DwarkaMai - Sai Baba Forum

Indian Spirituality => Sri Sai Leela => Sai Baba Books Archive => August 1974 => Topic started by: JR on February 19, 2007, 08:08:54 AM

Title: THE SCIENCE OF RELIGION Meet the Third Chapter
Post by: JR on February 19, 2007, 08:08:54 AM
By : Swami Chinmay anand

The despondent Arjuna, afteCsuffering for a while in the suf¬focating depths of a neurotic-anxiety-condition came to be for a time, in the tenacious grips of Hysteria- He even touched the outer margins of hysterical-coma. Lord Krishna, through a slow but steady process of re-education of the patient in mystic-truths, reviv¬ed the Prince Pandava sufficiently, that Arjuna could make a very valid and pertinent question as to what is the nature of this ultimate Perfection-State. What is the nature of this Man-of-Perfection? We had an elaborate, accurate and living picture of the Man-of-Perfection—or Man-of-God—as he dynamically lives in the down¬town world of contentions and competitions.

Freedom from the world within and from the world without, is achieved because of the individual's lack of desire and attach¬ment. But we all have them; we are very much under their cons¬tant tyranny. How can we get rid of them—how are we to win a subjective victory over our own sizzling passions? If we can do this, of course, we can gain this covetable state of equipoise and continuous bliss of inspired living. But how?

In chapter Two we also learnt that the sense-organs of a true Muni are totally under his control because his mind entertains no desire to enjoy the objects. These desires are the expressions of the "Vasanas" the impressions stored away in our unconscious and sub-conscious mind. When Vasanas are good, noble desires tickle us to noble activity, and when Vasanas are bad, ignoble desires push us over into criminal activity. Where Vasanas are eliminated there shall be neither good nor evil, neither noble nor ignoble actions spring from our selfishness, our vainful ego. Actions that spring forth into expressions in such men arc ever divinely inspired-actions and in¬variably God-prompted pure "Loka-Sewa" service of Him through service of His creations around us.

Such divine actions of service to the society become sullied in us due to our selfishness, when passion discolours our actions and disfigures their final results. These selfish passions arise from the subconscious and the unconscious urges in each one of us, gathered by us through our past thoughts and actions And there is none, who has no Vasanas and therefore, none can remain without partici¬pating in actions, both good and bad.

Vasana exhaustion, therefore becomes the main scheme in self-improvement. How can we eliminate them? Before elimination how are we to purify them? Even purified Vasanas will produce noble actions...leaving their own noble Vasanas-encrustations. We are in chains whether the links are of rusted-iron, or polished gold. In the third chapter of the Bhagavad Geeta we have the secret psychological method of eliminating Vasanas, while expressing the most powerful ones in us now present.

The theory is simple-so simple that it generally escapes our recognition. In the din of roaring activities, while we are in the work-a-day world, the onslaught of our immediate demands is so powerful, incessant, and overwhelming that we have no chance to see this obvious law in action in us.

When any action is undertaken with ego and ego-centric-desires I and 'I-want' attitude — that action leaves its impressions as a Vasana in us, prompting a repetition of the same action. Thus, one drinks with an attitude of I am enjoying", "I like it", "I want to have it". Then you find him growing in his habit of drinking An innocent village-woman in hospital takes an ounce of brandy daily for 6-weeks, and yet, she does not develop the habit—because she was taking it daily only for improving her health—as a medicine.
A criminal mind becomes a professional murderer with each added man-slaughter, while an army-officer, though he has killed many, never becomes a murderer! He in the battle killed not for his own ego and ego-satisfaction, but he killed in the defence of his country.

Examples can be multiplied. It is a fact that an act in itself cannot leave any impression upon us—but selfish-acts, prompted by personal desire-gratifications, do generate Vasana encrustations.
The third Chapter of Geeta very subtly indicates this truth and suggests how best man can immediately grow in peace and tranquility by acting in a spirit of ego-surrendered, selfless enthusiasm born of dedication to a higher ideal. Just as the rustic lady-patient took her "medicine" dedicated to her quick recovery; just as the army-officer shot dead many an enemy, dedicated at the altar of his country, if man has a higher-ideal, surrendering to which he can act, no action can bring new Vasanas—nay, the existing Vasanas then explode away into their actions.

This secret of Vasana - exhaustion is called in the Hindu Sastras as Karma Yoga. If we fix our vision high, and in a spirit of surrender and dedication act, the mind gets purified, and the Vasanas get automatically exhausted. These Vasanas, the store house of our repressions and suppressions, once exploded out into noble activities, thereafter the bosom becomes calm, and the resultant quiet-mind is the field for intense thoughts and inspirations.

Such a peaceful mind discovers, in itself automatically its meditation-poise. This 'alert mind' is the theatre for all intuitional discoveries—a new light of clear perceptions comes to such a mind —the deeper Reality stands vividly revealed. A mind at poise is the sure instrument for material success, the smooth and straight runway for the spiritual take-on".

Arjuna has been born with active and dynamic Vasanas as a Kshatriya, and has to exhaust them in tireless exertions in heretic wars and daring exploits in the service of the nation and its culture. He must act — and not run away from the immediate problems facing him, however painfully hopeless they be. Such problems are the meat of the youth. By facing them industriously, with calm courage and cool judgements, alone can the young ones grow up in their inner personality-strength.

The Path of Action — called Karma Yoga — is a highly scien¬tific way-of-life which all of us can easily adopt, when once we have understood its entire implications. The world of objects and beings remaining the same, everyone of us, in whatever condition we may be at present, can learn to slowly grow to unbelievable heights — gathering to ourselves a new stature, undreamt of us by anyone around us at any time.

(Courtesy: Geeta Office, Powai)