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Carry out good actions as much as possible
The bliss born out of the realization of dtma is possible only through the control of the
senses, not through the enjoyment of sense objects.
The senses experience sound, touch, sight, taste, and smell. Since the senses are
all extroverted, they can obtain only knowledge related to external things. The senses ‘
cannot gain the knowledge of internal matters. Atma is that which is closest to us—it is
always available and never absent from our experience. Nevertheless, we are not able to ‘
see it, nor are we able to know it. How can we see the One who sees everything? The
eyes see everything but they cannot see themselves. To see them, a mirror is required.
The mirror to see dtma is the inner instrument [antah-karana]. Antah means inner,
and karana means the tool to obtain knowledge. Because it is the means to inner
knowledge, it is called antah-karana. Only if the mirror is clean will the reflection be
clear. If the mirror is unclean, the reflection will be obscured. Similarly, a pure antah-
karana reflects dtma; people whose inner instrument is impure cannot see it. Therefore it
is essential to purify antah-karanq.
It is ignorant to be proud of one’s caste, sect, beauty, youth, wealth, reputation,
etc. As long as one doesn’t cast off such vanities, how is knowledge of the soul possible?
Only when ignorance is destroyed will knowledge about the Self be gained. An igno
person thinks that he is different from Paramatma, and that the gross bodyjs—his true self.
He becomes attached to the perishable things of this world. Because of this he grasps one
thing or another, and remains unhappy.
The sastra-s and gurus say that this world is illusory.
The ‘illusory’ is that which can be seen, but has no permanent existence—like a
rope mistaken for a snake in dim light. Despite the error, the appearance is convincing.
Until one discovers the reality of the rope, the illusion will remain—even if one conducts
an as‘vamedha sacrifice 26.6 and spends tens of thousands of rupees to get rid of it. The
only method to remove it is by bringing a lamp, and seeing the actual form of the rope in
its light. Once the knowledge of the rope is awakened, the individual will no longer be
able to see it as a snake, even if he tries. Similarly, he who has awakened to the
knowledge of Paramatma will not be able to see this world as real. Only an ignorant
person takes it to be real.
The illusory nature of this world can be understood only if one wakes up from the
sleep of ignorance. In order to wake up from this state, one need not go to the forest. If
one could actually obtain knowledge merely by living in a forest, the K01 and Bhil tribal –
peoples living there would not be such great fools. Solitude is useful when it is
employed in spiritual practice intent on removing this ignorance. The spiritual practices
to remove ignorance should be obtained from a sadguru and the .s‘astra-s. But how can
this ignorance be removed if one does not have sufficient faith in .s‘astra-s, and in the
words of mahalmas? Thus, it is necessary to cultivate faith.
Asamiayavatdm muktih
sams‘aydvisra cetasdm
na muktirjanma janmdnte
tasmdd vis’vdsamdpnuydtll
In summary, the meaning of liberation is to not return to this world [samsdra].
The second meaning is that one is not touched by sorrows.
He who doesn’t have the latent tendencies and attachments toward wife, children,
wealth, respect, fame, etc., can definitely experience dtma. Only one who has understood
dtma in its essential form will be able to cross this ocean of sorrow.
The inner instrument is sullied by latent tendencies [vdsand-s], therefore it is
essential to destroy these tendencies. One should not try to satisfy the latent tendencies by
enjoying sensory objects, because Na bhflto na bhavisyati— it’s never happened, and it
never can. Satisfaction is possible only through discrimination, whether you do that today
or after ten years. The senses can be pacified only through discrimination. ThroUgh
266 An elaborate sacrificc with royal origins featuring the sacrifice of a horse (as‘va), ordinarily sponsored
only by the rich and powerful for great desires. This seems to be a humorous allusion to the snake sacrifice
of Janamejaya, which is the first major event in the great war epic, the Mahdbhdrata.
267 The kols and bhils are groups who live in the vast range of forests in the Vindhya mountains, a range
which bifurcates north and south India. Gurudev spoke elsewhere of wandering in the Vindhya regions, so
here he may be speaking from his own experience and assessments of the forest dwellers’ nature. ’
enjoyment the latent impressions will be strengthened. If itching could be cured by
scratching, then we might likewise hope to satisfy the senses through enjoyment of
objects.
Everyone knows that nothing comes along with us after death. Our own body
goes only as far as the funeral pyre. But have faith in the Vedas and shastras, and then
one thing will follow you. Only the good and bad actions of this life follow a person to
the next world. Those who have performed good actions attain higher worlds, and those who have done bad actions go to hell. Therefore: as much as possible, carry out good
actions.
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