Posted on: 09 Feb 2005
Gayathri:
Oh Swami! I have one question, why not we do duties to our children?
At the same time we shall have all our devotion to the Lord only.
Swami:
Your suggestion is quite sounding very well to the ears,
But you will find the reality only when you analyse the concept.
One thing we should remember, we should not bring down the sky
To our level since we are standing on the ground and since
We are unable to fly to the height of the sky, let us agree the truth.
It is true that the sky is the goal and it is true that we are on the ground.
This will make us to start our journey, one day or the other you will reach sky.
You have to be in the constant effort, God will give you many human rebirths
Till you reach the goal, but one condition, you should not stop at any stage.
When you are doing the duty it is love expressed in action, it is proven love.
It is far greater than the love through words and through mind and therefore
You love is ninety nine percent on your children and one percent on Lord.
The Lord is not at all equal even to your children and just you have thrown
One paisa on the face of the Lord treating Him as a beggar for your love.
At the same time you are posing that all your love is on the Lord.
It is just the reverse in practice and everything is only the mind and words.
The proven love consists of sacrifice of five items to the Lord.
The first three items are by the expression of love through words, mind, and brain.
Through words people sing devotional songs and the emotional devotion flows
Through the mind, through the brain scholars discuss the nature of the Lord.
These three constitute the theoretical phase, which has a value of one paisa only.
It is just like sacrificing drinking water supplied by the municipality freely.
Similarly, these three are already supplied to you by the Lord freely without any
Effort or strain by you, Indians are very famous in sacrificing these three items.
The fantastic fun is that people sacrifice these three items to the Lord and
Ask some practical fruit for the sacrifice of these three theoretical items!
The other two items are practical and their value is ninety-nine paise.
Those two items are sacrifice of work and sacrifice of fruit of work
In this sacrifice of these two items only lies the entire real sacrifice.
This alone is the proven love, don’t argue that this is impossible for you.
You are doing the sacrifice of these two items sincerely to your children.
Therefore, you are having real proven love on your children only.
The sacrifice of the first three items is not done in the case of your children.
That means the sacrifice of these first three items is false dramatic love.
The word duty, which you just uttered, constitutes the last two items only,
Which are the sacrifice of work and sacrifice of fruit of work.
Therefore what is the meaning of your statement that resulted finally?
You will sacrifice the false love to the Lord and the real love to your children.
You designate the false love as the real whole love, which is dedication of mind.
Now you say that you have dedicated your entire mind to the Lord only!
Fantastic! And you say that you are simply doing duty to your children!
Which is nothing but the real love! How clever you are! You can fool
Any human being in this world but not the Lord, who is omniscient.
Oh Gayathri! Let us stick to the truth only at least before the Lord.
Let us accept frankly our inability to sacrifice all the five items.
Let us pray the Lord to help us in reaching the sky and let us accept
That we are on the ground only, no need of any false prestige before the Lord.
The Lord is always pleased when we accept and speak the truth before Him
The first three items constitute the drinking water supplied to you freely.
Do not ask any practical fruit for the sacrifice of those three items.
Even in a commercial hotel, they do not charge for the supply of water.
The other two items constitute the actual plate of meals, which represent
The real sacrifice, since these two items are from your hard work only.
For the sacrifice of these two items you can ask for the practical fruit.
But remember that the Lord will pay the exact fare of your plate of meals.
Here also don’t be over ambitious, you supply a plate of meals and ask
For one lakh of rupees! Ask for the equivalent justified normal rate.
It shall be paid to you if you ask the justified rate for your meals.
If you ask too much, the Lord will look at you with a hatred look
And will pay you the exact fare only, don’t have poor impression
In His heart, next time even if you offer the plate of meals, He will refuse.
You have lost the chance of minimum business also with the Lord.
Remember one thing that when you provide plate of meals to the Lord,
You have to supply drinking water also, though it does not cost anything.
When the eater requires some water during eating food, will you say
“What is there in the water which has no value? Eat this sweet.”
Similarly some people do the sacrifice of work and fruit of work sincerely.
They feel that they have purchased the Lord by their sacrifice.
They never love, they never sing devotional songs, and they never discuss
The divine nature of the Lord, because they neglect the valueless water.
I told you not to give simply water to the guest and avoid the meals.
In this context only I criticized the donation of water, don’t extend this
When you offer the plate of the meals to the guest and simply give him food
Without the drinking water, that will be utter foolishness of you.
Feeding the guest is complete only when the meals are given with water.
After all, ninety-nine paise cannot constitute the full one rupee.
In fact, I pity such people because they donate ninety-nine paise
But become lazy to donate that one paisa from their pocket.
The one paisa left over in the pocket cannot be used at all for any purchase.
The Gita said that one has to reach and please the Lord by crossing the duties.
“Sarva dharman parityajya”, here the word dharma means the duty.
The duty constitutes the real love, if what you said is acceptable and correct
Shankara could have stayed with his mother doing his duty by serving her
And he could have said that all his real love is only the Lord and that
He is doing just his duty as her son; Love is the basis of the duty,
Where the duty lies, there only the real love lies, it is the real proof.
Gayathri:
Oh Swami! You have explained the point in a real way through analysis.
I have understood the truth but duty to the children is inevitable for anyone.
Swami:
I agree with your statement but I cannot bring down the number of the marks
Awarded to grant the distinction for a student from seventy to forty,
Because the student says that it is very difficult to score seventy marks,
Since the attraction towards cinemas is inevitable for every student
And therefore it is impossible to score seventy marks for any student
And therefore the distinction should be given even if a student scores forty.
In a year no student might have got the distinction in the entire college.
Still the marks to be obtained for a distinction remain seventy only.
Today you are reaching the sky by the aeroplane, which was not present
In the olden days and therefore you did not say that since the plane was absent, The sky should have come down to the ground, standards cannot be changed.
You have to raise your standard day by day; there is no alternative way.
Priyanka:
But, don’t be so rigid, Oh Swami! Show some concession in this matter.
I am a student and therefore I know the difficulties faced by students practically.
Swami:
Priyanka! Certainly I will show some concession in this matter,
But I cannot reduce even one mark for the distinction to be given.
I cannot bring down the sky even by an inch, it is impossible.
I can suggest a better way than the existing state, no doubt.
If forty marks constitute a mere third class or just a pass,
I can give second class if one obtains fifty marks in the test.
This better way is that one can convert his family to devotees and then
Serve the family not in the angle of the family related by blood,
But serve the family in the angle that the family constitutes the devotees.
You can serve the Lord in the human form, which is the best distinction.
If you serve the family in the angle of simple blood relationship,
It is just a pass or a third class; of course, it is not a failure at all.
The fellow who forgets his duty to serve his family and goes out
Serving other fellow human beings is a failure in the test.
Some people think themselves great in leaving their families
And serve the outsiders claiming the great social service.
Such people are total failures in the spiritual line because
Your house itself is a part of society and your family members are also
The human beings, who constitute this entire society.
Sacrifice of family for the sake of social service is foolishness.
Therefore a fellow who serves his family is doing at least his social duty.
Manasa:
Oh Swami! The family members have become real devotees of the Lord
Then the service to a devotee is as good as serving the Lord
Why don’t you sanction the distinction to this also instead of second class?
I am also a student like my elder sister Priyanka. Please understand our problem.
Swami:
You are correct if all the family members are really converted into real devotees.
Certainly service to them is commendable from the angle of those devotees.
But from the angle of the person who serves those devotees, the concept changes,
The question is whether the father or mother is serving his or her children
Really as devotees or as children under the mask of the devotees.
From the angle of the children, they fully deserve the service from the parents.
I am not criticising the children if they are really converted into devotees
But I am criticising the angle of the parents in which they serve.
Lord Datta will test them about their angle that is claimed.
The test is if an outsider who is not related by blood comes to your house,
The outsider is equally devoted to the Lord like your children-devotees.
Now will the parents serve that outsider-devotee also in the same way?
If the parents can pass this test, distinction shall be granted to them also,
Even if they are serving their own children staying in their house.
In fact, if any one serves a real devotee, the Lord is more pleased
And therefore the parents shall be given a super distinction.
Nobody in this creation can escape the shrewd analysis of Lord Datta.
The divine enquiry is always done with perfect truth and justice.
No distortion or misinterpretation of the constitution can take place,
Since no advocates are employed here, the omniscient Lord Himself analyses
The entire case in all angles in a fraction of a second, no worry of injustice.
Jesus told that He came with the sword, which means the sharp analysis.
Prasad:
Swami! I have a small doubt in this matter, please answer me.
When you expose the total truth, the beginners will be certainly discouraged.
Swami:
Your assumption is correct and there is no doubt in your doubt.
But don’t you see another possibility in your proposed point?
The person standing on the first step may be discouraged
And may turn back to the ground on seeing the final hundredth step.
This is one possibility based on which your doubt was shot up.
But the another possibility is that the person standing on the first step
May climb with fast speed because he has to reach the hundredth step
Before the short human life finishes, then this knowledge acts in positive way.
You are taking only the person in the negative way always.
Anyway if the person steps back to the ground, getting discouraged,
He will never climb up and there is no use of knowledge in his case.
The method of a teacher is always aimed at the positive side
And the teacher is always hopeful of reaching the highest goal.
Even if you show tenth step to the beginner and say that the tenth step
Is the hundredth step, then also the maximum step he can reach is tenth only.
Now you may say that he has not reached even the tenth step
Because he has seen the hundredth step and thus even that little progress
Does not exist in his case and so he could not even reach the tenth step.
If you say this argument, it is not correct because you have forgotten
One main point that is the pass mark is only forty and not even thirty-nine.
What is the use of getting any number of marks below the forty?
Before the human birth is completed he must climb the hundredth step.
In the final examination he must get the forty marks to qualify himself.
In the spiritual effort before the human birth comes to end,
You may climb the tenth step, but by the time the human birth ends,
You must reach the ultimate goal, for; the human rebirth is very rare.
You may get below forty in the unit tests before the final test comes,
But in the final test you have to get minimum forty marks invariably.
Therefore the student must know the pass percentage as forty
Even in the beginning of the year and before writing the unit tests also.
It is not a discouraging factor for a beginner but a warning given
To the student in the beginning itself about which he must be careful.
Sharma:
Who is actually getting the human rebirth? I would like to know
The actual point that gives the hum rebirth, Swami! Kindly explain
I may not go to higher or highest levels in the spiritual journey but
I should have a minimum guarantee of human birth so that at least
I shall be careful about that point in every human birth, since if
The human birth is assured, I will slowly follow other spiritual points.
Swami:
You have asked a very important question because if you get
At least the human rebirth you can think of other points in the path
That facilitates you to reach higher and even highest level slowly.
If you get a rebirth as an animal or a bird, the spiritual progress is
Blocked completely since birds and animals cannot analyse knowledge.
I am giving the straight answer to your question, be ready to receive.
The only point that can give you the human rebirth to you is
That you should approach and serve the present human incarnation.
The intensity in your service will decide the higher and highest levels.
The Gita says “Yanti mat yajinopi mam” which means that if the devotee worships
The human form, he shall get the human birth once again.
The Gita says that one gets the birth of that form which he likes and worships
That form as the Lord “Ye yathamaam prapadyante”, it is also said
“Yatbhavam tatbhavati” which means that whatever you like much
That you shall obtain, when you like a particular item in the creation
To the climax, you will treat it as God because you like God also
To the climax, climax being common this concept is quite logical.
If one worships God as the inert energy like light or fire, he will be
The light or fire in the next birth, if one worships God as formless,
He will be born as the formless space or to say that he will be nothing.
The Gita says “Bhutejyah yanti bhutani” which means that he who worships
The inert objects shall be born as an inert object like stone.
In this verse people say that the word Bhuta means ghost.
That meaning is also acceptable and we can say that he who worships,
Ghosts shall become the ghost, the general concept is not damaged.
The general concept is that one becomes that which he likes and worships.
You cannot deny the meaning of inert element for the word Bhuta.
The word Pancha Bhuta means the five inert elements, in fact
In the entire the Gita the word Bhuta is used only to mean the inert five elements.
I am not contradicting your version also as it supports the general concept.
But you cannot oppose the meaning I have taken for the word Bhuta here,
Especially when the word is used in my meaning in the entire the Gita.
Even if you say that the word means a living being, no problem then also
A devotee who worships a plant shall become the plant and a devotee
Who worships a bird shall become a bird and a devotee who worships
An animal shall become an animal and he who worships a human form shall
Become the human being; therefore the concept is very clear in this context.
Lakshman:
But how there are different cadres in the human beings? because
All should have same level of human birth as all of them have worshipped
The very same human incarnation to get the human rebirth
Swami:
Understand the concept what I have told carefully because what I said is
That one becomes that form which he liked the most, liking leads to service.
If one liked the human form, he may serve all the human beings as an atheist,
There is no element of God in his social service and he is also born as
The human being only but he will be in the lowest cadre of the human beings.
The person who served all the human beings as the various forms of God
Will be born in a better cadre in this humanity only present on this earth.
Some other person serves all the human beings as the representative models of
God only and not directly as God is born in a still better cadre in this humanity.
All these three types of people are born as human beings on this earth only.
And they can never cross the earth because all these three types of people could
Not conquer their egoism and jealousy, the lowest cadre have very high egoism
And jealousy and therefore they are called as demons, the second better cadre
Has lesser egoism and jealousy whereas the third still better cadre has least
Egoism and jealousy and they are the middle layer called as human beings.
The highest cadre in the humanity consists of people who have completely
Conquered their jealousy and egoism and therefore recognised the Lord
Who came in a human body called as human incarnation on this earth.
These highest devotees are called as angels and will cross the earth
To get the upper worlds according to the intensity present in their services.
The highest devotee with highest intensity in the services shall go to Brahmaloka.
For the lowest cadre atheists, there is no trace of possibility to cross this earth.
These atheists are interested in the service of humanity only and no element of God
Exists in these people, they get the human rebirth for some time only because
The Lord tries again and again to transform the atheists also into devotees.
When there is no trace of hope of transformation, these atheists shall be thrown
Into the permanent hell here as well as there in the form of animals because
Animals are serving the humanity without any sense of devotion to God.
It is highly rare that a human being can recognise the human incarnation,
Because of the general jealousy and egoism causing repulsion of likes.
Hanuman took the birth of monkey and worshipped the human incarnation.
But Arjuna as a human being could not realise Krishna completely.
The only human being that completely recognised the human incarnation,
The only exception is Radha who is made Queen of highest Goloka.
Worship of inert statues with a sense of representative model worship
Is welcome for the beginners because every monkey is not Hanuman.
Lord Shiva came in the form of one monkey only called as Hanuman.
Since Hanuman is not available, one can worship a monkey as a model
Representing Hanuman but he should not consider that monkey as Hanuman.
Human birth really means the human being who has the rarest opportunity
To serve the human incarnation and reach His highest eternal abode.
Otherwise other human beings who cannot cross the earth can be treated as
Human beings externally but they are birds and animals internally.
With reference to such highest rarest human birth only, it is said
That there is no human rebirth as we can observe in other religions.
There is only one opportunity to meet the human incarnation and understand
That human incarnation as the Lord, Jambavan did not recognise Rama
But he recognised the Lord in human form when he fought with Krishna,
Since he could not recognise Rama he invited Him for a fight and his desire
Was fulfilled by Krishna, then only he recognised Krishna as Lord.
Once you recognised the human incarnation as Lord and still neglect
No further chance will be given to you in future to have human rebirth.