Blog

August 2009

Without I go only to come down; Within I go only to rise above.
– Chinmaya

 Giving reality and importance to things, beings and happenings, wherein one believes that the solution to all problems lie outside oneself is to go without. “I am lean/fat, unintelligent … my wife, relatives etc are the cause of my joys/ sorrows… success in that business deal would have changed my life…he/she is my inspiration… l can’t live without coffee…”

The examples can be multiplied. Our dependence on some external source for our well being only proves our slavery to them. As someone has rightly said, the key to our happiness then lies in others’ pocket! In such a case we will always find ourselves complaining and grumbling for every trivial issue and ultimately lowering ourselves in the eyes of all, including our own near and dear ones.

When we beg for the love and attention of others, we become a parasite only to be kept away by all. Everywhere beggars are kept away – be he/ she a beggar of paisa, position, pleasure, power or popularity.

Then how to face the challenges uninterruptedly thrown to us by the world? The solution lies in the scriptures. They ask us to do only one thing – go within and find out who we truly are.

All the scriptures unanimously thunder forth – “You are not this tiny, puny, miserable, mortal, wretched creature limited in strength, intelligence etc., but the Immaculate and Immortal, most Auspicious, Omniscient and All-Pervading, Existence-Consciousness-Bliss Absolute, which is the very support for this entire universe! In fact, the existence of this universe is only a borrowed existence, borrowed from Your existence! Hence none of these unreal happenings of the world has the power to affect You, the one and only Reality – just like the dream world happenings can never affect the waker! Hence WAKE UP to this Reality which is your own true nature!! …”

When we regularly meditate upon these scriptural statements, our mind gathers a new strength to face the challenges – the challenges which were earlier labelled as ‘humanly impossible’. Even by merely entertaining worldly thoughts, one attains destruction (dhyaayatovishayaan pumsaha…Bh.Geeta ch-2) whereas looking within gives us liberation itself (Satsangatwe…Jeevanmuktihi – Bhaja Govindam).

Living with the notion ‘i am so and so’ is going without; but to live as ‘I alone am’ is to go within. Living in the past, present and future, is going without; but to live in the Presence is to go within. This itself is called Living with God. It is so nicely said, “If an Egg breaks from an outside force, life ends; If an egg breaks from within, life begins!”

Going within, Ratnakara, the dacoit was transformed into a great sage Valmiki. Kaushika, the king who fought and lost several battles against sage Vasishta, lifted himself to become the great Brahmarishi Vishwamitra only by looking within. Great things always begin from within.

There was a beggar who lived in abject poverty. With the few coins, he got through begging every day he could barely fill his stomach. One day he fell ill. With no one to take care, and having no money to consult a doctor to buy medicines, he suffered untold miseries until at last, he breathed his last. Soon after the beggar died, that plot of land was sold to a rich businessman who decided to construct a huge building at that very site. When the workers started digging the land they found a mine of treasure- large urns buried under, filled to the brim with gold, diamonds, rubies and precious stones!

We are also leading the life of that beggar, ever discontent, weak and sick, chasing the paltry pleasures of the world, while the unlimited treasures lie undiscovered within. Tulsidasji says that those who seek the sense pleasures instead of God are like the foolish people throwing away the philosopher’s stone already in their hand, and picking up the ordinary glass pieces lying on the ground.

God is ever waiting… expecting that someday we would turn our attention within and seek His Kingdom, His guidance and His Protection. Let us turn within and rise above. After all, let us not keep Him waiting!!

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