A Righteous emperor and Virtuous subjects

30 August 1993, Onam, Brindavan

Published English.

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. means one who is free from any kind of (desire or expectation). Is it possible in this vast world for any man to be free from ? This is not possible. Some things may be attractive to some persons and some high aims may interest others. The objects that are desired are sensual pleasures and comforts and things of the world. The (higher aims) relate to the non-sensual, non-physical and ultramundane. Almost all desires fall into one or other of these two categories. How, then, is it possible to be rid of both kinds of desires? This is possible.

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In the , the Lord has declared that he is present in all righteous actions. Therefore, those who perform righteous actions can develop (desirelessness). This means that when a man performs all actions as offerings to the Lord, they become (desireless actions). The Lord is one who, from within, makes a person act, speak, listen, see and do many other actions. He is the doer and the enjoyer. If a person performs all actions with the conviction that the Indwelling Lord is the real Doer, then his actions become desireless. Hence every should regard his actions as offerings to the Divine. : This means purity. This term does not merely refer to the external cleanliness of the physical body. need internal purity also. What are the implications of inner purity? All the actions a man does issue from internal impulses and not from external forces. They are a reflection of his inner being. It is only when man has pure feelings within him that his actions can be pure. When he is polluted within, all his actions will be impure.

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How is purity in speech achieved? How are the internal impulses to be purified? These relate to the mind, speech and the body. Of the three, speech is the most important. How is purity in speech to be achieved? "," says the . Every word you utter should be free from (causing excitement or agitation). It should be (true) and (pleasing). There are four factors which account for the pollution of the tongue. One is, uttering falsehood; two, excessive talking; three, carrying tales against others; four, abuse or criticism of others. The tongue is prone to indulge in these four types of offences in speech. Unfortunately, in this age, all these four are rampant. Untruth has become ubiquitous. People freely indulge in slandering others. Tale-bearing goes on. Indulgence in loquacity is widespread. It is only when one gets rid of these four evil tendencies can his speech become pure and unpolluted. Hence, the first task is to purify one's speech.

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How to purify the mind and body Next comes the mind. The mind is polluted by wrong thoughts and bad feelings. Man should strive to keep away all bad thoughts from invading his mind. When a man is ceaselessly filled with bad thoughts, he can only reap bad consequences. To purify the mind, all bad thoughts have to be expelled. No room should be given to them. Bad feelings should be banished from the mind Only then the mind will get totally purified. Then comes purity of the body. One must have a body that is free from the taint of (violence or harm). Men commit many acts of violence and many sinful acts with their hands. The body has been given to man primarily for practising (righteousness). Such a sacred gift should be used only for rendering service to others and doing Godly actions. This is the way to purify the body. Therefore, when speech, mind and the body are purified, internal purity is ensured. , thus, calls for internal purity as well as external cleanliness. : This means that one should have firm determination in performing actions. The determination should be confined to actions that are pure, helpful to others and sublimate man. No man can refrain from action of some kind or other even for a moment. In no circumstance should one engage himself in an impure act. This is the way to achieve purity through firm determination. Only such a person can be called a (a resolute person). : This means freedom from attachment to anything. It means remaining serene and unruffled by fame or blame, peace or sorrow, loss or gain, pleasure or pain, not elated by prosperity or depressed by failure. One should not succumb to calumny. Nor should one exult over fame. Fame and censure are like passing clouds. One should look upon them as a mere witness. They should be treated with (equanimous feeling). To treat them seriously is to give rise to agitations in the mind, which may lead to demonic tendencies.

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Be free from worries : represents the greatest weakness in man today. Man ignores the duties he has to perform in the present. He broods over what has happened in the distant past. He is constantly speculating over what is likely to happen in the future. Why worry about the future or about dead past? The past is beyond recall or remedy. Forget the past. The future is uncertain. No one can be sure about what is likely to happen the next day. Don't think about the future, as you cannot be sure about it. Concern yourself with the present, which is the child of the past and the parent of the future. This attitude is represented by the term . Brooding over the past and speculating about the future, man is failing in his duties in the present. This is the cause of his misery. Make right use of the present and a good future is assured. The aspirant should bear this truth in mind and concentrate his attention on the present. Mental worry about the past or the future is a Rajasik quality. It should be got rid of. : This quality calls for the renunciation of (egoism) in any form. The ego is rooted in the (possessive instinct). When egoism and possessiveness come together in a man, he is utterly ruined. Hence, one should be free from. egoism and attachment.

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The six enemies of man Apart from these six good qualities, man has six vices: (lust), (anger), (greed), (delusion), (conceit) and (envy). These six enemies of man have to be got rid of and the six good qualities should be cultivated. Only then human life can be made meaningful.

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Emperor was one who was endowed with these noble qualities. For this reason, the Lord came down to the earth and sought a gift from . There are many philanthropists in the world. There are persons who make gifts of land, or of cows, or food, or clothes, or gold, but few can be found who are prepared to make an offering of themselves. Emperor was one who was ready to give himself away as a gift. "I am offering to Thee, Oh Lord, everything that is mine, my wealth, and family. Only the remains. Save me, who is taking refuge in Thee," explains a . "I gave my word to you. I am giving my kingdom to you. At this instant, I am offering my body to you." Declaring thus, Emperor bowed before . In ancient times, there were many such noble and high-minded rulers. was wedded to Truth. He cared only for the welfare of his people. He was a protector of Truth. He practised . Such a ruler was reigning over at that time. He derived all his multifarious virtues from his grand-father, . However, 's father, , was engaged in wicked thoughts and bad deeds like , 's father. All three belonged to the same clan. attempted to make pursue wrong paths. But, good and bad ways cannot be imposed on others. The marks of good behaviour of persons reflect their inherent goodness.

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was an impartial and fair judge Once, there was a contest between , the son of , and , the son of the Sage . It was agreed that whoever lost the contest should forfeit his life to the winner. Both of them prayed to to act as the judge for the contest, being convinced that he would be totally impartial and fair. agreed to act as judge because he was pledged to uphold truth, without any other consideration. After watching the contest, declared as the winner and his own son, , as the loser. Unable to control his joy over the verdict, embraced and said: "! It is because of unflinching upholders of Truth like you that the world shines in all its glory. If there were no meritorious people on earth, how can there be light in the world? ! Because of your adherence to truth you gave the verdict against your own son." knew that whoever lost the contest should pay forfeit with his life. But that did not deter him from pronouncing the verdict against his son. There is no greater than Truth - "." was not swayed by any sense of paternal love. He shed no tears. He watched the outcome of his judgment with a sense of fulfillment. Recognising the utter dedication of to Truth and Righteousness, declared: “! your devotion to Truth will restore the life of your son. I am not claiming his life as the reward for my victory. I am giving back your son's life to you.

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protects its protector "" ( destroys the one who harms it. protects its protector). "! You have stood by . Thereby you have saved your son." In this manner praised . 's life exemplified innumerable virtues and ideals. Because of such great and virtuous rulers in those days, the world was blessed with peace and prosperity. Today everywhere disorder, discontent, distrust, injustice, indifference to what is good and indulgence in what is bad, excessive attachment to sensuous pleasures, selfishness and self-centredness, are rampant among people. It is unfortunate that , which was once famous for its morality and righteousness, its dedication to Truth and , should have degenerated to this level today. This is a blot not only on the country but a matter of shame for the people of . If we have a look at the state of the society, we find that all activities in society are related to selfpraise, abusing others and duplicity in speech. These triple vices are now ubiquitous. society, which was once so glorious, is now plunged in darkness, enveloped in discord, agitation and pollution.

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Pollution of heart is of great concern today Man considers the air as polluted, water as impure and the sounds reaching him as intolerable. Even the food is polluted. The Government also considers the entire environment as polluted. Enormous sums are being spent on purifying the environment. It is not the environmental pollution about which we should be concerned. What is of concern is the pollution of (the heart). Man's mind is polluted. Man's heart is polluted. All his feelings are polluted. It is because of this basic pollution, all other things appear polluted. The primary need today is to eradicate the pollution in the human mind. How is this to be accomplished? The mind today is immersed in worldly desires and pleasures As a result, there is mental dissatisfaction as well as bitter frustration. The mind should be turned back to the source from which it came. A fish out of water has to be restored to the water for it to regain its life. Can it survive if it is placed on a couch and fed with coffee? It will regain peace and life only when it returns to its native home. Likewise, man's mind has to be restored to its original home in the (Self). Without doing this, how can peace be got? Thus, mental peace has to come from the . This calls for turning the mind towards the by the use of the conscience.

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Emperor was one who had such self-confidence. When his preceptor, , wanted to dissuade from making the gift which asked, pointing out that the young lad was no ordinary but the incarnation of Himself, declared: “If the young lad is Himself, as you say, that is all the more reason for me to stand by the offer I have made when the supplicant is the supreme Lord. Is it not my great good fortune to be in the position of a giver to the Lord? All human beings seek favours from the Lord. When such a Divine approaches me with a request for three foot-lengths of land, how fortunate am I? This opportunity has come to me because of my good deeds in previous lives. I am ready to go against the injunctions of the preceptor, but I will not transgress the commands of the Lord. The plighted word stands. You may see two objects with the two eyes and listen to two different things with the two ears. But the tongue is one. The word that is given must be honoured. I cannot go back on it. The man who does not fulfill his promise is dubbed a sinner. I am determined to keep my pledge. God is the Supreme person and Lord of all beings. I will abide only by His words." Emperor was such a resolute ruler. Thereby, he secured a glorious opportunity. However, had one special attachment for his subjects. The subjects also were equally attached to the emperor. The people bore devotion towards the ruler. The ruler was attached to his subjects. Their mutual relationship was intimate and indivisible. It was because of such a ruler and such subjects that the country was happy and prosperous.

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Significance of day Unwilling to forsake his subjects and at the same time, unable to go back on his promise to the Lord, gave a pledge to the people that he would visit them once a year. This day is the auspicious day of 's annual visit to the earth. It is the sacred day on which Emperor returns to bless his people. In the month of , when the moon is nearest to the constellation , said he would make his appearance. Today that auspicious combination is present. As said in his speech earlier, this is the twenty fifth year in which the festival is celebrated in 's presence. What is the lesson to be learnt from this Silver Jubilee of ? Over the past twenty four years you have been listening to 's discourses experiencing His presence and enjoying the celebration. How far are you practising 's teachings? Every human being has a heart. This heart is filled with love. With how many are you sharing the love in your hearts?. With none at all. What, then, is the use of that love if it is not shared? You must share with all the love in your hearts, not with humans alone, but with all beings in creation. Love, which is the gift of God, has to be shared with everyone in the world.

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Share your love with one and all All human troubles arise out of the failure to share this love with one and all because of selfishness. Everyone repeats the benediction: "!" (Let all the people of the world be happy). To how many are you giving happiness? You are repeating the words mechanically, but are you praying from your hearts for the well-being of the world? No, not at all. You are concerned only with your selfish interests. The day you root out selfishness from within you, divinity will blossom in your heart. People talk about . What is it? It is not something external. is contemplation of the Divine at all times and in all states within one's self. "" (Thinking of God at all times, in all places continuously). People do recite the name of incessantly. But will liberation be got by this repetition? To gain liberation, to win 's grace, it is not enough to repeat His name, you have to act upto 's principles. sacrificed everything for the sake of . You have to make a similar sacrifice. Keep as your ideal. Engage yourself in righteous. activities. Only then will shower His grace on you. If, on the contrary, you perform no Dharmik acts but only repeat 's name, it is tantamount to abusing . Likewise, there is no meaning in repeating 's name. What the devotee should do is to experience the ecstasy of Consciousness. Nor is that all. You should develop the equalmindedness of . maintained the same serenity of mind whether he was in a , or a (battlefield) or (a cemetery). He was always in a state of bliss. You should aspire to experience such bliss. Only then can you be said to experience consciousness. Whatever deity you may worship, you should experience the lessons of the deity within you.

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Experience truths by filling yourselves with love 's main teaching is (the Love principle). You are all experiencing this love. With how many are you sharing it? All around there is only hatred. Only egoism is present all the time. Equally ostentation is displayed all the time. How then, can you be deemed to have experienced the truths? Whoever has imbibed those truths must be filled with love. That is the true mark of devotion.

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Emperor was one who was filled with the sense of justice, with forbearance, compassion, Truth, , and devotion to the people. Are you cultivating at least one of these good qualities? gave his promise to the people to appear before them every year because his people had all these qualities. The people of today are different. How can anyone know whether Emperor is appearing? People celebrate 's visit as a festival but is not coming. Why? Because the qualities of the people of those days are not present today. Doubtless, loves his people. But the people today must have the power to draw him to visit them. They should be like a powerful magnet which can attract a heavy block of iron. They will then be able. to move and melt the heart of the Divine. You are doubtless magnets. But you have to purify yourselves to increase your magnetic power. That purity consists in the triple purity of mind, speech and body.

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Reasons for merger of the wicked in the Lord Whatever anyone may do, there can be no deficiency in the Divine. Whether you praise or blame God, neither affects Him. In the once watched with anguish the abuses levelled against by and which tolerated for quite sometime. Then he hurled a plate at which severed his head. saw the blood from 's body flowing towards and a divine flame from his body merging in .

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asked how the soul of a wicked person like could merge in . explained that good and bad, fame and blame relate only to the body and not to the . The merger in the Divine of devotees who have worshipped the Lord in many ways takes place after a long period of trials and tribulations, but it lasts eternally. In the case of the wicked, who remember the Lord constantly out of hatred, the merger takes place quickly but remains only for a short spell. The merger of soul in the Divine takes place for different reasons. In the case of it was fear of , which made him always remember ; hatred in the case of and , maternal affection in the case of , who merged in through love. The merged in the Lord through single-pointed devotion and merged in the Lord owing to (sense of spiritual oneness). All attained merger. But in each case, it was up to a specific level.

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Cultivate the spirit of sacrifice Do not follow the body. Follow the mind and the . The one who follows the is the real spiritual seeker.

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