By: Anandmurti Gurumaa
Seeing the world around you fall apart, and all endearing bonds wither away like blossoms hitting their age of senescence in the autumn’s fall, you have witnessed the brutality of death. You never knew how fragile life is until the pandemic swung you like a pendulum, compelling you to oscillate between life and death. This must have certainly raised questions like: ‘Does God even exist?’ ‘Who am I?’ ‘What is beyond life and death and if at all will I be liberated from this vicious loop?’
Let this fire of dispassion be the torch on your path of exploration. Direct it as the ultimate fuel in your search for absolute knowledge.
More than ever, it is today that man needs the antidote of wisdom after being savagely hit by the pandemic. In the Bhagwad Gita, Krishna guides Arjun through the labyrinth of the apparent world, saying: ‘Yatha dipo nivata-stho nengate sopama smṛita; yogino yata-chittasya yunjato yogam atmanaḥ.’ A flame does not flicker when it is placed in a breeze-less place; similarly, a yogi, who always remains steadfastly absorbed in divine remembrance, his mind remains still without the quiver of even a single thought. No breeze of desire disturbs the quietude of such a stilled mind.
At a deeper level, you are the flame, the light of awareness that never ever extinguishes. But such is your state that the very embodiment of light is wandering
aimlessly, stumbling, in ignorance and attachment. You were and you are the supreme Brahman, but you have no inkling of your own reality. Desires agitate your mind; they throw your mind into turmoil. Be alert, don’t let desires drive your mind into turbulence. The Lord further says, ‘Yatroparamate chittam niruddham yoga-sevaya; yatra chaivatmanatmanam pashyann atmani tuṣhyati.’ When, through the practice of yog, the subconscious mind has been stilled and abides in complete repose, when one experiences the supreme divinity through the refined intellect, which has been purified through remembrance of the Lord – thus seeing the Self by the Self, the yogi is contented in his own Self.
The entire journey of spirituality has been condensed in this one verse. Through the practice of yog, the subconscious mind becomes still and is in total repose, with neither passion nor dispassion of the material world. This stillness and total repose of the subconscious mind will be attained through the practice of yog. There are several well-defined paths: Bhakti Yog, Jnana Yog, Hath Yog, Raj Yog, Kundalini Yog, Laya Yog, and Mantra Yog. Practice judiciously under the guidance of a master. Once the subconscious mind is stilled and in complete repose, then the experience of the pure Self will happen through the refined and purified intellect. Jnana cannot be comprehended by an impure intellect, and it is only
the purified intellect that has transcended the senses which absorb the boundless bliss.
The Gita should not be mistaken as a mere read, it is a classic piece of Vedantic philosophy that bestows each reader with the discriminating wisdom of right and wrong. If confusion, depression, anxiety, or loneliness corner you in your weakest moments, grab your divine armor and let Krishna’s sword of knowledge vanquish your illusionary demons to dust.
On this Guru Purnima Day, let us recapitulate what Sai Baba has stated
“He who looks to me with undivided attention, praises me and listens to my praises is blessed. He, who has no other desire except me, he only will reach the Supreme Self.” – Shri Sai Baba (Chap 19, Ovi 216-219)
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