THE PRIMORDIAL CAUSE OF CREATION [in early editions titled KS'IIRE SARPIRIVA'RPITAM] official source: Subha's'ita Sam'graha Part 4 cross-references: also published in Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 6 this version: is the printed Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 6, 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 people of ancient times, used to employ all their energy for the gratification of their gross propensities ( vrttis). But eventually they noticed that even through the persistent application of their individual and collective forces, their propensities were not fully fulfilled. It appeared that some unseen and greater force was playing with them every moment, thwarting all their efforts. Gradually they understood that, no matter how strongly they tried to impose their individual and collective might, their capacity was limited for their field of action was confined to the relative factors of time, space and person. What is that entity to whose inviolable decree they were ultimately compelled to submit? What are His characteristics? Who is He? No matter how developed the intellect or how pervasive its force, it is so difficult for us to fathom the immeasurable vastness of that Entity. People unable to attain their objects of desire, bang their heads against the wall in utter frustration. Yet sometimes desired objects come to them whether they had wished for them or not. They accept this as their fate. But fate does not depend on anyone's whim, for if whim were everything, the seed of the microcosmic longings would have withered, but it has not. Thus people began to think that fate is nothing more than the reactions to their past actions. But as they cannot see their or understand their original actions, they call it their adrs't'a ( destiny). But in spite of human beings having attained a certain amount of freedom from the Supreme Controller ( who allots the reactions to actions) even then they are at His total mercy. They are like footballs which can be kicked in any direction according to the desire of the players. This dependence on Parama Purus'a is essential for movement and inspiration. While seeking the original source ( Praeti) of this inspiration, the thoughtful people of the distant past cultivated intuitional science ( Brahmatattva). The subtlety of thought of those contemplative, progressive people lead them gradually from the world of matter to the world of ideas, and from the world of ideas to the world of consciousness. In the world of wisdom they were the first rs'is, the first torch-bearers of the illuminating flame of knowledge. They eventually succeeded in using their intellectual faculties to penetrate the sphere of Consciousness. As a result of the constant churning of their intellect human beings learned Brahma-vijinana or intuitional science. Lay people went to those rs'is to illuminate the dark recesses of their minds with their bright light. And those wise people, in this process of answering each complex or simple question, eventually became masters of the intuitional sciences. The questions of the lay people were : Kim' ka'ran'am' brahma kutah sma ja'ta' Jiiva'ma kena kva ca sampratisthah Adhis't'hita'h kena sukhetares'u varta'mahe brahmavido vyavastha'm " What is Brahma? What is the fundamental cause of our existence? What sustains our life? On what foundation does our existence stand? What is our base? Why is life a passing experience of pleasure and pain? O knower of Brahma, provide us with proper answers to these questions". Ka'lah svabha'vo niyatiryadrccha' Bhuta'ni yonih purus'a iti cintya Sam'yoga es'a'm' na tva'tmabha'va'd Atma'pyaniishah sukhadukha hetoh. There is an unending number of questions in the human mind. Do the solutions of the above problems lie in the time factor? Is time the final answer ? Is it the absolute truth? It appears that the first cause of creation is hidden in the womb of time. So time must be the original cause, the absolute factor? Is this not so? Whatever took place, whatever is taking place and whether will take place is within the periphery of time, is it not? It must be the temporal factor ( kala' shakti) which has been giving birth to the universe as the Universal Mother ( Vishvajananii); which has been preserving everything in its rhythmic and cyclical movement; and which, with its frantic dance, raucous laughter, and gnashing teeth has been destroying the world with its formidable power. The inscrutable play of light is nothing but a momentary flash upon its features. Belching darkness out of darkness time alone is the sole, well-established entity. O rs'i tell us, is not time alone the Absolute Entity?" The knower of Brahma replies, " No, time is not the Absolute Entity. Time is only a relative factor, which is entirely dependent on the mutual relationship of place and person. Time is but the mind's measurement of the motivity of action. When there is no motivity of action, or when there is motivity of action but no mind to measure it, there is no time. To say that time is beginningless and endless is also incorrect. How can I accept that the universe was created in the womb of beginningless time, and that in the womb of endless time the universe will disappear? The mind (pratramana) in which measurement exists did not exist before the creation, and thus there existed no imagination to measure time. The place and person upon which time depend are also relative factors. This evolutionary panorama revolves around the relative interdependence of the three relative factors time, place and person. Thus, time, which is entirely dependent on place and person, can never be the Absolute Factor. During sleep or in a senseless state the relation between place and person is not properly manifest, and so time becomes non-existent for that period. In order to realize that a period of time has lapsed between going to sleep and waking up, one has to study the environmental changes. We have formulated the solar year, solar month and solar day on the basis of the earth's rotation around the sun. Similarly, the lunar year, lunar month and lunar day have been determined on the basis of the rotation of the moon around the earth. If the earth has not moved around the sun, or the moon around the earth, or if the stars and planets had not followed their respective movements, time would never have existed. Unlike Tom, Dick and Harry; or citta, ahamtattva and mahatattva; or Purus'a, time is not a well manifest factor; it is neither non-matter nor is it totally independent of matter. Even if we were to call time non-matter, we would still have to admit that time is dependent on objects. The symbolization of time is impossible because it is non-material. Moreover, it is impossible to form an idea of time without thinking of objects as its existence is dependent on objects. If we say ` a hundred thousand years ago' at once we indirectly think within ourselves that this incident occurred after an object like the earth rotated around an object like the sun a hundred thousand times. So no matter how we measure time, backward or forward, we have to bring it within the count of kalpas ( mythologically, one day and night of Brahma - a period of 432 solar years of the mortals) or yugas ( era), years or months, and these kalpas, yugas and months are solely and wholly dependent on objects. In the absence of objects these concepts of time would have been non-existent. I have already told you that the objects upon which time depend are also not the ultimate factor. Direction ( east, west, north, south) too are not absolute factors. From afar the moon looks like a small dish but nearer it looks like a continent. Thus space too is not a stable entity. By the shortest route Bhagalpur is to the east of Monghyr but by the long route, which takes one around the whole world, it is to the west of Monghyr. So direction is also not an absolute factor. The person factor is also far from absolute - people's nature and characteristics are so different. Time is not a fixed concept because it is dependent on changing entities. The news of the world of yesterday is ' past' to us, ' present' to some other planet, and 'future' to yet another planet. Past, present and future, upon which the expansion of time depends, are imagined according to the differences in place and person. So in reply to this natural question of the human mind, the rs'is or seers of those days said, " Time can never be accepted as the primordial cause of creation." "Is nature (svabha'va) the fundamental cause of the universe?" The rs'i says, " No, nature does not have original authorship. Nature is only the flow of the three emanent principles ( sattva, rajah and tama) of Prakrti. It is an evolutionary flow and thus on seeing just one stage of it we can infer its previous and subsequent stages. Being aware of the trends of nature, we can study the tendencies and behaviour of living beings, plants and inanimate objects: what their individual characteristics are, how they evolved, what their potentialities are, how they will develop, etc. This study is what is called science. When this study is 33 concerned with the material world, we call it physical science. Nature is not the original authority or doer-entity, but is the dynamic waves of the centrifugal and centripetal movements ( Saincara and Pratisaincara) of Prakrti. It can at best be the determinant of the intrinsic characteristics of objects, but not their primary cause. Nature is a certain law, a certain procedure, but not the creating force. Nature cannot be accepted as the supreme authority. So what is the primary cause of the world? Is it destiny ( niyati) ? The rs'i says, " No, not even that, Niyati is derived from the root ni - yam + ktin, and means that which controls the subsequent actions. As one sows, so shall one reap. The amount of reactions to be undergone by the unit entity is equal to the total actions previously performed. Destiny is the totality of unrequited reactions of actions performed. Its reactive momenta are called sam'ska'ras. In this observable world the sam'sk'ara-ridden unit entities cannot go beyond destiny's influence. Destiny keeps them so tightly in its grip that they think it is the controller of their fate ( bha'gya-niyanta), as though it had already determined their path of progress. But destiny cannot be the absolute factor, for if you do not exist, if you do not act, destiny cannot exist either. Being dependent upon your doership for its existence, it cannot be the supreme controller. Now another question arises : Is this cosmic creation accidental? The rs'i says, " No, there is no such thing as an accident. Behind every event that takes place in the universe there is the law of causation. Ka'ran'abha'va't ka'ryabha'va - there is no effect without a cause. Truly speaking, whatever we take to be an accident is nothing but an incident whose preceding cause we are unable to see or understand properly. So the word "accident" is meaningless and to call this universe an accidental creation is simply to camouflage one's ignorance. "Are the five fundamental factors the primary cause of this universe? Has consciousness evolved out of matter?" " No", says the rs'i, " Matter or the five fundamental factors cannot be the absolute authority. None of them has the power or capacity of self determination -each one of them has to proceed through clashes and conflicts at the behest of some unseen power. Even in the very crude sphere these five elements have to proceed according to individual or collective human intellect. A little analysis will reveal that the five elements have no authority or doership in any of their conditions. They are always preoccupied with activities. An entity with functional obligations can on no account be the primary cause or absolute controller." Is jiiva'tman then the supreme factor?" "No", says the rs'i, "not even that. Jiivatma is only a cognitive force ( jina'trshakti), not an authority. Cognizance is possible of a cognitive force, not of the creation. Since the attributes of a knowing entity ( jina'tr satta') are absent, it can never be the creator. The A'tman is the knowing entity, not the creating force, and so jiiva'tman also is not the absolute authority." " Is creation accomplished through the union and mutual cooperation of two or more of the factors like time, nature, destiny, accident, elements or jiiva'tman?" The rs'i says, " No". With the exception of svabha'va or the Operative Prakrti none has any direct contact with Purus'a. Cosmic creation is not possible as the result of the union of nature ( svabha'va) or Prakrti, or actional force ( karma- shakti) with the Purus'a, or jiiva'tman or cognitive force. The expression of the Karma-shakti ( actional flow) in the jina'nashakti ( cognitive force) of the jiiva'tman no doubt gives rise to the I - feeling or the manifestation of the mind, but that petty ego, due to the smallness of its sphere of activity, does not have the capacity of creating the universe, nor is it able to contact the creative cosmic force. The microcosmic subjectivity (jiiva'tmabha'va) cannot accept the world of objectivity with complete indifference. Thus the contact of matter with jiiva'tman cannot be accepted as the absolute factor. The conjunction of matter with jiiva'tman merely transforms objects into vehicles of enjoyment. And the result of this enjoyment is invariably addiction. Jiiva'tman is aniisha ( one having no controlling power) and so it has to take shelter in others. This is why the microcosmic subjectivity ( jiivatmabhava) becomes partially or fully attached to different entities. This attachment is the greatest characteristic of an entity having no controlling power. Jiiva'tman is not iisha but aniisha - not the controller but the controlled entity, and thus cannot be the cause of creation. It is because of this aniisha that unit beings have to undergo the mental distortions of pleasure and pain, and become assailed by virtue and vice as a result of environmental influences and struggles. That which is constantly being buffeted and battered every moment cannot discover the absolute factor. The rs'i says that you cannot discover the primordial factor in this way. In order to find it you will have to reach the Cause of all causes (Adikaran'a) - the Supreme Cause which itself has no cause. This causeless factor is the final answer to all queries - the culminating point of all contemplation and deliberation. Theoretically, this Supreme factor is certainly difficult for the common people to know for they have to proceed backwards along the path of causation. But if sa'dhakas evolve their intellects from crudity to subtlety it will be possible for them to reach the non-causal Factor. The rs'i says, Te dhya'nayoga'nugata' apashyan deva'tmashaktim' svagun'aernigu'd'ha'm Yah ka'ran'a'ni nikhla'ni ta'ni Ka'la'tmayukta'nyadhi t'ishatyekah. The rs'is have realized this Supreme truth through the practical cult of dhyana ( meditation). By withdrawing the vrttis to their causes and by moving from crudity to subtlety, they have realized the Supreme Purusa and His emanent power, Parama' Prakrti. They have realized that the quintessence of all essence, the knowledge of all knowledge, is that Supreme Purus'a Himself. After attaining Him the necessity to look for any cause disappears. Moving towards subtlety only on the strength of their manifest power they have realized the Supreme Force ( Parama Shakti) the Supreme Operative Principle ( Parama' Prakrti-tattva). The Supreme Purus'a that they have realized in their meditation and the Parama' Prakrti that they have attained in their contemplative vision are indeed identical and inseparable. Parama Purus'a through the medium of His Prakrti or Operative Principle is the Primordial Cause of the creation of the world. Truly speaking, had it not been for His Operative Principle He would not have been able to evolve the universe. Purus'a permits Himself to be influenced by this Attributional Force ( Prakrti) and appears in the role of Saguna ( Qualified Purus'a) but when this Attributional Force does not find expression, Purus'a cannot be qualified. The Supreme Consciousness (Purus'a), together with the Supreme Operative Principle (Prakrti) is the Absolute Authority of the manifested universe. Time, nature, destiny and accident are born in Him and sheltered in Him. He alone is the Supreme Creator, the Supreme Shelter of all. The apparent cause of the factors we call relative truths ( time, space and person) is the jiivama'nas ( the unit-mind) and the cause of this jiivama'nas is the Qualified Consciousness ( Sagun'a Brahma) in conjunction with Parama' Prakrti. Sarva'jiive sarvasam'sthe brhante Tasmin ham'so bhra'myate brhmacakre Prthaga'tma'nam' prerita'rainca matva' Jus'tastatastena'mrtatvameti. No matter what the entities may be, and no matter what the mainstay of their lives, crude or subtle, all are created within Him and within Him all are destroyed. The flow of relativities goes on unabated through the media of creation, preservation and destruction. Where there is no such flow of relativities the question of life and death does not arise. Unit beings in quest of a support for the fulfillment of their wishes and desires, run after one or the other of these relative truths. They move practically within the vast Cosmic circle without recognizing its fundamental nucleus. In their limitless pursuit they lose all their mental resources immediately after attaining them. They are unable to recognize Purus'ottama, the nucleus of Eternal Peace. Drunk with desire for material objects they do not even attempt to recognize Him. In the hypnotic spell of their pursuit they remain smugly oblivious of the fact that on a certain auspicious dawn in the past they emerged from the original source with which they still have an unknown, yet intimate relationship today; that they still have the same A'tman as the Supreme Creator. Nevertheless, His limitless mercy continues to be showered upon them incessantly and indiscriminately. Only when they run to Him, attracted by His divine grace, enchanted by His sweetness and benevolence, will they attain real deathlessness. Whatever the unit can or cannot imagine He holds in His Macrocosmic mind ( Bhu'ma'ma'nas). Udgiitametat paramam' tu brahma Tasmim'strayam' supratis' tha'ks'arainca Atra'ntaram' brahmavido viditva' liina' Brahman'i tatpara' yonimukta'h. The Supreme Truth that the rs'i's realized through their contemplation could not be confined within a specific name. He is Great - enormously Great. His vastness is immeasurable, having no length or breadth. He is Brahma. If one has to define Him, one cannot use other word except this. That is the why the rsi's called Him Brahma. Jiiva (microcosm), jagat ( world) and iishvara ( Lord) are established within Him. As microcosm ( jiivabha'va) He is being controlled, as Iishvara He is controlling and as jagat He is providing the link between jiiva and Iishvara. It is not that jiiva, jagat and Iishvara alone comprise His bearing. Transcendentally He abides as the Aks'ara ( intransmutable), and as the Niraks'ara (perfect placidity, perfect objectlessness). The Brahmavid, knowing this Brahma loses his identity in Brahma, and merging in Him becomes Brahma Himself, and attains eternal emancipation from the shackles of life and death. Sam'yuktametat ks'aramaks'arainca vyakta'vyaktam' bharate vishvamiishah Aniishasca'tma' vadhyate Bhoktrbha'va't jina'tva' devam' mucyate sarvapa'shaeh. This Brahma comprises the joint bearing of Ks'ara and Aks'ara ( perishability and imperishability). The manifest bearing metamorphosed through His psychic action, is called His Ks'arabha'va, and the non-manifest bearing that remains as the witness of all psychic metamorphoses is His Aks'rabhava. The word Aks'ara means that which does not undergo any metamorphosis. In these two bearings of Ks'ara and Aks'ara consistency and coordination between both the subjective and objective realities is being maintained. Brahmic or Cosmic manifestation is the accomplishment of that co-ordination by the Supreme Being. But where there is no manifestation, there is no question of subjectivity or objectivity - there He is Niraks'ara. Niraks'ara is identical with Avyakta (unmanifest). But where ks'ara and aks'ara exists in combination, there the aks'ara, in His witness-ship of ks'ara, can remain in both bearings - one bearing (ks'ara) in the unit mind (khan'da-ma'nas) and the other ( Aks'ara) in the Cosmic Mind (Pu'rn'a' ma'nas). The central point or the nucleus of the Cosmic Mind, the Aks'ara, which is vaster than the endless sea, is known as Purus'ottama. Purus'ottama is the Supreme Master ( Parama Bharta' - Bharta' means feeder) of this ks'ar'aks'aratmaka or changeable and unchangeable world-entity. All the manifest objects ( vyakta) look unto Him for their expressions. The expressible potentials of the unexpressed entities ( avyakta) also get opportunities for their manifestation through His generosity. It is with the cooperation of the vyakta and avyakta and ks'ara and aks'ara that this Brahma Cakra or Cosmic Cycle is comprised of manifest and unmanifest, perishable and unperishable entities. And since Brahma Cakra is dependent on the Supreme Purusa, we may say He is the sustaining force of the unchangeable character of Aks'ara, the Supreme Witness of individual minds. When His Supreme Stance is modified Aks'ara undergoes a slight qualification, but Purus'ottama as the witness of the individual minds remains unaffected. When the pleasure-seeking unit mind blindly runs after unit-objects, Purus'a also gets smitten by the same mental attributes. He appears to be as if in bondage. But when the unit mind shuns its attraction for mundane objects and accepts that Supreme Purus'a as its only pabulum, it gets an opportunity to become one with the Cosmic Mind, giving up its finitude. With the attainment of the witness-ship of the Integral Mind it becomes one with the Purus'ottama. In the absence of bondage of enjoyership (Bhokta'bhava) the unit mind attains emancipation from all kinds of fetters. Jina'jinao dva'vaja' viishaniisha'vaja' hyeka' bhoktrbhogya'rthayukta' Anantashca'tma' vishvaru'po hyakarta' trayam' yada' vindate brahmametat. Although both jiivabha'va and Shivabha'va (microcosm and Macrocosm) are but the entitative variations of the Unborn Consciousness, the microcosm has no knowledge of its characteristic Self, unlike the Macrocosm which is all-knowing. The microcosm is the shadow entity of the Macrocosm and so it is assailed by bondages of limitation. It is deprived of the bliss of freedom, for power abides in the original, not in the shadow, and is thus compelled to emulate what the original entity does. So one is Iisha (Controller) and the other aniisha (controlled). Both of them imbibe a dynamic self-created force which is Prakrti. Prakrti creates the bearing as bhoktrtva (enjoyership) and bhogyatva (enjoyability) in the microcosms. It is through Her grace that the microcosm preserves its finite existence. But the Macrocosm, the Blissful Entity, is not subject to this Prakrti, to the waves of Her binding principles (Pra'krtabha'va). Sagun'a Brahma is the composite of these three: microcosm, Macrocosm and Binding Principle. And Purus'ottama who abides as the witness of all three is not Himself the doer, although this heteromorphic universe is evolved out of Him. Ks'aram' pradha'nam' amrta'ks'aram' harah ks'ara'tmana'viishate deva ekah Tasya'bhidhya'na'd yojana't tattvabha'va'd bhu'yashca'nte vishvama'ya'nivrttih. The ks'ara-aks'ara distinctions are present in the body of this vast Brahma. Ks'ara is evolved by the influence of Prakrti; Aks'ara (or Hara) is not transmuted by Prakrti but is conjoined with Prakrti the Knowing Entity. Apart from these two (Ks'ara and Hara) there is another Conscious Entity, Purus'ottama, who transmutes Himself within His own imagination, who continues His imaginative flow through Ks'ara and Aks'ara. (which is beyond the domain of Ks'ara). In His imaginative flow Ks'ara changes its names and forms at every moment but the Aks'arabha'va, although constantly assailed by Ks'ara, undergoes no change and remains as the witness of ks'ara. Purus'ottama, however, remains unassailed by the combined flow of Ks'ara and Aks'ara. When sa'dhakas, in quest of Him, channelize all their propensities towards Purus'ottama, they become united with Him and attain His greatness. At that time all the bondages of finitude are ripped apart and the charms and illusions of the world lose their power of allurement. They then attain liberation. Jina'tva devam' sarvapa'sha'paha'nih Ks'iin'aeh kleshaerjanmamrtyupraha'n'ih Tasya'bhidhya'nat trtiiyam' dehabhede vishvaeshvaryam' kevala a'ptaka'mah. What happens when sa'dhakas succeed in the quest to know Purus'ottama and gets united with Him? All bondages are snapped. When one loses all attachment for pettiness the bondages which create pettiness also perish. With the dissolution of the unit-mind, that is, with the attainment of mental expansion, suffering also gradually wanes - even the bondage of life and death is broken, for life and death belong to the finite, and so does the fear of them. The Great Brahma is beyond the scope of life and death and so the one who becomes completely identified with Him also remains unassailed by their ceaseless play. The occult power that Sa'dhakas first attain on the spiritual path after understanding Him a little is not the ultimate goal. Still higher than that, surmounting even that barrier, when sa'dhakas become free of attachment to occult powers, when even the residue of their existential feeling disappears is the state of excellence when one becomes Him after knowing Him. This state is called savikalpa sama'dhi or the determinate trance of absorption. In such a state the ego becomes infinitely pervasive. But the next stage, which is the absolute bearing, where the existential I-feeling is compelled to lose itself in His extraordinary radiance, is called nirvikalpa sama'dhi ( state of total absorption) or Kaevalya ( oneness). The word kevala means `only'. So the state in which there remains only one sentiment, only one bearing, when the pure Conscious Entity is beyond knowledge, knowable, and knower, is called Kaevalya or absolute identity with the Divine Essence. Only when sa'dhakas are absorbed in the state of total absorption in Him (Brahmabha'va) and lose themselves in ecstasy, do they attain Kaevalyasthiti (ensconcement in Oneness). So the poet said, Ru'pa nirakhiya' nayana bhulila cinite na'rinu ke "Seeing His endlessly beautiful Form, I was charmed But my mind could not fathom His depths." There being neither duality nor any existential feeling the three aspects of seer, seeable and seen also merge in the Characteristic Cognition. Etajjina'yam' nityameva'tmasam'stham' Na'tah param' veditavyam' hi kiincit. Bhokta' bhogyan' prerita'rainca matva' Sarvam' proktam' trividham' brahmametat.* * The word brahmametat used in the sloka is grammatically incorrect. It should have been `Brahma etat'. Maybe the rs'i used brahmametat for the sake of meter. Parama Purus'a is the only knowable entity for unit beings. If anything is be known at all, it is He, and He alone; if anybody is to be ideated upon, it is He, and He alone. He is the only immutable entity. There is nothing at all to know beyond Him - knowing Him is knowing everything. The seed of whatever is manifest or unmanifest in the universe is embedded in Him. He is the panacea for all ailments. Philosophically, Brahma has three bearings: Bhoktrbha'va ( microcosmic bearing), Bhogyabha'va (object of enjoyment), and Prerayitrbha'va (Controlling Authority). Wise people say that Brahma is the composite of these three bearings. Claiming its own authority the microcosm wants to enjoy the quinquelemental objects (which it forgets are the Macro-psychic creation) with the help of its unit-mind. The Controlling Authority is the coordinating link between the subjectivity and the objectivity. Its inspiration the microcosmic to dissipate its finitude. With the strength derived from sa'dhana' the microcosms accelerate towards the Supreme Controller. When they attain oneness with Him, their quinquelemental objects of enjoyment become non-existent. In the absence of the enjoyer-microcosm and the enjoyable, the Controlling Authority merges in the non-attributional Brahma. Human beings should always remember that their entire existential faculty depends on the grace of this Supreme Controlling Authority. It is due to His grace alone that they get the opportunity to continue spiritual practice. They could never know Parama'rtha without His divine grace. Tvameva ma'ta' ca pita' tvameva Tvameva bandhushca sakha' tvameva Tvameva vidya'shca draviin'am' tvameva Tvameva sarvam' mama devadeva. Know that Purus'ottama, that Supreme Controlling Authority. Try to attain Him alone. He has not delegated His absolute authority, His formidable power, to anyone else, for He has to carry the burden of the collectivity of the universe - He has to bear the seal of qualification even though He is non-attributional. Know that Supreme Father. Extort His kindness through your strength and devotion. What is the secret of receiving His kindness? Do what pleases Him, abide by His wishes rigidly, float your life on the actional waves of His choice, and He is bound to smile on you - He will be compelled to. Snatch away His kindness on the strength of your devotion. He will put a garland of victory around your neck with His own hands if you go on performing your deeds like a hero. Svadeham' aran'im' krtva' pran'avaincottara'ran'im Dhya'nanirmathana'bhya'sa'd devam' pashyennigu'rhavat How should you carry on with your work? You must make proper use of the human body, mind and soul that you possess through His grace. Make cent per cent use of the treasures - however meagre you think they may be - that He has bestowed upon you. Do not avoid work out of fear, do not misuse your body, mind and soul or allow your capabilities to lose their power. Use your own body as one woodflint (aran'i) and the cosmic sound (onmka'ra) as the other woodflint (uttara'ran'i). The cosmic sound is emanating every moment from the actional waves of the Cosmic Mind and thus finds expression in every action. Just as friction between two flints to produce fire, similarly, the friction between your body ( as one flint) and your intuitional practice ( as the other flint) enables you to visualize that divine effulgence and become unified with Parama'tma' in the form of onmka'ra. In other words this divine effulgence was lying latent in both the body and onmka'ra, and through the constant friction of the intuitional practice bursts into blazing brilliance. He lies hidden in you and in you every minute particle of this universe in both His individual and pervasive associations. Cherishing a strong desire to know and understand Him, think of Him, ideate on Him, meditate on Him - You will certainly attain Him. Tiles'u taelam' dadhiniiva sarpira'pah srotahsvaran'iis'u ca'gnih Evama'tma'tmani grhyate'sao satyenaenam' tapasa' yo'nupashyati. Do you know how He remains hidden in everything? Just as oil remains hidden in a sesame seed. If you look at the sesame seed you will see only the seed and not the oil, but crush it and the oil will emerge. He abides in everything, but you cannot see Him, for you look with a superficial vision. Do sa'dhana', meditate, powder down your mind, and He will appear. Ghee (clarified butter) exist in milk, but can you see it? Churn the milk and the ghee will appear before your eyes. Look at the dry mountainous river and you will see nothing but sand. Is there no water in it? Take a little trouble, remove the sand, and you will find its bosom full of sweet water. Look at a piece of wood. You can't see any fire in it, can you? But the fire-potential is latent within it. Take a little trouble, rub two pieces of wood together and the fire will ignite. Similarly, you are unable to see that Great Purus'a within you; you cannot understand that He permeates every secret core of your molecules and atoms. Churn your self with truth and meditation and He will blossom forth within you. Sarvavya'pinama'tma'nam' ks'iire sarpiriva'rpitam A'tmavidya'tapomu'lam' tad brahmopanis'at param. He is all-pervading. Do not think that He abides in a number of particular entities only. He exists equally in everything. Ghee exists in milk, but is it restricted to any particular region of the milk? No, the ghee permeates throughout all of the milk. The so-called high and low, rich and poor, Brahmin and untouchable, man and woman, old and young, Russian and American are all His manifestations - He abides equally in all of them. Do not look down upon any of them - none is an object of your contempt or hatred. If you despise even the smallest or meanest entity, remember that you are despising Parama Brahma Himself. Can human beings claim any credit for the attainment of the Supreme Entity? Sa'dhakas can be likened to businessmen who conduct their affairs with others' capital. They have acquired the epithet sa'dhaka, but actually the power of sa'dhana' has been bestowed upon them by Parama Purus'a. Probe deeply into all spiritual knowledge and you will see only Him. It is He who provides you with the intellect and strength to do sa'dhana'. Surrender yourself to His will. Shake off your load of self-conceit. Lighten the burden of your life and float yourself on the waves of His will. It is He who is teaching you the sa'dhana' in the guise of a Guru (preceptor); it is He who is strengthening your knowledge and faith in the guise of a philosopher. You are plundering His mercy in everything day and night. Go on working as a machine, leaving the doer-ship to Him. How little can your poor intellect comprehend or analyse His unfathomable sport (liila')! So, instead of trying to comprehend or analyse keep the bearing of that inscrutable juggler aglow before your eyes. Sa'p haeya' ka't'are ba'nda' Rojha' haeya' jha'd'o Kata kera'mat ja'na re ba'nda' Kata kera'mat ja'na Tumi ma'jh dariya'y Ja'l phela'iya Da'nga'y baesya' t'a'no As a snake you bite someone And as a snake charmer you cure the snake bite. How many tricks do you know? You throw your fishing net in the river And draw it in sitting on the bank. So I repeat, do not try to analyze that Supreme Entity with the pride of your petty intellect. Do the Sa'dhana' of attaining Him with the ardent devotion of your heart and all your discrepancies and limitations will end. Remember, where `you' is `He' is not and where `He' is, small `you' is not. He is your final destination. Don't let your desires and propensities go astray except towards Him. Let all your longings float on the waves of His grace. Bhanaoi vidya'pati shes'a shamana bhaye Tuya' vinu gati na'hi a'ra' A'di - ana'dika na'tha kaha'yasi Ava ta'ran'a-bha'ra toha'ra. All the Vedas describe Parama Purus'a. Make Him the goal of your life. He is your Supreme Terminus. He is the Supreme Authority. Bha'dra Pu'rn'ima' 1956, Bhagalpur Subha's'ita Sam'graha Part 4