Work, Worship And Wisdom

May 1979, Summer Course 1979, Brindavan

Published English.

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Without (truth), (righteousness), (peace), and (love), the education that one would have acquired would be meaningless.

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, , , and are the four foundation walls on which the edifice of the grand mansion of (Eternal, Universal Religion) stands.

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Knowledge of is denied unto them who discard the intellect and are enamoured of ephemeral knowledge. To the man who stands on the shores of the sea and observes the stultifying external manifestations, the waves alone appear. Only the daring expert diver who can search the seabed finds the precious pearls lying there. The declares that knowledge of is attained only by the person who seeks the in the innermost recesses of his subtle being.

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The human body is affected by the impurities connected with the three humours present in the body ( or wind, or bilious humour, and or phlegm). So also, the subtle body represented by the mind is tainted by or impure, evil thoughts and tendencies; or projection of the unreal as the real, and or concealment of the real. As a result of this threefold impurity of the mind, man is unable to attain divine knowledge. So long as his mind has these taints, he cannot gain the knowledge of the .

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can be got rid of by means of sacred work, while can be removed by worship and by wisdom. The teaches us that by good and sacred work we can purify our hearts; that by worship we can attain one-pointedness of the mind and that by wisdom we can remove the veil of ignorance and attain union with God. Thus by work, worship and wisdom, man can become divine. However, according to the , all these three, that is to say, purification of the mind, one-pointedness of the mind and unitive knowledge of the Godhead, can also be attained by the practice of .

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also means or equal-mindedness (). Having regard to the environment in which the ordinary man is placed and to his duties, both secular and spiritual, has been found applicable in five different ways. We, accordingly, cognise in relation to or nature, or society, or knowledge, or action, and or worship. is equanimity in relation to or the various natural phenomena. In cold seasons, warmth gives us comfort, while in hot seasons coolness gives us joy. This way both heat and cold, at one time or the other, give us happiness. Neither subjects us to misery. At times, however, due to the varying intensities of heat and cold, we might be put to some inconvenience. But then these are only subjective and superficial experiences rather than universally applicable realities. Essentially, both heat and cold give us happiness.

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It is very necessary for us to develop . This is specially so for students who tend to be impulsive and let success and failure influence them easily and profoundly. To be impulsive is a sign of human weakness. Everyone should recognise the truth that pleasure is but an interval between two pains and face the trials and tribulations of the world in a calm and collected manner. The alternating experiences of pleasure and pain actually prod us on along the path of righteousness.

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or the equanimity which man, as an integral part of society, should possess comes next. Society too subjects man to the dual experiences of joy and sorrow. For instance, both praise and blame come to man from the society in which he lives. Praise and blame are like the two faces of the same coin and they always haunt each other. We should be perturbed by neither. We should regard both adulation and censure as stepping stones to progress.

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is the third type of equanimity which we should try to promote in us. This basically consists in recognising the identity of the that permeates all beings, irrespective of caste, colour or creed.

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Religions may be different, but all of them lead man to the same goal - God. Garments may be different, but the fabric is the same. Ornaments may be various, but the gold is the same. Cows may be of different hues, but the milk is one. The electric bulbs may have varying wattage, sizes and colours, but the electricity that lights them all is the same. Similarly, the and the animals are myriad and multiple, but the life-force in all of them is essentially the same.

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The realisation of this unitive aspect of creation is .

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The performance of right and sacred actions in a detached manner, without being ruffled by their consequences, either good or bad, is the spirit of or equanimity in action. And (equanimity in devotion) consists in the realisation of the truth that pervades the entire universe and that He is everything, the refuge for all.

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It is only when his (devotion) is constant, enduring and unwavering that the devotee can attain . The flow of love for God should always remain the same and be steady. declared in the :

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This or one-pointed devotion comes as a result of the five kinds of (equanimity). should be steadfastly maintained and promoted at all times, at all places and in all climes.

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The word (man) has three letters: “ma”, which stands for ignorance; “”, which stands for the negation of the ignorance, and “”, which refers to the power to attain divine knowledge. If man is to deserve his name, he should be free from ignorance.

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The contains the sacred lore of the spirit. gave unto mankind, through , the core of the message on the battlefield at 10:30 a.m. on the day. This was the day on which the great war was commenced. Ten days later, when fell in battle, was informing of the proceedings on the battlefield. asked :

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“Gathered on the holy plain of , O , what did my sons and the sons of do?”

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This was on the day. Some consider this day as the or the day on which vouchsafed the message of the to . But this was the day on which narrated the story of the battle to . The was actually given by to on the day.

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Why did choose the day for the commencement of the battle and so for the teaching of the ? Normally, nothing auspicious is done on an day. However, such examples of 's divinely enigmatic ways are there in the other episodes of His life, too. His birth on an day itself is a case in point. was born on July 20, 3227 BC, during the early morning at 3 a.m. The battle of took place in the year 3141 BC, when was 86 years old. In these 5119 years that have passed since the war, the message has spread to every nook and corner of the world.

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Students of the present day conveniently forget the injunction to engage in (constant remembrance) but crave for . The Lord assures you that He will look after your and . is the (obtaining) of the unattainable and the Lord should confer it on you; while is the experiencing of something that is rightfully your due. Here is an illustration for this. While reading a book, you keep a five- note in it and as time passes, you forget about it. However, on a later date, you are in need of five and so ask for it from a friend who has come to visit you. The friend accidentally picks up the book, comes across the five in it and hands it over to you. The money is actually yours and the friend has only given you what is really your own. In the same way, joy is within you though you are unaware of it. The is the friend who helps you unearth this treasure of happiness that is lying hidden in your own heart.

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Duty implies force or compulsion while love is spontaneous and expresses itself without external promptings. All the , , and the deeds of merit you perform will be futile if you do not cultivate universal and selfless love.

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Even if you offer only a leaf (), a flower (), a fruit (), or a drop of water () to God in the true spirit of devotion and surrender, the results will be infinitely good.

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You have been listening to the teachings of the for about a month now. No purpose, however, will be served by mere listening. (listening) should be followed by (recapitulation) and (assimilation).