Dwell in God Consciousness

27 April 1999, Kodaikanal

Published English.

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This is one of the chief governing principles of the culture of . Every (Indian) is the inheritor of this legacy. So, should make proper use of this legacy to redeem their lives. If a person abuses another, he really abuses his own self, because the abuser and the abused are both one and the same, because the indwelling is the same in both. Who reprimands whom? The principle of the is the same in all. On this basis, the scriptures declare:

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“ (the truth is one, but wise men speak of it in many ways).”

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There is water in this tumbler. Telugu people call it '', Tamilians call it '', Hindi speaking people call it '',

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Englishmen say 'water', while those who speak Sanskrit say ''. Though it is called by different names, yet water remains the same; its basic quality does not undergo any change. In this vast world of diverse species, human beings have different names and forms. Despite these outward variations, the Atmic principle in all of them is the same. The recognition of this unity in diversity constitutes spiritual . When one enquires deeply into the question whom one is praising or denigrating, loving or trusting, it will become evident that one indeed praises, denigrates, loves, or trusts only one’s Self and none else.

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Fundamental unity of mankind Though of years have passed since the advent of man on this earth, yet he does not know his real Self even today. The entire creation has divine origin, and the Creator is God. He willed:

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“ (I am alone, let Me be many),”

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(creation) has its origin from (supreme power). (society) is a limb of . Similarly, (individual) is a limb of .

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Without , has no existence, and without , there can be no .

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Since man has limbs such as hands, feet, head, etc., which constitute his body, likewise man is a limb of society and society is a limb of creation (). Man is therefore not separate from , , and . All human beings are just the limbs of the same body of God.

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If man realizes his intimate relationship with , , and , he will not hate or abuse anyone because all are the limbs of the same body. To recognize the truth of the relationship between the limbs and the body, i.e., the relation between the part and the whole is a major element in . One who recognizes this truth will be unaffected by praise or blame.

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The critic then realized the greatness of the person whom he had abused all along. He thought to himself, “He is unaffected by abuse and is indifferent to praise or blame. He must be very noble and worthy of veneration.” He fell at the feet of the noble soul and said, “, even though I abused you so much, you did not show any anger.”

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The nature of Brahman Thinking that you are only a body is delusion () since you see multiplicity in unity. On the other hand, when you see unity in multiplicity, you attain self realization (). So, the perception of unity as diversity is , while discerning unity in all things is (perception of the divine).

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The stories of the Lord () are full of wonder (). They sanctify the lives of the people of all the three worlds () and are the tools that cut the creepers of worldly bondage (). They are like noble friends (). For the gardens of sages and seers, they are like spring season ().

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The Divine is beyond description. Even great sages like , son of , could not understand the majesty and mystery of God. Some people have a wrong notion that is one who always creates discord. This is not correct. means one who propagates wisdom. It was he who proclaimed that understanding nonduality is wisdom. He could go to (’s abode) or (’s abode) in a moment.

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The ever-wandering once went to . He met there. wanted to test . He said, “, you have no attachments. You are constantly wandering in the three worlds, chanting My name continually. But have you tried to understand the mystery of My creation? I created the five elements. This entire cosmos is made up of these five elements. Which of these five elements is most important?”

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replied, “How can I not know this, my Lord? I have cognized everything in this creation. If I cannot understand this truth, who else can?”

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replied, “Water is most important, for three-fourths of the earth is enveloped by water. Land is only one-fourth of the earth's surface.”

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remarked, “But the sage drank up the ocean in a single gulp. So, is greater or water?”

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replied, “You are right my Lord, is greater than water.”

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asked again, “But this is a tiny star in the sky (). Now, is this star greater or the sky?”

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replied, “It is the sky that is greater.”

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The Lord agreed and said, “Your understanding is correct. The sky indeed is greater. In His incarnation as , the Lord asked for three steps from king . And in the course of taking the gift of three steps, assumed the form of and covered the entire earth in one step, the space from the earth to the sky in second, and there was no room for the third step. King had to offer his head for the third step. So now, is God great or the sky?”

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replied, “, when the mere foot of the Lord covers the entire sky, how much greater His full form would be? God indeed is greater.”

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now asked, “God, who envelops the entire cosmos dwells in the heart of His (devotee). So now, is the heart of the devotee greater or God?”

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replied, “Indeed, the devotee’s heart is greater.”

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"" (subtler than the subtlest and vaster than the vastest).

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Live like a lotus If you want to understand the divine principle, you have to understand the essence of culture. The culture of teaches that to be reputed as a great man is of no consequence. To acquire a good name is all that matters. was a great personality in the . But was the embodiment of goodness. was great; was good. What is the difference between greatness and goodness? A great man sees (man) in (God), while a good man sees in every . Greatness lies in seeing the divine in man. This is true .

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(all this is verily Brahman).

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(the universe is permeated by the Divine).

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(God is immanent in all creatures).

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What is the difference between man and God? The one with the feeling of separateness and individuality () is human, while God sees everything in the cosmos as His manifestation. Recognizing the truth that all are His forms is the perception of the divine. A noble man will perceive himself as part of society (). The nobler man will perceive himself as part of the entire creation. The one who perceives the entire creation as the manifestation, of God () is a (fully self-realized one). He sees the divine in every part of this creation. What are the attributes of a ? The heart of a is like a lotus. Where is the lotus born? It is born in mud. Where does it live? It lives on the surface of water. The lotus is neither defiled by mud nor wetted by water. Yet it cannot survive even for a second without mud and water. Man's accumulated of past lives are like mud. The present life can be compared to water. A is one who is not affected by his past life. Though his present life is the consequence of his past , yet it can be pure and free from the mud of past traits.

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Jealousy and its three sons The divinity present in man endows him with sacred qualities as mere means of his worldly existence. He wastes time by spending it in mundane activities. Why? The main reason is man’s (ego) and (attachment). Besides these two, man is also a victim of (jealousy). Jealousy is the source of great danger. No matter how great a scholar one may be, or a man of authority and position, or one with great virtues, when once one falls prey to jealousy, one loses everything in life.

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Here is a green tree full of blooming flowers. A pest enters this tree and destroys it in a short time. The pest is not visible as it eats away the tree’s roots. Jealousy is like this pest. The met their ruin due to jealousy. A jealous man is not happy to see the happiness, health, wealth, or higher performance of others. The feeling that no one should excel one in life is the root of jealousy. Jealousy has three sons. They are (desire), (anger) and (hatred). But this jealousy has a sister named (one without jealousy).

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, the wife of sage , made , , and , the Supreme Trinity, into babes. She could make the gods forget their Divinity. She could make Divinity her child. However, in this world, jealousy is growing beyond limits. It is highly dangerous. Jealousy causes the fall of man. One should eschew jealousy. Jealousy is totally contrary to the culture of . culture has always considered humanity as one entity. That is the import of the Vedic prayer:

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Saha Navavathu Saha Nau Bhunakthu Saha Veeryam Karavavahai Tejaswi Navadheethamasthu Ma Vidvisavahai Om Santhi Santhi Santhih.

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How sacred are these words of the Vedas, which are a part of the heritage of ! There are so many similar sacred tenets in the (culture) of . What is ? That which refines. Man has forgotten his tenet of refinement. He has also forgotten his humanness. He is fostering animal nature. This animal nature in turn becomes demonic. Strive to get rid of the animal traits and develop human qualities.

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Offer the sacred food to God first Man undertakes several spiritual practices today. But what is their effect on him? The body of man is like a tender plantain leaf. On this fresh green leaf, you serve five items of delicious food of nectarine qualities. These items of food are composed of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether), the five life principles (, , , , and ), and the five senses of man. To whom do you offer this sacred food first? Instead of offering to God first, you offer it to demons of , , , , , (desire, anger, greed, attachment, pride, jealousy). Thus, you offer all your five senses to these demons. After these demons have satiated themselves, and when the tender plantain leaf of the body has become a tattered remnant, you turn to offer it to God. Is this what you should do? As soon as the food is served, it should be offered to God. Then you partake of it. Why do you offer this wonderful feast to the demons of desire, anger, greed, pride, jealousy etc.?

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Start prayer and devotion to God at early age How can you do that? You can do it by following the principles of , , , , and . These are sacred delicious items of food to be offered to God. And they must be offered on the fresh, green plantain leaf of tender, supple, and efficient body. Prayer and devotion to God at early age will bring fulfillment in your life. You have forgotten this truth. When somebody asks why you don't think of God, you say, there is still time for it; you can do so after retirement. Even after retirement, some people run after re-employment.

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Lead a worthy and noble life as a human being That is the real meaning of (human being). What does imply? Ma means ignorance, na means without, and va is to act. Thus, is one who acts without ignorance. There is another interpretation of , viz. ma = not, = new. Man is not new. He has had several previous lives. He has not become a human being all of a sudden. So it is quite natural for him to know how to lead a worthy and noble life as a human being.

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You have taken several births, but you are yet to realize God. Merely repeating , , is of no use. You must have full faith in God. Only then can you attain salvation. You should consider (faith) as your (life breath). Without (life breath), you cannot live.

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Where there is breath, there is life. Where there is faith, there is love (). Where there is love, there is peace (). Where there is peace, there is truth (). Where there is truth, there is God. Where there is God, there is bliss ().

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Experience inner bliss Human life should begin with faith and end in bliss (). When you have no faith, how can you attain happiness? Increase your faith in God and attain peace (). Through truth experience God. God is bliss. The experience of divinity is true bliss.

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(performing your duty properly is indeed ).

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Duty is God. Today, you have forgotten and are running after (job). In the job you may get promotion, but you have to face retirement too. There is no retirement in . It is and (eternal and true).

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(perfection in action is true ).

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Discharging one's duty efficiently and with love is . Duty is God.

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As long as you are in this world, carry out your duties diligently. While discharging your duties, spend time in thoughts of divinity. Today, you waste time. Time is the very form of God. The Vedas says: “.” In fact, is God's name. We even say (New Year). God is ever new. This ever new effulgent God takes the form of man, and is called . Actually, every new human birth is an as God resides in each heart as the .

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There is no living body without . It is not possible to realize without the body. The body and soul are related. They are interdependent. The body should be maintained strong and healthy to experience the divine bliss. Do not waste all your time in eating, sleeping, and in sensual pleasures. Perform your worldly duties at their proper time, and set apart the time when you offer yourself to God.

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“ (all your actions should be to please God).”

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Do not have any worldly preferences. Actions performed for personal satisfaction are attributed to (worldly path); those to please God relate to (inward path). Do not wait till you are unable to move, your vision fails, folds and wrinkles appear on the face, and hair turns gray. Why don’t you think of God from the beginning?

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This is not life. Make proper use of the body and experience the ultimate reality. Within this (body of clay) is (awareness of the ), which imparts value to the body.

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But the nectarine, non-dual, eternal bliss (, , ) is in you. With this treasure inside you, you search around and undertake pilgrimages. No need. Bliss is inside you. Make it come out. This is real . Do not bother about worldly problems. They are passing clouds. There is only one permanent truth. This is the principle of the . The body is temporary. But what is inside is the permanent, eternal .

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All of you are embodiments of divinity. God is in you as the . Make proper use of the body. How? Speak in a pure way, speak the truth. Act righteously. Discriminate between right and wrong and act accordingly. Do not act under the impulses of anger and hatred. Do not lie or abuse. Do not cause hurt to anybody.

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