The Divine is one without
a second. "Ekoham bahusyam Prajayeyethi." (I am One. Let me become
many for the sake of progeny). Willing in this way, the Divine assumed a myriad
amazing variety of forms in the universe and taught in the Gita the threefold
paths of Karma, Jnana and Bhakti to enable humanity to realise the magnificence
of the Divine. Man has been engaged in exploring the infinite wonderful secrets
of Nature in this marvellous creation in all possible ways. But because of the
vagaries of his mind, intellect and ego, man has failed to understand the true
eternal, spiritual basis underlying everything in the Universe and has lost
himself in the pursuit of the external phenomenal world as if it were the only
reality. In the process he has failed to realise his own true nature and has
totally perverted his mind. The simple truth that everything is permeated by
the One has been lost sight of.
Krishna Reminds Man Of Grievous Error
It is to remind man of
this grievous error that Sri Krishna declared in the 18th chapter of the Gita
(in verse 61) "Easwarah-sarvabhoothanam hriddeseh Arjuna thishtathi"
(The Lord resides, oh Arjuna, in the heart region of all beings) and went on to
adjure in the 62nd sloka: "Thameva saranam gachcha sarvabhavena
Bharata" (Take refuge in Him alone with all thy heart, oh Bharata). This
means that if the Lord dwells in the heart of all beings, He must be residing
in Arjuna's heart also! Hence the injunction, "Thameva saranam
gachcha" means: "Seek refuge in yourself." It must be understood
from this that whatever one may say or do, he is doing it only to himself and
for himself.
The Bhagavad Gita begins
with Dhritharashtra's reference to "Dharma kshetre Kurukshetre."
Dharmakshetra is the seat of Atma. "Kurukshetra" is the body, which is
the source of all actions. It is the combination of the Atma and the body the
Kshetra-Kshetrajna relationship - which explains the human predicament. By
forgetting the Atma and involving himself in "Deha Dharma" (the
claims of the body), man is subjecting himself to endless suffering. He grieves
about things which are not worth lamenting and does not grieve for the things
that ought to make him sad. This state of delusion is the result of his
identifying himself with the body and forgetting his inherent divinity. If he realizes
that he is one with the Omni-self, he will have no cause for sorrow. He will be
aware that Truth and Bliss are inherent in his spiritual reality. When man realizes
that the Divine is all-pervasive, there will be no room for acquisitive
selfishness or divisiveness. When Dhritharashtra made a distinction between
"his" sons (mamakah my children) and the Pandavas, he betrayed his
spiritual blindness and the ignorance of the unity that subsumes the
multiplicity in the world.
Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 21
09 January 1988
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