13. Sri. K.C. Srihari

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The above statement is taken from the message “Love-Universal” delivered during the Ashram Inauguration at Shahjahanpur in January 1976. I share a few of my thoughts related to this topic.

Life is meant to lead a life of happiness. It is our nature to be happy. This is best reflected in small children as also the masters who are happy and are truthful in their evaluations of situations. There is also a certain amount of innocence that is exhibited by them. The opinions expressed by them are generally on the mark though one would not like to accept them. As the children grow older, they are taught to behave in a certain way and speak in a certain way. This is cause of formation of prejudices and one is habituated to choose sides in a situation instead of evaluating the situation objectively and speaking the truth.

The attitude of partiality that we have in different situations leads to the formation of attachments or bondages. Bondages are both positive and negative in nature. Positive bondages make us take interest in something and negative bondages make us despise them.

Rev. SriRamchandraji Maharaj says that ‘We should rise above all these things if we want to live a peaceful life’ (SDG – Page 124). This is possible only when we develop Love for the Universal. Love for the Universal requires one to rise above attachments and bondages.

A peaceful life is possible when we are happy. Happiness is characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy. One is happy as long as circumstances favour him/her. It is when one is faced with a circumstance that is not conducive for us/our sense of ego, that he/she feels unhappy.

Rising above the bondages is possible only when one develops an attitude of love which is not soiled by attachment. It is only then that Truth can be spoken. It is necessary to be truthful to lead a life of happiness. Pretense is something that needs to be got rid of and truthfulness needs to be exhibited in our lives. Truth has a quality of freeing one from repressed emotions and one becomes lighter and happy. It is also to be understood there is one Divinity that is flowing in all of us and we should act in tune with it to be happy. Once this understanding comes, it becomes our very nature to be truthful.

Master says that ‘We should live a life like the coot and the ducks in the water, which when they are out of water, have no effect of water on their wings’. (SDG – Page 125). This is possible only when the love we have for our family and parents is the same as that towards everyone. That is when we can say that the brokenness is removed and we feel love flowing equally towards all. The attitude of trusteeship in our dealings with circumstances brings about an attitude of detachment. That is when one is free of impressions either positive or negative and is truly happy.

It is also the experience of many aspirants that the influx of Pranahuti gives us the feeling of happiness where one is not perturbed by these attachments even though one is aware of them. The reason is the universal love without any conditions imposed is flowing in all of us at that time and we are unaware atleast for the time being of the problems, making us live in a state of happiness. The feeling of happiness makes us understand that we should love all unconditionally. Only when we yield to the Master in every sense of the term, will we be able to understand the nature of this love. It is then that commandments 5, 6 and 7 become clearer in one’s sadhana.

Following these commandments requires one to understand the nature of the attachments. Awareness of limitations and recognizing them to be blocks preventing us from being happy make one yield more to the Master. Understanding that miseries are for one’s own good makes him remember Master more and a happiness that cannot be expressed is felt due to the assurance and the motherly embrace of the Master’s love.

The confidence that a block is being removed can be known when the thoughts or feelings related to attachments do not crop up during our meditations. The universal prayer in the night then becomes more meaningful and one begins to participate with the Divine in the real sense.

Master in His message says “I feel happy when the word 'Universal love' comes from the mouth of any person. Generally the saints of the day preach universal love but they do not find ways to tell you how it is acquired. Only remove the hatred, I say, and universal love is there. Suppose a man is a liar and he wants to get rid of this habit, he should start speaking truth because a sort of character will be formed with concentration at the bottom in a natural way. If you attempt to be attentive on lie to be removed it would indirectly make it stronger and stronger because concentration is there by which they get power. So is the case with universal love. It is there like a silk-worm in a cocoon.” (SDG Page122)

Just as the example given above where we are asked to speak the truth instead of attempting to remove the lie, one must keep his attention always on the Divine and continue doing his worldly duties instead of focusing microscopically at each and every problem that we have. The end result of such microscopic focus is that we start meditating on these issues instead of the Divine light that can dispel all these clouds of ignorance. I call it ignorance because the understanding of living at a higher plane is not mature in such a case. Only living at a higher plane with the goal of exhibiting the Master in us can give true happiness. This is when we are happiest. One starts developing Universal love and is finally able to break free from the attachments that he has acquired on his own.

Rev. SriRamchandraji Maharaj says as the last sentence of this message that ‘So I want that all may taste the beauty hidden in love for the Ultimate’.

Love for the Ultimate requires us to rise above the linkages which can happen only when one yields to the Master in real sense of the term and sees, feels and knows that it is the Divine alone that exists in all that is. One begins to feel happy all the time and that would be the happiest man who is happy under all circumstances.