THE SECRET OF DHARMA LIES HIDDEN IN THE MIND

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.

	The subject of today's discourse is, 'The Secret of Dharma Lies Hidden in the Mind". dharmasya tattvam' nihitam' guha'ya'm.  That is, the real essence of dharma lies in one's existential 'I' feeling.

	Dharmasya tattvam' nihitam' guha'ya'm: there are four words in this sentence.  First of all, let us discuss the actual significance of the sentence Dhriyate dharma itya'huh sa eva paramam' prabhu, or "that which sustains the unit beings or maintains their existence is called dharma."  The word 'dharma' is derived from the root verb dhr+man suffix.  Whether they are animate or inanimate, matter or abstract, all objects of the universe are distinguished by certain special characteristics; and by observing these characteristics we can determine the identity of these objects.  By studying the properties of oxygen, we decide that it is oxygen and not any other substance.  Similarly, by observing their properties we can determine the existence of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc.

	Furthermore, when there is any change in the properties of objects, there is a corresponding change in their name and form as well.  Take the case of milk.  If its colour is black, we cannot accept it to be milk because the actual colour of milk is white.  Here a marked change in the colour of the milk has taken place.

	Again, take the case of sugar.  When sugar tastes sweet and someone declares it to be sugar, we immediately admit this is the fact.  But if the same substance tastes bitter, we refuse to accept it as sugar.  If a tree is known by its fruits (brks'ah phalena pariciiyate), an object is know by its inherent property (vastuh gun'ena pariciiyate).

	In Sam'skrta, the literal meaning of gun'a is "binding rope", a rope which fastens objects together.  Another meaning of gun'a is dharma or inherent property or characteristic.  For instance, the property of water is to wet and the property of fire is to burn.  Now if fire is divested of its inherent property - the capacity of burning, it ceases to be fire.

In the same way, trees and plants have certain fundamental characteristics, and due to differences in these characteristics, there are differences between one plant and another, between one animal and another - differences among the various species of animals and plants.  By observing the differences among animals, we can conclude that this is a monkey, that is a cow or a buffalo, etc.  Cows may be black, no doubt, but not as black as buffaloes.  Other creatures also have eyes and ears, no doubt, but the eyes and ears of human beings are not like those of animals.

	There are various common characteristics between human beings and other non-human creatures.  For instance, like human beings non-human creatures also eat and drink, rest and sleep, and finally depart one day from the earth.  This fundamental property of animals is present both in human beings and animals; but there is a basic difference between them.  Human beings possess one unique characteristic which is lacking in animals - the capacity to follow Bha'gavata Dharma.

Bha'gavata dharma means to search for Parama Purus'a, to run after Him.  Even if Parama Purus'a says, "Oh humans, I do not want you!' - still the human beings must say, "Oh Lord, you may not want us, but we want You, we need You, we want You."  This is the spirit of Bha'gavata Dharma.  This is the special characteristic of human beings, which is conspicuously absent in non-human creatures.  Now those who, even after having attained a human frame, do not follow this Bha'gavata Dharma, do not deserve to be called humans, for the real identity of human beings lies in their observance of Bha'gavata Dharma.

Now let us discuss dharmasya tattvam.  What is tattva?  Tat means 'that', in neuter gender.  By adding the suffix tva the abstract noun is formed.  For example bitter+ness=bitterness - an abstract noun.  Or in Bengali, manda+tva=mandatva (badness), an abstract noun.  Likewise, tat+tva=tattva.  Dharmasysa tattvam means 'the essence of dharma.'

	Let us discuss "the essence" of something.  In the case of plants, we notice that their roots lie underground, through which the trees and plants draw moisture and preserve their existence.  The roots are like the trees' legs, they are called pa'dapa, "that which drinks through its legs."

But in the case of dharma, where do its roots lie?  If we can know where the roots are, then we can pour water there and the base will become solid.  But if we cannot find the roots of dharma, then we will not be able to give water in the proper place; and for lack of irrigation, the plant will wither.  So it is essential to know where the roots of dharma lie.

	It has been said that dharmasya tattvam' nihitam' guha'ya'm.  Nihitam' means 'lying covert.'  Guha'ya'm means 'in guha'."  Here the word guha' has two meanings: first, a cave in a hill or mountain where the munis and rs'is (sages) used to practice penance; and secondly one's existential 'I' feeling.  All the living beings of the universe have their individual 'I' feelings.  Those creatures which are undeveloped do not have developed 'I' feelings: their 'I' feeling remains dormant and they are mostly guided by their instincts.  Developed creatures, on the other hand, although guided to some extent by instinct, are mostly guided by intellect.  The more undeveloped a creature is, the more it is dominated by its instinct which is nothing but the inborn sam'ska'ras.  Young snakes need not be taught how to bite - they learn to do so by their inborn instinct.  A scorpion knows how to sting instinctively.  Similarly, the humans have the inborn instinctive qualities of love affection and social behaviour.  Those who lack love and compassion, sympathy and fellow-feeling, can hardly be called human beings, because the instinctive impulses of humans are lacking in them.

	The more developed the living beings are, the more they are guided by their intellect, because their 'I' feeling and their spiritual awareness are more developed.  Take the case of fish.  In the evolutionary ladder, fish are somewhat developed.  But there are some fish which do not even recognise their own offsprings, and devour own children.  Snakes have some existential 'I' feeling, but in them, too, it is undeveloped, for snakes also eat their own eggs.

	The feeling of 'I am' or 'I exist' is present in very living being, and in this existential 'I' feeling the essence of dharma is lying hidden.  So you need not go to Kashii (Benaras, the holy city of the Hindus) or Kaaba (the holy shrine of the Muslims): the Supreme Entity lies hidden right within your own mind, your own 'I' feeling.  You need not search for Him outside, but within.  The practice of Ananda Marga has been formulated to enable spiritual aspirants to search for the Supreme within their minds.  Thus you must seek, and if you seek you shall find.

	The scriptures clearly mention how Parama Purus'a lies hidden in the existential 'I' feeling of microcosms:

		Tiles'u taelam' dadhiniiva sarpi ra'pah srotahsvara n'is'u ca'gnih
		Evama'tmani grhyate'sao satyenaena'm' tapasa' yo'nupashyati.

	There is oil in the sesame seed, but if you cut the seeds you cannot find it.  You must crush them in the mill and then you will find the oil.  There is certainly butter in milk, but you must churn the milk vigorously to get it.  At the end of summer, the water dries up from the rivers: You see only sand everywhere.  But if you take the trouble to dig in the sands, you will find a fountain of sweet and pure water within.  Fire lies hidden in a flintstone; if you rub two pieces of flint together, the fire will spark.  Similarly, if you enkindle the fire of knowledge through truth and penance, you will clearly realise that Parama Purus'a is lying hidden within your own existential 'I ' feeling.

	Now, if people, instead of searching for Him in their own 'I' feeling, roam about in the external world, they will certainly meet with disappointment: they will have to undergo unnecessary troubles and frustrations, and Parama Purus'a will remain unrealised.

		A'tmanasthiitam' shivam' tyaktva' vahis't'ham' yah samarcayet
		Hastastham' pin'd'am utsrjya bhramate jiivita'shaya'.

	How unreasonable it is to search externally for the Supreme Entity instead of searching within!  It is like throwing away the foodstuff in one's own hand, and then complaining of hunger and begging for alms from door to door.  On the one hand Parama Purus'a is very vast; on the other hand He is very small.  He is so vast that you cannot fully see Him.  In Sam'skrta, there are a few words to describe something very vast: visha'la, vira't'a, brhat, etc.  Out of these, the words vira't'a and brhat are used to describe an entity which is immeasurably vast, and visha'la is used for an entity which may be vast, but can be measured.  For instance, the Himalayan mountains are very vast in size, but still they can be measured in terms of miles, from south to north and from east to west.  In the scriptures it has been said.

		Brhacca taddivyam acintyaru'pam'
		Suks'ma'cca su'ks'mataram' vibha'ti
		Dura't sudu're tadiha'ntike ca
		Pashyatsvihaeva nihitam' guha'ya'm.

	Parama Purus'a is extremely vast: then how can you see such a vast Entity with your dim vision?  It is impossible.  And besides seeing such a divine effulgence, your eyes will be blinded; your vision will be completely lost.

	Su'ks'macca tat su'ksmataram' vibhati:  Parama Purus'a is not only vast.  He is small as well - so small, so subtle that you cannot see Him with your physical eyes.  Human ocular power is extremely limited: if an object is very vast it cannot be seen, and if it is very small and subtle it cannot be seen either.

	Du'ra't sudu'r'e:  If a person thinks, 'I am mean, I am degraded, I am a cursed creature, I am far from Parama Purus'a - such thinking is highly irrational and defective.  In the tenth man'd'ala of the Rg Veda, it is said,

		Purus'a evedam' sarvam yadbhu'tam yacca bhavyam
		Uta'm'rtatvasyesha'no yadanye na'tiro'hati.

	This Parama Purus'a knows all the three phases of time: the past, the present and the future.  Nothing is beyond the periphery of His supramundane knowledge.  Suppose you are thinking internally, "Let me quickly finish my meditation, for I have some important work to attend to.  Tomorrow I will devote more time to meditation."  The moment you think thus, Parama Purus'a immediately knows your thought.  Suppose you eat something on the fasting day of Eka'dashii, thinking that perhaps Parama Purus'a will not know it.  Certainly He will know about your secret eating, and He feels amused at what His little child is thinking.  Not only the boys - the girls also make the same mistake.  Perhaps on fasting day they eat chocolates and think, "I am eating secretly - no one can see it."  This is defective thinking, because Parama Purus'a knows everything - nothing is hidden from Him.

	This is why in the spiritual world, the most important thing is sharan'a'gati-taking shelter in the Supreme Entity. How can you deal with an Entity who knows all about you?  What you can only do is to totally surrender to Him  Nivedaya'mi ca'tma'nam' tvam' gatih Parameshvara-"Oh Lord, what can I offer unto You?  I can only offer my existential "I" feeling.  Please take it."

Uta'm'rtatvasyesha'no yadanyena'tirohati: it has been said earlier that mean-minded people often think, "I am a sinner, and Parama Purus'a is far from me.  Such persons should bear in mind that the tiniest creature in hell, or the greatest entity of heaven, are both equal for Parama Purus'a - He is the Lord of both.  If the Supreme Entity says, "I am only for the saints of heaven, and I have nothing to do with the creatures of hell", it should be said that as saints do not go to hell and as He has no love for the creatures of hell, then He is not omnipresent.  In that case Parama Purus'a is certainly not brhat or vira't'a.  He is something less than that.  Thus in order to maintain His prestige He will have to remain with the creatures of hell also.

	That is why no one should ever think internally, "I am a sinner, Parama Purus'a hates me, He is far away from me."  The fact is that Parama Purus'a is always with you, very close to you - not at all separate from you.  While walking on the road, if your clothes are soiled with dirt, He will never hate you and keep you away from Him.  This is the essence of dharma.

	Du'ra't sudu're:  If someone continually thinks, "Parama Purus'a is far from me", then He will seem to be truly far from him.  What is the fundamental difference between du're and sudu're?  When the distance between two objects can be measured, it is called du're, but when the distance cannot be measured, it is called sudu're.  If in their ignorance people think that Parama Purus'a is far from them, then He may indeed remain for from them - so far that in future, even if one cries oneself hoarse, one's cries will never reach Him.

	Tadiha'ntike ca:  some people think, "No, Parama Purus'a is not far from me.  He is quite near.  He is everywhere."  In Sam'skrta, iha means "here."  But even if you say iha' or "near," there remains a slight gap.  To those who perpetually think that Parama Purus'a is very, very near to them, He becomes so close that nothing closer can even be imagined.  In such a circumstance, people realise that pashyatsvihaeva nihitam' guha'ya'm: those who have the vision to see, realise that He is not in the east or the west, in the north or the south, but He is lying hidden in the innermost cavity of their minds, in their own existential "I" feelings.  Hence no one should wander about searching for Him in the external world.

	Make your existential "I" feeling pure and holy: if you purify your mind through virtuous deeds, through meditation and contemplation, and through kiirtana, you will be able to realise Him.  Even though people might have committed certain misdeeds in the past, they need not worry, for after all, "to err is human."  They should not look back and lament over their past mistakes.  The Supreme Consciousness has given human beings eyes in front so that they can look ahead, not behind.  You need not waste your time unnecessarily  worrying about your past mistakes: you must move ahead, and while moving forward, you will have to come within His shelter.  This sharan'a'gati or taking shelter in Him, is the most important aspect of dharma.  When I advise you to do virtuous deeds, I mean performing actions like meditation, singing the glories of the Lord, and dancing in joy while chanting His holy name.  You should also live your worldly life joyfully.

	The Supreme Entity is so close to you that you can hardly measure the gap between you and Him.  And thus it is useless to repent for one's past omissions and commissions.  Those who are firm and strong-willed are never frightened because of their past sins.  They live fearlessly, and never become perturbed, even in hostile environments.  In this regard the scriptures say,

		Api cet sudura'ca'ro Bhajate ma'mananyabha'k
		So'pi pa'pavinirmuktah mucyate bha'vavandhana't.

	Those who indulge in evil deeds, and in whose very contact others become involved in evil, are called du'ra'ca'rii.  And those who are hated even by the dura'ca'riis are called sudura'ca'rii.  "When even such sudura'cariis take shelter in Me with all their hearts and minds, so'pi pa'pavinirmuktah I liberate them from the bondages of their sins.  They attain liberation from the bondages of birth and rebirth".  Thus even those who have committed sins in the past need not worry.  Just come in the safe shelter of Parama Purus'a, and your mission will be fulfilled.  He is always with you - Only move forward fearlessly with unfaltering steps towards your Goal.  May you all be blessed.

9 July 1979, Ludhiana