CHAPTER IV LESSONS IN LIFE

On another occasion also when His Holiness was telling us about the Avataras, He made these very significant remarks ;

“ In the beginning of the Kalpa, the Devas and the Asuras, though they were the children of the same father but by different mothers, realised that they were so opposed to each other in temperament and inclinations· that they thought it proper and prudent to reside in distinct regions of experience far removed from each other, the Devas in the Deva Lokas and the Asuras in the Asura Lokas. All conflict was rendered ordinarily impossible unless the avarice of any particular Asura set him up to invade the Deva Lokas and claim sovereignty even there. Ordinarily, however, they kept apart in distinct regions of their own.

“Later on, however, in the Treta Yuga when Sri Ramachandra had to come down for the maintaining of Dharma, the Devas inhabited Ayodhya or Kishkindha and the Asuras the Dandakaranya or Lanka. That is, instead of occupying distinct Lokas, they chose to reside in the same Loka, the earth, but in different portions of the same. Even then the conflict was ordinarily rare except when the Asuras in a spirit of bravado chose to start on a world-wide tour of conquest or when the Devas in defiance of the powers of the Asuras chose to enter the Dandakaranya for doing their penances.

“At the time of the Lord incarnating as Sri Krishna in the Dvapara Yuga, even this was found insufficient ; and so the Devas and the Asuras made their appearance in the same family. Sri Krishna’s own uncle Kamsa and aunt’s son Sisupala were Asuras. His cousins the Pandavas were Devas but their cousins the Kauravas were Asuras. The opportunities for conflict were therefore very many and in fact the fight between them began from the moment of their appearance on earth and, in spite of occasional periods of quiet and reconciliation, their in-born tendencies landed them in almost incessant contest which reached a climax in the great war which practically wiped out the entire family.

In these days of Kali, even the being born as members of the same family knitted together by the bonds of relationship is being found insufficient. Consequently the Devas and Asuras are no longer content to occupy distinct Lokas, are no longer content to occupy different portions of the same Loka, are no longer content even to be members of the same family. They prefer now to inhabit the same body so much so that in these days it is impossible to say of any particular individual that he has the Daivi Sampat in him or that he has in him the Asuri Sampat. He seems to be a Deva this moment; the next moment he is a veritable Asura. We may consider a man bad in some particulars but in others he seems quite divine in his conduct. The Daiva and the Asura elements are so mixed up in the composition of the modern man that incessant and eternal conflict is going on in him at every moment of his life. Even his seemingly good actions are not without some mischievous elements; and the worst of his actions has in it an element of good.

“When the Devas and Asuras lived in separate regions, the Lord with a view to protect the former fought the latter mostly singlehanded on His own responsibility. When they were in different portions of the earth, He fought the Asuras in their own stronghold in the Janasthana and Lanka and fought them with the co-operation of the Daivi elements of Kishkindha. When they took form in the same family, they both sought His help, whereupon at their own request He sent His physical army to fight on the side of the Kauravas and He Himself stayed as the silent spectator but potent adviser of the Pandavas. Now in the modern warfare which is raging between the Devas and Asuras in the hearts of men, nobody has any thought of Him and He therefore prefers to be entirely indifferent to the struggle but seated in those very hearts as an unrecognised spectator seemingly taking no part or interest in the conflict, all the same remaining in truth, as He ever is, the all-perceiving Witness and the sole Arbiter of the ultimate result of the conflict.”

A Government officer who had served at many places in South India went to Sringeri for the first time in his life and was introduced to His Holiness.

H. H. Is this your first visit to Sringeri?

G. Yes, though I have been wanting to come here for several years past.

H. H. What prevented you from coming here earlier ?

G. In my younger days I was employed in the Cuddappah District. I was told then that Sringeri was not very far from there and I immediately longed to come here. But my friends and relations told me that, though the distance was not much, the journey was a very perilous one as there were no proper means of communication, many a dense forest had to be crossed and many a steep hill ascended and they were infested with wild animals and robbers and that after all Sringeri was a small village among the mountains with no amenities of modern life and further that a dip in the waters of the River Tunga might easily infect one with malaria. This description discouraged me to such an extent that it not only damped my enthusiasm but it made me drop the idea altogether. Then I was transferred to a distant place and from there to several other places successively. Years rolled on. But somehow my innate longing to see Sringeri persisted, though whenever I tried to carry it out some inconvenience or discouragement would always rear its head successfully against me.

H. H. How did you manage to come now?

G. Oh, this year I felt very keenly that much time had been allowed to pass and that, whatever might be the obstacle, I ought not to mind it. So I resolved upon coming here and I have come.

H. H. I am very glad to see you here. But how do you feel after coming here?

G. Oh, it is wonderful. The moment I made the resolve to come here, I felt so jubilant that I felt that I could very easily face any obstacles. Strange to say, I had not the slightest inconvenience either in the train or in the motor bus journey. On the other hand, everybody that I met, on hearing that I was on my way to Sringeri, was very kind and respectful towards me and volunteered to attend to my wants throughout the journey. The forests and hills which were said to contain wild beasts and robbers offered such an enchanting and pleasant and invigorating scenery as I have not seen elsewhere. Having come here, I find the waters of the Tunga very pure and healthy and certainly not malarial. The town itself is a very nice one, having all the advantages of a city and lacking only its disadvantages. The Temple of Sri Sarada and the Mutt are superb and soul-inspiring. I feel so much at home and so happy here that I very much regret that my holidays will soon be over and I would have to be back at my drudgery again.

H. H. The recital of your experience is very interesting. But did you notice the parallelism ?

G. With what ?

H. H. Why, with our life itself! When in our younger days we feel an inexplicable longing to grasp at the truth of things and think of taking up seriously the study of our Vedanta, many of our sincere friends, relatives and well-wishers would be shocked at our “premature” and “ill-advised” attempt to explore the philosophical lore of our ancient sages, would assure us in threatening tones how fool-hardy such an attempt was, would point out to us what dire consequences would follow such foolish inroads into forbidden ground where far greater men were still groping without knowing how to find their way in or out of it, and would cite to us, as warning examples, the cases of those who had perished in their foolishness and had been lost to the world for ever. Necessarily we would be very much discouraged by such disinterested advice and would drop the attempt altogether. But when the innate longing is strong and persistent we will come at a stage of life when we make up our mind to have that longing satisfied at any risk. Once we start with this determination, we will feel before long that the road before us is really smooth and not at all thorny. Where we expected dangerous pitfalls, there would be stepping-stones. Instead of “wild beasts and robbers” on the way, we will find very kind and helping hands. When actually on the road, we will feel a joy and exhilaration which no earthly thing can ever offer us. When we do enter into the heart and spirit of the Vedanta, we will find it so pure, clean and healthy and giving us the bliss beyond compare. The only factor in which the parallelism fails is this: after the close of your holidays, you have to return to your job, though reluctantly; the holiday of the earnest aspirant who realises the truth of the Vedanta never ends and so he has not the need any more to return to his state of bondage.

One hot evening when His Holiness was seated in a spacious hall giving interviews to disciples one of them noticed an electric table fan near by and turned the switch. But it refused to work as the main current had been cut off. His Holiness smiled and said :

“It is our traditional practice to seek the pardon of Mother Earth when we set foot on Her on our awaking from sleep every morning. It is well-known also that all the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara dug the earth and were soon after reduced to ashes. While so, in these days we have not only ceased to look upon Earth as a Goddess but we dig Her deep to get at the oil required for the daily consumption of our lamps. Varuna, the lord of the waters, has now been made to run our mills and supply our household with water just by the turning of a tap. Agni, the foremost of the gods, through whom we have access to the other gods and to our fathers, is at our beck and call and gives us heat and light at the pressing of a button. Vayu, the life of the universe, is our servant ready to respond to our needs at the turn of a switch. Akasa, the subtlest of elements has been harnessed to cater to our pleasure by bringing us sounds from ever so far off. We have thus gained mastery over all the elements, just as Ravana is said to have done. The only thing that remains to happen for us is his fate. Is it not time we take a lesson from his ultimate end and learn that all such mastery will not avail us at all ? Of what avail are sturdy muscles, perfect organs, keen intellect and enormous wealth and power, if Dharma the life-principle is ignored? Of what avail is anything if the “main current” is off, that is, if we forget and ignore the Grace of God, which alone makes such mastery possible ?”

A Sannyasi who was staying for sometime continuously in the Mutt led a very quiet and secluded life and earned the hearty blessings of His Holiness .As his continued stay made him a familiar figure, the Mutt servants unconsciously fell into the habit of being familiar with him. One day, his food was not properly salted and he pointed it out to the cook. The cook without intending any offence immediately said, “ What, Swamiji! you have not yet learned to curb your tongue; for it is still after tasty food.” This remark hurt the Swamiji somewhat. He did not reply but finished the meal that day without further remark. Next day and the day after, he did not go to the dining hall at all. The servants in their preoccupations did not notice this. On the third day when he prostrated before His Holiness, His Holiness asked: “ What is the matter ? You look jaded. Any mental worry ?”

S. None.

H. H. Then, have you had your meals regularly ?

Then the Swamiji had to tell His Holiness that he had not dined for two days and, on being questioned further, confessed to being put out at the cook’s remark.

H. H. Your object in staying here is not food. Anything to appease the hunger is and must be sufficient. The cook was certainly impertinent in making that remark to you ; but can you not view it as a healthy advice to you not to mind the taste of the food if only it is sufficient to appease your hunger ? It was really your remark that it was not salted properly that evoked his remark. If you had restrained yourself and eaten what was given to you, the very same cook when he tasted that food himself later would have seen that it was not salted properly, would have immediately regretted having served such a food to you and would have run to you with apologies for his neglect and would thereafter be more careful in preparing the food. All this could have and would have resulted from your silence. On the other hand, your impulsive remark provoked him and his reply provoked you still further and resulted in upsetting your mental equilibrium, in disturbing the smoothness of your meditations and in your fasting for two days.

S. I quite realise my mistake.

H. H. This incident has occurred just to help you on in your spiritual endeavours. View it in that light.

It may be added that the Swamiji punctiliously carried out the advice of His Holiness, never indulged in any secular talk and before long began to command the deep respect of all including those who presumed to be familiar with him before.