6. Sri M Radhakrishna Murthy

Divinity is a play – beyond any shadow of doubt it is! Otherwise is there any plausible or possible explanation for the sudden exit of life from an organic being? Though gestation period can be predicted with near approximation, none can predict when He chooses to withdraw His pleasure of manifestation from this physical frame of muscular entity. This is all His Leela. He is the creator and the Director of the entire show adopting the universe as a huge stage and making us act our roles as chosen by Him and as pre ordained by Him with utmost accuracy and precision. In this journey of ours from womb to tomb we pass through several stages without being conscious of such passage from the utterly ignorant infant baby, innocent childhood, proud and arrogant adulthood, responsible middle age to pensive, passive and helpless old age. Normally, an individual comes to his real sense of existence when he experiences a severe jolt in life such as loss of near and dear one or misfortune in the loss of means of livelihood or when subjected to severe suffering due to incurable malady and the like. His thinking process gets diverted to enquire into reasons; finding no reasonable explanations for the inevitable succession of events, he concludes that it is his fate only to enjoy the results, as nothing is in his hands to avert any of them. By compulsion and to seek solace, as a last resort, normally he is driven to adopt methods of worshipping deities etc. as prescribed by the religious faith in which he is born. Knowing of God alone is considered enough by him at this stage.

If, by chance, he secures the association of pious persons adopting more evolved methods of solving the problem of life, and gets influenced by ‘Apta Vakya’ there is possibility of total metamorphosis, in his attitude of viewing life. Then real quest for a guide commences in right earnest. Babuji opines “In my humble opinion they should first judge their fitness to deserve such a Master. If they fall short of it, they should make themselves deserving. Sometimes, the fortune favors and one gets such a Master, even though one is not fit for the best sort of spiritual training. In that case there is nothing but the grace of God.” (SDG 121-122)

While playing our role in this life, if God chooses to shower His grace, for making one self continue to retain His grace, Babuji says that he must have his goal and his present position in view, adopting afterwards means conducive for spiritual growth and guarding against retarding things preventing his attaining the desired objective. These are stated to be the basic lines constituting the search for Reality. Babuji says that having God is the real subject of spirituality (SDG 122)

In his message at Munich delivered on 21-05-1980, Babuji stresses the importance and need of the Master, to solve the problem of life by taking the Real and the Essence from the Master, the breathing of which is considered as the duty of the Master. (SDG 59)

This position leads us to know what Real Essence means. Nothing comes to us (Human beings) by way of knowledge even about ourselves. Hence we are rendered stable ourselves by nature; Babuji describes this as a stance of balanced balance. Perhaps there is no activity at that point of time. We don’t know what our destination was. Babuji calls it as insignificance. “If we chose to designate it as such, it is an insignificance of which we know nothing! And Greatness of a sort- viz Similitude, where no knowledge of Similitude itself is to be found. And this, dear brethren, is the Real Essence.” (SDG 33)

After having chosen the path of spirituality, endowed by God’s grace (without special effort on our part), Master to guide us on the path, we should adopt means as directed. Now duties devolve on the abhyasi of which the primary one being the devoted worship of Master is the only key to success. (SDG 1)

Devoted worship mainly involves regularity in observance of methods for cleaning, meditation, proper attitude towards conduct in daily behavior, duly observing the Ten Commandments. Devoted worship serves as a means helping for a) Removal of impurities from the heart, b) overcoming of obstructions on the path and c) unfoldment of the knots. It is, in fact, the real essence of all sadhana (SDG 1)

Special stress laid down by Babuji for realization of the Goal is cultivation of intense craving amounting to restlessness, eagerness or pinching impatience. (SDG 78)

Besides, another means of easy reach to Goal is devotion, having the idea of our Master all the way through, which means constant remembrance. By devotion to the Highest we make a channel from us which serves as a path to Him. Our conflicting ideas are dirt and refuse in the path. The path is rendered clearer in proportion to our devotion, (by burning the dirt and refuse viz. conflicting, unwanted and confusing thoughts) (SDG 133)

We should not forget that we are under the training of a Dynamic Personality whose mind, senses and faculties are all thoroughly disciplined and regulated. He has accepted us as disciples and is working on us introducing in us the pure state of Divinity, regulating the wandering tendencies of our mind, helping us to unravel the strands of bondage, thereby loosening the knots by the power of transmission of the Highest consciousness pushing us to higher stages of cosmic region when needed.

He vouchsafes that regulation of abhyasi’s mind is the responsibility of the Master, and that physical and mental troubles do not tell upon spirituality and there can not be any breakdown in spirituality. (SDG 135)

Only requisites for undertaking a fair trail of such an advanced system of spiritual training unparalleled in human history are faith and desire for the Ultimate on the part of the practicant. We should connect ourselves with love and devotion, practice meditation in the right manner (SDG 18) having confidence in ourselves. Implicit obedience in practice ushers in a state of self surrender. Babuji states that a true devotee surrenders himself completely to the will of God / Master, maintaining the relationship between Master and devotee which will finally bring us upto that highest state of super consciousness (SDG 84-85). To make an abhyasi realize the sole responsibility resting on him to be sincere in practice, Babuji says “My Master unequivocally declares: ‘spirituality is my responsibility, as practice is your responsibility.’”

To establish relation with the Real being, Babuji suggests the method of making a beginning from Infinity in finiteness to get absorbed in Infinity, washing away the idea of finiteness thereby getting into the path. The way lies clear as the finiteness gets dissipated from the mind. As we proceed in the Infinite and to the Infinite, even the idea of Infinity can not, as a result, pop up. In the words of Babuji “Now the Reality dawns. Further on, when we have jumped into Reality, the play ends and the scene begins. But this is not the end. Go on and on. Not only this, not only this- ‘Neti Neti’”(SDG 96)

Babuji summarizes that every honest genuine practicant is bound to comprehend and experience spiritual advancement in the right way (SDG 143). But it is possible only for a heart and mind oriented to soul and God. In this science of spirituality, certainly, there remains so much beyond and above the grasp of heart and mind (intellect) that special emphasis is laid on cleaning and training of heart and mind. The finest Divine gift Babuji asserts, is a Patrimony of the entire progeny of mankind, but is reserved just for the human being residing in the state of moderation in all respects. But even here, observation of Pujya Babuji Maharaj goes that Proper from of orientation and effort for that is difficult to be one’s fortune. “To be Real man is hardly available even to human beings”

Dear brothers and sisters, Babuji does not leave us dejected and disheartened. He exhorts us to possess right sort of courage, adhere steadfast to the path until the purpose of life is fulfilled, keeping faith in the Divine assurance that when one moves one step towards it, the goal advances ten steps towards that one ( SDG 144)

Let us all be faithful to the Divine in full measure and deserve the Divine Patrimony.