PROPER INTELLECT MENTAL EQUIPOISE THE COMPLICATIONS OF DOING EVIL BE FIRM TEARS OF SUPREME HAPPINESS WHO IS GOPA? PROPER INTELLECT official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1 cross-references: Neohumanism in a Nutshell Part 2 this version: is the printed Neohumanism in a Nutshell Part 2, 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. If Parama Purus'a asks you about your wish to get something, what will be your reply? You should say only one thing - 'I want your blessings so that my mind, my intellect, can move along the right path'. Because when the mind is pointed in the proper direction, what is there to ask for? Everything is attained. Human beings meet their downfall due to flaws in their intellect. "Sa no buddhya' shubhaya' sam'yunaktu." It has been said in the Vedas that the creator of this universe is great. My only prayer to Him is to always keep my buddhi (intellect) attached to shubha (blessedness). I want nothing else. The same thing has been said in the Ga'yattrii Mantra in Sam'skrta -- Onm' bhu'rbhuvahsvah Onm' tatsaviturvaren'yam' bhargo devasya dhiimahii dhiyo yo nah pracodaya't Onm'." We meditate on dhiimahii. Why do we meditate on Him? So that He might lead our intellect along the path of righteousness. This universe is saptaloka'tmaka, having seven strata -- bhuh, bhuvah, svah, mahah, janah, tapah and satya. Its creator is addressed as 'Savita''. 'Savita'' means 'Progenitor'. Some people wrongly name their daughters 'Savita''. The name of a girl should not be 'Savita''. 'Savita'' means 'father', (masculine gender). We meditate on the hallowed divine effulgence of the creator of the seven lokas. Why do we meditate on Him? So that He may lead our intellect (buddhi, medha') on the right track. 'Dhii' means 'intellect', 'nah' means 'ours' and 'pracodaya't' means 'to goad on the right track'. There should be only one prayer on the part of human beings -- that their intellect might be guided along the right path. If the intellect is reformed, everything is attained. If the intellect goes astray, nothing is attained, even by attaining everything. 24 August 1978, Patna MENTAL EQUIPOISE official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1 cross-references: none this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1, 2nd 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. In reality, man wants neither joy nor sorrow. Man seeks mental peace and quietude. In daily life, man comes in contact with different kinds of people. At times he even fights with some people. How will he then find mental peace? Those who do injustice will also suffer injustice. The people who do injustice will lose their mental balance in any fight. Those who do no injustice will be able to maintain their balance in their fight against injustice. This is the characteristic of a person who has attained mental quietude. Jealousy and hatred can cause you sleepless nights. When the person you hate suffers a setback, you normally do not feel sorry for him or her. But you must have compassion for even the most sinful. You must feel sorry for them. There is a Hindi couplet in which a man is asked why he looked sad. "Have you lost something, or have you given something to somebody?" The man replied, "I have not lost anything, not have I given something to somebody. I am sad because I see others getting something that I do not get." Such envy and jealousy is mentally degrading. Do not despise even the most fallen, the most sinful, and the most wretched. You will degenerate mentally and spiritually if you hate anyone. Lord Buddha said: Win falsehood by truth (satya,) Win the miserly with generosity, Win anger by non-anger. The intelligent thing for you to do would be to never get angry. Be moral in the midst of immorality and falsehood. If you have this skill, you will triumph in any battle. You will remain unassailed. Lord Krs'n'a says in the Giita' that you should not be dejected in sorrow, nor should you be excited in joy. You should always maintain your mental balance. You see now that A'nanda Ma'rga's fame is on the rise. What should we do? We must maintain our mental balance and remain indifferent to both praise and slander, to both joy and sorrow. A rich person once abused Lord Buddha. He remained unperturbed. By refusing to accept the abuse, he returned the slander. When I was in jail, I was subjected to a lot of calumny by some people and these very people now praise me. But I was indifferent to all their slander, and now I do not want their adulation. 27 August 1978, Patna THE COMPLICATIONS OF DOING EVIL official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1 cross-references: none this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1, 2nd 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. Doing what a human being should not do is pa'pa, and not doing what a human being should do is pratyava'ya. Pa'taka includes both pa'pa and pratyava'ya. You should not steal, and, if you do, you commit pa'pa. You should assist a helpless person, and, if you do not, you commit pratyava'ya. Pa'pa seems good as long as we do not get the reaction of our pa'pa. Have you seen a washerman washing clothes in an Indian town? He lifts the clothes he is washing high up in the air, and the clothes think they are moving up and feel elated. But they do not realise that the higher they are raised, the harder they are hit against the washing stone. The persons who commit pa'pa are like those clothes who think that they are having a nice time and are moving up. They enjoy themselves in pa'pa. But when they suffer the reaction of pa'pa, they find themselves in misery, like the clothes they get beaten on the stone. There is a difference between 'svaccha' and 'bhadra.' Svaccha means good or clean; for example, the water is svaccha (clean). Bhadra means internally and externally good. Bhadra persons are very cautious before doing anything. They think what the reaction of their action would be. They do good and keep doing good, even if they do not immediately obtain the good reaction of their benevolent deeds. They do not mind suffering till they start getting the good reactions of their good deeds. And once the reactions of their good deeds begin, then there is bliss and only bliss. While doing evil, people may enjoy themselves. But when they start reaping the reactions of their evil deeds, there is only misery. A dishonest person travels without a ticket in a first class compartment. He wants to cheat the railways and have fun. But an honest person will buy a second class ticket and may travel in great discomfort. The dishonest person has fun, but only for some time. The ticket checking squad comes and fines him or arrests him. He has to hang his head in shame. But the honest man (though poor) reaches his destination honourably. The dishonest person has misery in the end. The honest person lives a clean life and remains happy with what he has. The dishonest man accepts bribes and indulges in various corrupt practices. He does not pay his income tax and builds a palace for himself. But one day the income tax officials raid his house and prosecute him for tax evasion and amassing ill-gotten wealth. He lands in jail. So, before you commit any pa'pa, you should think about its adverse reaction, immediate or subsequent. In good action, there may be some pain, but the reaction will always be beneficent. Do good. But do not be arrogant and vainglorious. Arrogance and false pride can ruin A'nanda Ma'rga. 28 August 1978, Patna BE FIRM official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1 cross-references: none this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1, 2nd 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. In the eight-fold path of bliss propounded by Lord Buddha, the first point is sam'yak samkalpa - proper ideology. There cannot be proper movement unless there is a proper ideology, a right destination. For proper progress and right movement, we need a proper ideology and firm resolve. Establishing your goal, with firm determination to realise it, is sam'kalpa. When Lord Buddha first sat in contemplation, his goal was not fixed. There was doubt and confusion in his mind. He was not certain of what he wanted. And so, whatever he wanted, he was not certain of getting it. But later, when Buddha sat in contemplation (after eating some sweet rice made in milk which was given to him by Suja'ta'), he took a complete sam'kalpa. He fixed his goal and made a firm determination to achieve it. He resolved that he would not get up from his contemplation until he attained spiritual realisation, even if his body perished. Then he succeeded in attaining his goal. The firmness of a person's resolve makes him great. However lowly a person may be, he can become great by his determination. If you have a firm resolve to realise your goal, you shall become great. Without a firm resolution, you cannot achieve anything. 29 August 1978, Patna TEARS OF SUPREME HAPPINESS official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1 cross-references: none this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 1, 2nd 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. Asato ma' sadgamaya tamaso ma' jyotirgamaya mrtyorma' amrtam' gamaya a'vira'virmayaedhi. * * * * * Rudra yatte daks'in'am' mukham' tena ma'm' pa'hinityam. The rs'i prays, "Lead me from the mutable (asat) to the immutable (sat), from darkness (tamas) to light (jyoti), from morality (mrtyu) to immortality (amrta)." Before understanding the meaning of the shloka, try to understand properly the significance of the words used in it and their reference. The first pair of words is 'asad-sad.' That which undergoes a process of metamorphosis is called 'asad.' There is no happiness in it. We don't want this changing world; it gives us pain. It converts our happiness into unhappiness. The second word is 'tamas.' Where there is tamas there is no essence of spirituality. Therefore the prayer petitions someone to take him from asad to sad, from darkness to light. Through change, a baby becomes old. Final change is known as 'death'. That which is mutable is death. Therefore the rs'i wants to be led from mortality to immortality. Bear in mind always that the coming of an entity with akalya'n'a (that which is spiritually bad) is pra'durbha'va. Pra'durbha'va is the premonition of akalya'n'a. The exact antonym for this is a'virbha'va. A'virbha'va is connected with kalya'n'a (spiritual good). A'virbha'va happens all of a sudden. When there is a premonition of something blissful, it is a'virbha'va. You say, "Let your a'virbha'va be in me." One who makes others shed tears is 'rudra.' Soft weeping is known as 'rudana,' and weeping loudly is 'krandana.' Similarly, there is smiling and laughing. So rudra will make you shed tears - whether you weep slowly or loudly. Sada'shiva takes a'virbha'va. He is beneficent (kalya'n'aka'ri.) Since He has three eyes and five faces, He is known as 'Trinetra' and 'Painca Vaktram.' Of His five faces, the one on the extreme left is Va'ma Deva. The other four are Ka'la'gni, Kalya'n'a Sundaram, Iisha'na and Daks'in'eshvara. Va'ma Deva is one who punishes mercilessly. Daks'hin'eshvara gives warning (ta'dana). Ka'la'gni warns of the consequences and gives a hint of punishment. Kalya'n'a Sundaram says, "You are quite good. Come and take your place. 'Iisha'na makes one understand in sweet language and punishes also. When Rudra is on the right (daks'in'a), we pray to Him, 'O Shiva! Protect me as Daks'in'eshvara.' Even if He is happy, He also makes one weep. Tears fall from the outer side of the eyes in happiness, and from the inner side of the eyes in unhappiness. Therefore He is known as 'Painca Vaktram.' 30 August 1978, Patna WHO IS GOPA? People do japa kriya' in a very crude manner. It can be said that their method of incantation is like the talk of a parrot. Parrots talk, parrot say so many things, without understanding the meaning, without understanding the spirit of what is meant. Japa kriya' becomes as meaningless as the talk of a parrot for those who do it without love or emotion. It even loses the value of internal suggestion, intro-psychic suggestion. Japa kriya' is withdrawing all propensities from their extroversive movements and guiding and goading their collective force unto the Supreme Cognition. Where the Supreme Cognition is not loved, where the Supreme Cognition has not been accepted as the only object of adoration, withdrawing one's propensities becomes meaningless, because they are not guided unto Him. Dhya'na is withdrawing the mental propensities from all extroversive entities, and then collecting those withdrawn mental forces, mental propensities, and urging them towards the Supreme Entity. If there is no love for the Supreme Entity, this movement cannot be done. Where there is no love, the mind will not run after Him. So dhya'na also becomes meaningless. 'Dhya'na' comes from the root verb 'dhae,' which means to withdraw the mental propensities and to goad them towards Him. So, if people practice all these things without having love for the Supreme, they won't be able to get anything. But, if there is an iota of love, if there is a wee bit of love, they gain everything. Only those intelligent people who know this - even if if they are not efficient or proficient in the sphere of dharma; even if they are not efficient in doing japa kriya'; even if they know nothing regarding yoga; even if they know nothing regarding celestial and extra-celestial knowledge; even if they do not understand guru bhakti; even if they do not understand the inner spirit of japa; even if they do not know jina'na - can get everything if the spirit behind this idea of loving the Supreme is just in a rudimental phase. In a later phase it becomes, "I love Him not to get anything; I love Him because I get pleasure in loving Him - and for no other purpose." And in the final stage the devotee feels that, "I love Him, not to get any pleasure for myself. I love Him, because I want my love to give Him pleasure." That is purely unilateral, not reciprocal. Where there is the idea of reciprocity, it is not devotion, it is an ordinary commercial transaction - give some money, get some article. Here the devotee wants to give everything to the Supreme Entity and wants nothing in return. I love you, not for myself. I love you because I want my love to give you pleasure. So, in that last, final stage, the devotee's only wish is to give Him pleasure. In Sam'skrta, the root verb 'gup' means 'to give pleasure to', and the man who has developed this type of love for the Supreme is called 'gopa.' 'Gopayate yah sah gopae' - the one who gives pleasure to Lord Krs'n'a is 'gopa.' 31 August 1978, Patna