4 February 2002, 12:10am IST
Shammi Paranjape.
Two men went into a mango garden. one man started counting the mango trees and the number of fruit each bore and approximate value of the orchard. the other man went straight to the owner and making his acquaintance was invited by him to pluck and taste the fruit. one was busy in counting and calculating, the other was enjoying the delicious fruit. ramakrishna paramhansa would cite this example to show the difference between the man of dry academics and the man of devotion. the man of intellect busies himself with probing the genesis of creation, while the bhakta makes direct acquaintance with the creator and enjoys supreme bliss even in this world. hindu scriptures tell us that god got lonely; that’s why he made this universe with all its diversity. he wanted to share his splendour and love and so split himself up into all this splendid diversity — the one became many — ekaham bahusyam. even sufi thought states that it was out of love god descended from the solitude of unknowing into existence. as the sufi saint-poet rumi asks, was it not out of love for the flower that the gardener cultivated the garden? there is really no separation between man and god and between man and man. any perceived difference is an illusion or maya that makes us forget ultimate reality. all life’s misery is an expression of the soul’s anguish at its separation from its divine source. any of the three paths — of knowledge, action or devotion can bring about the spiritual illumination needed to reunite with the divine source. all the three paths lead to the same goal of self- realisation, only the methods are different. on the path of knowledge, jnana-marg, you seek to know god. on the path of action or karma-marg, you seek to serve god in all beings and on the path of devotion, bhakti-marg, you seek to love god. the nava-vidha bhakti marg delineates modes of devotion by which we can cultivate a loving relationship with god. this spiritual effort or sadhana is truly rewarding because it dissolves the distance between you and god and makes him a living reality in your life. you learn to see god as your very own, as in any other close personal relationship. however, to achieve this fellowship with god, spiritual effort or sadhana is required, in which the mind plays a key part. god you think, god you are; dust you think, dust you are. the mind can be a tool for bondage or liberation, depending on the way you turn it. like a key can both open and close, our mind is the ultimate key. it can be used to draw god close to us or create a distance between us. pir vilayat khan, the sufi master, says an electron can exist only if circumstances are created that favour its appearance; before that it exists only in a virtual state. similarly if we don’t create a place for the divine in our daily lives, the divine will continue to exist in a state or virtuality or potentiality. in the sakhyam or sneham mode of bhakti you make god your closest friend. you do this by installing him in the altar of your heart and initiating a dialogue with him. you confide to him your innermost secrets; you laugh and cry with him, you even grumble to him, making god an integral part of your life. in the bhagavad gita krishna declares, ‘‘he who searches me out in friendship and in filial divine love, he shall find me; i am with him always. he will never lose sight of me, nor will i ever lose sight of him’’. arjuna exemplifies the sakhyam mode whereby he made the lord his dearest friend. sri sathya sai baba says, earn the right to approach the lord without fear and the right to ask for your heritage. whatever role you give god to play in your relationship with him, he will play it to perfection, but you too must play yours with the utmost integrity. the yasna declares, ‘‘through the best righteousness may we catch sight of thee. may we approach thee, may we be in perfect friendship with thee. ultimately you will be drawn to the realisation that god the supreme consciousness is at the heart of all things and that he is sarvam (the all)’’.
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