The Cure for GOD'S Epidemic. Roshi Bharat
final destination. We forgot him but he does not disown us. We disbelieve in his existence, but he does not reprimand us for our disbelief. We cry and call him for help; he comes as our savior. We remember him in sorrow and pain. He gives us solace. We pray to him with devotion. He answers our prayers. He and he alone is varenyam.
In Gayatri mantra the varenyam alluded to is the “devasya bharga” of Savita. Devasya bharga is the divine luminescence. Among all the divine powers of God, his luminescence is most outstanding. This bharga or luminescence which totally destroys all the sins is varenyam worth imbibing.
Describing the capability and capacity of the human brain, a great scholar wrote that if it is sharpened and channeled in the right direction, it can absorb and assimilate the contents of all the books in the libraries of the world. Intellect, which is the ingenious power of the brain to learn, understand and assimilate all that is learned cannot describe or even visualize the divine luminescence of the creator of the universe.
The luminescence of the sun is conceivable up to a certain degree. Being the subject of the senses, it can be seen partially with the naked eye. Looking directly at the sun without the aid of sunglasses can damage the retina of the eye and can even cause blindness. Human eyes cannot behold the luminescence of the sun, how can they perceive the luminescence or bharga of Savita who is the “sun of all the suns” in all the universe? His luminescence is reflected in the suns and in all the luminous bodies. Its power, its radiance is beyond comprehension and out of reach of the naked eye. This bharga of Savita totally annihilates sins. It is not by the wielding of a magical wand that such a miracle happens. It is by “dheemahi” (concentrating on the divine luminescence of God) by assimilating and imbibing it, that the seeds of sinful thoughts that perpetrate in our minds--which spur us to commit sins--are completely destroyed.
Savita is the divine lighthouse. The light emanating from any lighthouse enables many a sailor who has drifted and gone off the course in the tempestuous water of the ocean with dark clouds thundering and spreading a black sheet across the sky. It aids in keeping away from dangerous cliffs and steering the ship in the right direction. Similarly, by concentrating on the divine bharga, the dark shadows of sin are expelled from the mind, and the vacuum that is created therein by the expulsion of sins is filled with brightness. Savita is the benefactor, we are the beneficiaries. He is the Giver, we are the receivers. He is the Supreme Powerhouse. Our minds are like switches on the switchboard. His light is eternally present. To receive that light, all that we have to do is to switch on. His light will flow automatically and spontaneously unto us and fill our inner being with its radiance. The potency of this light is capable of destroying all sinful thoughts which continuously defile our minds and misguide our intellect.
This power of destroying sins is acquired by constantly and consistently meditating upon the divine bharga, and in practice we strive to make it an integral part of our existence. In the third part of the Gayatri Mantra, we pray to the Supreme Power to enlighten our intellect's “dheeyoyo nah prachodayat”.
The word ”Nah” is very significant. It means our Nah transcends all geographical boundaries. Nah includes “me” also. This “me” or ”I” makes one realize that he or she is a part of the larger congregation of humanity. While chanting the Gayatri Mantra, we do not pray that our intellect alone be enlightened. We pray that the intellect of all human beings be enlightened. Intellect is the discerning faculty of the soul which enables a person to differentiate between right and wrong, good and evil, virtue and vice. It has to be sharpened to discerning power which is always there in us, but its strength is reduced if it is not applied effectively, just as any weapon which lies unused for a period of time, accumulates rust, loses its sharpness, and becomes blunt.
In the Vedas, the human body is compared to a chariot whose owner is the ”Atman” or Immortal Soul who travels in the chariot, the Intellect is the charioteer who drives the chariot, the Mind is the reins, the five Senses or ”Indreeyan” are the horses. If the charioteer is efficient, he has a firm hold on the reins which enables him to control the horses. Being in a commanding position, he is able to make the horses run in the direction he wants them to run. He, the charioteer, knows the path. He knows how to avoid pitfalls and by his acumen, he enables his master to complete his journey smoothly and safely. On the other hand, the charioteer who loosens the grip on the reins, loses control of the horses which race uncontrollably, ending up in disaster.
The mind has a constant and consistent flow of thoughts. It does not remain inactive even for a single moment. The first Shivasankalpa Mantra of Yajurveda (34/1) explicitly states, “Yajjagrato doormudaitti davivam, tadusuptasya tathaivaitti…..”, which means just as in the awakened state the mind roves to distant places, similarly it wanders in sleep also. It does not rest even for a second. This mind which generates thoughts, when not controlled by the intellect, is capable of causing extensive damage to an individual. It inclines more towards vices. Vice is a cumulative result of evil thoughts. Evil thoughts trigger evil actions and these evil actions degenerate an individual. Degeneration is the path of descent. Descent is easy. Ascent is an arduous endeavor.
Usually a person tends to take the easy path, not realizing that it will be disastrous. Disaster can be averted if his perception is clear. Clear thinking comes if a person does not submit himself to the mind, but instead allows the intellect to control the mind. He does not allow the mind to dictate terms to him, instead he lets the intellect make the decisions. The intellect becomes the master and the mind an obedient servant. The subservient servant cannot take decisions; he only follows his master's instructions. He is like a puppet in his master's hands. The master has firm grip of the strings attached to the puppet and controlling its movements can make it dance to his tune.
Similarly, the intellect which controls the mind does not permit the mind to go astray. Instead, it steers in the direction it considers right. The intellect can be in a commanding position only when it is enlightened. Enlightenment emanates from the realization of one's true self. The true self is not the physical body which is composed of ”panch bhootas”, five elements: “akassh” (space), “agni” (fire), “vaayu” (air), “jal” (water), and “prithvi” (earth). The physical body decays and perishes and the five elements return to their original sources. The true self is the ”Atman” or Soul which is unborn and undying. It is immortal.
In the second chapter of Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna explaining the immortality of the soul to Arjun states:
“Nainam chhindanti shastrani, nainam dhati pavaka, na chainam kledayantiapa, na shoshyati maruta.” or: Weapons cannot pierce it, fire cannot burn it, water cannot make it wet, wind cannot dry it.
“Na hanyate hanyamane shareere” or: It is not destroyed even when the body is destroyed.
This soul is so minute that it cannot be seen, but its existence cannot be denied. Its existence in the body keeps it alive and its departure from the body turns the same body into a corpse. The Atman or the soul alone can perceive God. The realization of our true self is a step towards realization of God, and enlightenment of the intellect leads us to self-realization. Enlightenment of the intellect paves the path for the liberation of the soul from the cycle of life and death.
It accomplishes this by erasing from the “chitta” (id), “kama” (lust), “krodha” (anger), “lobha” (greed), “moha” (attachment), and “ahankar” (pride). By casting them off, the hurdles on the way to self-realization are removed, the blurred vision is restored and we begin to see and realize our true selves clearly. This realization of the true self is the right approach to realization of God. This realization is made possible only by an enlightened intellect. In practical life, the enlightened intellect guides a person and enables him to come out unscathed from the most difficult situations. Spirituality can elevate the soul to such heights that it can come in direct communion with God. In Gayatri mantra we pray to Savita, the creator of the universe to enlighten this intellect of ours so that we may see things in their true perspective, discard that which is sham, false, impure, wrong and sinful and acquire that which is substantive, true, pure, right, and virtuous.
Introduction
An Illogical Example
“Religion is the impotence of the human mind to deal