Posted on: 04 Oct 2006
[Message on Dasara, Day-3] Today,the most important concept is to be analyzed. One will certainly reach heaven by doing social service, which is only a temporary place. One has to return to earth and again take the risk as per the Gita. But, the abode of God is permanent and if one attains this divine abode, one will not return in a normal human birth. Such a divine soul is liberated and comes to earth as a human incarnation along with the Lord. The same social service can be done as a secondary activity, keeping the preaching of spiritual knowledge and devotion as the primary activity. Such divine service includes the social service. But, the social service alone does not include the divine service. Heaven (Svarga Loka) is the third upper world on the path to the abode of God, which is the seventh upper world (Satya Loka). If you travel towards the seventh world, you can make a break in the journey and visit heaven for sometime, since you have a ticket up to the abode of God. But, if you have a ticket only up to heaven, you cannot travel up to the abode of God. Social service is just like a hostel feeding boys and girls without giving them any education. If you run a college giving them education as the primary activity and hostel accommodation as the secondary activity, then the entire activity taken together can be called as college (education) and not hostel (mere accommodation).
In divine service, devotees are served. In this world, there is a large majority of devotees. Thus, a large part of society is served. Only atheists remain. They should be also helped to achieve their basic needs. There is a chance that they may become theists when they are settled in their lives. Perhaps, the stress caused in earning their basic needs made them turn into atheists. Only a peaceful mind can digest spiritual knowledge. But, even for them, you must give the basic needs and then preach philosophy. God often helps the devotees with a view that when worldly worries are removed, they will travel on the spiritual path. Even after receiving help frequently from God, if the devotee does not change and continuously depends on the help, God becomes silent to that devotee’s prayers and condemns him/her. There is a limit for patience in hoping for the possibility of change.
Mahishasura is a he-buffalo. This animal is of a soft nature and is not cruel like a tiger or lion. A blind person, who follows tradition without analysis can be compared to this animal. Such a blind ignorant fellow without intelligence to analyze the truth is often scolded by calling him by the name of this animal. A tiger or lion is a cruel animal but is in the service of Goddess Durga [Durga is shown riding a tiger or a lion]. Even such a cruel animal is honored since it is in the service of God. The silent and peaceful animal like a he-buffalo is condemned [Mahishasura, the buffalo-demon was killed by Goddess Durga].
The message from this story is very important. A person, who is always interested in himself and his family and goes on earning without any trace of spiritual knowledge, represents the climax of ignorance like the he-buffalo. The he-buffalo is always interested in eating grass and is employed in routine mechanical worldly work [he-buffaloes are made to pull heavy burdens like bullocks]. This indicates that such a fellow will be born as a bullock or a buffalo which is always employed in routine work and constant earning of food. You find such people frequently in this world. They are constantly engaged in work and they keep propagating that work is worship. We agree that work is worship provided the work is confined to earning the basic needs of life. Beyond that, work is not worship but is a sin. Beyond such work done for one’s livelihood, worship to God is to be followed.
Thus, work and worship are correct [a balance of both]. You can find the other extreme of people who say that worship is work. They do not earn their livelihood by any separate work. They like to earn their livelihood only through worship. Both these extremes are wrong and the middle golden path of Aristotle is correct. In the concept of work and worship, work is done only to earn one’s livelihood. That much work is essential to maintain the body, which is required even to do any worship. In fact, such work is a part and parcel of the worship. Hence, such a devotee is doing worship alone [even when he is working to earn his livelihood].
Remember that the word worship always means practical devotion (service by the sacrifice of work or the fruit of work) and not theoretical devotion like meditation, prayers, songs etc. Knowledge can come under this theoretical devotion. Though it appears as theoretical devotion, it has a separate status (Jnana Yoga is separated from Bhakti Yoga) because without the knowledge, both devotion and service are impossible. Of course, if the knowledge does not end in service through the devotion, such knowledge again comes under useless theoretical devotion. Knowledge, devotion and service are the three consequent steps to please God. If service (which can be called as practical devotion) is not done, the knowledge and devotion are only theoretical and useless. We find great scholars of divine knowledge and great devotees without the aspect of sacrifice of service. Such theoretical scholars and devotees are useless and do not achieve even a trace of the grace of God. Such scholars can be useful in preaching to the public and such devotees, who are good actors in expressions and singing can be used as actors in devotional cinemas.
A boy saw a movie called ‘Bhakta Prahlada’ and was greatly inspired by it. He became a saint after living in a cave without food (Bala Yogi in Andhra Pradesh, India). But, the girl, who acted as Prahlada in that movie, became a great actress in the cinemas and earned a lot of money. Such unfortunate preachers and devotee-actors are mocked by the Veda as animals of angels (Devanam pashuh). Such unfortunate souls are meant only for serving others and cannot enjoy the result. An animal like a bullock cultivates the land through hard work. The fruits of the crop (grains) are taken by the farmer and the useless grass is given to the bullock. The bullock even carries the grains from the field to the house of farmer as a vehicle. The film actress, who acted as Bhakta Prahlada, is like such a bullock and all the money earned by her is like the useless grass. The boy, who sat in the cave in the meditation of God, is like the farmer, who got the fruits of the crop.
Prostitute and Merchant type of Devotion
Majority accepts the existence of God. But, God is unimaginable. A form is required to pray, to praise or meditate upon God. Prayer, praise and meditation are theoretical devotion, which are the preliminary step. When you love a girl with mind and express love for her by sweet words, it is all just the theoretical phase. She may be trapped by you to fulfill your desire by such theoretical love but your love is that of a prostitute [insincere love]. You will avoid marriage, which is practical love. Married life involves continuous service to her in the form of sacrifice of wealth and work. Sometimes, if she is bedridden by a life long disease, you have to continue your service without aspiring for any fruit in return from her. Instead of all this risk, you may spend a little money on her for fulfilling your momentary desire. In that case, you are a merchant investing something for profit. Your behavior to God is also similar to these two (prostitute and merchant). Both these are called as Veshya Bhakti and Vaishya Bhakti respectively. Some want to fulfill their desires just by expression of love (mind) and words (prayers or songs) like a prostitute. Some are prepared to spend a little temporarily for God apart from theoretical devotion, to fulfill their desires like a merchant. They treat God as a prostitute and make business by paying some amount in worship for fulfilling their desires. They all forget that God can never be trapped by any soul. Some want only enjoyment from the girl but not any dowry. Similarly, some want only bliss from God and not any materialistic benefit. Some are exactly the opposite since they want to fulfill their materialistic desires by loving a rich girl. Such people are not bothered about the form of the girl. Similarly, some people love God for His superpowers, which are used to satisfy their worldly desires. They are not bothered about God whether He has form or no form or any form.
A few people love the girl not for their selfish enjoyment and not for her wealth. They really love the girl and the aim of their love is the happiness of the girl. Such lovers have no reason for their love and are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of the happiness of the girl. Similarly, a very few devotees love God not for bliss and not for using His superpowers to solve their problems. The love of such rare devotee is reasonless and real. Their aim is the pleasure of God and not their own pleasure. Such a person loves the girl in a one-way traffic and is ready to sacrifice even his life to please the girl. Similarly, some blessed soul loves God in a one-way traffic and is ready to sacrifice even his life to please God. I have given this simile to you because all of you are very good scholars of cinemas and you will understand the concept through a simile which is very familiar to you.
Thus, knowledge, love (devotion) and service to God can thus be found either in the selfish path or in the selfless path. The first path is called as ‘Preyas’ and the second one is called as ‘Shreyas’ as per the Veda. In both the paths, all the three (Jnana, Bhakti and Seva) exist as the common components. Even in loving a girl with selfish motive or with selfless real love, all these three steps are inevitable. Getting the details [knowledge] of the girl (Jnana), developing interest in her (Bhakti) and serving her temporarily or permanently (Seva) are the sequential steps in both path (selfish or selfless).