The Spiritual Seeker

Moksha comes with a price ( Part 1)

The ultimate aim of spiritual life.

Moksha… many spiritual practioners strive to attain moksha. Well, there are primarily four types of moksha:

Saalokya Mukti (Going to same abode as per form of the Lord)
Saamipya Mukti (Being close to that form of the Lord)
Saarupya Mukti ( Attaining the same form of the Lord)
Saayuja Mukti ( Merging with the Supreme Lord)

To attain moksha, one must be pious- in thoughts, words and deeds. To be pious one need not bathe in the Ganges or trek the Himalayas. It all begins with the simple yet important decision of surrendering to the Almighty. It is stated in the Bhagavad Gita

BG 18.65

man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaisyasi satyam te
pratijane priyo ‘si me

“Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend”.

Krishna promises Arjuna that those who worship him with faith will undoubtedly reached Him. Krishna is self sufficient, He can protect and serve Himself yet He choses to be served by His devotees inorder to give them the chance to come back to Him.

The tale of Gajendra Moksha is a well known story told to kids in their early stages in order to instill the faith in them that God always hears you in whatever situation you are. In short, a king was cursed to become an elephant by the great sage Agastya. One day, the elephant was wading in the waters of the Mandara hills. A crocodile caught hold of the giant’s leg and dragged it into the water. Due to king’s pious karma, he remembered a prayer to the Lord and in its dire situation with utter devotion called out Lord Vishnu’s name. Lord Vishnu arrived at the scene and liberated both the crocodile( who was also cursed for his insolant behaviour towards a sage) and the elephant( who attained Saarupya mukti). This story truly tells us the Lord is hearing us and all we need to do is call out to Him sincerely.

In the olden days, sages and kings would perform penance for thousands for years( I am pretty sure that you would have read/heard stories at least). Their penance was not a simple one, it would be a one of utterly back-breaking(Literally). Imagine standing on one toe for 10000000…… years just to please a diety to get a boon.In todays world and current scenario, its obvious that one cannot stand one a toe for thousands of years on a hilltop with nothing but a loin. Let alone one toe, the average lifespan of humans have dropped down to 68 years( male) and 72 years for female. So what is the solution if one can’t perform such penances to please the Lord? How are we supposed to attain liberation from this cycle of birth and death?

The Answer is simple: chant His names– be it the Vishnu Sahasranamam, Achyutastakam, Hare Krishna Mantra, Narasimha Kavacham and thousand others. Even visiting temples to pray to the diety is a form of expressing your devotion. Visiting temples with devotion can indeed wash away the sins accumulated over many life times. For example, the tirupati temple, located in Andhra Pradesh, the second richest temple in the world is a must visit! Located on the Tirumala hills also known as Venkatachala hills, the literal translation is Ven meaning sins and kata meaning destroyed. According to scriptures, if one visits these hills with utmost devotion inorder to see the Lord, his/her sins are washed away. Not only tirupati, but any temple visited with sincerity and selflessness i.e., if one goes to a temple with no other intention except to seek the Lord’s mercy and his grace one is sure to receive His protection.

So why does Moksha come with a price? And most importantly, what is the price that one must pay inorder to get liberated from this “material world” ?

Lust

One of the three gateways to hell…. The sure path to doom and devastation

BG 2.62-63

While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.

From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool.

It is evident from the above verses that attachment causes an individual to fall back into the material pool. It is not an instant one but it is a series of steps which are in fact quite subtle and they may occur without our awareness.

When the senses find something that gives it pleasure, it attaches to it. This can be for any of the five senses- eyes,ears,nose,tongue and skin. For example, an ice cream which is a favorite for millions, pleasures the tongue and eyes; music pleasures the ears and so on. Once the senses attach to the objects of their desire, the senses develop a lust to obtain/attain that object.

What is Lust?

BG 3.37

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna which is born of contact with the the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world.

When a living entity comes in contact with the material creation, his love for Krishna gets tarnished with lust i.e., due to attachment, this love which we have for the Supreme Father gets transformed to lust. Love for Krishna can be transformed to lust by modes of material nature but transforming lust to love is extremely exasperating. When lust unsatisfied, it turns into wrath which is transformed into illusion. Therefore, lust is the greatest enemy which induces the pure living entity to remain entangled in this material world. It drags us from the plane of reality and truth and drowns us in the ocean of nescience.

Where does this lust originate from? The answer is also given by Krishna:

BG 3.40

The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust. Through them lust covers the real knowledge of the living entity and bewilders him.

Mind is the center of all activities of the senses. Thus when we hear about the sense objects the mind generally becomes the reservoir of all ideas of sense gratification and as a result, the mind and the senses become the storehouse of lust. Intelligence is the immediate neighbor the spirit soul. Lusty intelligence influences the spirit soul to attain false ego and identify itself with matter. The spirit soul thus becomes addicted to enjoying the material senses and mistakes this as true happiness.

BG 3.41

Therefore, O Arjuna, best of Bharatas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self realization.

Thus the Supreme Lord asks us to slay this enemy in the very beginning of the spiritual journey as it hinders the entity from attaining self realization. Lust is only the perverted reflection of love of God which is natural of every living being. If one is educated during the genesis, that natural love for God cannot deteriorate. Turning lust into love is the highest perfection.

Mind- Friend or Foe?

BG 2.56

One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness and who is free from attachment,fear and anger is called a sage of steady mind.

The mind is a friend of the controlled and the enemy of the uncontrolled. The individual who masters his mind, masters his senses. Controlling the mind is the x-factor in leading a spiritual life. We are where our mind takes us. The mind is potentially the most dangerous weapon. It has the ability to destroy and individual if not controlled.

The mind can be trained and it’s energy can be channelized to do productive work. The mind must be under control at all times. This can be done in several ways however the best and the most effective method is by chanting the Lord’s name, thinking of Him, serving Him. When the mind is trained in this manner it will have no choice but to be at your service.

If the mind is not controlled, it will create absolute chaos. The uncontrolled mind leads the senses to act as they will. If the mind and senses are not controlled the results are evident from the following verses.

BG 2.60

The senses are so strong and impetuous,O Arjuna,that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavouring to control them.

BG 2.67

As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the boat,even one of the roaming sense on which the mind focuses can carry away a man’s intelligence.

Thus, one must engage the mind and the senses in the service of the Lord.

The soul

The real nature of the soul is described in the Bhagavad Gita as ‘INDESTRUCTIBLE’. Consciousness is spread throughout the body. It is this which differentiates between a dead and a living being. Each and every body is the embodiment of an individual soul and the symptom of the soul’s presence is perceived as individual consciousness.

According to the Mundaka Upanishad this atomic soul which is 1/10000 the size of the tip of the hair on your head is situated in the heart of every living entity. Life of an entity is due to the light of the ātma. Medical science has proven that the heart is the seat of all energies in the body.

BG 2.22

As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.

BG 2.25

It is said that the soul is invincible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this you should not grieve for the body.

Therefore the body itself is unimportant and we must cleanse this bodily concept of life. That is I am spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Just as how a machine is looked after by maintaining it similarly the body must be maintained to perform the prescribed duties.

Spirituality- A beginner’s point of view

Spiritual life means understanding material life is illusion driven and temporary. Practitioners have to develop the requisite knowledge and understanding to distinguish between what is spiritual and what is material. Thus they have to cautiously keep away from material allurements. Lord in Bhagavad-Gita gives a nice example of a Tortoise. Tortoise when it sees external threat withdraws it’s limbs and head into its Shell and remains quiet and peaceful until the threat disappears. Likewise a spiritual practitioner should carefully withdraw his senses and also the mind from material allurements whenever they appear. However much one may feel confident but one must understand that Maya, the illusory energy of the Lord is very difficult to overcome as Krishna Himself States in Bhagavad-Gita. For the devotee the sadhana and association of pure devotees serve as a protective Shell. Without association the Tortoise like devotee might transform into a chameleon meaning changing taste and priority in the presence of slightest distraction. A weak practitioner might behave like a chameleon changing its colors. Or one may behave like an ostrich burying its head in the Sand keeping rest of its body open to attack. Material allurements are constantly present and there is not a time when it’s not going to be there. Therefore understand and apply Bhagavad-Gita in your life diligently.

BG 2.58

One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws its limbs within the shell, is firmly fixed in perfect consciousness.

BG 7.14

This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

The Essence of Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra to deliver mankind by giving a message which is very relevant in the modern ages. The Bhagavad Gita in a nutshell is “You have the right to perform your prescribed duties but you are not entitled to fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the result of your activities and never be attached to not doing your duty. Perform your duty and have faith in the Supreme Lord”. It is in fact a boon to mankind and its significance can’t be given in a few words.

This book of 18 chapters and 700 verses. is the ideal source of inspiration we can look up to. If one looks at the book deeply, one will observe that the solution to every problem in the world is encoded in it be it- controlling the mind, desires, lust, anger, taking a decision. There is no simpler book that enlightens us on the five truths: The jiva( the living), Isvara( The controller), Prakriti( The material nature), karma( Activity) and time.

The Bhagavad Gita is the essence of all scriptures. Reading and contemplating it is equivalent to mastering all the scriptures.One who reads the sacred conversation of Krishna and Arjuna with faith and without envy becomes free from sinful reactions and his /her ignorance will be dispelled. But the necessary condition is “without envy”. Krishna’s concluding statements are “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear”.

Are we living the right way?

The news paper is flooded with articles about terrorisms, famines, child torture, injustice, racism, animal slaughter, loss of natural habitats, economy crash, ISIS and much more. People are crazy for some film actor/actresses. Ask yourself this question. What did the actor/actress do for you that you are showing them such devotion? All of us are misguided souls who is somehow try to fill the voids in our life.

Everyone is identifying everyone else with the appearance- Indian, American, Asian, Chinese, Black, White and the list goes on. We must cleanse this bodily concept of life. “AHAM BRAHMASMI”- I am spirit soul part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In the Bhagavad Gita, it is said:

“Janma mrtyu jara vyadhi

Dukho dusanu darshanam”.

This material world is filled only with misery. One who is born in this material pool is bound to undergo the stages of death, disease and old age.

An excerpt from Adi Shankaracharya’s Bhaja Govindam states

“Punarapi jananam Punarapi maranam

Punarapi Janani jatare shayanam

Iha samsare khalu dustare

Kripaya pare pahi murare”

Again and again one is born,
And again and again one dies,
And again and again one sleeps in the mother’s womb,
Help me to cross,
This limitless sea of Life,
Which is uncrossable, my Lord.
We are eternal servants of Lord Krishna, we are individual sparks. Just like Krishna, who by nature is sat-chit-ananda (eternal-Full of knowledge- happiness) and we being part and parcel of Him are also in search of pleasure. In this world, people try to derive happiness in several ways- playing sports, watching movies, hanging out with friends, intoxication, gambling and the list goes on. All this may seem right, but is it so?

Everyone is busy solving problems by advancements of civilization, scientific knowledge and technology because they cannot solve the four main problems. Hence, they set aside these problems because they can’t make any solution and waste the human life.

What is the purpose of our birth?

The answer lies in Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 18 verse 66):

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I will deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”

The universe consists of 8.64 billion bodies of which the human birth is a rare one and must not be wasted in nescience. In layman terms, if we simply waste our life by eating, sleeping, mating and defending what’s the difference between a dog on the street and us. Every activity that we perform if carefully analysed comes under the category of eating, sleeping, mating and defending.

Every human must understand his position- I am a conditioned soul. He should use this life to understand God and make solution to different types of birth, death and different transmigration from one body to another.

That’s the way to live!!!