Dhyana Vahini

When people wander helter-skelter in the world, not knowing the road in a strange land, and when someone comes to direct them along the right path, it is not just that he is laughed at and dishonored; it brings about only ruin! Isn’t it? But today, it has become the habit of man to curdle the hearts of these Prema Svarupas (Embodiments of Love), into Halahalam (poison), through their ignorance of the role of helpfulness which these guides have come to play. Love and poison arise from the same native spot. Notice that the same sea which yielded gems, the moon, the Amritam (Nectar), and Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) brought forth the world-destroying Halahalam (poison) too. Under these conditions, man should become an expert like Sri Narayana, who possesses the quality of accepting the true essence of good and the auspicious; otherwise, he cannot have nectar and Lakshmi. The heroic and the adventurous, like Shiva, can have the poison as their meed. Therefore, this Samsara (Ocean of Life), agitated with the waves of joy and misery, can be crossed only by those experts who have an unflinching desire for the essence of bliss; the rest will be submerged.

The capacity to overcome the Gunas (qualities) of Prakruti (Nature) is not inherent in everyone; it comes to one with the help of the grace of the Lord. And, to win that grace, Japam (repetition of the Divine name) and Dhyanam (Meditation) are very essential. This must first be clearly understood: it is impossible for everyone to control the Gunas of Prakruti (Nature); the power is possessed only by those who have nature in their grip and whose commands nature does obey. Prakruti (Nature) is the basis of everything in the universe. It is the basis of creation and existence. All this IS-ness is Nature. Men or women, beasts or birds, trees or plants, in fact, all that can be seen, is inseparable from Nature. In this endless Prakruti (Creation), the One who is present as Chaitanya (Active Element) in the form of Purusha is none other than the Paramatma (Supreme Lord). This truth has to be experienced and it should not slip away from consciousness, and, the discipline needed for this too is Japam (repetition of the Divine name) and Dhyanam (Meditation). This Nature is like an ocean; even if it is agitated a little, crores of living beings will be destroyed. See! When the sea becomes slightly ruffled, ships turn into hollow reeds; so, you should never try to cause any agitation in the sea waters by your own efforts. It is impossible for the sea to remain calm. So, pray and aspire for the raft of Divine Grace. Only through the Lord’s grace can it be possible to cross this ocean of Prakruti (Nature). When you keep praying thus, one day you will definitely secure His grace and reach the shore.

Everything in this world is ephemeral, transitory; it is here today, but, it may not be there tomorrow. So, if you desire to crave for something with a full heart, seek the Lord alone. Instead, if you crave for progeny, wealth and all comforts, you will suffer untold misery when you are called upon to leave everything and depart. At that moment, you would lament, “Oh, did I love so deep that I may weep so loud?” In this transitory life, joy and pain are also perforce transitory. So, to get immersed in this search for the evanescent and to forget the Supreme and the Everlasting God is, indeed, an implacable shortfall of man. Ignoring Madhava (God) who is free from Maya (Illusion) and spending time with people who are immersed in illusion, this is fruitless; sorrow alone is the final gain. There is nothing in this world fit to be worshipped as eternal. Whomever you love, that love has to come to an end.

The self-same Lord is the Giver, and Taker of all things! He gives and takes, as and when He wishes. So, how foolish it is to consider another’s property as our own and lament when we have to forgo it! God is everything - this fact has to be realized with experience. Therefore, do not pine over anyone or worry over anything. Let all the pining and all the worrying be turned towards the Lord; He alone is Eternal and the source of all joy. For the rest, love a thing as a thing, not more. Love a person as a person, not more. If you love them more, it is a sign that you have been deceived. Substantially, though this Universe is Anantam (Infinite), the world conceived by man is not eternal. You can behave only for a short time as if the house you have rented out is your own! For, as soon as the period is over, it passes on to another. Isn’t it? So, if you think on these lines, you will know that the spouse, children, possessions, and relatives are not yours for long, but only for a short time. So why waste away, worrying over these impermanent things? One may be a millionaire or a pauper, but the riches cannot make a millionaire eat more than one bellyful. Like the traveller taking refuge at nightfall in a caravanserai, man has come to this world. When dawn breaks, the traveller departs! He travels towards his goal, from one place to another, stage by stage. It is good to take this life in this world as a caravanserai, rather than getting fully engrossed in it.

Animals with many legs have to creep along the ground. Man has only two legs and so, he can stand upright and freely move about. But creatures such as centipedes crawl along the ground because they have more legs. That is why it is said, “The larger the number of legs the greater the bondage.” Now, suppose he marries. Then, he has four legs, he has become a quadruped. Later when he gets sons, daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren, he is transformed into a regular centipede, capable of moving only by crawling along the ground! He cannot stand erect; he loses the freedom of movement and is getting fully engrossed in worldly things; and thus, he is not able to secure the Lord’s grace.

The attachments of the world are short-lived. People have been born many times before and have lived out their lives, loving and getting immersed in love, and attaching themselves to others. But, does anyone now have a trace of all that? Does he know where they are now? Does he now worry about any of those he loved then? Does he remember them at least, now and then? No. The same type of love and attachment were there, then also, but, with the passage of time, it has been forgotten. So too, when one departs this world from hence, the kind of affection and attachments one had towards others and the joy, pain, and happiness one had through others, will be forgotten. Like the playgrounds of children, the scenes of action of man will also be changing, from here to there, and from there to somewhere else! Fixing their minds on the insecure changing love, how tragic it is that people forget the cultivation of the disciplines that are worthy of securing the love of the Lord, which will give them the permanent bliss!

Man is plunged in all sorts of worries, all the twenty-four hours. In such a scenario, is it right to increase his burden further? Who can be so cruel as to torture instead of lessening the suffering of a dying person? Already man is living in the rough sea of worries; dare we blow a typhoon over it? Learn, therefore, to put a pleasant smiling face at those who are already plunged in restlessness and spread joy. Keep smiling yourself and make others smile too. Why make a sad world sadder, by your sadness, your lamentation, and your disappointments? Adopt Japam (repetition of the Divine name) and Dhyanam (Meditation) to assuage your own grief; overcome your own sorrow; and plunge in the cool waves of the sea of the grace of the Lord.

Why should travellers wrangle through the night over useless things, instead of taking rest and getting ready to leave the caravanserai at dawn, and starting out on the next stage of their pilgrimage? By wrangling, they lose sleep and deprive themselves of rest; they will not have the energy to continue the journey. So do not become worrisome by thinking over much about the things of the world. Worry ends in meaningless hurry and waste of precious time. That time is better used in meditating on God.

All living beings are actors playing their roles in this drama staged by God. They take their exit, when the curtain is rung down or when their part is over. On that stage, one may play the part of a thief, another may be cast as a king, a third may be a clown and another a beggar. For all these characters in the play are played on ONE and the same stage. And, who gives the cue to all the characters is also the ONE and the same! Here, some points have to be understood clearly. The cue-master (prompter) will not come upon the stage and give the cue, in full view of all. If He does so, the drama will lose its spirit. Therefore, standing behind a screen at the back of the stage, He gives the cue to all the actors, as per their role, whether it is a dialogue, speech, or song, just when each is in most need of help. In the same way, the Lord is behind the screen of Maya (Illusion) on the stage of Prakruti (Creation, Nature), giving the cue to all the actors for their various parts. So, every actor must be conscious of the presence of God behind the screen of Maya (Illusion) who is the basis and shows the path of life; one must be anxious to catch the faintest suggestion or cue He might give, keeping a corner of the eye always on Him and having the ear pitched to catch His voice and follow His command. Instead of this, if a person forgets the plot and the story (that is to say, the work for which one has come and the duties that appertain thereto), and neglects to watch the presence behind the screen, and simply stands dumb on the stage, the audience will laugh at the folly, criticize him and charge him with spoiling the show.

For these reasons, every actor who has to play the role of a Man on the world stage, must first learn the story-plot and lines well and then, remembering the Lord behind the screen, await His orders. The attention and care must be on both of these. Meditation is aimed at aiding in developing such awareness.