Dipavali

One Dipavali day, Muruganar wanted me to write something about Dipavali. ‘Why don’t you write? Why should I?’ I asked. He said that he would also write if I did. I agreed, and wrote these verses.


" He is the king of hell who says that he is the body which is hell itself. He is Narayana who ascertains who Naraka is, and destroys him with His vision of wisdom, Jnana Drishti. That is the auspicious day of Narakachathurdasi."

"The false belief that this hell-like house called body is me, is Naraka himself. To destroy that false belief and let the self shine as Self, is Dipavali."

Eating habits

“Is salt also one of those things that stimulates rajas, (passion)?” I asked. 

“Yes. What doubt is there? Is it not said so in one of the granthas (books)? Wait, I will look it up and tell you,” said Bhagavan. 

“Isn’t it enough if Bhagavan says so? Why a grantha?” I said.

Not only do we not give up salt, but we always feel that chillies also are necessary for taste. That is how we have our rules and regulations about our eating habits. Great souls eat to live and serve the world, while we live to eat. That is the difference. If we eat to live, there is no need to think of taste. If we live to eat, the tastes are limitless. And for this purpose, we undergo ever so many trials and tribulations.

Contentment

We always act freely according to our wishes. We ask for this and for that and become enslaved to desires. We achieve our desires by asking or ordering. Bhagavan depreciates not only the use of authority in such matters, but even obtaining such things by asking.

Ekam Aksharam - The one letter and the one imperishable

“The one imperishable which is in the Heart at all times is self-luminous. How to write it?”

Karthuragnaya prapyathe phalam (Fruits of actions are ordained by the creator)

One devotee asked Bhagavan, “In ‘Karthuragnaya Prapyathe Phalam’ who is the karta?” 

Bhagavan said, “karta is Ishwara. He is the one who distributes the fruits of actions to each person according to his karma. That means He is Saguna Brahman. The real Brahman is nirguna (attributeless) and without motion. It is only Saguna Brahman that is named as Ishwara. He gives the phala (fruits) to each person according to his karma (actions). That means that Ishwara is only an Agent. He gives wages according to the labour done. That is all. Without that sakti (power) of Ishwara, this karma (action) will not take place. That is why karma is said to be jadam (inert).”

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With the supernatural powers of his sandals, Vikramarka went to Brahma Loka, the world of Brahma, whereupon Brahma, being pleased, told him to ask for a boon. Vikramarka said, “Lord, the Sastras loudly proclaim that when you create living beings you write on their foreheads their future life according to the results of their actions in past lives. Now you say that you will give me a boon. Will you rub out what has already been written on my forehead, and write afresh? Or will you correct it by overwriting? What exactly is done?” 

Brahma was pleased at his intelligent question and said with a smile, “Nothing new is done now. That which was already preordained according to the karma of beings, comes out of my mouth. We merely say, ‘Yes, we have given you the boon.’ That is all. Nothing is given anew. Not knowing that, people do penances for boons at our hands. As you are an intelligent person, you have found out the secret. I am very happy.”

Siddhas

Bhagavan often says, “To know oneself and to be able to remain true to oneself, is siddhi, and nothing else. If one’s mind is absorbed in the enquiry of self, the truth will be realised some time or other. That is the best siddhi.”

I give below an extract from the prose writings of Bhagavan regarding these siddhis in his “Unnathi Nalupadhi”* which bears this out:

Siddhi is to know and realise that which is ever real. Other siddhis are mere dream siddhis. Would they be true when one wakes up from one’s sleep? Those who are wedded to truth and who had got freed from maya, will they get deluded by them? Please understand. 

Reality in Forty Verses, verse 35