The Quest beyond Science

Man has reason to be indebted to Science for the spirit of incisive inquiry and detached observation it fosters in him.  These two traits have indeed given man  access to the  mysterious  workings  of  nature.  But  the  precision  and  perfection  discernible  in the  operation of the laws of Nature point to the presence of a Cosmic Force that includes yet transcends Science as we know it now.  Outer progress is of no avail unless and until there is inner progress in man from the animal nature of ‘needs’ to the humane nature of moral refinement in thought, word and deed.

Man gains supremacy over his lower nature only when he learns to live on the plane of Buddhi and cultivates the mental sharpness to sift the good from the bad, the eternal from the ephemeral.  When with the help of Buddhi man rises above the dictates of desires he acquires liberation from suffering.  Buddhi also facilitates right alignment with the environment and when to this is added pure love born of devotion to God, man can be said to be poised for true progress - progress on the Godward path where prosperity is realised in giving, not hoarding, and duties are joyfully accepted as privileges and the focus of meditation is always on the ‘One’ in all living things.  

THE SEEDS OF BENEVOLENCE

Dear Brother,

From time to time I shall meet you through these pages to share with you some of my thoughts and  ideas. I hope you lend me a patient ear. Thank you.

Nowadays  we are witnessing violence all round us. Not a day passes without the TV showing gory details of the aftermath of a terrorist attack or the newspaper screaming about the factionist strives that have left bloodstains  in houses and streets. The tentacles of violence touch every sphere of our life. Yes! Every sphere!

Don't  think that violence is limited to bomb-explosions, gun-battles, etc. and is fostered by countries at war with one another the Mafia, bootleggers, criminals, terrorists and unsocial elements, and hence is the problem and headache of the governments and leaders.

Haven't you ever witnessed a mob turning violent and indulging in arson, attack and looting on slightest provocation  where in   even the good-natured individuals also, caught in the frenzy of mob-mentality gleefully partake and support all the ghastly deeds going around them?

Are we not aware of violence in home-front? Husbands beating wives, wives quarrelling with husbands parents abusing children, children turning against their parents and brothers and sisters fighting over inheritance and appropriation?

Now you understand, I suppose, that the tongues of fire called violence touch and scorch us wherever we are whether on the streets or in our homes. A nation, a society, a group, a family-everything is in the grip of the godzilla of violence.          

But my brother, there is another violence more dangerous than all these put together. It is the inner violence that eats you from within. It is your emotional and mental violence. It is the cause of physical violence. What is its nature?

The anger that wells up inside you, the envy that turns your blood green, the irritation that sparks even without ignition and the lust that numbs your brain --yes these are the odious and hideous faces of the monster of violence within yourself. When nourished with evil thoughts and designs, they grow only to break your mental sheaths and come into the physical world to be expressed in a hundred ways of   hurt and injury, blood and ash, and death and doom. Beware my brother, the seeds of violence are in your mind! Don't let them grow lest they annihilate you!

But how to control this mental violence? Is there a way to free your mind from the clutches of anger, lust, hatred etc.? Yes there is a tool well within your reach for you to break away from these tentacles. It is nothing but love--unselfish love. If you dive deep into the ocean of love, you get the strength to face the evils of violence and terminate them. To stop the growth of the seeds of violence, sow the seeds of benevolence! Let us work together for a peaceful World
                                                                                -I.Srinivas.

The centre and the circumference

Dear Brother,

Realise that you have to use the shower of love to extinguish the fire of violence.  Beware, my brother ! Unless you understand and follow this first rule you will not be allowed into the Hall of Bliss, the ultimate goal of your birth, search and death !

Meditate on this — It is love that has given birth to you.  Because it is the ripples of love in the pond of His heart that have caused this creation.  Thus when you and the world you live in are but products of love, why can’t your heart be filled with love for all ?  Why should you have some reservations and petty differences in your mind when you are called forth to pour thoughts of love on your brother.  Why is it that your lips stretch into a crooked smile when a fellow being is hurt or bows down his head in shame ?  This only shows that you are not sincere to your Master and God.  You’ll never let down one of yours at any time, anywhere if you are indeed His servant and devotee.

As I said earlier sow the seeds of benevolence and love and destroy first the shrubs of mental violence which when allowed to grow dense bushes will only destroy yourself by drying up the springs of love in your heart.

But how ?  This is the question that perplexes and bewilders one and all.  It is in the practical application of this simple and single formula for His presence that one falters.  Here is a chance given by the seers and sages in applying this formula of love in life.

Extend your circle of thought where you are the centre and your family and friends the circumference to include all those around you — whoever you come into contact with at anytime is but a fellow brother !  If you can cultivate this thought, you can be sure that you’ll be able to grow plants of love and compassion in your heart that provide a cool shade to the citizens of this world.

----  I.Srinivas.

SHORT STORY  
Judge  Not, That  Ye  Be  Not  Judged

                                                    by N.V. Ramana Murthy  

Spiritual aspirants have to be wary of being drawn into the vortex of Karmic laws.  Remaining neutral does not only mean non-participation in active deeds.  It implies refraining from judging the actions of others either verbally or at the level of thoughts also.  The following story best illustrates the truth of this exhortation.

Once upon a time a shepherd was returning home from a fair in a neighbouring village.  As it became dark, he decided to sleep under a tree in the forest for the night and proceed on his way home the next morning.  While he was sleeping,  he over- heard the conversation of two sparrows. The male sparrow was telling a story to the female sparrow and the shepherd, who knew the language of the sparrows,  began to listen to it intently :

“Once there was a curd seller in a remote village.  The young curd seller was liked by everyone in the village because her beauty was matched by her honesty and integrity.   One day as she was crossing the bridge across the river with a basketful of curd pots on her head, an eagle carrying a serpent in its beak happened to be flying in the sky.  Accidentally the eagle let fall the snake.  The snake hit the basket before it fell to the ground.  When it hit the basket a few drops of its blood and poison fell into one of the pots of curds.  The girl was utterly unaware of it. 

She sold the pot of curds to the family of a pious Brahmin and returned home.  As they ate the poisoned curds all the inmates of the Brahmin’s household dropped dead.  It was a heart-rending sight. 

As the attendants of Yama were escorting the departed souls into Yama Loka, Chitragupta the record keeper was in a quandary as to who should be held accountable for the deaths of the members of the Brahmin’s family - the curd seller who sold the poisoned curds, the snake whose venom was the cause of the deaths, or the eagle from whose beak the snake fell down. 

At this juncture the shepherd who was attentively following the story blurted out,  “The guilty one is the eagle”.  Listening to this unwarranted judgement of an action in which the shepherd was no way concerned and was volunteering an opinion unsought, Yama told Chitragupta,   “Record the name of this shepherd as the culprit.   Let him be punished for the tragic deaths."   If the shepherd was not over eager to pronounce judgement he would have been spared this enforced retribution. 

Aspirants, therefore, should learn to be witnesses to the march of events in life.

( As told to Mr. D.V.R.  Murthy)  

A ‘Personal Survival Kit’

Dear brother,

In the last two issues, you have read about violence and  the way to get rid of it by sowing the seeds of love within you. But, let me tell you something about the origin of this violence. Violence does not mean only physical violence or injury, you may inadvertently hurt any body with your speech or hurt him by uttering some foul words. This is also a kind of violence. Perhaps on many occasions, you are prone to violence in your thoughts or deeds owing to the influence of media. Have you ever counted the number of times you came across news or programmes relating to murders or deaths? In a day, you read a lot about murders and deaths in newspapers and television programmes. According to one estimate, on an average, an individual watches gory scenes or murders not less than 500 times in a year either on television screen or in a theatre. If you are a regular film buff, you are a ‘witness’ to many many murders in an year. It means that you are involuntarily subjecting  yourself to witnessing a ‘murder’ or a violent scene either in a real world or in a film jagat. Thus, researchers argue that individuals become insensitive to many real life incidents of violence and stop reacting to them in the event of a real incident in one’s life.

Then, what is the solution? It is simple. The Brahmastra is in your hands. You must be able to equip  yourself with a’ personal survival kit’ which should guard you from the onslaught of media violence. The tools of this kit are strong will and self-confidence to reject the constant and overwhelming flow  of images generated by the media. The media-dominated environment switches the focus of your mind from the internal considerations to the external. The media content is like a drug. If you are addicted to it, you can hardly get out of it. And it destroys the layers of your mind and imagination to live in the present. Thus, the new arena for survival is to reject the violent scenes in   television or film by not encouraging them by virtue of  your will power and self-confidence. For this purpose, may I  suggest you a theme for meditation:

From  the centre, which we call the race of men,

Let the Plan of Love and Light work out,

And may it seal the door where evil dwells.

From the avatar of synthesis,  who is to come,

Let his energy pour down in all kingdoms,

May  he lift up the  Earth to the things of Beauty

Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth..

                                                                        -          D.V.R.Murthy.