A'DARSHA AND IS'T'A

official source: Subha's'ita Sam'graha Part 12

cross-references: none

this version: is the printed Subha's'ita Sam'graha Part 12, 1st edition, version 
	(spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most 
	up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. Words in square 
	brackets [   ] are corrections that did not appear in the printed version. 

	The subject of today's discourse is "A'darsha and Is't'a."  Now, what is A'darsha and what is Is't'a?  We are all constantly on the move: each and every entity of the universe from the huge dinosaurs to the smallest blade of grass is in a state of constant motion - nothing is fixed, nothing is static.  Movement is life, and perishability is the natural law of the universe.  When everything is in a state of motion, then what is the goal of movement?  Every movement certainly has a terminating point, and that terminating point is a'darsha.  Human beings also move on, but to move forward sometimes they need energy.  But where does this energy come from?  The source of all energy is Parama Purus'a. With His energy all entities are moving.  No living being has its own energy: endowed with the energy of Parama Purus'a, it moves forward towards its a'darsha.

	Is there any difference between a'darsha and is't'a?  This is a knotty question indeed.  A'darsha is that which is the very goal towards which all entities are moving.  The word a'darsha is derived from a' - drsh + ghain; when the feminine suffix uniis' is added to the word a'darsha we get the word a'darshii which means 'a mirror'.  What human beings wish to become is their a'darsha.

	Human beings are constantly on the move, but the question is, what is the culminating point - the point they reach at the end of their movement?  Take the case of a small child: it is always weak and powerless.  If it wants to be strong, it has to undergo regular physical exercises.  If the child grows strong and powerful through physical exercises, that is it's a'darsha - that is to say, a'darsha is a state endowed with particular qualities.

	Now, when human beings do not move towards that state, what happens?  I have just said that movement is the law of the universe.  It is a providential decree that movement is a must for all: caraeveti, caraeveti - "proceed on, proceed on."  Naturally human beings must keep on moving ceaselessly; but supposing one does not have a goal, then one's movement will be like that of a rudderless ship sailing on stormy sea.  If you keep rowing a boat without a fixed goal all your labour will go in vain, your time will be wasted, and you will also run the risk of being caught in a whirlpool.  Therefore human beings must always have an a'darsha, an ideology before them.

	Now, what is is't'a?  The word is't'a has two meanings: the entity which you love most, or which is your most favourite, is your is't'a.  Now the question is, what is the most favourite object?  Every microcosm has an existential 'I-feeling', and every microcosmic 'I feeling' is an expression of the greater 'I-feeling'.  Now, each microcosm has two 'I's: one is the small 'I', and the other is the greater 'I'.  Parama Purus'a is the greater 'I'; the small 'I' is finite happiness, whereas the greater 'I' represents infinite happiness.  Every microcosm desires [finite] happiness, but the dearest object of all is infinite happiness.  Finite happiness is an individual's affair, whereas infinite happiness is a universal affair.  Infinite happiness is that aspect of Parama Purus'a which is generally called Personal God.

	According to philosophy, the Supreme Entity who controls this universe is Parama Purus'a; He is also the nucleus of the cosmological order.  But the Parama Purus'a of philosophy, the hub of the universe, is a formless, impersonal entity, whereas human beings always prefer a personal God whom they can love, and to whom they can explain the pleasures and pains of their life.  Human beings cannot feel extreme love and affection towards an impersonal God or philosophy because that is only a metaphysical concept, and the human heart cannot fully identify itself with an abstract idea.  People cannot reveal the stories of their joys and sorrows, pains and pleasures, loves and affections, to an abstract idea.  They want a personal God to whom they can fully convey their feelings and sentiment.  This is an absolute necessity.  Human beings do not search for their God in distant nebulae and meteors - they seek Him right near them, in their very midst.  They want to accept Him totally as their shelter in life.  In the play of abstract imagination people may derive some temporary satisfaction, but not lasting peace.  The God of philosophy cannot provide complete fulfillment to people's deep internal urges: they want One to whom they can open their hearts.  Such an entity is one's is't'a.

	What is the difference between dharma and is't'a?  That which sustains is dharma:  Yah dha'ran'am' karoti sah dharma.  Dhriyate dharmah itya'huh sa eva paramam' prabhuh.  A microcosm is distinguished by its innate property: we say "this is oxygen" because it has such-and-such characteristics.  We say "this is fire" because it has its own property.  Similarly, air also has its own unique property.  Thus every object in the universe is distinguished by its unique characteristic.  If fire ceases to burn, we no longer call it fire; if air stops blowing, we no longer call it air, because mobility is its inherent characteristic.  In Sam'skrta there are two words nila and niila.  Nila means "blue colour," whereas nila means "fixed, stationary."  If air is immobile, then it becomes nila or stationary, and not anila or mobile.  In this way innate properties or characteristics of objects distinguish between animate and inanimate, organic and inorganic, moveable or immoveable entities.

	Human beings, animals, and plants, all have life.  Just as plants have certain common characteristics, animals too have certain common characteristics.  Of the numerous differences between plants and animals, the major difference is that plants are relatively static, whereas animals are dynamic.  Now, if plants become more dynamic, then they too will come within the category of animals.  Now, what is the difference between human beings and animals?  Human beings follow Bha'gavata dharma but animals do not.  The common characteristics shared by humans and animals are eating, sleeping and dying.  But human beings have the unique property of Bha'gavata dharma which is lacking in animals.  This is the speciality of human beings.

	Now, if this unique characteristic is lacking in human beings, then they will degrade themselves to the level of animality; and if animals develop this characteristic then they will be elevated to the status of humanity.

	What are the special characteristics of Bha'gavata dharma?  They are: vista'ra (expansion), rasa (flow), seva (service), and tadsthiti (realisation of the Supreme).  The first criterion of human greatness is the spirit of expansion.  Human beings want to give an aesthetic expression to all internal feelings and propensities; this is the first aspect of Bha'gavata dharma - vista'ra.

	Rasa means "flow,"  Endless waves are emanating from the hub of the cosmological order, and surging in troughs and crests in all directions.  These Macrocosmic thought waves are dancing according to the cosmic will of Parama Purus'a.  Human beings are also dancing in the rhythm of these aesthetic waves, to the tune of the sweet musical cadence of Krs'n'a's flute as He remains in the nucleus of the universe.  This is the second aspect of Bha'gavata dharma.

	The third aspect is seva' or service.  Now what is service?  Pran'ipa'tena pariprashnena sevaya'.  Among animals there is no spirit of service, but among human beings it is certainly present.  Pran'ipa'tena means "through total surrender".  Pariprashnena means "through proper queries": and sevaya' means "through service" - that is, Parama Purus'a is attainable through total surrender, spiritual queries, and selfless service.  Parama Purus'a Himself does not require any service, but in this universe each and every created object is His progeny.  If you serve the children of Parama Purus'a, if you serve the distressed and afflicted human beings, if you render all-round service to humanity in the physical, mental, mundane, supramundane, social and spiritual spheres of life, Parama Purus'a will surely be pleased.  This is the real service to the Supreme.  If you want to please a mother, simply serve her children and the mother will be pleased.  This is the third aspect of Bha'gavata dharma.

	Service is always unilateral or one sided: that is the major difference between service and business, for business is mutual - you give some money and take something, say, pulses in return.  The transaction is mutual.  But service is quite different: it is always unilateral.  You give something to Parama Purus'a without asking for anything in exchange.  When you offer everything unto Parama Purus'a, what else can He ask for?  Moreover, who will ask?  When you have offered everything to Parama Purus'a, then you have become one with Parama Purus'a, what else can He ask for?  Moreover, who will ask?  When you have offered everything to Parama Purus'a, then you have become one with Parama Purus'a, and obviously there cannot be anything left to ask for.

	The fourth aspect of Bha'gavata dharma is tadsthiti: it means to merge your individual identity in Him, your Supreme Goal.  I have already said that Parama Purus'a is Ta'raka Brahma; He is your is't'a, your personal God.  This is not a theoretical concept.  The human mind can be delighted with some philosophical ideas, but the heart is not satisfied thus.  This four-fold Bha'gavata dharma is like a silver line of demarcation between human beings and animals.  Bha'gavata dharma is the human dharma, ma'nava dharma; besides this there is no other dharma for humanity.

	In the Bha'gavata Giita', Lord Krs'n'a proclaimed, Shreya'n svadharma vigun'ah paradharma't sva'nus't'hita't.  What is paradharma or "others' dharma"!  Here Paradharma means that dharma which is followed by plants and animals.  The dharma of human beings is Bha'gavata dharma.  Animals and plants also have their own dharma, but this should not be followed by human beings.  Thus Lord Krs'n'a further declared, Svadharme nidhanam' shreyah paradharma bhaya'vaha; Death is preferable to neglect of one's own dharma: one should never follow another's dharma.  Out of ignorance, some people misconstrue paradharma to be Hindu dharma, Islam dharma, Christian dharma, etc., but this is not correct; Paradharma means the dharma of animals and plants.

	Human dharma is one, and that is Bha'gavata dharma. And is't'a means the personal God with whom all unit beings can establish a relation of love and affection, to whom they can reveal their pains and pleasures, and surrender themselves and take the safest shelter in Him.  That Parama Purus'a, that personal God is not the God of philosophy.  Human beings cannot establish a very close relationship with something theoretical.  If one closely follows Bha'gavata dharma, the final result will be the realisation of the Supreme, becoming one with one's is't'a.  Some time ago I said yato dharma tato is't'ah Yato ista tato jayah.  When spiritual aspirants become one with their is't'a, they no longer remain as insignificant people; in that case their finite happiness is transformed into infinite happiness.  Then with their limited strength they become able to perform gigantic tasks.  So although there is a theoretical difference between a'darsha and is't'a, practically both are the same.  Human beings can become one with their is't'a, through the relentless pursuit of Bha'gavata dharma.  Those who do not follow Bha'gavata dharma are almost like animal.

	A mystic poet has said,

		Krs'n'a bhajiba'r tare sam'sa're a'inu
		Miche ma'ya'y baddha haye brks'a sama hainu.

	Human beings have come onto this earth only to follow Bha'gavata dharma, and not for any purpose.  You have many tasks to perform: whatever you do, you should always feel that all your actions are part of Bha'gavata dharma.  Wherever you are, you must do something to remove the poverty and distress of the people in that area, to ameliorate their socio-economic condition.  But even while discharging your duties thus, you should always remember that whatever you are doing is not a mundane duty it is an inseparable part of your Bha'gavata dharma.

20 July 1979, Bhuvaneshvar