God, Nature and Man

11 July 1985, Prasanthi Nilayam

Professor Kasturi's English.

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THE Cosmos has one Source, one Support, one End. That is an eternal entity, self sufficient, totally luminous. The , while narrating the instruction given by to , reveals that though we deal with different numbers as three, five, seven, nine, eleven, thirteen, fifteen, seventeen, nineteen and twenty-one, there is only One in reality, the .

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Multiplicity is how the One appears when It assumes Name and Form. Then It becomes the , the Flux, the Cosmos, the Universe. God was alone before the Cosmos appeared. He projects, He protects, He dissolves and draws it into Himself This is the Truth.

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's ego earned him eternal disgrace ignored God and coveted Nature, courting disaster. This story is the subject of the famous epic, . He desired to own and master (personified Nature; she was the child of Mother Earth, found in a furrow) and brought her away from , the incarnation of God, who was her lord and master. His own brother reminded him of the inequity and advised him to seek refuge in and restore to her rightful Lord. was so proud of the success he had achieved in imprisoning that the warning fell on deaf ears.

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, who discovered and conveyed to her the message of hope and the assurance of hope, managed to enter the Audience Hall of . He revealed to him that was the Mother of all the worlds and his own mother. He described the might and majesty of God in the form and drew ominous pictures of the destruction that was in store for . He advised him to restore and surrender to . He said that eternal disgrace was the fate of every one who thrusts his ego forward and keeps God behind, beyond consideration.

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A lesson to be learnt from The Epic teaches the same lesson. was third among the five . was the eldest of the hundred , their cousins. The developed such deep envy, greed and hatred against the that a fratricidal war was rendered inevitable. Both sides started gathering allies and resources. The adhered to righteous norms and were loyal to , whom they revered as God. On their behalf, hurried to to secure the most precious armament they knew, namely, 's blessings. When knew that had left for , he wanted to forestall his enemy and journeyed to as fast as he could. The Divine Play-actor sensed the approach of the rival claimants for his favour. So, he quietly laid himself on the bed and pretended to be fast asleep.

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reached the place. Since he was not only a devotee but a companion and a kinsman, he tiptoed into the room and, drawing a three-legged stool from a corner, sat reverentially near the Lotus feet. barged in very pompously. He had the air of a ruling monarch. He was too proud to sit and wait like . He found a high-backed chair near the head of the cot. He plumped on it with a sigh. When ego swells the head, man becomes unruly and wild. fretted and fumed at the delay.

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Arrogance versus Faith was amused at the restlessness of the Kaurava supplicant,, who dared to eject a few fake coughs in order to awaken him. , however, was struggling to breathe softly and silently. At last, sat up and noticing facing him with folded palms accosted him with his characteristic sweetness. "Oh! when did arrive? How do you do? How is ? And your brothers?" was consumed by envy, anger and pride. stoked the fire. He enjoyed the scene, this picture and that. "An Emperor has honoured his home! Yet this bundle of conceit talks to that commoner so long and so fast, as if I am nonexistent," thought . "Is this the way of treating his guests?" he asked himself.

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At that moment, turned to him, with the question, "When did you arrive? Are your parents doing well? How are your brothers faring?" replied, "The war, will soon be on. I seek your help." On hearing this, questioned , "What are you seeking?" replied, "I seek your blessings." designed a dilemma for both.

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proposed to give his army of ten thousand warriors to one party and himself alone to the other. "I shall not wield any weapon. I will not fight. At least, I can serve as a charioteer. Now, announce your choice", said to . was furious. "This is a calculated insult, allowing him to choose," he said to himself. "The ten thousand will be his and I will be burdened with a dark-skinned log," he feared.

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Preferring Lord's grace ensures victory wanted to decide which of the two he wanted. "I saw you first, so you choose first", prodded . was on tenter-hooks. placed his head on the Feet of and said, "You are all we need." He knew that was God, the embodiment of power, wisdom and Love. He pleaded, "Be the Charioteer of my vehicle and, I pray, for the journey of my Life as well." was relieved. He preferred Nature to Nature's Master. He led the ten thousand to his camp. had God, installed before him in the chariot, guiding him to Victory. was punished with defeat, death and disgrace for preferring the world to God who is its life-breath.

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During the battle, one day, when brought the chariot at sunset to the Pandava Camp, was so intoxicated with pride at his exploits on the field that he appropriated for himself the first place, relegating to the second; he was the Master and was a charioteer holding a whip and the reins, he felt. So he insisted on the driver alighting and pulling the steps down for him to land. knew what he suffered from; lie was determined to cure him. So, he commanded sternly to get down. could not disobey. He required 's service for a few more days! When he had moved a few paces away, rose and jumped down from his seat. The gems on the jewels he wore on the ears, shoulder and chest flashed in blinding brilliance when he leaped. The moment he stood on the ground, the chariot was enveloped in flames and turned into a heap of ash!

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explained the reason to the astonished . The enemies had shot many arrows of fire at the chariot that day in order to kill but had held them in check. If he had left his seat on the chariot with still in, he would have been caught in the conflagration. Luckily, had yielded and was saved. He learnt the lesson that man should endeavour to please God first, the world next and his self last.

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During worship at the domestic altar or in temples, you offer God '' (eatable items) in the form of fruits and sweets. Sour or bitter things are not offered, for God is sweetness personified. Earn His Grace by avoiding sour temperament and bitter behaviour. Fill every thought, word and deed with the sweetness of Love. Then, you can enter the battlefield of the world, sure of Victory, since God has promised to serve as your charioteer.