B. WHAT IS LIBERATION?
Self-realisation is the realisation of that God who shines within the chambers of your spiritual heart as the very essence of your being, as your own true, essential, real Self, your eternal, divine identity—beyond this temporary, passing, changeful human identity which is only a seeming, relative reality. Your real identity is covered over by aspects of this temporary reality. And, no matter in what aspect this temporary reality is present as a covering hiding your true identity, it has to be gradually set aside, eliminated, transcended.
It may be present in a very dire, undesirable aspect. It may be present in an unavoidable aspect which is neither dire nor desirable. Or it may be a sublime aspect. But, nevertheless, as the great philosopher stated: “A cage is a cage whether it is made of iron or silver or gold.” Even a golden cage denies freedom; therefore, it must go. It may be more beautiful and valuable than an iron cage, but it serves the same function. Therefore, one day our attachment to that also must go. It is either one hundred per cent or nothing.
21. WHAT IS BONDAGE? WHAT IS LIBERATION?
The goal of all religious life is said to be salvation, liberation, illumination, which means that until that is attained people are still not enlightened. They are unenlightened; their life is not illumined. Their life is still being lived in darkness. The very fact that the objective of religious life is to attain enlightenment or bodhi, the very fact that religions are said to help people to attain illumination, emancipation and liberation, automatically implies that in their present state they are in a state of bondage, not liberation, not emancipation. Until he is emancipated, a slave is in bondage. Until a person is enlightened, he is in a state of slumber, of darkness, of non-enlightenment.
What is this enlightenment? What is this state of darkness that seems to be binding all human beings and that needs to be removed so that they may attain awakening? Unless you diagnose the disease, how can you prescribe a cure?
St. Francis of Assisi ends his world-famous prayer with the words: “And it is in dying to the little self that we are born to eternal life.” Another mystic said: “Then shall I be free, when ‘I’ shall cease to be.” So, the essence of darkness, of bondage, of ignorance, of slumber, would seem to be the feeling that one is a certain specific individual with a name and form, a date of birth, a height and weight, with a certain personality and an ego. And, they say, until that is got rid of, emancipation, liberation is a far cry.
Guru Maharaj himself said: “Kill this little ‘I’. Die to live. Lead the divine life. Within you is hidden God; within you is Immortal Soul; within you is ocean of bliss; within you is fountain of joy.” All this we are not able to perceive. Hidden God we are not able to perceive. Immortal Soul we are not aware of. Bliss and joy is far off; we are always morose, dejected, depressed—all sorts of moods are there, but not joy and bliss. Why?
Gurudev says that you are not experiencing the hidden God, the Immortal Soul, the fountain of joy, the ocean of bliss because you are so much preoccupied with this little “I”, so much involved, completely entangled, overpowered, overwhelmed, and obscured by and wrapped up with this little “I”. It is like a fire that is completely obscured by thick, black smoke. The shining fire within cannot be seen; we only see the smoke, the darkness.
Thus Gurudev says that due to so much preoccupation with the little “I”, you are not able to see the bliss, the joy, the hidden God. So, what is the way? “Kill this little ‘I’.” How to kill this little “I”? Lead the divine life. So, in a nutshell, both the problem and the solution have been given by Gurudev. You are not able to see the ever-present Reality because of this little “I”. Therefore, to see and experience the ever-present Reality and be full of bliss, you have to remove the little “I”. And the way of killing the little “I” is to lead the divine life.
And the great sage Veda Vyasa who dominates the entire scene of ancient Indian religious and spiritual history like a great colossus said: “I will tell you in brief the heart of the spiritual problem of the individual soul. I will tell you the secret. Two words imply bondage and two words imply liberation. The two words that imply bondage are ‘I’ and ‘mine.’ And the two words that imply liberation are ‘not-I’ and ‘not-mine.’”
“Is deh ko maim manna yah sabse bada pap hai. Sab pap iske putra haim. Sab pap ka yah bap hai (Thinking the body as ‘I’ is the greatest sin, and all other sins are its children. It is the father of all other sins).” As long as our nature—our mind, thoughts, inner consciousness, our awareness of ourselves—is characterised by this “I”, dominated by this “I”, especially if the “I” happens to be tamasic and rajasic—self-assertive, aggressive, violent, exploitive, harbouring likes and dislikes and having guile, deceit, crookedness, dishonesty, falsehood, and a scheming nature—then such a life is spiritual death.
That is why the ancients said: “From such a death, O Lord, take us unto Immortality. Mrityor ma amritam gamaya (From mortality lead us to Immortality).” This could not be with reference to the body, because the body is not going to be immortal. No scripture ever says that this body has anything to do with immortality. Rather: “Dust thou art and to dust thou returnest.” Therefore, immortality has never been affirmed in relation to the body.
What then is the mortality that is being referred to? It is from the mortality of the ego-ridden life, which actually constitutes spiritual death. When there is no awareness of God, when the ego dominates and rules the inner consciousness, the antahkarana, then we are in a state of spiritual death. We are not living. Even though the body may be functioning, the mind may be active and biologically we may be declared to be very much alive, in perfect health, nevertheless, we are spiritually dead.
“Remembrance of God is life. Forgetfulness of God is death.” In the same way, awareness of our immortal spiritual nature is life, non-awareness or forgetfulness of our divine nature is verily spiritual death. And it is from such a death that the ancient Vedic prayer goes up to the Divine: “From such spiritual death, lead us unto Immortality, the immortality of Divine-consciousness, God-experience, God-consciouness.”
That, therefore, is the great prayer. The inner content of this prayer is to liberate us from this ego and selfishness. Because where there is ego there is selfishness, self-centred living, self-assertiveness, a tendency to have scant respect for other people’s feelings and sentiments, other people’s self-respect. These things are natural corollaries of ego, selfishness, a self-centred life, a self-seeking life. This is the trap. This is maya; this is samsara; this is prapancha; this is the bondage in which we are caught. And so, liberation commences with this clear perception, with this very clear realisation, recognition.
Therefore, at this moment, in this stage, what is death and what is immortality? What is bondage and what is liberation? What is asat and what is sat? What is passing unreality and what is truth? The passing unreality is regarding ourselves to be little, ego-characterised human personalities. That is unreality. And to rise up from this to the Reality is to be aware of ourselves as part and parcel of the Cosmic Soul, divine in nature, beginningless, beyond time and space, without name and form, birth or death.
This awareness is truth. This is the reality. This awareness is light; it is immortality; it is liberation, salvation, enlightenment. It is the supreme state of kaivalya samrajya. And, that which holds us back is the present state of ego-bound, selfishness-ridden consciousness and life, where everything else comes second and “I” am primary. That is the antithesis of a true spiritual seeker’s consciousness, because he or she thinks: “I am not only secondary, I am a nothing, I am a cipher. Everything else is more important.” Why? Because everything else is an expression of God. This is the true vision, the true attitude of the real spiritual seeker to life, to others and to all things.
22. WHAT IS THE GREATEST VICTORY?
There is nothing more essential, more absolutely indispensable, to be overcome and defeated than the ego. It is the greatest bondage. It is the greatest enemy standing in the way of all that is good for you, all that is auspicious, blessed and supreme. It is what stands in the way.
Long, long ago it was asked: “What is the real victory? Is it that of a great emperor leading his vast, invincible armies across a border, defeating an opposing army and conquering a new territory, or is it the overcoming of oneself by oneself?” They answered that the latter was the true victory, the real victory. Not the conquest of territory, but the conquest of oneself is the greatest victory.
It is also the greatest emancipation: “Then shall I be free, when ‘I’ shall cease to be.” They also declared: “mano buddhy ahankara chittani na’ham ( I am not the mind, nor the intellect, nor the ego, nor even the mind stuff).” Therefore, to give a semblance of reality to the ego is the greatest ignorance, and to be in a state of identification with the ego is the greatest ajnana, the greatest avidya, and the greatest affliction—from which all creation is suffering and due to which all creation is causing suffering to everyone else.
This is a mystical, metaphysical fact. All discord, all disharmony, all clash and conflict—everything that becomes a source of pain, suffering and discontent—is rooted in the great blunder of giving importance to that which is the greatest enemy, the greatest bondage, the greatest of all afflictions. We, in fact, yield to the enemy and accept defeat when we allow the ego to rule our life. We perpetuate our bondage. We make ourselves slaves by allowing the ego to dominate our life.
You cannot walk in two directions at the same time. All the world is suffering and weeping due to the tyranny of the ego over the human individual and the living of his life from day to day. If this is recognised, already light has dawned. If this is recognised, already the process of overcoming has started. If this is recognised, already the bonds are starting to fall apart. They can no longer hold you. You are moving towards emancipation and liberation. You are moving towards sure victory.
And, you are moving towards jyoti, Light: “tamaso ma jyotir gamaya (Lead us from darkness to Light).” You are now nearing the wondrous time when this gift will be yours and you will no longer slumber, you are no longer in darkness, you are no longer in ignorance. This is the truth! Once, twice and thrice, this is the truth!
This then is worth pondering, assimilating and applying every day of your life if you really want to attain supreme blessedness—if you really want your life to be truly successful, if you really want to become blessed, liberated beings even in this very life, a jivanmukta even in this very life.
You have the golden key. Blessed is he, blessed is that being, that seeker, who having received the golden key will no longer keep quiet, but will insert the key in the lock, open it and go out into the freedom that is everywhere at all times. This will indeed be the greatest step, the greatest moment in the spiritual life and the greatest victory!
23. IS LIBERATION POSSIBLE IN THIS VERY BIRTH?
Recently, I was in Delhi, and around midnight a phone call came from my host’s daughter. She is a well-educated person with a good position. She wanted her parents to ask me a question, but, as I was up, I said, “Let me speak to her myself.”
She said: “Swamiji, I can see that there is no real happiness to be found anywhere in this world. Please Swamiji, tell me, is it really possible to attain liberation in this very birth?”
I answered her: “It is possible if the intense desire to attain God, to attain liberation, occupies your heart as the first and foremost of all desires, all wishes, all that you long for, all that you yearn after.
“If God, if liberation, is your top priority, and it fills your heart, mind and intellect—your entire being, and you are consumed by that great longing and yearning—all other wishes come after it, they are secondary, not primary—then nothing in this universe can prevent you from attaining liberation in this very life. This is for sure!
“Let us be practical. Does this mean that one should cease wishing or working for anything else? It is not absolutely necessary, and it is not absolutely possible either. As long as you are in this body, in this earth plane, you have to work for food, clothing and shelter, for the body has its hard demands. You have to keep yourself in reasonable comfort so that your body will not have a breakdown in health and become an obstacle on the path. Because through the body alone you have to live and work out your liberation.
“So, taking care of the body’s minimal wants and providing for its shelter—a place to do your sadhana, pursue your spiritual practices—is a minimal requirement which no one can afford to totally deny or ignore. If you inwardly give up everything, yet on the outer plane exert to attain what is essential to survive and work out your liberation, then the body does not become an obstacle. Rather, it becomes the boat to cross the ocean of transmigration. It becomes the chariot to take you to your destination along the right road of a divinely lived life. It becomes your instrument for liberation.
“Therefore, view it from this angle. Even the secular can be made part of the spiritual. The outer worldly life becomes a supplementary process to the inner spiritual life. It becomes an inevitable part of it; it becomes one with it.
“So, no part of your life is left outside the purview of your spiritual life. One hundred per cent of your life, twenty-four hours of the day, becomes spiritual if viewed in the right way and lived in the right manner. It becomes an integral part of a comprehensive movement towards God, an ascent towards liberation.
“That’s the way Gurudev taught. Have no dichotomy. Make no separation. Feel that all your life is only meant for sadhana, for liberation, for an upward ascent towards illumination. If thus, with all your heart, mind and soul, you long for it, let me assure you that liberation is one hundred per cent certain. No power on earth can prevent you from receiving what you deserve, what you have earned. For, by such a longing, you have earned it.”
A great Teacher, when He was asked what was the greatest commandment of all, answered: “Love the Supreme Being with all your heart, with your entire being. Set aside your little ‘I’, thinking not about yourself, but thinking of and loving Him alone with all your mind and all your heart.”
Then God does not sit in judgment of what you have been. He says, “Here is one who is longing for Me with his entire being.” Then He becomes for you the divine, celestial wish-yielding tree. You go beneath the tree, wish for anything and instantaneously you have it. God is all this and more, and it is such a God that you are worshipping. He is not a judging, punishing, angry, displeased God.
He is the Supreme Reality and He says: “What you wish and long for with all your heart, that is yours. If you ask for Me, I am yours.” This is the real situation between the sincere seeking soul and its maker, support and fulfilment.
24. THE ESSENCE OF ALL SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
The central process, the central practice, the central sadhana in all yogas is a constant abidance, a constant wakeful abidance, a constant conscious abidance in the goal that you are seeking—which is the Reality.
That which you seek being already part of you, being your innermost Self, that which you seek being the silent, hidden indwelling Reality, the sarva bhutantaratma (inner soul of all beings), that which you seek being the imperishable Reality within this perishable body—to be aware of your abidance in It and of Its abidance in you is the central essence of bhakti, of karma yoga, of meditation, of the path of enquiry and of Vedanta.
A constant abidance in that Reality is the central essence of all abhyasa, all sadhana. Dwell in God: It liberates us from all sin, from all ajnana, avidya and from the notion that I have not attained God yet, I have to attain God. If He dwells within you, what is the meaning of saying that I have not attained Him?
If He is far distant, there is a meaning in saying that I have to attain Him, I have to strive, I have to draw nearer, I have to reach and then I can attain. But when we are told and believe that “isvarah sarvabhutanam hriddese’rjuna tishthati (God dwells in the heart of all beings, O Arjuna),” when we believe that “within you is hidden God, within you is Immortal Soul, within you is fountain of joy, within you is ocean of bliss, within you dwells the great Reality,” where does the notion come from that He is someone that has to be attained after a long journey, after a long period.
To shed this wrong notion is the one thing needful. To shed this wrong notion look within: “Awareness and consciousness is the centre of my being. In Him I dwell at all times.” In satchidananda I dwell at all times, is the barest, minimal truth of existence. Everything that exists exists within Him and in everything that exists that Supreme Being exists.
You are the one unique being who can reflect upon this, think upon it, ponder it, meditate upon it and become consciously aware through a purposeful awareness created by constant manana, sadhana and abhyasa. All other forms of life exist without the ability to cognise, pursue and live in a state of radiant awareness. Only the human individual can enter into conscious awareness of this great fact, the central truth of all existence.
In the ultimate context, all yogas, all sadhanas, all upasanas, all practices are meant to accomplish this—to reach a state where all other awarenesses recede, vanish, retreat, and give place to this one central awareness. To abide in this awareness, to continuously abide in this awareness and to keep striving to keep up this constant awareness is bhakti, dhyana, jnana, upasana. It is spiritual life.
May the grace of the Divine and the choicest blessings of Holy Master bestow upon all of you this precious gift of abiding in the Reality right now, here, and not in some distant future. Be aware that this is the goal. The goal is already within us. We have to invoke within us this awareness. It is not a linear progression from here to there. It is here, now!