembled on either side to fight in what came to be known as the Great Bharata war.

Just before the start of war both Duryodhana and Arjuna, one of the Panadva brothers approached Krishna asking for support. Krishna declared that one side could have all his army and ammunition while He Himself would not fight but only will be a charioteer and guide to the other side. Duryodhana chose army and ammunition while Arjuna chose Krishna.

Upon seeing the vast armies Arjuna became despondent and had thrown away his weapons saying that he cannot fight against his cousins and would rather let them keep his share of kingdom. Krishna taught The Bhagavad Gita to him, and motivated him to fight. Kaauravas got defeated and the Pandavas became victorious. ‘The Bhagavad Gita’ in Sanskrit means ‘Song of God’. It is also called ‘Brahma Vidya Upanishad’ or ‘Supreme Science’ because it explains the co-ordination of inner and outer worlds.

Though Krishna teaches rules of dharma to Arjuna, it seems that He Himself did not advocate adhering to them on many occasions during the war, which seems very confusing to understand. During the game of dice Dharmaraja, the eldest of pandavas loses kingdom and wife Draupadi. When she was threatened by the Kauravas with humiliation Dharmaraja did not protest because he gave importance to the rules of dice game.

But Krishna teaches that spirit of dharma is greater than mere rules of wars. He prompted Arjuna to kill many Kaurava warriors by violating the rules, when situation demanded. He reasoned that rules cannot be allowed to become weapons in the hands of evil people who ignore them when it suits their purpose but claim their protection at convenient times. An evil person cannot be allowed, to tie the hands of the righteous by rules of dharma, to impose adharma.

In Karna Parva of Mahabharata (8:69) Krishna tells Arjuna “scriptures provide for morality, but they do not provide for each individual situation. Whatever sustains beings is dharma”. Hence anything that is not for the welfare of beings should be discarded as adharma.

The Mahabharata war can be seen as metaphor for the perennial war between the forces of good and evil in every human mind. Thus seen, The Bhagavad Gita is not just an external dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna. It is an internal dialogue, between our mind full of questions about life and  our Divine Self, taking place in the depths of consciousness.

Krishna’s words make sense when we keep in mind that he is not speaking of himself as a mortal human being or as a personal God. He is speaking as Arjuna’s higher Divine Self, Truth, Consciousness; whereas Arjuna’s lower self is ego.

For  instance  when  Krishna  says,  “worship  Me  alone,  love  Me  alone  and serve Me alone”, he is not instructing Arjuna to worship Him as a personal god. He means that, we should listen to Truth, Consciousness or Divine Self within alone, and not to our ego. We should love and serve the mankind (realizing our oneness with universe), instead of just pleasing our ego.

When Krishna says ‘abandon all dharmas and take refuge in Me alone’, He means that there is no rule or god or religion or nationalism or whatever shelter higher than Truth, Consciousness.  Where  ever  there  were  words  such  as  ‘I’,  ‘Me’  and  ‘My’ they should be interpreted as referring Truth, Consciousness, Divine Self.

Another clue to understand the Bhagavad Gita properly is to remember that it was not uttered in spoken language by God to a man, but it was a heart-to-heart communication in Arjuna’s inner consciousness, beyond the limitations of physical senses and thinking.

In this background one may wonder ‘what is the difference between spirituality and religion?’

Spirituality aims at finding God within the Self whereas religion aims at finding God outside of the Self. For a spiritual person the Self within guides him in his actions whereas a religious man is bound by rituals and moral codes imposed by organized religion. There are more crimes and violence done in the name of organized religion. A ritualistic religion, instead of eliminating ego, often strengthens it and steers the practitioner away from the ultimate goal which is liberation. Another obstacle in the path to liberation is ‘maya’.  How to transcend maya will be explained in the next chapter.