Sanatana Dharma

Engaged in the yoga of constant practice and not allowing the mind to wander away to anything else, he who meditates on the supreme, resplendent Purusha reaches Him, Ο son of Prithā. ~ Gita 8.8 In this verse, three definite practices are mentioned to reach the Supreme Lord. 1. The practice of yoga. 2. The mind should not swerve from the Lord, as the supreme goal. 3. One should meditate on the Lord continuously. In the practical field of work, we understand the need for systematic practice. In sport and art, practice is essential for perfection. In fact, practice is nothing else than the repetition of the mode of thought or act. Any act repeated many times becomes a habit. All the bad habits have been the accumulated effect of wrong practice. If practice is done in the right direction, good thoughts and acts become natural and spontaneous. When one comes across a person who is pure in thought, word and deed, he admires him, and sometimes wonders how he could be so pure. But he should realise how he had laid the foundations of purity by long practice. All the impurities and weaknesses arising from previous births are overcome by the steadfast practice of goodness and purity in this life. The second thing is that the man should not move away from the ideal. The aim is Bhagavan, and the mind should therefore be centered in him, and not allowed to move out towards material objects. Whatever appears objects of the world perishes. Knowing this, through discrimination one should hold fast to Bhagavan alone. As the mind by its nature can only hold on to some form it should be given some divine object or form to which it can easily cling to. So it is said here that one should meditate on the Supreme Divine Lord (Paramam Purusham Divyam). The Lord commands the disciple to think of Him again and again, and yet again. So thinking continuously, man reaches the supreme state. Having full faith in the teaching of the Lord, may all the spiritual aspirants fulfil their life’s purpose.

I tell you the truth: there is nothing wrong in your being in the world. But you must direct your mind toward God; otherwise you will not succeed. Do your duty with one hand and with the other hold to God. After the duty is over, you will hold to God with both hands. Do your duty, but do not forget God. ~ Sri Paramahamsa Ramakrishna

Therefore, at all times, constantly remember Me and fight. With your mind and intellect absorbed in Me, you will surely come to Me. ~ Gita 8.7 Here the Lord clarifies the declaration by stating that it is the duty of the devotee to think of Him at all times. It is implied that unless a man thinks of Him always, he cannot retain that blissful memory of the lord at the time of death. It is the lamp that keeps away darkness. When the lamp is put out, darkness envelopes everything. The darkness of ignorance is ready to possess the heart of man if the lamp of knowledge is not kept burning continuously. It is only the thought of the Lord that keeps away delusion. When that thought is not there, delusion immediately seizes man. Therefore remember Me at all times – is the Lord’s command. Continuous thought of the Supreme should be kept up. Hearing of the Lord, thinking of Him, meditating on Him, the seeker should not let go his hold of the Lord at any time. Such a man need not bother whether death comes sooner or later. Having purchased the ticket, it does not matter when the train comes! Let death come when it will, the seeker is ready with the Lord’s name on his lips and His thought in the mind. If all the time the seeker is thinking of the Lord, how can he get on in the world? When does he find time to look after the practical duties of life? This question is asked by many people. Most people also make it an excuse that they are not able to think of God because of pressing domestic duties. To such people the Lord here gives the advice. “Think of Me and perform your duties.” Arjuna’s duty on the battle-field was to fight. For each man as he is placed in the various stations and circumstances of life, there will be particular duties and they should be performed while keeping the thought of the Lord in the mind.

For whatever object a man thinks of at the final moment, when he leaves his body— that alone does he attain, Ο son of Kunti, being ever absorbed in the thought thereof. ~ Gita 8.6 Whatever a man thinks and contemplates frequently, becomes a tendency which holds the mind enslaved by ill-power and momentum. So it is said that whatever form or object the dying man thinks, he will obtain when he takes a new birth. Jadabharata in spite of his great tapas was attached to a fawn which he protected and when he passed away, the thought of the fawn filled his mind. Consequently, he was born as a deer. As one thinks so he becomes (Yadbhavam tadbhavati). This being the law, every thoughtful man should be extremely careful to choose and select only noble and spiritual thoughts to fill the mind. This should be practised throughout one’s life, so that they should be uppermost in the mind at the time of death. As all other things in the world are pain-causing, sorrow-breeding, the wise man naturally thinks of the Blessed Lord as the be-all and end-all of his life. Thus man attains the supreme state. Devotion, Dhyana, study, company of the wise, charity, all these should be practised truthfully and by so doing, divine thoughts permeate the mind and determine the future birth of man. That is why spiritual sadhana is prescribed from childhood when the mind is pure and free from the poisonous ugliness of worldly life. Every man is himself responsible for his freedom or bondage. “If one thinks that he is free, free he is this moment. If he thinks he is bound, bound he should be.” Either high birth or low birth or freedom from birth and death, all these depend on man’s mental frame. And this frame of mind is forged by long practice throughout life. The good samskaras would re-assert themselves in the next birth and lead him to the goal.

Those who give up the body while remembering Me at the moment of death will come to Me. There is certainly no doubt about this. ~ Gita 8.5 The Lord here explains how He is remembered by the self-controlled yogi at the time of death. It is declared that whoever thinks of the Lord at the moment of death also, attains His being. The seeker has to think of the Lord not only during his life-time but at the moment of death also. The Lord did not say that He should be remembered ‘only’ at the time of death. That would be quite encouraging to all idlers and wicked beings. Of course, even remembering the Lord at the time of death is also an act of merit. But such memory is impossible to retain at the moment of death, unless by long and steady practice, the mind is saturated with divine thoughts. Mostly people die thinking of their property, wife, or children because their minds were filled with those thoughts for a long life-time. So the Lord emphasises the idea of remembering Him at all time, both in life and in death. Those who have spent a whole life-time in spiritual sadhana can retain the memory of the Lord at the last moment. The exceptions are very rare. If a man wants to play some role in a drama, he goes through months of training, memorising his part. To pass an examination, a long period of preparation is necessary. It is within one’s own experience that what he thinks of intensely in the waking state comes up as a dream in sleep. In old age, at the moment of death, the functions of the body and mind will be at a low ebb and most people pass away in an unconscious state. So intense sadhana during a whole-time is essential for attaining the Lord by fixing the mind on Him at the time of death. "Think of Me only” is the Lord’s command. Nothing can save man from the bonds of samsara except the one-pointed absorption in the Supreme Lord. If man wants peace and perfection let him seek refuge in the Lord only. He gives Moksha. The reward of devotion to the Lord at the last moment is that he attains union with the Lord. This is liberation, self-realisation, Moksha. He does not come again under the power of samsara. He reaches the Eternal. The Lord says, out of infinite compassion, “Have faith in Me I will save you from all the ills and perils of samsara.” So, having full faith in the Lord, and abandoning all small gains and profits in this or other worlds, let the seeker aim at the highest perfection and reach it by continuous devotion to the Lord.

O best of the embodied souls, the physical manifestation that is constantly changing is called adhibhūta; the universal form of God, which presides over the celestial gods in this creation, is called Adhidaiva; I, who dwell in the heart of every living being, am called Adhiyajna, or the Lord of all sacrifices. ~ Gita 8.4 As the Lord declares that He dwells in the body as Adhiyajna, He is most near to every being. The Lord is not far away either in the sky or in the underworld. He permeates the body with his invisible presence. So it is everyone's duty to discover Him by close self-examination. As the Lord is very near to all, no one should be hated or looked down with contempt. The divinity of man is thus declared by the Lord.

Forgetfulness of Bhagavan is the root of all evil and suffering. One should keep the mind on him at all times by remembering him and chanting his name, and should never forget him; this is the aim.

Even the simple act of folding one's hands together in the worship of Hari, bowing down to Him, reciting His name even once, destroys the bondage of saṃsāra. That Self of all selves, Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, is the apt object of contemplation at all times.

Prostrations to that Guru who is an embodiment of Knowledge, opens the eyes of those who are rendered blind by the darkness of ignorance. The Guru is verily a link between the individual and the Immortal. The Guru is Brahman Himself. He has established himself in Brahman. He is an ocean of bliss, knowledge, and mercy. He is the captain of the soul. He is the fountain of joy. He removes all troubles, sorrows, and obstacles. He shows the right divine path. He tears the veil of ignorance. He makes one immortal and divine. He gives the rope of knowledge and saves when one is drowning in the ocean of Samsara. The mere study of books cannot make one a Guru. One who has studied the Vedas and who has direct experience of Non-dual Atman can only be called as a Guru. A Jivanmukta or a liberated sage is the real Guru. He is identical to Brahman. He is a Knower of Brahman. Wishing you all a happy Guru Purnima and Vyasa Purnima.

Arjuna said: O Supreme Lord, what is Brahman (Absolute Reality), what is adhyatma (the individual soul), and what is karma? What is said to be adhibhuta, and who is said to be Adhidaiva? Who is Adhiyajna in the body and how is He the Adhiyajna? O Krishna, how are You to be known at the time of death by those of steadfast mind? The Lord said: Brahman is supreme, imperishable. Its essential nature is called Adhyatma (Self-knowledge); the act of sacrifice that causes the birth of beings is named karma (action). ~ Gita 8.1-3 Three questions are answered in this verse. First, what is Brahman? The Supreme and the imperishable is Brahman. Two attributes are mentioned here – supreme (Paramam) and imperishable (Aksharam). There is nothing other than or superior to Brahman. The One above and beyond which there is nothing else is Brahman. Brahman is imperishable, deathless. Since it is deathless it cannot be said to be born. The whole universe is constantly changing and going through the process of creation and dissolution in an endless chain. Birth and death is the law of nature, and there is only One that is birthless and deathless and that is Brahman. To the second question – ‘What is Adhyatma?‘- the answer given is nature (svabhava). One’s nature is svabhava (i.e.) the real Self of man, distinct from the superimposed body, mind, and senses. Out of ignorance, man thinks that he is the body and the mind, and that is his reall nature. It is an error. When knowledge dawns, one knows that he is the Self, Atma, uncontaminated by the body, mind, and the senses. So long as man identifies himself with the elements, which are subject to change and death, he cannot be happy. True happiness is only in the Self, pure, perfect, and imperishable. The third question is ‘What is Karma?’ The answer is ‘an act of sacrifice’, which is the cause of the birth of beings. This is yajna. By yajna, rains are produced, from rains food is produced and from food all beings are born. In charity (Dana), wealth is sacrificed. Service to mankind in any form is an act of sacrifice. This also is Yajna, and it leads to Moksha.

Formal worship drops away after the vision of God. It was thus that my worship in the temple came to an end. I used to worship the Deity in the Kali temple. It was suddenly revealed to me that everything is Pure Self. The utensils of worship, the altar, the door-frame—all Pure Self. Men, animals, and other living beings — all Pure Self. Then like a madman I began to shower flowers in all directions. Whatever I saw I worshipped. “One day, while worshipping Siva, I was about to offer a bel-leaf on the head of the image, when it was revealed to me that this Virat, this Universe, this self itself is Siva. ~ Kathamrita, Sri Paramahamsa Ramakrishna

At the end of many births the man of wisdom seeks refuge in Me, realizing that Vāsudeva is all. Rare indeed is such a high-souled person. ~ Gita 7.19 From time immemorial, man has passed through innumerable births. From worms and germs, reptiles, birds, and beasts, the man, at last, attain the human birth. Several births pass away in a state of ignorance. And then, the desire to know the truth is born in the heart of man. Even then, several births pass away in the ups and downs of spiritual Sadhana. Ultimately man realises the truth, that everything is God. So long as there is the slightest trace of differentiation knowledge is imperfect. Perfection of jnana is the discovery that there is only One and that is God, and there is nothing but He in the whole universe. Sages of such realisation are indeed very rare. But it would be foolish to be lazy and dull in spiritual sadhana, because realisation can come only after many births. On the other hand, knowing full well that he has passed through millions of births, man should strive for liberation even in this very birth. The test of knowledge is the recognition of God everywhere. So long as the objective world ‘drisya’ dominates the mind causing contradictory feelings of attraction and repulsion, there is no knowledge. The aspirant should intensify his sadhana till he comes to know without any doubt that what has been appearing as the objective world is nothing but the Lord Himself. The verse does not mean that only after many births man realises God. It means that man acquires knowledge after many births and he then realises God. That auspicious moment when such realisation takes place is the end of all births. If one makes himself fit for realisation, knowledge may dawn on him this moment. There is no time-limit. Ripeness of mind is all that is needed.

Noble indeed are they all; but the man endowed with wisdom I deem to be My very Self. For, steadfast in mind, he remains fixed in Me alone as the Supreme Goal. ~ Gita 7.18 It is declared here that the Jnani inseperable and not-different from God himself, because he considers the Lord to be the only supreme goal, and is established in Him with a steadfast mind. But the other devotees are also noble because they have faith in the Lord and worship Him sometime or other. These are certainly superior to the rest of mankind who have no faith in the Lord. The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman. So is the Jnani, the Lord Himself. The others are dualistic in their attitude. They think of themselves as separate from the Lord and worship Him as a superior Being. This is quite natural in the early stages of Sadhana. When the aspirant is enthroned in yoga he knows that he is not separate from the Lord. That is why the Jnani is described as harmonised in mind’. The Jnani knows that the Lord is his supreme goal. He has no desire and attachment for anything else. He has discovered the illusory nature of the world. And so, the Lord is the only Reality for him. With an unswerving mind, he thinks, lives, moves and has his being in the Lord. That is why the Jnani is worshipped as the Lord Himself. Whatever path is followed – karma, bhakti, jnana or dhyana – the final goal is union with the Supreme Being. All Sadhana finds its ultimate fulfillment in the realisation of oneness with the Lord.

Of these, the wise man, ever steadfast and devoted to the One alone, is the best. For supremely dear am I to the man of wisdom, and he is dear to Me. ~ Gita 7.17 The jnani is declared to be the highest of the Lord’s devotees because he possesses two qualities not found in the other types. Firstly, he is constantly absorbed in the Self, and secondly, he is devoted to the Lord only and nothing else in the world. The jnani who has realised the Self is always in contact with the Lord. The others think of the Lord now and then. They are part-time devotees; they think of the Lord for some time and then go back to their daily activities of life. But the Jnani has no worldly activities to divert his mind from the Self. So he is ever united with the Lord. Though in the early stages, the devotee’s mind vacillates between the Lord and worldly life, yet it is quite possible gradually to develop constant devotion and since the Jnani has achieved this, he is declared to be the best of the devotees. The Jnani is devoted only to the Lord. He has no attachment to anything else in the world. The others have desires and fears, because they are attached to the world, and think of the Lord for help and protection. The Jnani on the other hand has already found out the illusory nature of the world, and so he has no attraction for anything like wealth or family, name or glory which usually tempt the ignorant. He knows the One Supreme Reality, and his mind is absorbed in it. The Lord is dear to him, and he is dear to the Lord. The closeness of the relationship between the Lord and the devotee is indicated here. Nothing can stand in between the two. In fact, the world stands between man and God. The Jnani has removed this mighty obstacle from his way and has come so close to the Lord that he and his Master become one. When the Lord is pleased with his devotee, what more does he want? The reward of God’s love is moksha (Permanent bliss and supreme peace)

Four types of virtuous men worship Me, Ο Arjuna: the man in distress, the man seeking knowledge, the man seeking enjoyment, and, Ο best of the Bhāratas, the man endowed with wisdom. ~ Gita 7.16 The devotees of the Lord are classified into four types. All of them worship the Lord. But their aim and purpose are different. They are all righteous people as distinguished from the opposite type of demonical natures described in the previous verse. 1. Men in distress remember the Lord and pray to Him for the removal of their difficulties and sorrows. Men suffering from painful diseases cry for the mercy of the Lord to save them. These form the largest majority of devotees in the world. They seek refuge in various Devas for help and protection. Whatever their nature may be, they remember the Lord. 2. These are people who are eager to know and understand the Lord. Great research is carried on into the objective world, and people are spending their high intelligence and energy in these material pursuits only. Here and there we come across a research-worker in the field of the Divine. They study the sastras, examine their own nature, seek the guidance of the Guru, and try to find out the ultimate cause of creation, and the basic secret of their own personality. 3. Men who seek prosperity are the third type of devotees. Their object is to enjoy worldly prosperity in the various fields of human life. Naturally, they seek the benevolence of the Lord to confer prosperity on them. They are also the devotees of the Lord. It is to be noted that the infinite compassion of the Lord is also open for people who desire material comforts, unopposed to the law of Dharma. 4. The man of knowledge knows the real nature of the Lord, and is able to discriminate between the true and the illusory. He has attained the Self-state and lives in constant absorption in Atma. He loves the Lord because he knows that He is the only Reality in the universe, that He is the repository of all wisdom and bliss. He has nothing to gain for himself, and so his devotion to the Lord is a spontaneous act of oneness with Him.

The basic aim of religion is to bring peace to man. It is not a wise thing for one to suffer in this life so that one can be happy in the next. One must be happy here and now. Any religion that can bring about is the true religion for humanity. ~ Swami Vivekananda Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda, pp.45-46

Four kinds of people do not surrender unto Me—those ignorant of knowledge, those who lazily follow their lower nature though capable of knowing Me, those with deluded intellect, and those with a demoniac nature. ~ Gita 7.15 It is declared in the previous verse that those who surrender to the Lord go beyond Maya. But do all people surrender? No. The Lord here describes those who do not come to Him. They are ignorant because their understanding is deluded by Maya. They are the lowest of men. They have taken to demonical nature and act like vile and wretched beings. Maya acts like a thief. If it is allowed to enter the heart, all that is precious – the discrimination, the superior intelligence, the virtue, the sadhana – are stolen in a trice, and people are left helpless and wretched. Man is degraded into a demon. The wise man is transformed into a fool. What is Maya? The bad samskaras, lust, anger, greed, arrogance, pride, and egoism – all these taken together is Maya. Therefore by discrimination, devotion, dispassion, and sacred thoughts and acts, one should guard his inner self from the powerful onslaughts of maya

It is avidya, or ignorance, which is the field of lust and anger. Patanjali defines avidya as follows: “To regard the non-eternal as eternal, the impure as pure, the painful as pleasant, and the non-Atman as the Atman-this is ignorance.” [2.5] In other words, it is ignorance which makes one perceive the unreal world as real, the impure body as pure, happiness in painful sense enjoyments. These false perceptions are caused by ignorance. This avidya is without beginning: there is no way of ascertaining when it originated. It is also without end in the sense that until one attains illumination by the grace of God, it remains and is not destroyed. This ignorance does not allow us to move towards God. So Krishna said in the Gita, “Those who take refuge in me alone shall cross over this maya.” [7.14] Our duty is to take refuge in him and lead a God-centred life. ~ Excerpt from ‘Spiritual Treasures: Letters of Swami Turiyananda’

Whatever others think or do, lower not your standard of purity, morality, and love of God. ~ Swami Vivekananda

This divine illusion of Mine caused by the qualities, is difficult to cross over; those who take refuge in Me alone, cross over this illusion. ~ Gita 7.14 This verse is of very great importance to all people. What is this Maya? What is the way to go beyond it? These two are fundamental questions. Maya is the supreme power of the Lord. It is under His control and acts according to His command. He may withdraw the power into Himself or project it outside at His will. Though Maya has power to delude the whole universe, yet it is just an instrument in the hands of God. Like a servant before the master Maya obeys the Lord. It is inscrutable, mysterious, and wonderful to those who are under its power. To the Lord and the perfected yogis, it is only a non-existent reality. That which is not, that is Maya. That which is non-existent and yet creates the illusion of Reality is Maya. The world is not, yet it appears to exist. The individual self ‘ahamkara’ is not, yet it appears to exist. The reality is covered up and what is unreal is made to appear as the real. Such is the mystery of Maya. But to the wise, it is nothing. The ocean may be difficult to cross for the ordinary man, but to Garutman it is no more than a small canal. He flies over it by the superior power of his wings. It is difficult to cross over Maya, but it is not impossible. Those who yield to the temptations of sensual pleasures, who are attached to material things cannot cross the ocean of Maya. All spiritual sadhana is intended to eliminate the temptations of the flesh and the delusions of the mind. Having described the power of Maya in the first line, the Lord points the way to cross over it in the second line. Those who take refuge in the Lord transcend Maya. Devotion to the Lord, and surrender to the Lord is the way to overcome Maya. ‘Surrender to Me. I will take you beyond Maya’. is the Lord’s command. Sankara says that devotion to the Lord’s lotus feet is the strong boat that will carry people beyond the ocean of samsara. Human skill and intelligence is indeed capable of many worldly victories and achievements. Inventions are made, empires are built, battles are fought and won by human intelligence and skill. But when man stands confronted with the cosmic illusion, he is by himself powerless. Only by surrender to the Supreme Lord, and by His grace alone, can man cross the frontiers of samsara, and enter the land of bliss and blessedness. Service of the sages and Rishis who had already gone beyond Maya is also of greatest help to the spiritual aspirant. Having crossed the mire of delusion, they help mankind to do so. The Lord is perfectly clear in his declaration ‘mam eva‘- Me only – is His command. Nothing else, no one else, can work the miracle. If one surrenders to the objective world he will suffer endless misery. If he surrenders to the Lord, he will obtain the highest rewards of freedom and bliss. The choice lies in man. Each one has to take the decision himself. No one can decide for another. The Lord’s promise that he would take man beyond maya, should give infinite strength to man. This verse should be read and re-read, and the divine light by which the enveloping darkness will all be dispelled will flow. Devotion to the Lord means to have unswerving faith in Him, perform sacred works, meditate on the Self, cultivate virtues, and such other practices that purify the mind.