THE SECRET OF DEATH
Author HH Shri Bhola Nathji
Translated in English by Priya Nath Mehta
Copyright Priya Nath Mehta
Published Book
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THE SECRET OF DEATH PART TWO
Ah, what then, is Love?
To become the slave of the Beloved,
To be bound in his love,
To leave one’s heart in his hands,
And to roam, bewildered
In the folds of the locks
Of the Beloved.
And to be lost in the beauty
Of his face.
The restless drops of dew, which were entrapped within the folds of the cloud, became like numerous tear-drops and sought to go where their beloved ocean was.
When it is our beloved that we must meet, then we must be willing to sacrifice our lives and our very existence, and this is so, because the pain of separation is greater than the pain of Death. In Death, existence is freed of sorrow. If herein there are no pleasures, no feelings of joy, then there are no sorrows either, no unfulfilled desires and no burnings of restlessness which are fiercer than fire. Death is that resting place which relieves man of the fatigue of his life. Death is that silence in which the turmoils of the world cease. Death is that darkness in which there is no stumbling. In Death there are no storms of life. If there is no friend here, there is no foe either. In the depths of this silence there are no waves of turbulence, no bubbles of existence entrapped. In the fearsome face of Death, Life rests in peace. There is no fear of dying again. If there be no flower here, there is no thorn either. Here there is neither separation nor union. If there be no consciousness here, there is no feeling of unconsciousness either. If there be no intelligence or mind here, there is no necessity for them either. Death is a freedom from the storms of life. Death is freedom from the fear of dying. The desires that were not fulfilled in life, disappear in Death. What a grand picture, indeed! There is no fear of Death and no desire for life. There is no feeling of ego and no desire for salvation. Nor a fear of hell. If, indeed, Death can be called nothingness, then is it not better than that something in which there are fears, sorrows and tears?
Death is that medicine which is the panacea for all ills. Out with thee – illness, misery and poverty! There sis no place for thee! Death is that absolute rest which never changes. Here nobody loves anybody. Here nobody hates anybody. The lovers of love are silent. Here there is neither deceit nor hypocrisy. This darkness is better than that light in which there are numerous obstacles at each and every step. O Life! For as long as thou wert existing, thou wert afraid of Death. Conceive of the magnificence of Death which freed thee of that trembling fear. It stole upon thee so stealthily and so silently, it robbed thee of thy consciousness so swiftly and so smoothly, that thou wert not even aware of it. For as long as there was life, it was difficult to say whether Death was absorbing life, or whether life was absorbing Death. Death was robbing life of its existence, and life was establishing the existence of Death. In the end, Death won, but its own existence had rested entirely upon the existence of life. Both perished. Life went away into Death, and Death destroyed itself. The phenomenon was like the burning and extinguishing of a spark. The faces of Life and Death disappeared and returned to their origin.
And when the drops of dew beheld Death as described above, they began to call upon it. They prayed for the wind of Death which would extinguish the fire of separation which burnt within them. They sought to fall from above. But all that must be, must be at its appointed time. Though they tried to fall from above, they could not do so of their own volition. And they burnt even more fiercely in the fire of separation. The little water that was in them was not sufficient to put out the fire of separation. Only the vast ocean could do that. For in the ocean there was the coolness of
Even after beholding their object, the drops are bound by the tentacles of separation. Perhaps Separation is prolonged for them so that they may take whatever joy they can from it, and prolong their own existence. In this way they can behold the Trinity of: Love, the Lover and the Beloved. But this separation came to them only after
O hunter, freedom is full of many joys;
But the joys of fluttering under thy nest are unique.
Final union does indeed give joy; but the joy of suffering in separation is a unique one.
Shatter this frame of mine to pieces
This frame that keeps me apart;
Shatter the chimney to pieces
And let the flame spread in glory,
Let the drop free itself of its body
And let it join the ocean of the sky,
Thus shall there be freedom from sorrow
Thus shall the heart find joy in Thee.
The drops of dew are drowned in sorrow and shed numerous tears in this pain. In their small physical frames there is greater sorrow than in the width of the vast ocean. They await that moment when time shall tear apart the veil of separation and send them to union with the ocean. And even though they remain still in their places in the sky, their tears fall down upon the ocean and make it reach upwards for them. The ocean knows at last that the little drops of dew are above it, entrapped in the clouds.
A sorrow arose in the breast of the ocean. A desire arose in it to bring back to itself the drops of dew which had originally belonged to it; to make them complete, and by this union to make itself complete as well; to bring them to rest and to bring itself to rest as well. There is attraction on both sides. The drops cannot come down and the ocean cannot go up. But the heat of desire in the ocean melts the heart of the cloud, and the drops of water begin falling downward, closer and closer to the ocean. Conscious Separation gives place to a Conscious Union. Sighs take the shape of cries of pleasure. But falling, these drops perceive the grim spectre of annihilation facing them – Death, as also the hope of eternal life. They do not die upon falling, but rather, they die after falling. And this implies the existence of the drops with themselves for a short period of time even as the drops are submerged into the ocean. A limited existence exists within an unlimited existence in a separate form for a very short period. The “Death” is a form of Conscious Separation in
O what joy there is in the sharpness
Of the dagger of love!
O dullard! Would that thou couldst
Go and feel it!
My heart has become a vagrant out of love,
Let it be vagrant even more;
My body has become lifeless without my heart,
Let it be lifeless even more;
O my friend! If thou wouldst pray for me,
Then pray this, that I become a wanderer for ever
In the lane where my Beloved lives.
The drops so enjoyed the taste of drowning that they strove to drown themselves even more. This stage was that in which the lover was conscious of his annihilation and was acknowledging it, and accepting it. The full purport of this sacrifice finally struck home, there was a complete realization of this annihilation and the annihilation itself was complete. The final stage was reached – and the drops of dew became one with the ocean. And this stage is that where all consciousness of
Many grievances carried I with me.
Of thy insults and injustices, O Heartless One!
But, I forgot them all when I looked
Upon the beauty of thy face.
For as long as the drops of dew were separate they had complained of the separation; but when
The existence of the ocean was proved, not when they drop of water set eyes upon it, or became one with it, but rather when it felt the pangs of separation even while it was lying on the petal of the rose in a far away garden. That was the greatest proof of the existence of the ocean.
There stages can be seen here:
1. To know of something, without seeing it, and only after hearing of it. Love is spoken of.
2. To actually see and then believe. Love is seen.
3. To feel it and to become one with it. Love is experienced.
Every soul that exists in the Universe sees nothing but matter around itself, enveloped as it is by the limitations of the flesh. Philosophy and reason proclaim that all that exists is before the body, all that exists is matter, and that there is nothing else. There is the earth, there is the sun, there is the moon, there is water, there is air, and there are certain forces which act everywhere – electrical, magnetic, gravitational, nuclear. Beyond that there is nothing else.
If there is a word before us, the group of letters that go to form the word must have some meaning. The word and is meaning are two separate things, though, of course, interlinked. The meaning of a word exists within the word itself. The answer to a question exists within the question itself. The question is visible and the answer invisible. Similarly this WORLD is like a WORD which has for its meaning, behind its own veil, the existence of GOD. . The taste of an apple cannot be seen in the outer form of the apple, but it can be felt by the tongue. An apple is eaten not for the sake of its outer appearance but for what it contains, for its taste.
God is like that ocean which beckons the human souls lying like numerous drops of water on the petals of numerous roses in the gardens of this world. The ever present attraction, that eternal call, does not allow the drops of dew to lie for ever on the flowers; the call is ever present, the attraction is there. It cannot be seen, just like the air. But it can be felt. Heat and cold cannot be seen but they can be felt, and the need for them arises from time to time. And the need for them, along with the sensations they produce, establishes their existence without a shadow of a doubt.
Each and every soul in the Universe is being drawn towards that great
And in this way, each and every person on this earth believes in God, but he does not know that it is God that he believes in. There is ignorance in this first stage of unconscious separation, but the ignorance does not destroy the feeling.
Those who do not believe in God may well be asked where lies the answer to their search for peace and satisfaction?
If they say that peace and satisfaction is found in the world, then in which object does it lie? Everything in the world is changeable. One cannot obtain an unchangeable peace from a changeable world. How can this be possible?
And if they say that this thirst is false, and that there is no object that may satisfy it, then how can they explain the laws of Nature which require that for every thirst there is something that satiates it? How can they evade the fact that Nature has created a need and then provided an answer for it? If water be the substance which quenches the thirst of the body, then how can it be said that there is no Object which can satisfy the thirst for everlasting peace within man? There cannot be a desire for anything unless there be that object or thing which can fulfil that desire. If there be a desire for something then that something must exist. And it is because something exists that there is a desire for it. God is Absolute Peace, Absolute Existence, Absolute Knowledge, and there is a thirst in the soul for all these, a thirst which is inborn in it. Then how can one deny the existence of God? One can perceive water in the thirst, although, to outer appearances, water is certainly not visible in thirst as such. Thirst cannot exist without water, and water exists only to quench the thirst.
When man discovers that the limited and perishable objects of the world cannot provide him with the answer which he seeks, he moves on towards that Being who is capable of fulfilling the real Need of his life, and who is his Goal. And in this state of searching he feels himself separated from Someone or Something. Not even philosophy can deny him this feeling. Because this is the voice of his soul. Because it comes from the heart. It is a feeling which cannot be belittled, or explained by intellect alone. How can philosophy or argument convince a thirsty man that there is no such thing as water? Nothing that comes before a thirsty man can satisfy him, unless it be water. And he shall continue seeking until he finds water. In the search for God, that Unknown Source, man cuts down or lessens his desires for the material world. And thus unburdened of material desires, his heart enters the spiritual realm. This state is like that of the drop of water which was evaporated from the petal of the flower and which flew away into the sky in search of its goal. The heart is then free of the desires of this world. And new thoughts, new inspirations, a new peace flood the soul, and it finds itself in a new world.
Come, O come, my friends,
Into this world of fascination,
Everything here is new;
The air is new, the water new,
And the life is new.
When the desires of the world disappear, the soul takes joy in its state of freedom from these desires, and it also perceives its true nature devoid of the colours of these desires. When the dirt from a cloth is washed away, the cloth shines in brilliance and cleanliness, in its true colours; when illness has been removed from the body, the body feels fresh and healthy and joyful. Similarly, when all the desires of the world have been removed from the soul, it finds itself filled with the glittering light of some Divine Source. This is known as God-Realisation.
The human soul is held in bondage by desires of the material world. The Enlightened Soul is one which has begun to vanquish desire. The Realised Soul is one which has taken desire out of itself and has thrown it away. Desire binds the soul to matter, which unfortunately, does not contain the essence that the soul seeks. Before desire is vanquished, there is only the world, and after it has been vanquished, there is God. The moment desire arises in the soul, it takes the soul away from itself and binds it to matter. Man forgets his soul. And when desire is vanquished, man returns to his soul. To become a slave of desires is to go away from the soul; and to renounce desire is to return to the soul.
I have dusted off the grains of desire
From my nest,
So that it may rest without weight
On the petals of a flower.
How can we deny the existence of God when the soul is restless for Him? If one does not believe this, then let him ask himself whether or not there is a thirst for everlasting peace, happiness and satisfaction and a craving for everlasting life within him? Does not everyone want peace, fulfillment and a happiness that will last for ever? Does not the desire to live for ever exist in every breast? Are not old age, disease and Death abhorrent to all? It is impossible to deny that ONE NEED that exists in every soul, every man. And is there an answer to that NEED in the world? All joys pass away, all pleasures change to pain. Youth gives way to old age. Beauty to ugliness. Dear ones depart. Everything is perishable. No happiness, no feeling of peace, is permanent. And yet man runs after one thing and then another in search of PERMANENCE of peace and happiness. The desire to LIVE is always in him. A quest for an immortal life. We ask again: does the world provide us with an answer to what we seek? No, it does not. The answer lies only in God. Since there is an answer to every question, there must be an answer to this question as well. And that ANSWER is the goal of human life. And to attain that goal, human life was born.
O thou melodious flute
What mournful tune is this?
Ah! But a song of separation!
The question naturally arises that, if the human soul is destined to meet God eventually, then why was it ever separated from Him in the first place? This question is not very relevant. For when thirst comes to man, he does not ask why the thirst has come, but, instead, asks for water. If the drop of water and the ocean had not separated in the first place, then the drop would not have been a drop and the ocean not an ocean. These limitations may have been created, or may have come into existence for some reason which we cannot understand. Nor is it important to understand it. What is important is to find out how the soul can unite with God.
The circle must only seek to begin, and surely one day it shall complete itself. There are laws and rules which govern the attainment of material objects in the material world; similarly, there are laws and rules which govern the attainment of Self-Realisation and God-Realisation. To recognize God, one must empty the heart of all worldly desires.
Losing thy way is the surest means
Of securing a Guide to lead thee
To thy destination.
When the unknown world begins to reveal itself as a known world, then the soul craves for God and seeks out ways and means to reach Him. And just like the drop of dew, the soul, upon becoming aware of the frightful perishability of the world around itself and perceiving Death all around it, submerges itself into that deep search which takes it away from the world and seeks to merge it into REALITY.
The vanishing of material desires is the first stage of the Love of God. The Love takes one away from ego, to a state of “egolessness”. And in that state one finds God. God, Himself, is the greatest proof of His Existence. If one cannot see the sun with the light of the sun, then how can one see it with the light of a candle? It is the sun itself which gives the greatest proof of its own existence.
Behind the veil of this Universe there is God. His existence sustains the existence of the Universe. The thirst for Everlasting Peace in the mind of man is a proof of the existence of God. The helplessness of man reveals His Powerful Presence. And when the thought of one’s helplessness, the thought of losing one’s way, takes root in the mind of man, God appears before man as a guide. Man’s feeble strength beckons the All-Powerful. The limited self of man gives a proof of His Unlimitedness. He appears when man has lost his ego and pride. He answers man’s prayers. He wipes away man’s tears. And He tells man that He is ever with him and shall free him of all his sorrows.
How can we deny the existence of that one EXISTENCE without which nothing else can exist? How can a bubble exist if there be no water? How can the everchanging Universe exist without an UNCHANGING REALITY? He can only be realized when man has freed himself from all desires of the world, and has entrapped himself with only one desire, and that desire is for Him. That heart, which was entangled in the desires of the world, must lose itself in the thought of God-Realisation, and only then will true craving bring forth the goal of life. One must wait for the right time. One must not despair.
Search for Him
Search for Him
Search for Him
He who searches for Him,
Shall find Him.
His Unlimited Self left no place for anyone else or for anything else in the heart, for surely the entire Universe is like a grain of sand before His Greatness. But still, He can conceal Himself within the smallest grain of sand, by becoming smaller than it. All that exists is HE. How, then, can we ask for the proof of EXISTENCE itself? How, then, can such a proof be given? He, who seeks Him, finds Him. At the end of every journey there is a destination. Every word has some meaning. God is that INFINITY in which all limitations are included. Everything that exists is a manifestation of Him.
If anyone denies the existence of God, we can ask him whether his denial is real or not? And if his denial is real, then he is real and his existence is a proof of the existence of God. For if he is part of existence and God is Existence itself, how can he deny the existence of God? Our very denial is a proof of His existence. Existence does not stand in need of denial or confirmation, it is its own proof. He is ABSOLUTE EXISTENCE – how can we deny Him?
Two principles can be arrived at from the scheme of things:
1. One states that all that exists is HE.
2. The second states that all that exists COMES from HIM.
If, indeed, HE is everything, then each and every atom shall reveal Him.
There is not a single particle
Which does not say: “I AM HE’;
Though concealed He may be,
Hear Him now, as if He were revealed.
There are several types of voices:
(1) The voice that consists of words (2) The voice that consists of thoughts (3) the voice that consists of emotions (4) The voice that consists of actual experience.
When you call someone, he responds and comes to you. If you think of calling someone, it is only you who hear this inner voice of your thoughts. If you attract someone by love, your heart is aware of your emotions, and these emotions also make themselves felt on the person they are supposed to attract.
If the voice of the nightingale
Contained the love that could carry
It beyond the bars of steel,
The fragrance of the rose would leap
Over the walls that hid the cage.
You ask someone: “Who are you?” And he replies: “It is I.” This is his voice. If he were to stand before you and not say a word, that, too, would be a “voice” of a sort. His presence near you seems to say: “It is I.” Similarly, every particle in the Universe appears to say: “It is I”, “I exist”. To say that is to proclaim existence. In that affirmation lies the voice of existence. And existence is, a manifestation of that Absolute Existence.
Behind the veil of every shape and form there lies existence in itself. The voice of one little particle that appears to say: “I exist’, is in reality the voice of that ABSOLUTE EXISTENCE. The heart can listen to this voice. Intelligence can understand it, if it try hard enough.
Thine eyes have been blinded
By the ointment of thy perfumes;
The mirror of the skies reflects
Nothing but beauty.
If a man is roaming around in the open, he can be seen, but if he takes a blanket and covers himself with it, he cannot be seen. In a like manner, that Absolute Existence has hidden itself behind the shapes and forms of this Universe.
You can write thousands of words and each word can be different from the other, though they are all written with the same ink. Each word would have a different shape and form and a different meaning. But the ink is the one and the same in them all. The same ink appears in various shapes and forms on paper. Though each and every word appears distinct and separate from the other, they are all essentially ink, and nothing else. If one were to look at these words as ink, then, indeed, the very concept of “words” would disappear. There would be ink and only ink. However, if one were to look at these words as “words” then one would see a multiplicity of shapes and forms and meanings, a whole world of different aspects of thought.
The REALITY is that all are ONE
But the shapes and forms spell diversity,
In this Reality of Unity.
What is written on the paper is a scheme prepared and executed by the ink. The ink moves in different directions and creates the letters. The shapes and forms of the words and letters exist only in the ink. But, while reading the words, one is never aware of the underlying reality of the ink. One thinks only of the words and their meanings.
Numerous books have been written. These words contain all the written knowledge that there is in the world. There are different subjects. There are thousands of libraries the world over. A miracle of ink. If the ink were removed from the pages of all these books, nothing but blank sheets of paper would remain, as if awaiting the coming of fresh words. And just like the ink made itself manifest in the shapes and forms and meanings of various different words, that Great Reality manifested Itself in the numerous shapes and forms of the Universe. Though being distinct and separate, they are all united together in the foundation of their existence. There is the INK, and only that. And, indeed, if you were to look upon all these words as only ink, then all words would disappear, even though they existed, submerged in the concept of ink. On the other hand, concentrating on the words makes the ink disappear, though it be present in them. The ink disappears in the words and reveals them. The words are a mere movement of the ink on the paper. Without motion, the ink would remain ink, and not appear as words.
There is an EXISTENCE which produces the various shapes and forms of the Universe in a motion of THOUGHT. If there were no motion of THOUGHT, there would be Absolute Existence all by itself, and there would be no variegated shapes and forms, otherwise referred to as the Universe. Everything that exists is a manifestation of the THOUGHT of that Absolute Existence. If that THOUGHT were to cease, the world of shapes and forms and activity would cease to exist, and the Universe would disappear into that Absolute Existence. It would be like the ink residing in itself. Without motion there would be no words – no shapes and forms.
In HIS single Thought
Rest creation and annihilation.
When you go to sleep, a world, very similar to your real world, comes before you. It has mountains and rivers and skies filled with stars. Who can deny the reality of the dream world while it exists? And who can claim that the dream world is real, upon awakening? It is real for as long as it exists. It is only upon awakening that it becomes false and unreal. What is a dream world? It is composed of the knowledge and the thoughts of the person who sleeps. However, he, who views the dream, cannot change it, but must watch ity as a spectator. He cannot introduce ma compulsory second thought to change the course of the dream. The dream is his own thought, but the circumstances under which it appears make it inflexible to change. One must simply sleep and watch the dream. It is only upon awakening that the thought ends and the dream is over.
Similarly, that, which exists, - the entire Universe, - is a Thought of that Absolute Existence. It is like a dream present before that Absolute Reality, which it does not wish to alter, and which, the numerous objects and living things living in it, cannot alter. It has become a reality, and all who live in it must perceive it as it is. Yes, the solitary thought of man, that, connected with his individual body, can destroy the world by destroying itself. But when the world ceases to exist for one person, it does not cease to exist for the others living in it. One person can destroy the world of the wakeful state by going into sleep. But while he sleeps and the world does not exist for him, there are millions of others who live in the world and perceive it. One can sink into a meditation which destroys all thought of the world, but the world will still exist for those who live in it, and those whose thoughts are open to it.
There are two kinds of THOUGHT that exist in the world:
1. The Thought of that Absolute Existence.
2. The individual thought of man.
The individual thought of man is a very tiny reflection of the all pervading Thought of that Absolute Existence. And even when this individual thought is annihilated, even when it disappears, the world goes on, unaffected by the destruction of this thought. The solid face of the Universe will continue to exist even after the individual thought of man has been eliminated. The individual thought of man cannot change the outside world. But when man has attained GOD-REALISATION, he perceives an underlying unity in the diversity that surrounds him; the diverse activities of various parts of the Universe and of the creatures that live in it then assume a composite form which is not different form the underlying Unity of the Absolute Existence. If you have a gold ring before you, and you are well aware of the fact that is nothing but gold, you can accept it as a “ring” and not seek to change its form.
The state of salvation for every being is that state in which he perceives the Absolute Existence in everyone and everything, or else perceived no other shapes and forms except that Absolute Existence. And, therefore, when everything is HE, the denial or affirmation of His Existence loses all significance. How can one ask for the proof of the existence of God, when, without Him, there can be neither that question nor an answer to it? And when HE contains within Himself an infinite variety of names and shapes and forms, then one may well ask: which shape or form do you wish to see God in? What kind of a God are your seeking? He has a multiplicity of faces, exhibited everywhere in the Universe.
Everything that exists, comes from HIM.
It is not HE who comes from everything.
Everything that is before us is an EFFECT. And there cannot be an effect without a CAUSE. The Universe is the EFFECT and God is the CAUSE. And then if you ask for the proof of the existence of the God who created the Universe, the answer is that the Universe itself is a proof of His Existence. A painting proves the existence of the artist, regardless of where the artist is. The multiplicity of colours in the painting gives the proof of the existence of the artist who put the colours in, and presented the vivid pictures of his mind and thoughts before the viewer.
The painting with beautiful colours is exhibited in an art gallery, and those who see it appreciate it and are gladdened by it.
O beautiful flower, from whence
Obtained thou thy fragrance
If thou hast not seen Him.
Who made this garden?
The flower has not coloured its own petals. The flower has not enriched itself with fragrance. The softness of the flower has not been created by the flower itself. The art in its petals and its form does not come from the flower itself. For, the flower cannot create itself, nor can the dead matter around it produce its beautiful form. There is some Great Artist who has coloured the flower; who has given it its softness and its fragrance. And after creating it, He has hidden himself. And He has hidden Himself in order to hear what the world has to say about the flower. He is eager to know whether the world thinks the flower created itself or was created by someone.
The flower was created only so that these thoughts may arise, so that those who see it may think of the artist whose creation it is. But the surprising thing is this, that, after looking at the flower, the viewer loses himself in its shape and form and delicacy and fragrance, and forgets everything else. There is no one who thinks further. And when the flower fades away, it does not create another flower in its wake all by itself. The people then await the coming of that Spring which shall bring forth a multitude of flowers that very Spring which exists as a part of the scheme of things created by the Grand Designer. What a strange thing it is, indeed, that behind the veil of the flower one cannot perceive Him who created it? Is not a creation proof enough of the existence of the creator? Does not the sound of music from a distance proclaim the existence of a musician? Is the existence of the Universe not a sufficient proof of the existence of God? He is hidden and revealed at the same time. The world, though revealed, is really hidden in the Art of the CREATOR.
And His voice appears to say:
“I have numerous faces. Sometimes I act with justice and sometimes with mercy. Sometimes I give a proof of my love from a distance and sometimes I come near and wash away the tears of separation. Who is it that has fulfilled all your needs in the Universe around you? Who is he that helps you when you are in trouble? Who is he that brings you sleep when the world has filled you with fatigue? When you are filled with sorrow and cannot escape it, then I bring you to the land of dreams, in the intoxication of which you forget the world. Who is it that gives to your eyes the light of the sun when you awaken? Who is it that darkens the skies when you must sleep, and who adorns it with the moon and the stars? Who has created the air which may freshen your moments of life and sustain them? Have you created all these things? Is it the work of that “I” which knew not about itself before it was born and which knows not of itself even when it is born? Is it the work of that feeble “I” which cannot recognize itself in sleep? That “I” which is with thee only for short times? How can a house create the very foundation upon which it is standing? That “I”, which has perceived the Universe after awakening in the human body, sees a world before it. And that world existed before the coming of that “I”; it shall exist after the going away of that “I”; and it shall exist while that “I” exists. When you look upon a house for the first time you begin to praise the architect who has designed it. Nobody ever says that the house designed itself, and that bricks fell upon bricks all by themselves and produced the house, complete with its walls and roof. Nobody can claim that the blind forces of Nature produced a house, every room of which is designed with some specific purpose in mind.
Listen to my voice, O Humans! I have created this world for you so that you may come to know me, to love me and to worship me, and to thank me, and to ask me to bring you to that Light in which I am revealed. Do not leave me for the things of the world. For I have created these things for you, and they shall be yours of a certainty. If people ask of you the proof of my exist4ence, then, is not their very asking, their very minds and intelligence and the world they live in, a sufficient proof of my existence? Is not the existence of him, who denies my existence, the very proof of my existence? If people ask for evidence of my Voice, then tell them that I am speaking to them through each and every atom that exists in the Universe. Every particle carries the message of my existence. My love is in evidence everywhere in the world. The favours that I have granted the world are revealed in each and every face of life. What would have happened had I not given you this earth to live in? And do you still ask for the proof of my existence, without which you could not have come into being, and without which no sustenance would have been provided for you? If my physical absence creates doubts of my existence in your mind, then does not my perpetual relationship with you, and my perpetual answers to all your questions, prove my existence? If I were before you all the time, love would not have arisen within you for me. And you would not have enjoyed the pleasure that comes from separation and union. Who says that I am hidden, when your heart is ever calling out to me, when you need me in all forms of helplessness and sorrow? The feeling within you which makes you seek help from Someone, is, indeed, a proof of my existence. You call out to Someone without knowing who He is. Your intelligence and your reason deceive you, and your eyes, because they cannot see far, fail to recognize me. Remember, that thirst always calls out for water, regardless of whether the desert before you contains the water or not. If you still have doubts left, then call out to me. I shall come in whatever shape you want me to come. There is no one face which belongs to me. Every face is my face.
A man is a father before his son, and a son before his father. He is a brother to his brother, and a friend to his friend ; he is small before the great, and great before the small. And all these attributes are revealed in one and the same person.
In a like manner, I, the Absolute Existence, I, who am free of all blemishes, I, who am above all qualities – I respond to each person differently in accordance with that person’s wishes.
I responds to all religions in accordance with their religious beliefs. I respond to scientists in the shape of the world of matter and energy and motion and forces.
I appear before them in the form of the world of science so that they may enquire into its mysteries and one day come face to face with me. The entire Universe is mine. There is no one that I do not love. To accept me, or to deny me, are simply two stages of reaching me. Those who believe in me, accept me. Those who do not believe in me, deny me only after assuming the concept of my existence. Those who live in me can never be separate from me. No matter how the waves of an ocean may rise, but they can never leave the ocean. Man realizes his own helplessness one day. And more so in the end, when Death stares him in the face. Here all wisdom and intellect are of no avail. The greatest of powers is vanquished. This is my last message; it comes to destroy pride in man. The moving figure of man becomes still, in a gesture of total defeat. And he cries out for some unseen power which can release him from this pain and misery.”
There are some aspects of Death which must be kept in mind:
A dying man shall never again wish for life. Because after life there is always Death. The sting of Death is so painful and so poisonous that it becomes unbearable. There is only one thing that can give freedom from Death, and that is that thing upon which lies the foundation, the very existence of Death. Death has been created to crush the false pride of man. It has been made so t4errible so that man may continue to live in the midst of numerous sorrows, bearing them and enduring them in preference to the pain of Death. And living, he may be able to find HIM, who has created both, life and Death.
When one’s life is not one’s own, and one, cannot set aside Death, then who is the creator of both? Who has made them so rest? This is not the work of Nature which is dead. Behind the screen, the working of the MAKER is evident.
People ask: If there is a God, then why is there so much misery in the world? This question can be answered in as far as it is possible to answer.
People ask: Why is there so much misery in the world? But why do they not also ask: why is there so much happiness in the world? If people complain about the thorns in the garden, then why do they not sing the praises of the flowers which are there as well? If one asks: why must there be darkness? He may be asked in turn: why must there be light as well? The flowers and the thorns spring forth from the same seed. Why did He not bring forth only flowers from the seed? This question has to be put to that Great Reality which contains within itself the power of doing everything. He knows everything. A little knowledge cannot understand complete knowledge. No matter how man may look at His Scheme, there can be nothing wrong with it, for He is Perfect and cannot make a mistake. It is a weakness of the human mind that, without understanding the entire scheme, it forms wrong opinions about it, merely upon beholding a small fraction of it. It would be far better if this limited intelligence of man were to try and seek Him rather than find fault with His Creation.
Why are there thorns in the garden? If the thorns have sprung forth from the same seed that brought forth the flowers, then, indeed, there is some purpose for their existence; for the Power which created both could also have created only one. It is not necessary for man to know why there must be thorns as well as flowers in the garden. The work is that of the Creator and one may leave it to Him to do as He likes. Man has but to partake of the fragrance of the flowers and to behold their beauty while guarding himself against the sharpness of the thorns. However, if he must know why things are as they are, he must look upon the scheme without prejudice.
The Creator of the world has produced numerous things from His Seed of Creation. Along with the wakeful state there is sleep, along with day there is night, along with captivity there is freedom, and, in a like manner, along with joy there is sorrow, and with sorrow there is joy.
Along with the joys and pleasures of the world. He has created misery and sorrow, and there is a very definite purpose behind this scheme. For that matter, one cannot think of light without thinking of darkness; and one cannot think of joy without thinking of sorrow. What is happiness? The absence of sorrow. What is light? The absence of darkness. What is freedom? The absence of captivity.
And in this way, the “non-existence” of one thing establishes the existence of another. The absence of one thing establishes the presence of another. This means that the first thing – that which must be “absent” – becomes a necessity. In this Universe, relativity and comparisons are constantly at work. If one thing is large, it is only because another thing is small.
There is nothing in the scheme of things which is without significance. A black mole on a white face is pleasing when seen in contrast to the whiteness of the face. However, the black mole, seen all by itself, is apparently just a black little dot with no beauty of its own. It is only when the black dot is seen with respect to the entire face that beauty begins to manifest itself. Strands of long black hair look beautiful on the head of a beautiful person; they adorn the head and make it beautiful, and are in return made beautiful by this association. But cut them off from the head, and they lose their charm.
Similarly, the beauty that lies in the joyful face of the world is enhanced by the black mole of sorrow. And thus sorrow becomes meaningful.
Without sorrow there cannot be happiness.
If there were no sorrow, then all the inventions and devices of man, which are engineered to provide him with happiness, would lose all significance and would necessarily fail.
Then again, if there were no sorrow in the world, And if the joys of the world were not temporary, then all thoughts of salvation and heaven would cease to exist.
The world cannot exist, unless there be sorrows and joys, both together, like nights and days.
The bitterness of sorrow lends a greater sweetness to joy.
Because of the fear of sorrow, people think of God, and science seeks ever newer and better discoveries.
Sorrow was not created to last for ever in the scheme of things. Its existence was absolutely essential. It was like the nightmare that shattered a dream and awakened. After the coming of the thorns, the flowers make their appearance. After the darkness of the night, there is the light of the day.
Sorrow was created so that it may disappear. It was not created so that it may stay, but rather that it may be destroyed. Sorrow must exist, and it must be vanquished. Happiness must be brought in. Sorrow showed the way to happiness, and the elimination of sorrow brought forth happiness. Night was essential for the existence of the day to become a fact. And it was only after annihilating darkness that the light of day spread everywhere.
It is only misery which gives the knowledge of joy. To eliminate misery is to seek the road to eternal salvation, which is the r4eal destination of human life. The thorn exists in the garden so that it may, by comparison, enhance the beauty of the flower. It remains at a distance from the flower and appears to warn those who would pluck the flower off the twig: “Give not your heart to this flower. For when it fades, your heart shall break. And that breaking of your heart shall be worse than the prick of the thorn.”
The gardener gives water to the thorn as well as to the flower, and both these things do their own work in the garden. Without the existence of sorrow, the scheme of formation of the world would remain incomplete, and the world would never find its real place in existence. God has not created misery, He has created a means to increase happiness in the world. And his voice appears to say:
“O thou who wouldst wander into the garden!
Pluck the flower from the twig
And take it in thy hand;
But break off the thorn and throw it away!”
Everything in the world provides some degree of satisfaction; everything gives some benefit in some way.
The light of the day shows the beauty of the earth; and the darkness of the night brings forth the beauty of the stars and the moon. The thundering clouds provide refreshing rain, and the storms of the ocean throw up pearls to the shores.
A certain man went and asked another: “What is the proof of the existence of God? How do we know that he exists, and that whatever He does is for our benefit?”
The other person replied: “Tell me of an incident in your life when you were in the greatest possible trouble.”
The first person said: “Yes, I remember now, I was once aboard a boat. The boat sank in the ocean and I tried to cling to a floating piece of wood to save my life. There was nothing but water around me, and the shore was nowhere in sight. There was no ship heading my way. I was being tossed around by the waves even as I clung to the piece of wood. That, I consider to be the greatest crisis in my life. Death was before me. There was no one to save me.”
And his friend said: “That ‘Someone’ to whom you were calling, was, in fact, God. When all other means of help had disappeared, and there was no one in sight, your heart sought help from some Unseen Power!”
The needle of a compass always points to the North. Ther5e is no free will involved here, nor can the needle, of its own volition, alter its direction. It points North in a very natural manner, because there is some attraction from that direction – the attraction of the Magnetic Force of the Earth. If we assume that the needle is alive then it is certain that it shall never know why it points North, but shall merely acknowledge the existence of something in that direction, which holds it.
There are natural relationships between the things of Nature.
When man is in dire peril of his existence, when he is floundering in the greatest of miseries, there appears a yearning within him to be saved, and, even without knowing of God, he calls out to Him in his desperation. He needs SOMEONE who can come and help him. This trend in the human mind is not without a foundation. There is Someone towards whom Nature points at such times. Sorrow, therefore, provides the necessary proof of the existence of God.
O Sarmad! If He loves thee,
He shall come by Himself;
Sarmad! If it be His Law
That He must come,
Then He shall come by Himself;
Where dost thou seek Him in vain?
Wait awhile! If he be God,
He shall come by Himself!
An army of raindrops has come
To drown thee, O Flower!
Pangs of sorrow have come
To wound thy heart!
But look! Here comes it,
The morning breeze,
And the drops of dew
Are thrown off thy back,
Like the tinkling notes
Of sorrow dropped.
The mercy of that All-Powerful Creator frees man of all sorrows. The proof of His existence is revealed at such moments.
Suppose for a moment that you have to meet someone at his
house, but you do not know how to get there. It is night. There is silence all around. You cannot go back because it is essential for you to meet that person, and you cannot go forward because you do not know the way. And you cannot stand in one spot, because that is not why you set out on your journey. Your pride in yourself vanishes. You become restless. Your mind yearns for someone to come and show you the way. And then the Creator, the Master of All Nature, sends someone to show you the way. The guide that comes may be in any shape or form. One must understand that particular stage in one’s life where one’s ego is shattered and one cannot do anything oneself, and when feels the nearness of God in some miraculous form that gives absolute freedom from sorrow.
Many thanks to thee, O slippery grounds;
For if thou hadst not made me slip and fall,
He would not have come to hold my hand.
The difficulties of life led one to HIM. And when HE became as companion, all troubles vanished. A difficult problem leads one to the professor, and when the professor comes, the difficult problem loses its difficulty and vanishes.
There is a very definite reason for the existence of misery in this world. It leads one towards Peace. It destroys false pride and ego. Man feels the need for SOMEONE. Sorrow forces one to pray for help. And when that help comes in the form of an INVISIBLE HAND, sorrow vanishes. When man reaches GOD, sorrow is eliminated for ever.
Sorrow beckons forth prayer, and if the prayer is accepted, it becomes a healing balm. If it is not accepted, then man is forced to bow his will before the SUPREME WILL. He must learn to accept that UNIVERSAL WILL. Man must become like a blank sheet of paper upon which He may write anything He chooses to write. The words may be soft or harsh, of sorrow or of joy.
What is the real face of sorrow? When we do not get what we want, there is sorrow. When we get what we do not want, there is sorrow. In other words, sorrow is another name for opposition. That, which goes against one’s wishes, is sorrow. But he, who yields up everything to HIS WILL, loses sight of sorrow. For if there be no will of one’s own, there cannot be any opposition to it. And if there be no opposition, there will be no sorrow.
For him, who finds joy in His Will,
There is no fear, no pain;
The fire of Nimrod was, for Abraham,
A bed of roses.
We can look upon the face of joy in the midst of sorrow. It is a very small achievement to experience joy in joy. We have accomplished a great deal if we have been able to change sorrow to joy. That is the ultimate goal of human life.
Why did God create the world? We can answer that question by saying that God created the world so that man may learn to convert the sorrow within it to joy; so that he may learn to relinquish hold of his own will and thus reach God. Many great souls that have come into this world have been beset upon by suffering and pain. But these great souls relinquished hold of their wills and changed the sorrows to joys. They turned their tears into pearls, and their sighs into vapours of happiness. They vanquished the darkness before them in a twofold manner: they either accepted everything as a measure of HIS WILL and resigned themselves to the darkness, or else they went to sleep, shutting out the darkness. They were not even conscious of the fact that they had changed sorrow into joy.
They so annihilated their own wills that sorrow and joy became identical to them. The dark night of sorrow lit the skies with the lamps of the stars and the moon.
Then, again, there are various kinds of sorrow. There is the sorrow which man wishes to remove, and there is the sorrow which man wishes to keep. A pain in the stomach, an ache in the head, a disturbance anywhere in the body – these are examples of the suffering one would like to get rid of. But then there is the pain of love, which remains instilled in the heart of the lover as a desire for union. In this love there is a restlessness. Sighs escape from the lips, tears fall from the eyes, time becomes an insurmountable obstacle, sleep becomes evasive. One cannot eat or drink; one wishes to be alone. The body becomes weaker and weaker. The pain goes on increasing because the Beloved cannot be found. Doctors and medicine are of no avail.
O physician! Leave the side of my bed!
For those afflicted by the shaft of Love.
The only cure is
When prayers are offered by well-meaning friends and relatives to alleviate the lover’s pain, he rushes up to them and asks them to desist from their efforts because the pain of love is his life and he does not wish to lose it, ever.
The lover says: “In the mirror of this pain I see a reflection of the beauty of my Beloved. The pain brings remembrance, and the rest of the world is soon forgotten and lost, along with its sorrows and joys, which are tasteless to me. Little do people know that this is a pain which can remove all other pains, and which is dearer than life itself.”
O my Love! May thou ever remain happy;
For thy pain has healed me of all my ills.
We, the captives of Love, have no need
To wander in gardens of fragrance;
The wounds of our hearts are no less red
Than the roses of the garden.
When the lover was asked: “Why do you weep?” He replied: “The pain in my heart makes me weep. It cries for union. And the Beloved cannot be found.”
“Would you not like the pain to be removed so that all thoughts of the Beloved and union may disappear? For, without the pain, you would not need either.”
The reply is a fearful cry:
“This pain is more precious to me
Than all the medicines of the world;
Though it make me a heretic-
I shall not sell it,
To become a believer.
The pain of love is dearer
Than all the cures for it;
For if this pain were to go;
All the pain in the world
Would enter my heart.”
And if this be the case, then the pain is a cure in itself. How can it be considered a pain, therefore?
There is but one question before the world, and that is: how can relief be obtained from sorrow and pain?
The answer is Lover. The Love of God. Or, from the point of view of an atheist, this would mean a love for the disagreeable designs of Nature.
Both, Religion and Science, are absorbed in removing misery from this world. The stars, the moon and the sun, along with numerous bulbs and lamps are all engaged in removing darkness.
Religion looks upon the world as a picture of sorrow, in which man makes his entrance in tears and follows it up with an exit in tears. And for as long as he lives in the world, he is perpetually shedding tears of disappointment, dejection and hopelessness. There is a constant vexation with oneself, one’s friends and relatives and dear ones, and with strangers. Religion points the way to salvation, and indicates that as the final goal of human life. Religion points to a God and seeks the deliverance of the world at His hands. Religion reveals three phases of man’s existence:
1) Man’s helplessness.
2) Man’s sorrow.
3) Man’s refuge in penitence and prayers.
Man is helpless to a great extent. When the sorrows of the world bring forth their oppression, he stands before them, weak and defeated. When neither he, nor his friends and associates or his loved ones, can save him from the situations that threaten his existence, then how can prayers offered to a dead Nature, to dead matter, bring deliverance? The atoms of Nature are deaf to his cries and speak not an encouraging word in response. Of what use is the cry of the nightingale before the flower? At such times, man cries out to Something which exists beyond the world of matter. Something which cannot be seen directly. And he asks for help and mercy.
Seeing the closed doors of the sky and the earth,
I paved a new way for myself:
The cool breeze of the morning air
Was more revealing than philosophy.
All the light that exists in the Universe for man, appears to come from the sky above. The sun, the moon, the stars, all appear to be above the earth. It is to the sky, therefore, that man raises his eyes and seeks that great Illumination which sheds life on earth and dispels the darkness of sorrow. It is towards that Great Light, that Unseen Source of life-sustaining Power, that man turns his eyes when he lies flat on his back, in Death. Alas! Those very eyes which, when awake, did scour the earth for material objects, are turned upwards when they have lost their power to see!
What a wonderful thing it would have been, if those very eyes, which had lost themselves in the glitter of the world, could have cast a glance upwards at that Great Source of Light while they still retained life. There is nothing but dust below. And there is nothing but purity above. To look upwards is not merely to turn the eyes towards the sky, but rather to free one’s heart from the tentacles of the material world, to rise above all the desires of the world of flesh. When the oppression of the world reveals man’s helplessness to him, then he has nothing left to him except prayer. He must pray, regardless of whether that prayer is heart or not, regardless of whether it ever reaches the ears of the Unseen Power for whom it is meant; he must pray, for that is all that is left to him. The prayer comes like a scream from a wounded body. It is a spontaneous reaction, which cannot be suppressed or controlled. Man is bound to pray.
Regardless of the precepts laid down by the world of atheism, the prayer flows out. It cannot be stifled. It reaches that singular spot where philosophy has no access. A wounded man must cry out, regardless of whether there is anyone who will listen to him or not, regardless of whether anyone will turn his ear to his cries or not. Let atheism know that this prayer is a cry, the existence of which cannot be denied by believers or non-believers. All are bound to accept its reality. And this must be so, because the flesh is weak and the matter around us is dead. Can one hope that the cries which have arisen on the lips of man shall reach those insurmountable heights from which alone can the rain of mercy fall? Can one hope for an answer that will soothe the crying pain?
And if no one had ever received an answer to his prayer, or call for help, then all prayers and cries to an Unseen Power would have been classified as meaningless; and, in the words of Omar Khayyaam, one would have said:
“And that inverted bowl we call the sky,
Whereunder crawling coop’t we live and die
Lift not thy hands to IT for help – for It
Rolls impotently on as thou and I.”
Those who received no reply to their prayers said what Khayyam has written. They thought of the sky as a dome of helplessness. Those who received an answer to their prayers began to believe in the existence of Some Power beyond them. And those who received no reply, could not understand the reason for the silence, and they became atheists and non-believers. They refused to acknowledge the existence of Some Unseen Power. If there were someone there, they said, he should have answered.
However, they did not care to examine where the others got their replies from. Who was it that answered the prayers of some? If there were no one, then who answered the prayers of those who prayed and got a reply? If someone responds to one person and he does not respond to another, then it cannot be concluded that, just because he did not respond to the second person, he does not exist.
At most one can say that he chose to speak to one and he did not choose to speak to the other. Silence does not imply nothingness. It would have been far better if he, who did not receive a reply, had cried again and again and again so that the silence would have been shattered by his cries and a reply received.
Sorrow created a feeling of helplessness in man and provided him with an opportunity to pray, and the prayers, uttered in all humility, created a relationship with that supreme Being before Whom man bowed his head. How can philosophy grasp that which can only be grasped by the heart? If philosophy can realize that it is beyond its ken to understand God, and that this works is solely that of the heart, then, indeed, philosophy will have completed its work. Philosophy seeks to draw the ocean into a drop of water, and to change the drop of water into the ocean. “More and more,” it says, “get more of it and more!” But this is a difficult road to set foot upon. Philosophy and Science are trying to secure the maximum comforts from the world of matter, by trying to mould it to their laws. They are trying to harness the powers of Nature to fulfil all desires of man. But this race towards fulfillment is never satisfying. One desire is fulfilled, and another desire arises. And man finds himself going around in a vicious circle. There is no total fulfillment anywhere.
Alas, the last moments of life
Brought forth the awakening
That all that was seen or heard
Was like a dream or a short story.
And when the last moments of life brought an awakening, one saw before oneself the grim spectre of Death which annihilated all desires, which shattered all designs and programmes, which crushed all ambitions. Numerous were the paths, cheerful and gloomy, that filled one’s passage through life, but none so strange and so dark as the path of Deth. One learnt, while alive, to pass through the ordeals of life, but one did not learn about the ordeal of Death. Every day in life was followed by another, and every day brought the worries of the day to follow, until, finally, the day of Death arrived, after which there was no other day, no tomorrow. How easy would these dark paths of Death have been if, when alive, one had the foresight to light the flame of wisdom; if one carried with oneself the sum total of one’s good actions; if one had with oneself the light of faith or devotion. What a strange journey is the journey along these dark paths. The destination is unknown, and the paths themselves invisible. After coming into this world, we concentrated on learning the ways of the world and we ignored completely the ways that led out of this world, we did not learn how to leave this world, and we left in ignorance. It is possible that within the world there is a Scheme which prepares one for the coming paths of Death. The Scheme is not openly revealed. There are many dreams that come to man which appear to have neither a beginning nor an end, and which come suddenly in the middle of incoherent fleeting images. Perhaps this Scheme is hidden in the world in some such like manner. What a good thing it would have been, indeed had this Scheme become known to man within the span of his life.
After the dark paths of Death, there comes an eternal light, and in that light there is no sorrow or fear; and no sorrow or fear can ever come there. One, who has reached these regions of radiance, shall never again tr5ead on the path of Death that led him there, nor can he wander away into another darkness elsewhere.
Death is that mystery which cannot be understood or unraveled by reason alone. But the picture it presents is clear enough – that of unhappiness, misery, sorrow and fear, and helplessness. It is futile to complain about misery in the world. All must tread along the dark paths of Death, regardless of whether they believe in God or not. All must experience the great pain of this final experience. Everything that is born must die; after every creation there must be a destruction. After every life there must be Death. Man needs a companion to reveal the paths of this wilderness. And the companion must be such who will not desert him in Death, but will guide him safely to that kingdom where ultimately there is no Death.
It is better to believe in God, than not to believe in Him. Those who do not believe in the existence of God say: “What will happen if there is no God at the end of it all?”
The answer to this question is: “What will happen if there IS a God at the end of it all?”
Even if both these statements can be said to be based upon “guess-work” only, still, it is wiser to accept the second one. It is wiser to believe. There is nothing to lose.
Those, who believe in Him, claim they have seen Him, while those, who do not believe in Him, say they have never seen Him. The first statement is the stronger.
Someone once told me that he did not believe in the exist4ence of God. I responded by saying that I did not believe in the existence of
“How can that be possible?
I said: “You do not believe in the existence of God because you have never seen God. By that same argument I do not believe in the existence of
When he protested against this line of reasoning, I said: “If you can, using your own experiences, describe a particular place and seek to establish its existence, I can, using my own experiences, seek to deny its existence. You have seen it, and you say it exists. I have not seen it, and I can say it does not exist. And if you insist that I must accept your version about there being a place like
He replied : “But I have proofs of the existence of
What proofs?” I asked.
“I have many things here which have been made in
“If you can believe in the existence of Europe by looking at things made in
“But I have more proof than that,” he continued, numerous books have come from there.”
“Numerous books have also come from Him,” I responded, “the scriptures of various religions – the Bible, the Koran, the Vedas, the Zendavesta, etc. etc. Why do you not believe in the existence of God after reading them?”
And he replied: “But I have an incontrovertible proof of the existence of
I replied: “If that be the case, then you must accept the existence of God, also, as a reality, because numerous people claim to have come from Him – the prophets, saints, and holy men of all religions; and all of them claim that a GOD EXISTS.’
At this point, he said: “But why should we believe them?”
And I said: “But why should we believe those who claim, to have come from
“Come,” he said, “this point can be settled once and for all, let me take you to
I replied: “If that is all that is necessary to settle the point, then let me lead you to God.”
He asked: “But what will happen if one follows a guide and never reaches his destination? How can we know whether the guide knows where he is going, and whether there is any destination?”
I replied: “How do I know whether or not you know the way to
He replied: “Ah, but you must have faith, you must believe me. For if you do not even believe me how will you ever discover the truth? How will you ever follow me? How will you get your answer? It is only after reaching there that you will be satisfied. You cannot be satisfied first, and then discover the truth later. Satisfaction will come later. Belief must come first.”
I responded: “If that be the case, then may I urge you to do likewise?”
He said : “But there are many false guides.”
I replied: “But only the false guides will lead you to the true guide. The imitations merely prove the existence of the diamond. And like attracts like. If there is truth within you, surely you will find truth. If there is a genuine desire within you for a true guide, you will surely find him. Your heart shall recognize him the instant you set eyes upon him, and he shall lead you to the Presence of God. The whole question is one of Faith.”
People say that they are willing to set foot on this path; they are willing to offer prayers, but when there is no answer they are forced to disbelieve. The answer to this question is: let them look within themselves and see whether their prayers contain a genuine craving, before they make up their minds to disbelieve. Perhaps they have closed their eyes and are denying the existence of the sun; perhaps the voice of the beggar is too feeble to reach the ears of the Emperor. And because He does not reply, his existence is being constantly questioned.
Though I cried in the night for him,
He, my Beloved, fairer than the moon,
Did not appear in the depths of the sky – Alas!
Of what use were my cries?
Perhaps the craving was not genuine enough. Perhaps a greater burning was necessary; perhaps the voice had to be louder to reach the ears of the Beloved.
O Nightingale! Thy yearning is feeble;
Let it gain a foothold in thy heart first.
When the chores of the world, the quests for material gains, consume so great a length of time, then why do we not have sufficient patience for the great work of knowing God? The time shall come when the darkness of the night shall end, takinga3ay with it the nightmares of sleep, and the eyes shall awaken to the light of the sun.
Let us suppose, for an instant, that night has fallen for the first time. The sun has set. No one can predict whether the sun will rise again the next day or not. In the darkness of the night you cannot prove the existence of the sun, nor can you force it to appear before you, before it’s appointed time. It is better if you go sleep in the darkness and await the coming of the morning, when the sun shall come of itself. If there be no sleep that is so long that it never ends, then how can there be a night that is not followed by day? If you try to run away in the dark, in a state of panic, then how far will you be able to go without stumbling? And where will you go? It is better to it down and await the coming of events, for in this position there is no danger of stumbling.
O thou who art hidden
In the dark tresses of a dream – come!
Remove the darkness from thy face,
Take off thy veil, O thou beautiful one!
Thy lovers turn and stare at thee again and again,
Their feet are unsteady – who shall hold them?
Come, O Come!
Your lovers, O God, cannot tread upon the dark paths of Death all alone, for they are not strong enough to bear the razor sharp agony of this lane which is smaller in width than a hair’s breadth. They call out to You again and again and plead with You to guide them and lead them away from the dark hours that surround them.
Man comes into this world from some place, and then leaves this world for some place. If this world be like a journey undertaken by man, then his real home must be somewhere, and that home must be the place from which he came, and towards which he ultimately goes. If it is God’s Will that man must come into the world in a mysterious manner and he must leave in a mysterious manner, if it is God’s Will that has concealed the reasons for man’s coming into, and going away from this world, then man need only give up his fears. The responsibility for bringing him into the world was His, and the responsibility for taking him away from the world is also His. And the responsibility for sustaining man in the world is also His. By making man ignorant about his destination and home, perhaps He wishes to give him a sudden surprise.
Man is not allowed to remain in the world, and the path of Death is dreadful. HE knows that man cannot live in this world permanently, and HE also knows that man has no means of taking care of himself in the dark path of Death. He has assumed the full responsibility of providing for man. One need be content with the thought that if life did not come to stay, Death, too, will not come to stay. Beyond the circle of life and Death, there is an Eternal Life. Only HE knows the secret of man’s existence in a sorrowful world; only HE knows w3hy the last moment of life has been made so terrible. The state, in which man existed before he was born, is no different from the state he is in after Death. His birth is accompanied by suffering, which is just as terrible as the suffering which comes at the time of his Death. Perhaps this has been made so. The second suffering at the time of Death appears not so terrible to man because of his experience with it at the time of his birth.
After understanding these phases of life and Death, and after knowing of one’s own helplessness in the circumstances that surround him, man leaves the solution of the seemingly insoluble problem in HIS hands. HE knows of the weakness of man and HE also knows of the difficult problem of life and Death which is impenetrable for man. HE did not grant to man the knowledge about everything, nor did HE leave to man the solution to his own life. HE kept all these things to Himself. Man cannot struggle with the problem of life and Death all by himself. Man cannot endure the pain associated with his birth and exit. He needs someone. He needs to pray, which is the only way for him.
The acknowledgement of one’s own littleness adds beauty to one’s prayers. HE has placed misery in the world so that man may not be able to remove it all by himself, and thus be forced to seek HIS help. And it is thus that HE appears before man.
Let all my efforts fail,
Let all my designs fall to pieces –
Make them as I will;
Let me not doubt, O God,
In that Power whose work it really is.
Is man independent or dependent?
Is he within limitations or outside of them? The eyes can see, but they cannot hear. The forces of Nature act all by themselves, and man wishes to guide them with his “I”. Up to a certain limit he succeeds, but then his efforts fail, he gets tired and retires. When he understands the forces of Nature, he realizes that he is neither independent nor without limitation. He gives up all his rights before the rights of God. Who has rights over all his rights. He becomes like a pen in the hands of a Writer. The Writer writes whatever He wishes to write. Man then forgets that the words that are being written are coming from his small self, because he has seen the hand of the Writer who is writing them. Giving himself up, he says:
“It is good that you called out to Me. Your calling out gave a proof of your relationship with me. And I was never away from you. You are that poetry of mine, after which I wrote no new stanzas. You are the last fruit of the evolution of Nature. Nature is proud of you. It is trying to look after you constantly. When morning comes, Nature provides you with the sun, in the light of which the Creator sees His own reflection in the world. And when night comes, the moon shines forth like a silver vessel that has dropped its glittering pearls in the sky – the stars. The winds provide a fan for you. The rivers flow on softly and provide a music for your ears. Flowers welcome you in full bloom. The nightingales please you by fluttering their wings before you. All these are evidences of my love and friendship for you, and you must always remember me as your constant friend and benefactor. I have placed a string around your neck and have tried to deprive you of your independence – an independence which I had given you. I have done this to prevent you from going astray. Your independence is like the sight which can reach up to a certain limit only and not see beyond that. It is like the independence of the bird which is flying in the air but whose feet are tied with a string to the earth. The bird can fly only as far as the length of string will allow him. His independence is also a kind of dependence, because the right to it has been sanctioned by someone else, and that someone may, at any time, stop the bird from flying. There is no bird in the world which flies with its own wings. When the bird is flying, it appears that the wings are making it fly, but those very same wings can do nothing when lie has gone out of the bird. That, which activates the wings, is LIFE. The thought: ‘I am flying’ which existed in the bird, was a miracle of that LIFE. The ‘I’ of the bird was granted to it, as was the instinct of flying hither and thither with is wings. All this was a miracle of LIFE.”
At the time of his birth, a child flings his arms and legs in all directions. He cries, he laughs, he eats drinks and sleeps, but he is not conscious of doing all these things. All his actions are guided by the hand of Nature. His eyes can see, but he does not know that they have been created to see. When the child grows up his “I” begins to manifest itself. He begins to see those very forces and actions, which had earlier acted through the impulses of Nature, as a result of the wishes of his “I”. Whereas, before, they had acted without his “I” later, they appear to be guided by his “I”. He does not understand that even his “I” has been activated and perpetuated within him like the other forces of Nature. All actions appear to proceed from the “I” but that very “I” is crushed in moments of total unconsciousness, in sleep, and in dreams, and in absolute loneliness.
The “I”, which an actor is given, is not his own; it is given to him as part of the play on the stage, in accordance with his role in it. Regardless of whether he acts as a lover or as a warrior, and regardless of how closely his actions come to resemble those of a lover or a warrior, the fact remains that his actions and words are not his own. They do not belong to him. His “I” must be guided by the rules and regulations of the play being produced by the Company Director. His “I” is given to him, it is not his own. And it has been given to him for a short time. The movements and actions of that “I” have all been prepared in advance. And his acting but reveals the rehearsed plot on stage. The actor knows at all times that this stage “I” is not his. But he acts on the stage, using this “I”, and all the responses that he gets on the stage are with respect to this “I”. The “I” of the stage has no relationship with the real personality of the actor when he is off-stage. His real personality watches the acting on stage just like the audience watching it, and his stage “I” works in obedience to the orders of the Stage Director, which were given at the commencement of the play. How false would be the feeling of an actor who begins to look upon the stage “I” as his real personality and who associates all its deeds with his real personality! How different would such a person be from the actor who accepts his role on stage as one given by the Director. Such an actor knows that his stage “I” has been given to him, and that after the play is over, he shall hand over this “I” to the Director. All the responsibilities of the actions of the stage “I” end with the ending of the play, and the actor becomes, thereafter, a separate individual.
Those who watch the actor on the stage think of him as independent. But the reality is that he was all the time bound by the laws of acting, bound by the orders of the Director, and bound by the script which he had to follow strictly. He was like a puppet which acted
On the impulses of a string attached to the stage “I”.
A wise man will offer his life to the Maker of the Universe, and deliver it up into His hands to manipulate as He wills. He gives up all his rights, even the right to act as he wishes, so that everything goes in accordance with the wishes of the Supreme Director and there is no flaw in the play. He becomes like the flute which is hollow from within and which produces music at the lips and mouth of someone. All the notes that flow out of it are in accordance with what is blown into it. The wise man delivers himself unto the Creator and seeks to lose his own freedom, whether it be real or false. He hollows himself of his ego. He allows himself to be robbed of his independence and thereby becomes dependent, because he does not wish to go against the wishes of his FRIEND, in whose Will the entire Universe moves.
I desire
He desires Separation;
I have given up my wish,
So that I may be united
With His Will
Perhaps believe that accepting separation is against the basic nature of a lover. But, for the lover to go against the wishes of the beloved is also against the nature of the lover. The lover ill never want his beloved to be forced into accepting anything. It is difficult to understand how the lover can accept separation. But, if by accepting separation, the lover accepts the will of the beloved, and thereby unites himself with that ill, then, indeed, he acquires REAL UNION. For, indeed, real Union consists of the
Real
And the voice of the lover rings out:
I have annihilated myself,
And I know not what I was,
I have become a cinder in the fire,
I know not what is smoke;
I have given up my all –
My life, my heart, my honour, to Him
And I know not of any other gain.
When I look at Him, I forget myself. Once I was like that log of wood which had not experienced the heat of the fire. I had no smoke within myself, but there was no light in me either. When I fell into fire, smoke came out from me. The smoke was the burning of my ego, it was not part of the fire. And then came a time when I was totally alight, and there was no more smoke in me. When I looked at Him, I gave myself up to Him entirely. I set my heart, my life, and my honour before Him. By giving the heart to Him, I gained peace within it; by giving my life to Him, I gained a victory over Death; and by giving my honour to Him, I lost all fear of dishonour. And in this giving, I found a peace which nothing else could given.
If He has given a flower to me, I am happy with it. If He has given a thorn to me, then I am happier still, for I see those Beautiful Hands in which the very thorns appear to become more attractive than roses. I have started looking instead at HIM, Who does the giving. Since I am a part of His Creation, He has the right to use me howsoever He wills. Being an object, I have no right over myself. An object has no right over itself. He may give Life, if He so desires, and He may give Death, if He so desires; He may give flowers or He may give thorns. He may use His object in any manner He likes. An object cannot complain. It is essential that an object free itself of the thought of its false “I”, which leads to feelings of possession over itself.
If my life were my own,
I would have sacrificed it for Thee,
Ah! But what can I do,
When my life is not my own!
I gave Him my life,
But it was given by Him;
I could not replay Him,
That is my only claim.
Those, who do not believe in the existence of God, and believe only in the Forces of Nature, can find happiness in the pleasant phases of life. But what will they do when these forces of Nature go against them, when their designs and ambitions are crushed, and when their own helplessness stares them in the face?
Make such a friend in life,
Who shall not break thy heart;
Make such a friend in life,
Who shall ever by thy side,
Make such a friend in Life
Who shall never be far from thee
For even a single breath.
There are two thoughts operating in the world today. The first thought accepts the existence of God, and the second thought rejects His existence. Is there a God? Both the thoughts are constantly in search of an answer. One set of people believes in His existence, another set does not. But of what consequence is the belief or disbelief of ignorance? If He exists, He exists for ALL. And if He does not exist, then He does not exist for anyone. But how can He not exist, when the entire Universe is being run by Him?
The real face of man is that of helplessness. Helplessness is like the ZERO of mathema-. tics. No matter how big or small it may become, it shall always remain a zero, signifying nothingness. Man is forced into life, he is forced into Death, and he is forced into living. He cannot force any event before its appointed time. He cannot change the Past into the Present, nor can he change the Present into the Future. He cannot force the minute, that has not come, to come. And he cannot force the minute, that has come, to go. Man is bound within Time. He cannot alter the Space that is around him. The cycle of Cause and Effect cannot be altered. Life must come. Death must come. The Universe evolves. The seasons change and the rivers flow on. The sun, moon, and the stars rise in the heavens and then sink at their appointed times. The innumerable forc4es of Nature are constantly at play in this Universe, and the little “I” of man cannot stop them, or alter Nature’s scheme. Though, of course, at times, the futile thought of stopping Nature does arise within man.
The river sways and rolls, while a little straw that is floating down with the waters, thinks of the turbulence as arising out of its tiny self!
Man is bound within time, he is bound within space, he is bound within cause and effect. He cannot increase his intellectual stature to encompass the entire knowledge of the Universe. His existence is like that of the zero. He cannot expand to take in the entire Existence within himself. If only he can accept the sequence of events and the scheme of Creation as an inevitable design, which he must follow, and if only he can try to become one with it, or one with the Creator, then his zero-like existence of helplessness can become of great value.
When man understands Him, and then looks at himself, and finally yields up his small existence to His Infinitude, then he becomes one with Him. The finite becomes infinite. When a drop of water falls into the ocean, it becomes the ocean. Therefore, the thought: ‘GOD EXISTS’ is far greater than the thought: “God does not exist”. Zero becomes united with One, prayers find a destination, hopes rise. But think of that heart which is lost in despair and which cannot change the circumstances that surround it, and which has no one to alter the circumstances for it. It must pass through the rigorous tortures of the world all alone.
There is no need for arguments to prove His existence. Go on calling to Him until you receive a reply. For as long as there is no reply, think of Him as silent, and when the reply comes, then fill yourself with happiness. Would it not be odd if there were a question, and no answer to it?
Tears shall not beckon Him,
Wealth cannot tempt Him,
Force will not bring Him to thee.
He comes, by Himself,
In the silence of thy heart –
When it is sunk
In the solitude of Patience.
Those who have purchased tickets for a lottery can expect to win; they can also expect to lose, but at least they have hope. But think of those who have not purchased any tickets at all – what hopes do they have? It is better, therefore, to purchase a ticket. For, by purchasing it, one lays oneself open to chance, in which there is the chance of winning. If one wins, he gets a storehouse of wealth, and if one loses, the loss is insignificant. Similarly, one must turn one’s life towards Him. If He reveals Himself, one will have gained everything. And if He does not reveal Himself, then all that will be lost is this life, which would have gone in any case.
In a single leap,
He reached his destination;
Look, O fellow travelers, with envy,
How swift is the journey
Of the moth to the Flame!
When man learns of the real need in life, he immerses himself in the quest for truth. He does not waste even a single moment of his life.
I am like a bubble in the ocean,
For as long as there is the air within me,
I am alive in this jungle of water.
The moment of time before us is passing away, and is telling us that life consists of a single moment only. One must avail oneself of the opportunity that this moment brings, and before the flame of life on the flickering match-stick of existence goes out, one must transfer it to some lamp. And in this way, the small light of the matchstick can see itself as a greater, enlarged self.
The aim of this temporary life is to secure permanent life, or eternal life – a life that never ends.
And if this has not been accomplished, then of what consequence was everything else? Whatever is before one’s eyes becomes a dream. And all that is left behind is a lingering sorrow. The picture of Death in the world is rather strange. In this perishable world everything seems to take on the shape of a zero – of nothingness. The sun, the moon, the stars, the planets are all round; and then again the entire Universe appears to have this form in the roundness of the eye. It is as if everything in the world were proclaiming its own nothingness. What difference does it make whether a zero is big or small? It is a zero, and a zero implies nothingness. If one becomes great in the world, what difference does it make? And if one becomes small, what difference doe that make?
When thou canst not live in this world,
What difference doe it make
If thou art great, or thou art small?
What difference does it make,
If thou art this, or thou art that?
When thou const not live in this garden,
What difference does it make.
If thou art Spring or thou art Autumn?
One must never forget the fact that this world is like a journey; it is like a wave rising on the surface of Death; it is like the flowing down of water, or like the dying of a flaming torch. How can one think of giving up one’s heart to it, when its very touch is like burning fire? To allow one’s heart to be captured by any object of the world is to invite a heartbreak.
I am sitting upon a chair. You pull the chair away from beneath me. I will fall on the ground. If the ground be removed I shall fall upon water, and if the water be removed I shall fall upon fire. And from there I shall go into air and space. And then, finally, I shall go into that Singular Thought which rests as the Foundation of everything. How can one remove that Singular Thought which is outside of space and time, but in which space and time are born? The answer to this is that space and time can be born, like they are born in a dream, where a new world with a space and time of its own comes into existence. If one single thought of man can give rise to a world of its own with its own space and its own time, then why cannot the THOUGHT OF THE SUPREME BEING produce the Space and Time in which the Universe exists?
A non-existent thing can become existent in His Thought, and it shall exist for as long as His Thought persists, and in His Thought it shall take on the shapes and forms that His Thought desires. If one were to ask whether the world is real or unreal, then one could also ask whether a dream is real or unreal? A man who is sleeping cannot call his dream unreal. And the dream does not exist for one who is awake.
Until the time man can feel the Presence of God, until the time he can feel secure in Something, until the time that realization comes – in which there are neither the flowers nor the thorns of this world – man must not bind his heart to the world around him. That would be a mistake.
Is it not surprising that man runs after the things of the world to gain happiness from them, and he loses his happiness in that very search? The life of man ends in a fruitless search amongst things which were meant to sustain his life. To expect too much happiness from the world is a mistake. In this world every object is perishable and cannot give a measure of happiness which is beyond its limitation.
You are thirsty. You have a glass with you. It is empty. You are directed to a filled water-jug, but you decline it, saying that your thirst is greater and requires a larger quantity of water. You are directed to a pond, but you find the water there insufficient to fulfil the needs of your thirst. You reject it and are shown the river. Even the waters of the river appear too little for your need, and you reject them. Then you come to the ocean, and at last you are satisfied! For surely there is enough water in the ocean to quench your thirst! You dip the empty glass into the ocean and bring out the water. Alas! The glass can contain only as much as its volume will allow, and no more! Suddenly you realize how meaningless was your search. For even the water-jug was more than sufficient to fill the glass.
There is no peace in the world, or rather, in the objects of the world. The very thought of securing happiness from the things of the world, destroys happiness.
A need arises when there is a desire; and if there is no desire there is no need.
If in this life, there be one aim,
To spend the life in joy;
Then drop thy needs,
And quench thy desires,
For they shall only bind thee.
To be hurt in the quest for wealth,
To lose respectability for honour –
To do all these things
And then to ask: for what?
You are more precious than all the things of the world, for it is only you who lend a reality to them by perceiving them. All the objects of the world can establish their existence only through your existence, through your sense of perception. It is only because you see the world that the world exists for you. If you did not exist, would these things exist for you?
When you are awake, the world exists; when you are asleep, the world becomes faint. When you go into deep sleep, the world vanishes. It is the world which derives its glamour from you. It is dependent for its description upon your perception. It exists because of you. It is not befitting, therefore, that you extent your hands to the world for help. You are filled with the Ray of the Light of God, which contains within itself knowledge, happiness and eternal life.
Nobody can eliminate one’s consciousness, for if one were to eliminate it, one would not be conscious of the act. With what consciousness would one perceive that he had eliminated consciousness?
When one realizes one’s association with that Power, one’s pride vanishes. One is filled with the happiness derived from this association. This world has been made for you. It was not given to you because you asked for it. It was made even before you came into it, and it shall remain existent for others even after you have left it. When this world belongs to you, because it was made for you, then why seek to possess it? This does not mean renunciation of all action – “inaction” – but rather a joyful living “in action”. And joy can come only when desires have been extinguished; because desires burn up happiness; because desires take you away from yourself and plunge you into the world of Death; because everything that you desire is perishable, and everything that you seek to possess leaves you no sooner than it comes.
When you cannot stop time from leaving, then how can you prevent the things, which exist in time, from leaving? Your Past has gone away, you cannot bring it back. The Future has not come. You cannot grasp it. And the Present is so evasive that it goes no sooner than it comes. It goes on passing before you, and you cannot control its movement. When the flow of time brings some attractive object along with it, you run forward to secure it, but the current of time is faster, and it carries the object of your desire along with it even before you have secured it.
The truth is that, no matter which object we run after or try to secure, it always evades us. And that object, which we can possess, does not give satisfaction because it is not interesting enough. Why is it that we forget the fact that the reflection we seek to catch in the mirror is not in fact there, but rather it is with us? The happiness that we seek elsewhere, in objects of the world, is, in fact, within us. One proof of this is that we do not find happiness in external objects. Ultimately, happiness lies within oneself, in CONTENTMENT. The happiness that we derive from contentment is essentially the happiness that is within us, the happiness that is our birthright, the happiness that is contained in the Ray of Light within us.
How tragic is the fate of one who cannot find happiness in the reflection of the mirror before him, and who never realizes that what he seeks is with him.
The objects of the world are like mirrors. When one mirror breaks, the reflection in it disappears, but since the face of the beholder is always with him, he can turn to a second mirror and behold his face in its reflection. The happiness that appears to come from objects of the world is, in reality, the happiness that we derive from them by viewing ourselves as a reflection within them. If one object goes away, then we can perceive our reflection in the mirror of another, and derive our happiness from there.
Satisfaction, Patience, Contentment, Joy, Delight, Happiness and Bliss, all belong to you.
Do not assume that they belong to the objects of the world, and thus be misled. Use the objects of the world as and when the need for them arises, like medicine for an illness. After all, a vehicle is necessary to transport one from one place to another. The objects of the world are like vehicles in this journey of life. But do not think of a vehicle as a home or a destination in itself.
One must go from this world to a greater world; one must go from this perishable existence to an imperishable one. In this journey of life, man will be filled with constant suffering if he thinks of the journey itself as his home. The reality of the world is seen in the vanishing dew-drop which exists on the rose; the reality of this world is perceived in the faded flower, which is destined to fall into the dust.
How can I relate the sorrow in my heart?
The story is long, and the time is short;
My heart has gone cold from the pleasures
Of this world.
I have seen the colour of Death in them;
There is nothing around us except a thought,
A whimsical play, a show of magic.
The crown of Fugfoor, and the throne of Khakani
Are like unto these;
I shall not purchase even for handful of dust.
The priceless ring of Suleiman prized
Even by the Gods;
The ocean of my existence is like a mirage.
And the fountain of life contains no water
To satiate my thirst.
This does not mean that one must not live actively in this world for as long as one has to live. One must pass through it like one w3ould pass through a world of dreams blowing past.
My friend! Give your heart not to anything
In this perishable world;
Pass through it,
But let not your heart
Be imprisoned.
One must live in this world for as long as one must, and one must look upon everything in it without becoming entwined in it. One must look upon the flower and the thorn, and allow one’s sight to skim over both. The moment the eyes close and sight disappears, the relationship between the sight and the flower and thorn vanishes. One must live in this world like the light of the sun, which falls upon everything but is free from it. Within a web of relationships one must understand the lack of relationship, and, with this understanding, form a proper relationship. You must think of yourself as a traveller forcibly thrust into a journey. For as long as the world is before you, look upon it; for as long as the journey lasts, enjoy it, like you would enjoy a vacation as a tourist. For as long as the journey lasts, derive a happiness from it, and when the train o your life reaches the last station on its route, and you must get off, then do so in a cheerful frame of mind, waving your hand in a gesture of parting, and setting your feet firmly in the direction in which your Eternal Friend waits for you.
Separate Him not from thy heart
Even for a single breath –
He, Who is thy constant companion
In this journey of Life.
Even as Nature has provided a mother and a father for the helpless child, so has a Guide been provided for the helpless soul in the Spiritual World.
What is Atheism?
When a child is born, he cannot recognize his own mother, nor can he call her “mother”, but the mother recognizes her child and looks after him and waits for the day when he will be able to call her “mother”, when he will be able to recognize her fully, and when he will cry for her help, and ask for her love, and sleep in her lap.
What does the Mother signify? A form of Perfection. What does the child signify? A form of imperfection – a going towards completion from an incomplete4 existence. The difference between the complete and the incomplete lies not in quality, but rather in degree. Man must go from good to better and from better to best. Good, better, and best are three degrees of the same thing. It is good to be in desire, it is better to be able to control desire, it is best to be able to eliminate it altogether.
For as long as there is an individual ego in man, the external world remains before him, in which he laughs and weeps, in which he desires the things that he likes, and, having secured them, is pleased, or failing, to get them, is saddened. Whenever the flame of joy shines forth on his lips, the deluge of tears from his eyes seeks to quench the feeling. There is a world outside of you. And there is a world inside you. And, just like the outer world contains flowers and thorns, the inner world contains joy and sorrow. It is only upon diving deep into the ocean that one secures the pearls that lie in its depths. Similarly, it is only upon sinking deep within one’s own self that one finds Perfect and Complete Peace. It is regrettable that man remains outside in the external world most of the time and does not seek to plunge within himself. If he can forget the external objects of the world, and if he can dissociate himself from his ego, and come within, deep inside himself, he will find the precious Pearl of Peace. Nature is intent upon teaching everyone this important lesson – that he must leave the external world and enter the world within himself, that he must fall asleep to the external world and awaken within himself to seek something better.
The gardens of the world have flowers,
And with them, there are thorns as well;
But the garden of solitude, within one’s heart,
Has only flowers.
The Forces of Nature can do only this much; they can disconnect you from the external world and take you to the world within, connect you with the world within, and give you some rest from the turmoils of the outside world. But you must go a step forward, and that, too, not in sleep. You must advance towards your goal in the external world, after returning from the world of dreams. You must look upon the outside world as another worlds of dreams, and you must look upon every face of life as the passing phase of a dream, and thus free your ego of every thought:
Renounce all thought of my and mine
And from a drop become the sea
Lose thou thyself in Truth Divine
And know thou art Infinity;
Art thou, of the forest, a deer,
Running hither and thither
Searching for that which is near –
Thy musk with thee, together?
Thine eyes, filled with sleep,
Are lost in worlds of diversity
What is it that they wouldst seek?
Awaken thou to the light of Unity!
All that exists is a form of Reality, and the various shapes and forms of diversity are an illusion. When you involve yourself in these variegated shapes and forms and race hither and thither in apparent diversity, then you are faced with circumstances which are favourable and unfavourable in turns. You cling to all that is favourable and seek to escape from that which is unfavourable. A little spark of joy is clouded by thousands of tears, and you are ever restless.
You are in search of Peace. When you go to a cinema and see the scenes on the screen – scenes which are horrible and delightful in turns – you know they are unreal, and come from the conceptions of some writer, and are produced by some director. But all the same you take joy in being afraid and happy at the scenes depicted on the screen. For a while you assume they are almost real, and thus take joy in the feelings portrayed therein. When you awaken from a dream, you look upon the begging bowl and the crown with indifference, for they were part of the dream. During your sojourn in this world you look upon its diversity, but assume that it is real, and hence wander hither and thither in search of Peace, like the restless deer in the forest. But Peace is not in the objects of this world. Pace is within you.
Why is the diversity of the world like a dream? It is a dream, because it vanishes when it is understood. What is the reality behind it all? There is one TRUTH and that TRUTH is endless, it is infinite in its vastness, it does not remain in any one object, but rather it remains within its own self. It is like the water which takes on the shape of a bubble, or like the gold which resides in the ring. The INFINITE is that which does not begin and end anywhere, and which is free o all change; for a change implies a lack of form or space. If one were to assume another truth which also exists side by side, th4e idea would be erroneous, for how could anything exist outside of the INFINITE which contains in itself everything and everyone? There is no other Reality outside of Him. The thought of an Unlimited Reality leaves no place for anything else.
I look not upon this body;
I look not upon this life,
I look only upon the wages
Of that
Everything that exists in the
The world of the dreams appears to be within you, but surely you do not contain within you the entire space necessary for the dream world! But that is what the dream appears to show. What is that dream, relative to you?
Either it does not exist at all, or else it is another phase of your existence, a part of you. If the dream were an entity separate from you, then surely you would have been able to find it existing separately even after awakening. If it were a reality outside of you than how could it contain you? And if it were a part of you, how could it contain anything outside of you?
You see a snake in the coils of a rope. There is no snake, there is just the rope. But because you fail to understand the difference in the dark, you see a snake where none exists. You are afraid, and you run away. Why did you see a snake? Because in that area there was neither complete darkness nor complete light. If there were complete light, then you would have seen the rope clearly and the thought of a snake would never have entered your mind. If there were complete darkness, you would not have seen the rope, and hence you would not have seen a snake in its shape either.
A snake was seen in the rope only because there was a little light and a little darkness. But when you enter the room with a torch in hand, you see the rope clearly and throw it away. There is no snake, then. You laugh. Your fears had been needless. Instead of a poisonous reptile there was a useful rope.
In a like manner, when full knowledge regarding the reality of the world dawns upon us, we cease to see the frightful snake of sorrow in it; we see the reality for what it really is. The light of knowledge drives away the fears of ignorance.
In total ignorance, which is illustrated by total darkness, one cannot perceive either diversity or unity, one cannot even thing in terms of the reality of the world. One lives only in ignorance.
Then, again, we must note that there are two situations in which one cannot see anything. When there is too much of light one is apt to be blinded by it; and when there is too much of darkness one is again as if blind. It is only when there is a little light and a little darkness that one can experience deceptions of the sort described. One sees things which are not there. It is only when there is a little knowledge and a little ignorance that one is led through these stages in life, which assume the guise of sorrow. In total knowledge or in total ignorance one does not face this situation.
REALITY IS ALL BLISS. For as long as one’s sight remains on It, there is no sorrow, and the moment one forgets It, the world becomes a complex design of perplexity. Therefore, if one keeps the thought of UNITY paramount in one’s mind, there shall be no diversity anywhere. Diversity then becomes like the pictures projected on a blank screen, which are visible but do not actually exist there.
I have driven duality from my heart;
All the worlds have become one;
I write, see, and understand, ONE.
This thought gives a feeling of peace to the mind. There is no duality, really; it is only the thought of duality within oneself which creates an impression of duality in the external world. Dark glasses give 3even the whitest of objects a dark tinge.
There is no feeling of duality within a child. He lives in a world full of diversity, but does not feel it. Upon drinking an intoxicating drink, the feeling of duality disappears, and the world does not appear full of diversity. And in deep sleep where the “I” of man vanishes, he does not feel duality even though he continues to live in an external world of diversity.
If you could know the secret
Of Truth, of Knowledge, Of Reality –
You would lose sight of your ego;
For truly there is nothing in
The bubbles and waves – except water;
Those who dwell upon names and forms
Must live in ignorance.
Duality and Unity are relative terms, and stand only with respect to one another. It is only the thought of duality which brings to mind the thought of Unity, and vice versa. We, cannot understand “two” without understanding “one”, and we cannot think of “one” alone unless we think of “two”. “One” establishes the existence of “two”. But the time comes when we see “one” adding itself to “one” to form “two”. Thus duality becomes a repetition of Unity. And when “two” is nothing but “one” plus “one” then how can we give an independent existence to “two” ? This thought frees the mind from sorrow, and man begins to feel the joy of Unity in his heart.
A dream appears real for as long as it lasts and vanishes when sleep is over. Similarly, this world of diversity appears real in ignorance, but when the Reality of Existence is understood, as also it ONENES, then this world appears to vanish.
That very self, in which the colour of duality was visible, is wiped clean. That self, which is not the self of man’s ego, but rather that, which forms the background on which ego develops, and, indeed, which forms the background on which all things appear, that self begins to manifest itself in its true character.
The appearance of diversity in this world is like the reflection of a complex pattern inside a mirror. And when the object carrying the complex pattern is taken away from the front of the mirror, the reflection disappears, and the mirror appears clean. The mirror was clean even when the reflection was being exhibited in it, but the eye was deluded into believing that the mirror had become coloured with the complex pattern. In a like manner, regardless of whether diversity is manifested or not, the Absolute Existence is in a pure state of Unity in Itself, for there cannot be two Absolute Existences. In truth, therefore, diversity never exists. It is only apparent.
Question: How did diversity manifest itself in Unity? Why did it manifest itself in Unity? When did it manifest itself in Unity?
The answer to this question is simply this: “how”, “when”, “why” and “where” are questions that exhibit diversity, and appear to proclaim as much. The question “when?” would imply specifying the period of time when the world began, and we would have to accept the notion of time, even before that period. The question “where?” would imply specifying the place where the event occurred, in other words believing in the concept of space first. The question “how?” implies the specifying of cause and effect. In other words, when we ask these questions we do so only after accepting the concepts of space and time and cause and effect, all of which imply diversity. Therefore, we are already accepting diversity when we ask these questions. What is more, we are implying the existence of diversity even before we as these questions. For the notion of a particular period of time implies that time existed even before that period of time, i.e. to ask “When” presupposes the existence of time; to ask “where” presupposes the existence of space; to ask “how” presupposes the existence of cause and effect. Time, Space, Cause and effect can exist only in diversity. And, therefore, to presuppose their existence means to presuppose the existence of diversity. Therefore to ask these questions is to pre4suppose the existence of diversity, even before the advent of its birth! We would be going around in a vicious circle if we persisted in asking these questions. Hence we must give them up. It is enough to state that even as there is the existence of underlying Unity, there is also the existence of a manifesting diversity on the surface. If there can be Unity, there can also be diversity. But, in reality, there is no diversity anywhere, and it is meaningless to ask when it began.
To not to be able to see Unity, is another name for diversity. To be able to see Unity is to put an end to diversity. The question: “How did diversity come into Unity?” is also responsible for giving place to diversity. To speak of the colours inside the mirror, to enquire after their cause, is to invite the notion of diversity, though none exists in the actual mirror itself. To question the reality of the dream world in a dream is to lend reality to it. No one even asks where the dream world came from, upon awakening. For, in the wakeful state, there is no dream world. No matter how we look at it, we can think of the diversity before us as a manifestation of the Unity which is hidden behind the mysterious veil of diversity. In that diversity everything is “one”. What, therefore, is this diversity? The manifestation of the various shapes and forms of the Unity.
The diverse shapes and forms in the ocean appear as waves and bubbles. These spread out and proclaim a diversity. But what is this diversity? Just the manifestation of the Unity of the ocean. The same water assumes these many forms. Who can create diversity in the form of the ocean? None, but the ocean itself. And when it is the ocean in all the diverse manifestations that appear in it, then how can one speak of diversity? There is water, and only water, in the ocean.
Behind the veil of the cup and the bottle,
He hid Himself as the wine;
O great wonder of wonders!
Hidden is He in Himself?
What has concealed the water
In the shape of the river?
It is the turbulence of the water itself that has concealed its existence from itself. It sees itself as the waves and the bubbles. All diversity is the manifestation of the turbulent activity of unity.
This thought reveals Unity in diversity. And the significance of Unity is Peace and Bliss. Therefore, one must, at times, sink deep within oneself and try to feel this All-Pervading Unity in which everything rests, in which all are “one”, or “one” is in all. He is so revealed that the very thought of revealing Him, drives Him into concealment! The “I:” of man is always with him; he lives in that “I”; he works with that “I”; he is awake in that “I” and he sleeps with that “I”. But the moment he tries to seek his “I”, it eludes him and becomes concealed.
O thou, who wouldst seek after God!
By this very search thou hast lost Him!
Thou hast lost the ocean in the waves.
When the intrinsic nature of everything in the Universe is that TRUTH, then what is the significance of seeking Him along diverse paths?
There is nothing but that TRUTH behind the veil of this Universe.
Water is running everywhere in search of water;
The search is one of separation –
Give it up, and thou art united!
Diversity is looked upon as a reality, just like the shapes and forms of the waves or the bubble in the water. Though these be nothing but water, still the shapes and forms lend to themselves a certain distinction of their own, and retain their identities, which appear to be very real. The reality, the only reality, is that of the water. Even after one has understood the underlying Unity behind everything, the world of diversity remains before one’s eyes and appears very real. It becomes the cause of sorrow when we impart an absolute reality to it and give it an independent existence of its own, set apart from that Great Absolute Reality. There is no necessity to give it a separate individual existence of its own, just to make it appear real – for it is a part of that Absolute Reality, and, therefore, in that sense, very real.
When a multiplicity of shapes and forms and names appeared in various limitations of their own, then the drop of water appeared separate from the ocean and the ocean separate from the drop. The drop of water had to reach the heights of the sky to return to the ocean; it had to fall into streams and rivers; it had to bow in humble submission as it advanced towards the ocean, and, in the end, it had to prostrate in the posture of Death and be annihilated. And in this annihilation it became whole.
Duality or separateness may or may not imply an independent separate existence, depending on how we look at it, but its existence is essential, because it is a separation in which the joy of union can be experienced. And in this way, by annihilating itself in union, duality or separateness, gives a proof of Unity and brings the part to the Whole.
What is the Whole? A gathering together of all its parts. What is the ocean? A gathering together of all the drops of water. “One” appears in “two” and “two” in “one”.
A SUMMARY OF THE WHOLE DISCUSSION
WHAT IS DEATH /
A forced surrender or a willing surrender of the human ego before the Will of God.
The hunter has his eye on every branch
Of this
So that none of these shall become my home.
What is Death? The going away of life. The vanishing of one’s bodily existence. “IS” becoming ‘WAS’. Everything in this Universe is changing. And change is Death. All around us there is the face of destruction. Childhood changes to youth, youth changes to old age, and old age disappears in Death. We can doubt the existence of many things, but we cannot doubt the existence of Death. The life, that is before us, is passing away; and Death, which is not before us, is coming.
O thou steeped in ignorance!
The doleful sound of the clock
Warns thee time and again,
That another moment of thy life
Has gone for ever.
The going away of all things, objects and persons, proves that nothing ever remains in a changeless, motionless state. The drop of dew is vanishing from the petal of the rose, and the rose is fading away, to fall into the dust below. Forget not, therefore, that, which must come, and that, which cannot be stopped.
This garden shall remain here; all the birds in it shall leave, one by one. Death brings the message of separation from this world. Death is that darkness in which the flame of life goes out. Its sting is full of poison. It signals a defeat to life. No one can escape it. All of existence is heading towards it and hiding itself in it. The setting of the rising sun proclaims the end of every beginning. Every end is Death. The fear of Death makes the Pleasure of life tasteless, and, when Death comes, there is no going back towards life. Therefore, one must always be aware of the approach of Death, so that it may not spring upon him all of a sudden.
To die is to break all relationships,
And to live, is to live with sorrow –
That is the lot of man, chosen for him
In all the worlds.
At the time of Death, the pain of leaving one’s loved ones, the pain of leaving one’s precious things behind, is quite severe. And this pain is made all the greater by the fear of the Unknown, when one does not know where one must go with Death. Death is the name of separation from all things. Death is the humbling down of all that is great. Those who walk with their heads held high are cast down to the earth. Death is that which converts life and all its desires into a dream that is past. Death is that which brings the floating bubble, which considers itself taller than the ocean, back to the depths of the water. Death is that which can convert all material existence into nothingness.
Death is the name of that remembrance which speaks of those who have left this world. Death is the humbling of all pride. Death is the extinguishing of a burning flame. Death is freedom for those held captive in the chains of sorrow. If Death takes away happiness, it also takes away sorrow. If it extinguishes the flame of happiness, it also lights the flame of hope. Death reveals to man that there is life beyond it, just like there was life before it. The life of this world is temporary, but the life that comes after Death is a permanent one. Death is that route which takes temporary life towards permanent life. After this fearsome dream, there is an awakening to bliss. After the prick of the thorn of Death, there is a garden in which the nightingales play with the roses without fear. There are no thorns in this garden. There is no Autumn to take away its perennial Spring. There is no darkness accompanying the light. After passing through the darkness of Death one reaches that light which requires no oil and no wick for its burning, and which cannot be put out by any storm.
Death is like the bliss derived from a never-ending intoxication. In it there is no “I”; there is a blissful self-forgetfulness in which all fears cease; an existence without limitations. Death is a knowledge in the light of which everything is revealed.
One must not be afraid of Death on two occasions: firstly, when it has to come, and, secondly, when it has not to come. No one has ever seen Death. For as long as it has not come, it is not before one, and when it comes, the one, who was to have perceived it, is no more. And the surprising thing is that no preparation is ever made for Death. All the preparations made in this world are only for life. All know that they must leave, but nobody prepares for the journey, they all prepare to stay, as if for ever.
To die before one’s Death does not mean suicide, but rather a killing of all of one’s desires, a destruction of one’s ego and false pride.
My heart yearns for that Death
Which makes the world tremble,
Only that Death shall bring
Endless bliss.
Death, in such circumstances, heralds the approach of Eternal Life.
It is different from that Death in which the desire to live persists, and which is really no Death at all. The Death of the ego is the real Death.
Before being annihilated, the bubble-like existence of man must understand that its own little ego was nothing, it was simply a part of the ocean.
Death must be like leaving one’s work at the office towards the close of evening, and returning home. Death must be like the leaving of the train at the station, for one’s home, with joy.
The veil of attachment
Separates thee from the Truth;
When this veil is torn
Thou shalt understand Reality.
Death, as implied above, does not mean the Death of the body, but rather that Death in which it can be said:
To become Nothing, is to be Something, my friends!
To forget oneself, is to be lost in Intoxication!
The real worship of God lies in annihilating one’s ego,
Apart from this, there is no other worship.
To have any pretensions to greatness before that Great Reality, is to belittle its Infinitude. For as long as the bubble things of itself as the bubble, it shall remain a weak trembling entity. It shall think of that weak, trembling existence as itself, and shall remains separated from the water. But when it realizes the fact that an independent, limited existence cannot be possible in the vast ocean of water, it shall annihilate itself and disappear. All that will be left will be water. The thought of its own “I”, the feeling: “I am a bubble”, had separated it from water even though it existed in water. It was like the king, who saw himself as a beggar in a dream, even though a vast treasure was his in the wakeful state. The vast treasure of man is for ever with him, but he has lost sight of it in the dreams of the world.
A sea of voluminous billows
Is pent up in thy soul;
And yet thou art searching
For a drop of water!
Thou hast within thee
A storm in which the world is drowned;
And yet thou weepest on the shore!
O thou lost in ignorance!
Rip this curtain of duality to shreds;
And wear the garland of thy tears
Around thy neck.
One must prepare for Death like a man who prepares for sleep by laying out his bed, lying upon it, forgetting the world and awaiting sleep. He knows that sleep will take away the world of the wakeful state and that he will be plunged in a strange world of dreams, and he prepares for the unknown to escape the fatigue of the day.
He who dies a willing Death
Is like the man
Who played ball on the field of Reality
And carried the day!
Such a person reaches the real goal of human life. For him Death brings forth a message of life.
Death has brought for me
The good tidings of a Life to come;
For a flame that was extinguished,
It has brought Eternal Light.
The man who relinquishes hold of all his desires, who destroys them completely, the man who desires nothing, who desires not even this world or the next, who desires not even salvation, such a man will be said to have surpassed Death while alive. He becomes passive, he thinks not of gaining or losing. He does not fill himself with the desire for salvation, for desire is desire, regardless of what it is for. Any desire will imprison man, be it for salvation even. It will separate man from his real self and bind him to what he desires. And to be separate from oneself is to enter the world of phantoms that surrounds us. Desire tempts you away from your real self, it tempts you with happiness. But the very departure from one’s real self takes one away from happiness.
I have become entangled
In hopes and aspirations –
Alas! I have been deluded by
The toys of desire.
A fly heard of a fountain of Eternal Life which was sweeter than every other sweetness in the world. It heard of the sweetness of the nectar and flew towards it. But, life is not without fetters, and its routes not without obstacles.
O thou, who wouldst seek the Truth!
Beware of the flowers strewn along thy path,
Lest thy mind be entrapped in their beauty
And thou lose sight of thy goal!
O thou hunter! Stay away!
Stay away from the bird of my heart!
Spread thy net elsewhere,
For my heart is wary –
It will not be caught by thy deceit!
O wily hunter! Keep thy treachery
For someone else,
For the bird of my heart
Is not of this world –
It belongs to HIM.
The fly was proceeding towards the nectar of Everlasting Life, when it beheld a lump of sugar on its way. In keeping with its old habits, the fly settled down upon the lump of sugar and forgot where it was going. When it had finished nibbling to its heart’s content, the sweetness of the sugar disappeared; and it thought of that sweetness which was still far from it. It flew away swiftly in its original direction, towards the nectar of Everlasting Life. But, alas! It was too late! The fountain of Eternal Life had stopped flowing. There was not a single drop left. For the sake of that, which was temporary, the fly had denied itself that, which was permanent, and, in the end, was deprived of both.
Hurry, therefore, and set your footsteps towards your real goal. Hurry, lest life deceive you, and you lose your time in doing that which is not necessary, and fail to do that which is necessary.
Thou hast come into this world
Like a flash of lightning;
Beware, lest transient life
Deceive thee!
Before this little flame of life, which is flickering with fear, goes out, convert it to a never-ending light.
O thou loved one!
Hear this sorry tale –
When thou wert small, just a child,
Thou wert small for everything;
When thou wert young, filled with youth,
Thou wert lost in worlds of flesh;
When thou wert old, stooped with age,
Thou wert lost in feebleness of mind;
And ‘twas thus, that life
Did pass thee by;
And there was no time –
No time, to know of God;
Understand thou this –
The world is only for a while,
And thou must deal, eventually,
With Him.
Within thyself, thou canst find,
That Precious pearl of Peace;
For the rest, thou art burning
Thy thread of life.
O friend !
Burn not this thread of life,
For it is not long enough.
A very learned barrister, who was eighty years old, once came to see me. He was a Muslim by religion. I was living in the city of
He replied: “It is only the thirsty man who must go towards the well.” He sat down and continued: “Sir, I have been fortunate enough to secure a pair of spectacles in this old age of mine.’ He was not referring to ordinary spectacles. He was referring to a certain insight.
How canst thou see with thine eyes
The meaning behind the word?
The eyes that see the meaning
Are different from those
That see the word.
If I write a word in a particular language which you know, then you can decipher its meaning, but one who is not versed in that language will not be able to make anything out of it. What is the difference? The shape and formation of the letters of the word will appear the same to both the observers. But you will perceive the meaning behind the word whilst the other person will see only the word, without perceiving its meaning. Similarly, he, who is filled with realization, sees the meaning of the world in its outer appearance – and that meaning is GOD; whilst another sees only the outer appearance and finds no meaning in it, and no reason for its existence. This is the definition of believing.
Coming back to the barrister ; he said to me :
“I have acquired the spectacles of old age. With these glasses I see everything becoming dimmer and dimmer and moving further and further away. I see the world slipping away. All relationships, all wealth, everything in this world, even this body of mine, appear to be fading away.” Saying this, he shed a tear of regret.
I said: “Your spectacles have two lenses. The first sees things at a distance, and the second sees things that are close. With these glasses you have seen that whatever is close to you is moving away from you. But have you seen that which is at a distance?”
The barrister said to me: “I have earned nothing that I may carry with me for the journey forward. My earning was of this world, which is now receding from me. What a strange thing is this, that we are so immersed in earning for this world, that we forget to earn for the next world, which comes after Death. And then, there is no time!”
I said to the barrister:
“How nice it would have been if you had obtained these spectacles forty years from today and had earned plenty to take with you for what lies ahead. But the past is gone and we cannot do anything about it; let us not lose the time that we have at hand in expressing regrets over the past. Let us make some use of it. Even though the time of life has become very short now, still, let us not give way to despair. If a small seed can disappear into the ground and bring forth a tree, your tears of repentance can fall upon your newly washed heart and blossom forth into a message of hope. Better late than never. Whatever time is left before you, must now be given over to the Creator of the Universe.”
I had wished that I never be
Ignorant of Thee;
But alas, it was not be so –
I regret now the moments
Of my ignorance;
The ignorance of each and every moment
Is now the sorrow – of each and every moment.
The feeling: “I never thought of Him” is also a form of repentance. Perhaps every tear-drop of repentance may turn into a river of flowing mercy and grace from HIM: perhaps the broken body of age may yet become like a ship which will carry the soul to that shore from which there is no return.
Death, which must come to all, must always capture a fraction of one’s thoughts during one’s lifetime. And just like we must prepare for tomorrow’s work today, we must prepare for the evening of Death, the tomorrow of Death, today, and it is essential that we think about it as much as we can.
Thou must leave for thy friend’s house
Or else be dragged there;
Art thou ready? Or are thy
Preparations still incomplete?
One must be ready to go or else be taken away by force. One’s heart and mind must be willing. Why, then, this delay in preparation? Why this indolence? Why this procrastination?
You must be r4eady, like a traveler on the platform of a station, with bag and baggage ready, waiting for the train to arrive. You must get on the train when it comes and say goodbye to those who come to leave you at the station. You must look out of the window of the train as it moves away and cast a brief glance at those standing on the platform, and then lose yourself in the rocking motion of the train as it proceeds along on its journey. Similarly, you must be ready for Death; waiting on the platform of life, as it were, your works completed and your heart and thoughts removed from the world. And with the arrival of the train of Death you must bid goodbye to those with whom you had shared your life when alive, and who had been your companions in life. And then you must proceed with the train towards your Eternal companion, who is your REAL RELATIVE, and who will always remain so, everywhere, in this world and the next.
Helplessness is known to all. It comes under a set of special circumstances, and the special circumstances arise out of certain causes. And these causes stem from Someone who is the Cause of everything in the world. Therefore, one’s helplessness reveals some Presence which allowed it to exist.
It was my luck that for a moment,
I could feel the presence of Someone;
I was filled with expectancy
That filled my entire self –
And He stood somewhere near me
In all His glory and Greatness.
A small part can see itself before the Mighty Whole only like this. Man is forced to come into this world, he is forced to live in this world, and he is forced to leave this world. He is forced to eat, drink, sleep and be awake. If we look with care, we note that there is no condition in which he is entirely free to use his own will. And where he appears to be using his own will, he is actually being forced by the circumstances to do so. This is just like the involuntary blinking of one’s eyes, the involuntary drawing in and exhaling of breath etc., which are inherent in his constitution and which attributes have been placed there by someone. While man has been given the freedom to blink his eyes, he cannot more his ears or his nose or other parts of his features. Thus, man lives within constraints, and those freedoms which he possesses are really those which he has been allowed. If he had complete right to exercise his own free will, he could have used whatever part of his body he desired in whatever manner he chose to use it. He would have been free to do whatever he liked whenever he liked to do it. However, he does not enjoy this freedom. He must live according to constraints which reveal his utter helplessness.
The rising and setting of the sun, the waxing and waning of the moon, do not arise out of acts of free will of the sun and the moon respectively. Both of them are constrained by Nature’s laws to move as they do. They are forced by the same laws to rise and sink, and wax and wane. The earth rotates around an axis, and in doing so obeys the laws of Nature. If it were rotating from an act of free will, it could stop whenever it wanted to, and rotate whenever it wanted to. A top appears to spin all by itself, but the movement that has been put into it belongs to someone else. The leaves of a tree shake, and people who look upon them think of them as shaking all by themselves. But there is the invisible wind which is behind this movement. The leaves shook because the wind shook them. Why did the wind move? Because the forces of Nature created this movement in it. And why did the forces of Nature operate in this singular manner? Because He, Who had complete command over them, caused them to act. Why did the leaves move, therefore? Because that Final Cause willed them to move!
When we think of all the forces of Nature, all the laws of science, when we think of gravitational forces, electrical forces, magnetic forces, nuclear forces, we are forced to the question: where did they all come from? Who put the immense nuclear binding energy inside atoms? Who made the nuclear forces so strong? Who structured the gravitational fields all over space so that planets and moons and stars moved in accordance to certain laws? Indeed the movement of a single particle – by whatever force
must ultimately be linked with the Creator of that force, the Final Cause of all effects.
O thou, who art ignorant of Reality,
And thou, who art ignorant of thyself!
Thinkest thou of thyself as the doer?
Thinkest thou that thy actions and
Everything else, come from thee?
Thou art sunk in ignorance
And thy state is pitiable!
When a puppet dances, those, who are ignorant, think of the puppet as dancing by itself. Then there are some who can see the strings that pull at the puppets, though these strings, by virtue of their thinness, are invisible to most. And they think of the strings as performing the acts of the puppets, and end their enquiry at that point. But then, again, there are others who are not satisfied with dead strings maintaining motion. They look for another cause, an intelligent, live cause. They look behind the curtain and find Him in whose hands the strings are held. And for them the final mystery is solved. The puppets are not dancing all by themselves; the strings are not the sole cause of their motion. All that is visible is not the sole cause. And that, which is the sole cause, is not visible.
O thou hidden Reality!
Thy hidden beauty has
Cast salt upon the wounds
Of thy lovers!
For no fault of their own
Thou hast annihilated them –
And cast the blame on others!
There are two things in this Universe which comprise all that there is in it. The first is matter, and the second life. The first is unconscious, and the second conscious.
There is no life within matter, intrinsically. The living force enters matter and gives it life. What is life, therefore? A mixture of the living force and matter. What is Death? The separation of the living force from the matter. The beauty of the flower is because of the living presence of that all-pervading beauty. All the motion in the world, all the activity in the Universe, is because of the touch of that Great Reality.
The voice of man says:
You have entered into the beauty of the flower and indeed into beauty itself. You have entered the beautiful face o this world and have won my heart. For a long time I was lost in the beauty of these faces around me, and thought that it belonged to them. But the time came when you broke your relationship with them, and they became still, and unattractive. When you put life into them, no one ever saw you. And it appeared as if they were alive all by themselves. But when you took life out of them, all saw it being taken away, and they began to understand that it must have been you who put life into them in the first place. Upon seeing the Destroyer, the Creator was called to mind.”
When one’s hopes and ambitions and designs in life were fulfilled, one was filled with the thought that everything was an outcome of one’s own free will, one’s own independent effort. But when one’s hopes and aspirations were scattered and one’s ambitions cast into dust then one began to feel the presence of some power could overrule one’s actions and assert Its Own Will. And then, one understood that, when things were moving in the right direction, it was not because of one’s own free will and independent effort, but rather because of the Will of that same Unseen Power.
He who remained hidden in life – because of the false notion of life’s free will – became revealed in Death, when helplessness stared life in the face. For the first time, man saw his own face and felt his smallness before the Greatness of that Vast Power. A part cannot exist without the whole; night cannot exist without the day; the small cannot exist without the Great; the dependent cannot exist without the Independent. And, with the feeling of his own helplessness and smallness and dependence, man understood the hidden law of “I am nothing”, and with this revelation he came nearer to God; and then Death was not Death, but a realization. Who was it, after all, that sent Death and silenced the ego of man? Who was it that silenced that life which asserted its own free will at each and every stage of existence? There had been occasion in life, when helplessness, to various degrees, had appeared before man, but, with the going away of this feeling, ego had returned and asserted its own “I” with impudent pride.
The spectre of Death was the final, terrible shape that annihilated ego once and for all, and brought forth a feeling of absolute and complete helplessness. This spectre was like a dark cloud. And from its interior there came the rain of Mercy and Grace which revealed the face of the Ever Independent Reality to the feeble dependent existence of man. Ah, but what a wonderful thing is the cloak of Death, inside which Someone stands smiling:
In every thorn may thou see a flower –
Let this be the miracle of My Love.
And thus, in the end, ego discovered that all reality existed within that Final Cause, and that, ego, itself, was, from its beginning to its end, a picture of impending doom.
Some saw the world moving by itself, and left it at that. Some saw the laws of Nature working behind this motion and assumed that these laws were responsible for the agitation of matter. But the laws of Nature were also as dead as matter. Inside the atom there was not only Atomic Energy but some Divine Intelligent Force which was responsible for all the activity in the Universe, and it was that same Intelligent Force which sustained the Universe.
Everything in the Universe must move in accordance with His Will.
Obedience to His Will, and a surrender before His designs are necessary, before a man can give up his ego. To think of oneself as “nothing” is to think of Him as “Everything”. To look upon His Infinite Form is to destroy one’s false pride and ego. To look upon one’s smallness is to destroy one’s ego. To look upon His Mercy and Grace is to destroy one’s ego. The denial of one’s own existence is a necessity. Through self-denial, He is realized.
When a tiny bubble raised its little head above the surface of the ocean and saw a huge form swelling in all directions, it thought of this vastness as an extension of its own form. It saw the immense length and breadth of the ocean as its own; it saw the swirling waves as its own. It lost sight of its own limitation, it forgot its own limited “I”, and it realized that it was, indeed, never separate from the ocean and that its “I” did not, as a matter of fact, exist all by itself. The transformation came about when it stopped looking at itself and started looking at the ocean instead. To not to look upon oneself and to look upon His Greatness only, is, in effect, to destroy oneself and to live for ever. This annihilation brings eternal life.
One can feel the presence of Death only for as long as there is life. When a moth plunges into the flame it is reduced to ashes. It never understands the true nature of the fire in the flame for as long as it is away from the flame; and it never understands the true nature or the fire once it has been destroyed. There is an intermediate phase, when it is burning, in which it first has a taste of the fire.
The pain of Death is more terrible than any other pain. I say this from personal experience, having felt the sting of Death when I was young. The fire of Death is more fierce than all other fires. Its sting more deadly than a spark. Man becomes totally helpless in the tentacles of Death. Philosophy and arguments cannot free him from the pain. After experiencing the pain of Death, man does not wish to live again. For, after every life, there is a Death. Even while dying, when man cannot free himself form the grip of Death, he does not desire life. He does not desire life, nor can he end it. He wishes that he had never been born into the world of the living, where the pain of death was to have been so terrible. In his despair he trembles with fear. All the sins that he had committed during a lifetime, rear their ugly heads and appear before him in a magnified form. But he cannot do anything. He realizes his own helplessness. He yearns for someone to come and save him from this last terrible moment.
Why has man been made so helpless? That is so, so that he may not be able to use any power of his own to set himself free from the grip of Death. Perhaps, because an unconditional surrender is required of him, until the time he passes through that last indescribable and unbearable pain, and is finally annihilated. All these conditions have been created so that man may know that it is not within his own power to secure release from this pain, and that he must call out to Someone. The remedy lies with Someone Else. Man can only be a silent, suffering spectator of his own doom.
Man must have faith in that Supreme Power which has brought him into the world, which has sustained his existence here, and which will carry him across the difficult path of Death to a Beautiful Place beyond. Man must go from a forced surrender to a willing surrender. Man must look upon life as a consequence of His order, and accept Death as the consequence of another order from Him, and in both stages bow his head in submission. He must catch a glimpse of that All-Pervading Light through the dark clouds of Death.
It is true that Death is terrible, but it lasts for a very short time. A candle burns for a very long time and then goes out in a fraction of a second. The time for living is much greater. And dying does away with the burning sensation of life.
Death has been made terrible so that man may look upon its fearsome face and think of God, in the thought of Whom Life and Death, both, become beautiful. In life, one can gain support, and in Death one can escape the pain. Only HE can do all this – He who has made Death so terrible. There is no one else.
If one does not believe in the existence of God, then let him explain who made Death so terrible. And what means does man have to save himself from Death?
The tumult of a thousand voices
Rings out at Thy door, O God!
“Dost thou have no healing balm
For wounded hearts?”
There is only one answer to this question. If there is an ailment, there must be a medicine for it. If there is a wound, there must be a healing balm. If there is a question, there must be an answer. If there is a difficulty, there must be someone who can remove the difficulty. And the answer lies in HIM. He has created everything in his magnificence, and he requires of all that they bow their heads before Him, so that they may be made great thus. And when man has done this, in a fraction of a second the fear of Death shall disappear.
Death was seen in the dreams of life. The face of Death was that of annihilation, bringing one to nothingness. And in this nothingness came a self-abnegation, a denial of self, which brought one to the Realisation of God. The helplessness created by Death led to prayers, and the prayers brought forth the shower of His Grace, like cool refreshing rain. One discovered that, when Life itself was no more than a thought, Death itself was likewise. After Death there is an everlasting life, bringing one to a perennial joy, in which the wine of immortality flows freely. After reaching that place, man realizes that there was neither life, nor Death, which could annihilate it. There was only eternal life and absolute knowledge:
I drink the Wine of Eternity
From the joyful hands of the Saki !
I ask for it, drink it, and am lost in it;
And in this madness I can dance for ever!
This state is that of absolute bliss and enlightenment, which has neither a beginning nor an end.
After writing this, I pray that every man in this world understand the reality of Death and reach that Absolute Reality Who has given to every soul two books to read; one of them is entitled “LIFE” and the other is entitled “DEATH’. After reading these two books, man must reach that place where there is neither Life nor Death, where there is only an
With these words, the discussion on “What is Death?” is ended here. In the next few pages we shall consider the “Immortality of the Soul” and “The Existence of God”. After which the book will come to a close. May the Purity of God fill each and every heart and draw it to HIM.
THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL
People ask whether the soul is destructible or indestructible; whether it is mortal or immortal. But does anyone ever ask the same question of matter? Is it mortal or immortal?
Scientific laws have established the laws of conservation of energy and matter, which simply state that the total amount of energy and matter in the Universe can never change. Here we have the scientific concept of something which is everlasting. Here we have a natural concept of immortality embodied in a fundamental law of Nature. If this can be true for matter and energy, which are causeless entities, then why cannot it be true of the soul? Why cannot the soul be immortal? Matter is without consciousness, without life. The existence of matter is only established by life. Only living beings have developed the concept of matter. Matter cannot be aware of itself. Living beings are aware of matter. Matter is known through the consciousness of the soul.
Think of a stone lying in front of you. Is the stone aware of its own existence? Or does it exist only in your consciousness? Does the stone have a conscious feeling of its own existence? From its own point of view, the stone does not even exist. It is not conscious of itself, like living things are conscious of themselves. The stone is being revealed in your consciousness. You say: “This is a stone.” No matter how vast the outer Universe may appear, it is dependent for its existence upon your consciousness. Without a subject it is not possible to think of an object. It is the subject which perceives the object. Think over it for a while! Who would have been aware of the vast Universe had there been no spark of consciousness within its creatures? How would you ever have known about the Universe had you been devoid of all consciousness? The Universe is not conscious of itself. It is the spark of consciousness within you which illumines the external world. To establish the existence of matter we require that thing which can perceive it. And that thing is consciousness.
It is the wine
That has gained intoxication – from me ;
The fragrance of the flower
And the melody of the flute
Come from me.
There is an intoxication in the wine. But only he who drinks it can give a reality to that intoxication. The intoxication is not seen in the wine, nor is the wine “aware” of it. It is only the drinker who establishes its existence. The fragrance of the flower is established by the one who smells it; the melody of the flute is established by the ear that listens to it. Consciousness is that one reality without which nothing can be established – not even consciousness itself!
If one supposes that pearls exist inside the ocean, and that diamonds exist in isolated rocks, without our being aware of them, and without our having any association with them, then even such a supposition rests upon consciousness alone. Whether a thing exists independently of consciousness or not, is yet another thought which cannot exist without consciousness.
I am the Sun, I am the Sun, I am the Sun!
All the particles are visible only in my light.
It is sad that thou canst not find
The flowers that thou seekest;
And the desire for them lingers on, -
Thou art no less than a flower !
Open the door of thy heart and come inside,
Burden thyself not with the search
Of those musks without scent ;
Lose thyself in the locks of thy beloved
And come to the land of musks.
The soul holds a higher place in existence than does matter. For, the function of the soul is to observe. It does not have Death within itself. It is truth personified. It is real. All consciousness exists within it.
To search for the beginning and end of consciousness is against reason. If, in the beginning, there was a consciousness, then the consciousness that exists today would be a perpetuation of the same. If consciousness had a beginning, then its existence is established from the beginning. If there were no consciousness in the beginning, or if consciousness did not exist to begin with, or if it had no beginning, then that state would be indefinable. For, without consciousness, how can one define any state? Who would have known about it?
The beginning of consciousness may be said to be either a state of consciousness or a state of no consciousness. Either it existed before its beginning or else it did not exist before its beginning. If it existed, then it established itself, and if it did not exist, then where did it come from? Consciousness is that which is conscious of everything else including itself. If it does not exist, who shall know that it does not exist? It is consciousness alone upon which everything depends.
When you build a house, you erect its walls, floors and roof upon the structure of the foundation. All the visible parts of the house conceal the foundation. And it is a surprising thing, indeed, that the foundation, upon which everything rests, and without which nothing would stand, cannot be revealed in any way. And who would want to dismantle the entire house just to reveal the foundation? But since the second floor rests on the first, and the first floor rests on the ground floor, and the roof of the ground floor rests on the walls of this floor, and the walls rest on the ground, one is forced to conclude that there must be something beneath the ground as well. The foundation gives a proof of its own existence without being visible directly. There must be something on which everything rests. All must agree to its existence even without seeing it.
Be not disheartened,
If the voice of agnosticism
And atheism become very loud
And call “it” just a whim –
For “it” exists as light
In the centre of thine eyes
Thou wouldst say,
That if “it” were there
“It” would be visible to thee !
But canst thou see the pupil
Of thine own eyes?
In order to understand the nature of that existence we must look upon not only those phases of it which reveal it, but also upon those phases which conceal it. When a photographer takes a photograph he is not in the picture, but his “concealment” in the photograph reveals his actual existence. He is revealed even though he is concealed. He is there even though he is not there. His absence from the photograph proves his presence elsewhere, near the camera. The absence of the artist in his art is a proof of his existence. How could the eyes see themselves? The fact that everything is seen by the eyes, even though they do not see themselves, is a proof of their existence.
He is so unveiled,
That his light is seen
In every particle;
And he is veiled
That none has seen his face.
When nothing can be established without that consciousness, how can we question its immortality? For as long as there is the soul, its existence is established, and there can be no doubt about it. Even to doubt its existence is to confirm it. For to say: “I do not exist” is a confirmation of one’s existence. To say: “There is no tongue within my mouth” is to establish the existence of the tongue.
The soul which sees everything when the body is awake, does not disappear when the body falls asleep. In sleep it takes on another body, the body of the world of dreams, and that becomes its “I”. In this way, its continuity is established in sleep. When it goes a step further and enters the state of deep sleep, it throws off both the bodies – that of the wakeful state and that of the dream world. In that state, because it has no body, it appears to have vanished, but its Eternal Nature is not eliminated even there. After returning from that state, it takes on the body of the dream world, and then the body of the wakeful state, and thus it re-establishes its existence.
In this way, the soul appears to proclaim that it can exist with or without a body, and that its intrinsic nature is that of immortality. The soul does not die when it leaves the body. It can exist even without the body. This phenomenon also reveals that the soul is an entity quite separate from the body – it can live with or without the body. The rays of the sun, which fall upon a particular object, reveal themselves in the shine and illumination of that object. But, when the object loses its shine because the light shifts to another spot, nobody questions the existence of the rays of the sun. These exist independently, and have their relationship only with the sun. When the light was upon a particular object, it appeared to have become one with it, but when it shifted away, one realized that, in truth, it did not belong to the object, it had no relationship with it; it was a thing that came from the sun. The existence of the sun proves the existence of the rays of light that emanate from it. The reality of the sun establishes the reality of the rays of light. The relationship of the soul with the body is like the relationship of the wine with the cup, or like the relationship of the fragrance with the flower. When the flower is trampled upon and destroyed, the fragrance emanates from it, as if released. All the while the flower existed, the fragrance was within it, as if a thing concealed in its petals.
Your soul has the same relationship with your body, as your body has with the clothes it wears.
When you walk on the street with your clothes on your body, you refer to yourself as “I” and this means your whole self, along with the clothes, as far as an outside observer is concerned. When an observer asks you your name you tell him your name pointing to yourself as the “I”, the owner of the name. When the observer looks at you, he has no time to thing of you without the clothes, and, therefore, he thinks of your “I” as the one with the clothes on. Your clothes become a part of your “I”. And you look upon him in a similar manner. But the reality is that neither your “I” , nor that of the observer, has any relationship with the clothes it has on. When you go home and take off your clothes, your “I” does not become any the less by this act. In a like manner, when you fall asleep, your soul “takes off” your body and leaves it behind on the bed. And then you are no longer conscious of the body. If a treasure be placed near the body, it will not jump with joy, and if a snake wander near it, it shall not be frightened, because your real ‘I” has left the body and is wandering in the land of sleep, in a lighter body. The soul, then, begins to accept the new body as its own, even as it had accepted the body of the wakeful state as its own, when it was in that body. It leaves one body and enters the other, and then it leaves the other and returns to the first. But these transformations do not detract from its real “I” in any way. If the body of the wakeful state were to lose any of its limbs or any of its powers associated with the five senses, the real “I” of the soul would not be affected. The real “I” would simply say: “I have lost a limb of my body. I have lost one of the five senses of my body.” All this goes to show that the soul is different from the body, and that any changes in the body do not affect the soul. The soul watches everything. It is the one that perceives everything that happens to the body. When it is in a state of deep sleep, it has no body to refer to as “I, the body”, but its real “I”, the intrinsic “I” of the soul, still exists. And a proof of this is that, immediately upon awakening, it says: “I slept soundly, I was not aware of anything.” The soul feels two things in that quiescent state: firstly, peace, and secondly, the absence of all other objects and persons.
To outer appearances, deep sleep reveals a body, unconscious of itself, lying on the bed. But the soul is not aware of the body at that time, and neither is the body aware of the soul, nor can it understand it. Nature has created this special circumstance so that everyone may understand that the soul exists separately from the body, and that it is immortal.
There is also meditation, a state in which the soul transcends all thought while in the wakeful state, and where the outer world, which is associated with thought, ceases to exist. Matter disappears. The soul is conscious only of its own existence. Even when everything is eliminated, the soul is with itself. “It” is there. At that time, there is neither a body with it, nor the five senses attached to the body; the mind and the heart are forgotten, but the soul exists. In that state there is neither space nor time, and because there is no space and time there is no change, and without change there is no Death and no decay; there is no flow of events and the soul feels its own immortality.
Thus the immortality of the soul is established without a shadow of a doubt, because we feel it with the body and then feel it without the body. And once we have felt the soul separate from the body, then we know that it lives on after Death, because Death is the name for the separation of the soul from the body. When a football bursts, the air inside it does not vanish. It mingles with the atmosphere outside and exists there, even if it does not exist inside the football. A thing which “IS” at any one time, cannot become “IS NOT’ at a later time. It can change from one state to another. This I also what science proclaims for matter and energy.
What do we mean by the salvation of the soul? To be above all desire. To be above all thoughts of this world. For as long as there is any desire, the activity associated with it will not end –and that activity shall take the soul from one place to another. The changing of one thought into another then becomes the transmigration of the soul.
In this transmigration there is a continuity. It is like ending one page of a book and then beginning another page, and continuing thus, refilling the pen with ink and writing until the book is finished. There will be a relationship between the first page of the b ood and its last page. The first page is the beginning, and the last page is the end. When the story is at an end, the book is closed, and the pen laid aside.
The closing of the book is the end of desire, and the end of desire is the end of thought, and the end of thought is the end of the transmigration of the soul. The cycle of life and death ends. The various intermediate stages consisting of the sojourns of the soul on earth and in Heaven – which were brought in for the duration by the hand of time – all end. There is no further quest for happiness, no desire for enjoyment. The soul leaves all these phases of its existence behind, and enters the phase of its REAL SELF. It is like the state of deep sleep which you reach after passing through the states of wakefulness and dreams. In that state you are not destroyed, but rather rest in repose within your real essence of existence.
The last stage of the soul, in which it enters its REAL SELF, is the stage of greatest Peace. It is known as Salvation. It is a state of super-consciousness like that in deep meditation.
I have arrived where I had to arrive,
I have reached where I had to reach;
There is nowhere else to go –
All my works are done;
Fatigued from the merry-g-round
Of life,
I lay off my clothes and fall asleep.
The soul attains that last state of Rest after passing through all the grades and stages of life, after passing through desires and attachments.
I shall not perish
If this body of mine
Be destroyed;
The wine of immortality
Has no relationship
With the cup of this body.
That existence, which acts as a witness to all events which observes the creation and destruction of everything, and which can live separately from the body, must, of necessity, be called IMMORTAL.
THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
This is a subject which is very complex and simple at the dame time: “It is ore difficult to lose Thee, that it is to find Thee !”
If we cannot accept the existence of God, we cannot deny it either. For as long as there is no thirst, one can deny the existence of water, but when thirst arises, who can deny the existence of water? Regardless of whether water is before one or not, the thirst has a direct relationship with it. If there were no water, there would have been no thirst; and if thirst has arisen, there must be water.
One person asked me: “Why is it necessary for us to know God?
And I asked him in return: “Why is it necessary for you to drink water? Why must you eat food?”
“Thirst forces one to drink water,” he replied, “and hunger forces one to eat food.
“Sorrow forces one to seek God,” I said.
In this world there is no absolute and complete solution to any sorrow, misery or pain. There is a little remedy for small ills, but there is no absolute remedy for the fullness of sorrow in the world.
The trials are numerous,
The tribulations and efforts many,
The ailment persists;
Its disappearance alone is a medicine –
And the medicine is the name of God.
In other words, no efforts of man can fully remove sorrow from this world. The greatest healing balm is the name of god, which dispels all ailments of every kind – be the ailments physical, spiritual, or of the natural calamities of Nature. Then again, the sorrows which come from within the soul, the sorrows which come from association with others, the sorrows which come all of a sudden as if from another world – all vanish when God appears before man.
The little drop of dew which lies on a flower is water, but it is not sufficient to quench the thirst of man. More water is required. If the drop is sufficient to quench the thirst of a bird, then surely a larger amount of water must exist somewhere to quench the thirst of man. If small quantities are available for small thirst, surely large quantities must be available for large thirsts. If the petty desires of the flesh can be fulfilled by small things on the earth, then surely there must be Something which can fulfil the gr5eatest of all needs of man, and release him from the sorrow of the soul, and set the soul free from birth and death.
To the wounded souls, I give
The nectar of Life.
To the captives of sorrow, I give
Freedom.
A man had asked me why it was necessary to know God, and I told him that it was necessary to know God to satiate an inner thirst, just like it was necessary to drink water because of bodily thirst.
In reply to this, the man said: “All right, when I am thirsty I shall dig a well.”
I replied: “I shall not force you to dig a well even then. But I have not understood you. You say that you will dig a well when you are thirsty. I am surprised at this statement. Can a thirsty man be capable of digging a well?”
He was taken aback: “You are right. A thirsty man does not have the strength to dig a well. What must one do, therefore?’
I replied: “Go and dig a well when you are free of thirst, so that when the thirst comes, you may have the water which is necessary to quench it. Dig the well before the thirst comes.”
How can we set aside the experiences of Great Souls who have passed through insurmountable obstacles in order to know that Great Reality, and who have stated with a certainty and positiveness that HE IS? We cannot call their realization false, without any experiences of our own. There is one who says: “I HAVE SEEN HIM’, and there is another ho says: ‘I HAVE NOT’.
The truth is that mere theoretical knowledge is not sufficient to get at the root of any problem. Who can define the taste of the apple with words alone? It is necessary to eat the apple to find out its taste.
There is something which the heart o man seeks. There is something for which the soul is restless. There is something after which the entire world is running restlessly. There is no satisfaction in the world. And the heart of man is constantly on the search for happiness. Surely it must exist somewhere?
A drowning man cannot find air inside the water, because there is no air inside it. He cannot live without air. Therefore, air must be somewhere. It must exist to give the man life.
This life is a passing phase which goes no sooner than it comes. In search for Eternal Life, even a few moments of life are never spent, and nothing is gained. Man comes empty-handed into this world and he leaves empty-handed.
People ask for the proof of the existence of God. How can such a proof be given? For, without Him, neither he, who questions, nor he, who answers, can exist.
There is an intoxication in the wine. How can we give a proof of this intoxication? It is there, but it cannot be seen. It cannot be proved in the liquid form. It cannot be seen in the form of the cup. It cannot be felt in the bottle. But all know that “it is there”. A person who drinks the wine for the first time, does so only after learning of its taste from others. After drinking the wine, he experiences the intoxication. What is it like? Its proof cannot be given in the wine directly. Its existence can best be seen in the person who has drunk the wine. The proof of the existence of God is found in the purity of the human heart.
When thou hast made
Thy heart as clean as a mirror;
Thou shalt see in it
The reflection of thy Eternal Friend.
As far as arguments are concerned, the God of the wise man is present everywhere.
No matter where I look,
No matter what I see,
Everywhere it is he –
He and only He!
In my body, in my life,
Like a surging ocean,
Everywhere it is He,
And only He.
All that exists before your eyes is an ocean of existence. Existence conceals itself in the form of a multiplicity of shapes and forms, all of which are changeable. The Unchangeable exists in the background, like the gigantic screen on which a film is projected. The film cannot be seen without the screen. Similarly, the changeable world cannot be perceived without the Screen of that unchangeable Existence. The changeable veils the Unchangeable. And because even the changeable existence is an existence, it gives a proof of the Unchangeable existence. The Unchangeable Existence is like the meaning of a group of letters arranged to form a word. The letters of the word are visible, but the meaning is invisible. And, in this manner, the wise man can see his God everywhere at all times.
Suppose we have a string before us. Can we perceive God in that string? Can we say ”There is God here”? When one says: “God is everywhere and in everything”, one refers to the whole God, not just to a part of God. To say that “God is here, and God is there” is to mean the whole God being here as well as there. God is indivisible. We cannot say only a certain portion of God is in the string; we shall have to concede that God is in the string. Now break the string into tiny little bits and pieces. Then again, we shall have to say: “God is present in each and every piece of the string”. Break the little pieces into smaller pieces, reduce them to atoms and molecules, and even in them we shall have to admit a whole God – in each and every atom.
Reduce the string to an infinitesimally small point – that of nothingness, almost, - and you shall have to admit of a whole God in that point. Even after you have annihilated the string altogether and reduced it to nothingness, you shall have to admit of a whole God there. Therefore, that Reality is that, which is in everything, which is everywhere, and which is, in fact, everything itself.
All that is before is HE. In such a Proof, how can we seek another proof?
Thou art that Existence
Which stands not in need
Of my affirmation or denial.
The existence can neither be established by my affirmation, nor can it be eliminated by my denial. Thou art existing in Thyself. Thou art proved by Thyself.
To ask for the proof of the existence of God is like seeking the light a candle to reveal the Sun! You can see God in everything, or else you can say that everything is God. Such a God does not stand in need of a proof, for He is the proof of even the “proof”. If anyone denies the existence of God, he can be asked whether his denial is existent or non-existent. If his denial is existent, then the denial itself is a proof of the existence of God; and if the denial is non=existent, then the existence of God is unaffected, for it stands independently all by itself.
Existence is that which has neither a beginning nor an end. It is like a self-sustaining power. There is no need for any proof to establish its existence.
To. Lose oneself in the thought: ALL IS ONE, is to establish the existence of God, and to attain that bliss which comes only after realization. Just think over it for a moment. After arriving at this thought of oneness, nothing else need be attained. It is the thought of duality, of separateness, that causes conflict and pain, that creates temporary happiness and sorrow, it is this thought which sets the flower apart from the thorn, the good apart from the bad; it is this thought which brings in diversity; it is this thought which makes one leave one object and run after another.
When theoretical knowledge itself gives one the pleasure of drawing closer to truth, yhow much greater would be the pleasure derived from actual practical experience!
The ocean of infinite beauty
Is surging before us –
O what a sight is this!
The boat of my senses
Is being carried away
By its waves.
HE, Who is before us, is All Beauty ; HE gives salvation and bliss. All that is before us is like an
The first point on the circle separates itself from itself, and, then, after going around the circle, it returns to itself. From rest it goes towards motion, and after completing the motion, it returns to rest. And the circle is completed. It separates itself from itself and returns to itself. By creating a temporary separation, it takes the joy of union. After creating the Universe, HE absorbed it in HIMSELF.
A seed passes through numerous stages; it becomes a tree with leaves and flowers and fruits, and finally it appears as a seed again. One existence appears as many and then returns to its original state of Oneness. Human knowledge is created so that it may ultimately merge into the Knowledge of God. Human consciousness is created so that it may merge into God Consciousness. To recede from itself, and then to return to itself, that is the mystery of human life; and that is its ultimate aim. And therein lies the wise man’s God.
Then there is a form of God which is considered to be the Creator, the Protector and the Destroyer. If any proof of His existence is required, the creative forces, the preserving forces, and the destructive forces are at once cited as being ever present and thus being proof enough. The proof is evident all the time. The world is born, it is sustained by the laws of Nature, and it is destroyed. The entire Universe exhibits this phenomenon. Stars are created from the gas in space, they form into spherical shapes and shine, and are sustained by the gravitational and pressure forces within; they are ultimately destroyed by the nuclear processes at work within them. The human body is born, it is sustained by creation, which has provided it with marvellous powers of recuperation and sustenance, and it is ultimately destroyed. Everywhere around us, these powers are at play. Wild flowers grow out of the earth, they are sustained by the air, by sunlight and by the soil, all provided by Nature, and ultimately they fade away. The laws of creating, preserving and destroying are exhibited everywhere in the Universe around us. These three forces operate on the ocean of that Eternal Existence, like waves on its surface. The waves are never separate from the ocean.
In the beginning, the creative force was a Power called “BRAHMA”, the sustaining force was “Vishnu” and the destructive force “SHIVA”.
If someone thinks of a God who sits on a throne somewhere high up in the Heavens, then he has the right to think of God in that form. We must not belittle his belief. Every great light that appears before us comes from the Heavens, from the sky above us – the light of the sun, the light of the moon, the light of the stars. It is like the ruling power which reveals its face in a multitude of designations. There is the army, the police, the government ministries, the Prime Minister, and the President. And then again in some places there is the public and the King. In this way, one ruling power acquires many faces, many forms, from the humblest of its creatures to the highest of its personalities. There is Nature, and there is the Universe and there is God, the Supreme Ruling Power. And that Supreme Power may reside in any form anywhere. It may reside in the heights of the skies, in the Heavens, or in the lowliest of its creations. It may reside in the ocean of vastness consisting of space, matter, energy and time, in a concealed form. Or It may reside as a Monarch in a beautiful kingdom – call it the
God is the Life of the Universe,
And the Universe His body,
All this is Truth,
And the rest is all cant.
And now we come to the concept of the God of a BELIEVER – one who worships God, one who can be called a devotee of God. If people ask for the proof of his God, then the answer is easy. For, there cannot be a lover without a beloved. A lover does not ask for the proof of the existence of his beloved, because had there been no beloved, he would not have become a lover. The existence of love is sufficient proof. The believer acquires his devotion to God from God Himself.
I had no courage to burn in thee,
O Flame, it was thy beauty
That gave me this strength.
One need not ask for the proof of the existence of the God of the believers, for God is reflected in them like the moon is reflected in the eyes. They walk with God each and every step of their lives; they bow their heads before Him and believe in Him and worship Him. They give themselves up to Him and live in this world. And when they die, they take Him with them. If one really and truly wants a proof of the existence of God, one must meet these devotees of God; one must sit with them and observe all their actions in life. Their lives will reveal new facets which are not found in the lives of others. And this will go to show that they possess something that others do not possess; that they can pass through difficult phases in life without losing hope or courage, because of their faith in some Power, some God. They challenge sorrow, for the strength of their Eternal Friend is greater than the strength of sorrow, and, indeed, greater than the greatest strength.
If sorrow comes to wound them
And to draw blood;
The Protector’s Lance
Shall uproot the spectre
And cast it to the winds.
These believers have as much faith in the existence of their God, as do others in the existence of the world around them, or in their own existence. They do not question the existence of God, which exists in a stronger form in their minds than even their own existence; they think of Him within them in the form of LOVE. Prayers establish HIS existence for them
Prayers are an acknowledgement of one’s own helplessness and express a plea for freedom from sorrow. They are directed towards Someone. Prayers exist because HE IS. And He gives a proof of His existence by answering the prayers.
Though my face is illuminated
As if with the light of the Sun;
He has hidden Himself
In the radiance of His own Light.
O Thou Supreme Reality ! May Thou free all hearts from doubt! Give a proof of Thy Existence to the heart and soul of every person in this world. Thou canst be seen only in Thine own light. Thou canst be seen only if it be Thy Will to reveal Thyself. Hasten, therefore, O Supreme Creator, and come !
O what a joyous day will be the day
When thou shalt come of Thyself –
Without Thy Veil. In Thy Grandeur and Glory,
When Thou shalt come into my dwelling place.
How canst we find Thee
In the arguments of Philosophy?
The string is being unraveled
But its end is not in sight;
How canst we find Thee, O Greatness!
When we canst not even find ourselves
Within the jungle of our bodies.
But even though the fowl of the air know that they cannot reach the limits of the sky, they must fly upward and upward. No matter what form our thoughts may take, in a genuine search, sooner or later they are bound to bear fruit.
Enough ! I have seen enough,
Of this magic play of
Shapes and forms of limitation;
Come, now, and change the restless drop
To an Ocean !
Unveil Thy Veil Thyself !
Reveal Thou Thyself
From within Thy Mask;
We swear by the innocents –
Come and change the face
Of human existence !
Take mankind away from its instincts of selfishness and fill it with the Beauty of Thy Love. Change this world into a world of Love, and reveal Thyself in that form.
And with these last words, this book draws to an end. May all be led to that Eternal Path of Peace. That is my only prayer.
Alas ! The cups stand empty today,
The older lovers are now no more;
They who knew of Thy Secrets,
Are leaving this world,
One by one –
O, Eternal Saki !
Let Thy wine of Eternal Life
Bring them back to life again,
And let Death in repose lie, for ever,
In the arms of Death.
‘NATH’
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