THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESS

official source: Subha's'ita Sam'graha Part 11

cross-references: none

this version: is the printed Subha's'ita Sam'graha Part 11, 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.

	The subject of today's discourse is " The Essence of Spiritual Progress".  While speaking about progress, two things are to be carefully remembered: one thing is that progress is always systaltic, pulsative....it never moves in a straight line.   And the second thing is that the velocity and acceleration vary according to the variation in physical, psychic and spiritual planes.  In the case of so-called physical and intellectual progress, the variation in acceleration and also velocity takes place due to certain belligerent forces acting within and without the microcosm.  In the physical plane the most important belligerent force is the inertia of the earth; and in the psychic plane, in the intellectual stratum, the main belligerent forces are the different projections of mind...the difference in reflection and refraction in different psychic pabula.  That is why I say that there cannot be any actual progress in the physical and psychic planes; there can only be progress in the stratum of spirituality.  And this progress occurs also in the three levels according to the psycho-spiritual standard of that particular microcosm.

	By birth all human beings are just like animals.  They are bound by the fetters of so many pa'shas and ripus, bondages and enemies of mind.  In this first phase, with the blessings of the Lord, they start their struggle.  And what is this struggle?  It is the struggle against those fetters while moving towards the Goal.  In this struggle they are emboldened by the support of the Ma'ya'.  This first phase of struggle in tantra Sadhana is called pashva'ca'r in Sam'skrta, for here the spiritual aspirants are to some extent like animals; and so the fight against all those nooses of pa'shas and ripus is known as the fight of an animal-the pashva'ca'ra in Sam'skrta.  Now while struggling against those binding principles they badly need the grace of the lord, and in their inner voice they address the Lord as Pashupati, the Lord of the animals:  "O Lord, I am a pashu, an animal, and Thou art my Lord, Thou art Pashupati."  So in the first phase of spiritual movement Sada'shiva or the Guru is known as Pashupati.

		Sarveca Pashavah santihtalvad bhu'tale Nara'h
		Tesa'm' jina'napraka'sha'ya Viirabha'vah praka'shitah
		Viirabha'vam sada' pra'pya kramen'a devata' bhavet.

	Now after this first phase is over, after the successful completion of the first struggle, the second one starts.  This second struggle occurs both externally and internally, and for this the sa'dhakas must be sufficiently bold.  This boldness comes as a result of the first fight.  In this second phase the spiritual aspirants struggle like heroes, and address their Lord as Viireshvara.  So in this second phase of struggle, their Lord Sada'shiva becomes Viireshvara, the Lord of Heroes.  Now the spiritual aspirants are no longer animals or pashus, they are heroes or viiras.

	And in the final phase they attain godhood step by step.  Here the struggle is purely internal, controlling the debasing propensities of the mind one by one.  Now the aspirants are called devas or divine beings, and their course of action is known as divya'ca'ra'.  In the first phase there may be some physical obstacles, but these can be surmounted by the Grace of the Lord.  In the second phase, too, there are mental obstacles, but they too can be overcome by the Grace of the Lord.  For He clearly says:

		Daeviiyes'a gun'amayii mama ma'ya' duratyaya'
		Ma'meva ye prapadyantema'ya' metam' taranti te.

	"This Ma'ya', this depraving faculty, this avidya' shakti, is my Ma'ya': she is under my control"-shakti sa' shivasya shaktih.  So those spiritual aspirants who have surrendered at the altar of the Supreme need not be afraid of Ma'ya' because the Lord before whom they have surrendered controls that very Ma'ya'.  Daeviiyes'a gun'amayii mama ma'ya' duratyaya': "This Ma'ya' of mine is insurmountable.  But ma'meva ye prapadyante those who have taken shelter in Me - ma'ya'metam tarantii  te - will easily surmount this Ma'ya'."  So spiritual aspirants need not be afraid of this Ma'ya': She can do nothing because the Lord is with them.  In pashva'ca'ra and viira'ca'ra, they are helped by the Lord to fight against Ma'ya'.

	What is divya'ca'ra'?  From the root div comes the word deva which means vibrational faculty, vibrational manifestation.  The Supreme Cause is noumenal: from It emerges the vibrational faculty and the entire universe.  All the manifestations are nothing but a mesh of so many vibrations of so many wavelengths, and thus there is variety in this world.  Pra karoti iti Prakrti-praka'ram' karoti iti Prakrti.

	Now in the third phase the spiritual aspirants become one with a particular expression, and slowly they move towards the nucleus of the universe that controls all the vibrations.  If a particular vibration is called a deva, the  Supreme Controlling Faculty of the devas is called Maha'deva: Tvamiishvara'n'am' paramam Maheshvaram' Maha'deva.  Finally the spiritual aspirants become one with the nucleus, and then they control all those vibrational expressions, all those devas-then they themselves become Maha'deva.

	You know I told you that devotees are 'A-class' intellectuals.  Actually they possess A-grade intellect, and not only that, they are cunning also.  The devotee says, "O Maha'deva, I am not a philosopher-I do not know what sort of entity Thou art because I do not know philosophy.  But this much I know-that Thou art my controller, Thou art my everything."

	Tava tattvam' na ja'na'mi kiidrsho'si Maheshvara
	Ya'dra'osi Maha'deva tadrsha'ya namonamah.

	"O Lord, I do not know what sort of entity Thou art, but whatever Thou art, to that Entity I prostrate myself."

	Thus there are three Ta'ntrik phases in spiritual progress: pashva'ca'r, viira'ca'ra', and divya'ca'r'a.  Now there is a knotty question: in spiritual progress, all three avenues -bhakti, jina'na and karma-have been recognised by the sages.  All these three are avenues of progress no doubt, but you should remember that in jina'na or intellectual progress, in the final phase you will have to take shelter in and remain under the scope of karma and bhakti.  Without action or karma, and finally while becoming one with the Supreme, you will have to resort to bhakti.  If your progress is in the field of action, of karma, you may move ahead to some extent, but in the final phase you will have to resort to knowledge; and just before the ultimate union with the Supreme you will have to resort to bhakti.  But in the case of bhakti, from the first point up to the last, the devotees depend on bhakti only: they need not take shelter in jina'na or karma.

	Now altogether it is recognised that all these three approaches are correct, human beings who have come here only for a limited span of time, cannot spare much time to go through so many scriptures or perform so many actions.  They will have to complete everything within the short span of their lives.  So the best choice for the spiritual aspirants is the path of bhakti.  These obstacles, these fetters of Ma'ya' are the principle opposing forces, the most important belligerent forces.  By individual effort it is very difficult to surmount that ocean of Ma'ya'.  For the jina'ni, the intellectuals, the Goal is merely theoretical and impersonal.  How can they expect a theoretical and impersonal entity to help them-and how can the jina'niis even approach Him when for them His very existence is impersonal?  So the jina'niis, although they have recognised the importance of jina'na or knowledge, have no future.  They simply waste their valuable time, which is a very short span of hardly one hundred years.

	And for the karmiis or people of action, the desideratum is partly personal and partly impersonal, but the link between the impersonal and the personal undergoes some distortion.  With the help of this distorted link, how can they expect to receive perennial grace for their spiritual progress from the Supreme, and how can they struggle against the all-pervading influence of Ma'ya'?  So the karmiis having no fixed desideratum and no fixed personal goal, no personal God, also have no future.  The future is with the devotees and with no one else.  You boys and girls, you should always remember that you have come here for a very short span of time-you must not misuse your valuable time in intellectual altercations or actional infighting.  Kalya'namastu-may you all be blessed.

3 December 1978, Madras