Posted on: 02 Oct 2006
[Message on Dasara, Day-1] Goddess Durga fought with the demon called Mahishasura for ten days and got victory on the tenth day. Durga means protection. This protection has very little significance as far as the problems in this world are concerned. People do not realize the insignificance of these worldly problems because they have not witnessed the greatest problem, which is faced at the time of the death before going to hell. Unfortunately, this greatest problem is visualized at the exact moment of death when the person is unable to even express his feelings on seeing the messengers from hell. A line appears small only when a bigger line is present next to it. If the soul could witness the last scene during this life time itself, then a comparison could be made through the concept of relativity. When the bigger line is not seen, the smaller line itself looks big. In fact, that last scene is the biggest line! Scriptural knowledge has no value unless one experiences. The knowledge achieved by experience is like the signature of the official and the scriptural knowledge is like the stamp-seal below it. The stamp-seal has no importance if the signature is absent. The signature alone without the stamp-seal is valid. When the experience is obtained and the scriptural knowledge is simultaneously correlated, the person gets full belief like seeing the signature along with the stamp-seal.
Preachers today are stressing only on the relief of worldly stress. The preacher should not stop at this point. He should impress on the minds of disciples regarding the greatest stress that is to be received at the time of death and afterwards. The solution for removing worldly stress is the attainment of the self (Atma Yoga). This solution is also not real because it does not solve worldly problems. It only gives you detachment like a sleeping tablet. Even in this field of Atma Yoga, if you want a solution for your problem so that you will be relieved from stress through the solution alone, God has to be introduced (Brahma Yoga). Both the introduction of the self and the Superself (God) come under the topic of Jnana Yoga. People misunderstand that Jnana Yoga means only self-attainment. Jnana Yoga means the attainment of something by knowing its details [obtaining knowledge]. When Rukmini got the details [information] of Krishna from Sage Narada, it was Jnana Yoga. In fact, in self attainment, there is no real attainment. Will you say that you have reached yourself after a journey? Attainment means getting something other than yourself by some effort for which the details [information] of that thing are needed. Such details are called as Jnana Yoga. Therefore, even in the path of attainment of the Superself by devotion (Bhakti), knowledge (Jnana) is essential. Even in Atma Yoga, if one is very much interested in self-attainment, such intensive interest is self-devotion. Thus, Jnana and Bhakti are not two different paths. Both these are components of each path. The two paths are:
1) Attainment of Self
2) Attainment of Superself
The details of self (Jnana), deep interest (Bhakti) for the self and self service (like eating food oneself in the name of offering to God) are the three components of the first path. The details of God, deep interest for God and service to God (like offering food to God in human form or to His best devotees) are the same corresponding components of the second path. Hence, the quarrel between the followers of knowledge and devotion is meaningless because they have not cared to analyze the facts.
Therefore, the word Durga indicates the power that protects you by solving your worldly problems (not by giving a sleeping tablet like Atma Yoga). The possessor of such power is God. When you worship Durga, you must feel that Durga is not simply the power but God, who is the possessor of that power in a female human body. A human incarnation means God in a human body, which may be male or female. If you are interested only in the power, you are like a politician who serves the person in power. He worships the possessor of power just for the sake of utilizing the power. If the person loses his power, the politician will not care for him. Thus, the cult of Shakteya is like the cult of politicians. Durga is not only the savior from these small worldly problems for which your self-effort is sufficient. When you have problems related to your family members, you become weak and lose energy. A weak person can neither think about the correct solution of the problem nor can he put any effort to solve the problem. Why does the person become weak and lose energy? The reason for losing energy is excitement and tension. What is the reason for this excitement and tension? The only reason is your attachment to your family members who have problems. Due to your attachment, you get excited and your energy is lost. You become weak and cannot solve your problem.
Therefore, you approach God to solve the problem. How foolish is this situation? You have sufficient energy to solve your problem. But, you have lost your energy due to attachment. In such a state, your concentration is only on the power, which solves that problem. In that state, you worship the possessor of the power to utilize the power for your solution; like a politician worshipping the chief minister. In fact, worship of God is not necessary to solve any worldly problem. Even atheists are happy by solving their own worldly problems. The grace of God is very much required only in the upper world. The state of a devotee using the grace of God only for the upper world and solving the worldly problems by self-effort is certainly a higher level. The highest level is that in which one does not aspire for the grace of God even in the upper world. He serves God to please God and not for getting any help from God. These two higher and highest levels are possible only when you are completely detached from all worldly bonds and avoid tension. Such detachment comes only by the grace of God. Using God’s grace for solving your worldly problems, which can be easily solved by you, is a low state. Preserving the grace of God for use in the upper world and solving worldly problems by self-effort is the middle state. Aspiring only for the pleasure of God and not aspiring for the grace of God here or in the upper world is the highest state. If you are in the highest state, you will become the family member of God, called as the liberated soul. For such a liberated soul, God gives protection here and there [upper world] even though it is not aspired for by the liberated soul.
Attachment is the Cause for Tensions
Detachment from the worldly bonds is the main reason for the success in your worldly efforts. Attachment to family members brings tension when they face a problem. By this tension, your mind has no strength to think about the solution. Even if somebody gives the solution, you have no energy to put effort in solving the problem practically. Suppose your neighbors had the same problem, you can readily give them solutions and also help them by solving the problem through your practical effort and you are not at all strained in that effort. What is the reason? The only reason is that in the case of neighbors, you are not attached to them and hence, there is no tension. Therefore, you are energetic to solve their problem but not the problem of your family.
The philosophy of Lord Datta is to cut your worldly bonds (Dattam Chinnam). When you get detachment from your family, you can help them effectively. Now you must know whether Datta is helping your family or harming your family. When you are attached to your family, your attachment to God is not real, because real attachment requires a single direction (Eka Bhaktih—Gita). Generally, people get attached to their wives or husbands and their children. The other attachments are not as strong as the attachment to your limited family. If your family is replaced by God, your attachment to your family becomes weak and sometimes nil. As your bond to your family becomes weaker and weaker, the bond of God to your family becomes stronger and stronger. When your bond with your family becomes nil, your family looks like any other unrelated family in the world. In such a case, you can help them very easily without any tension. Then even God helps your family to His best. God will take your responsibility on His shoulders. Your family is now fully protected by God. If you are confined only to the detachment from your family without any attachment to God, your effort to solve their problems succeeds generally if divine factors do not hinder. But, if your detachment to family ends in the attachment to God, even the divine factors do not hinder the solution. Therefore, mere detachment is effective but the detachment resulting in the attachment to God is more effective.
Real love lies in the welfare of your family. If you really love them, you must withdraw yourself from their love so that they are fully protected by God through your single attachment to God. If you are attached to your family, your love for them is not real because their welfare is not secured.