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SRUTI - PAM's Encyclopedia

None seems to bring forth the happy tidings of higher ascent by dint of self-effort. For the most part I have myself to do everything for them; to put them on the path; to inspire them with the grace; to clean their system; to push them along and fix them up on higher levels. What may all this be due to? It may be because of my excessive eagerness to see them all at the highest in the shortest possible time. Under the influence of this feeling I always feed them spiritually much beyond their capacity, even up to the limit of loss of appetite, with the result that further craving gets subsided for a time. But together with all that, the want of due interest and lack of earnestness on the part of the abhyasi cannot be denied. (SS-202)

EARNESTNESS

Some of the obstacles on the path are exclusively those which have been created by your own misdirected actions. But if you are sincerely attentive to your ideal these things are sure to melt away automatically. I may also be helpful to you in this respect provided you impel me to it by the force of your sincere earnestness. (SS-260)

EDUCATION

But since I am not very learned, I may possibly be misunderstanding the real meaning of ‘Education'. It was in the state of ignorance that I was born, and I am more so now because when I opened the book of my heart for the purpose of study, I found in it only one word, ‘Ignorance'. (SS-517)

EGO

The Mind region which lies next to the region of Heart is the sphere of ego, which having been crossed brings one to the level where ego assumes a rarefied state. Further on as one enters into the Central region, ego is transformed into identity. At early stages this identity is of a grosser type, but as one proceeds on through the successive rings in the region it goes on growing finer and finer till it assumes its absolute state, which might well be presumed to be almost an extinction of ego. (SS-379)

There may have been elevated souls who might have gone beyond the sphere of maya, but hardly one who could have shattered all the eleven Coverings of ego. Most of them could not have relieved themselves from even the grosser ones, not to speak of the finer and the finest. To be completely free from ego is however an impossibility, for there is necessity to keep up a nominal difference between God and man. As a matter of fact that is the only veil that keeps man apart from God. This veil though cruder and denser at lower levels goes on growing finer and subtler as one advances through the regions, till finally it becomes almost nominal. This final stage may fairly be taken as the mark of completion where one may be taken to have merged with the Infinite or secured oneness with the Absolute. But such a one, though rare indeed, may perhaps come into existence in the course of ages, and that too only when Nature demands his presence on earth for the accomplishment of her work. My only purpose in writing this to you is to induce you to try for the attainment of that last point of ego-Consciousness where the very existence is reduced to almost non-entity. (SS-381,382)

EGOISM

People are hunting after egoism and they become prey to it. It appears either in the form of solid body or in the form of its final state or onwards. This is an impediment in realizing God. It starts from the region of heart and loses its density in solid form after the region is crossed. In other words subjectiveness abandons him and mine-ness (i.e., speaking of the body as mine) forsakes him after the heart region is crossed and he has entered the mind region of God. It is a fine state of egoism in this region, rather it is the refined form. But the defect is after all a defect. When it comes to the mind region where it resides, its force increases because you go with it and receive power from the motion appearing in the form of vibrations. Now if your goal is just what it really ought to be, and the will for attaining it is also strong and perfect, you begin to draw in power from the central region which remodels it for further approach. When you proceed onwards, i.e., into the central region, it appears in the form of identity. It remains in force in that region till you leave your body. Thought is not there. You are in a way quite naked, so the egoism also appears in the naked form which ultimately becomes the identity of the liberated souls. You may call it almost dead.

It will not be out of place if I dwell a little more on the subject for the readers to judge the stages of egoism in different spheres. The idea of egoism starts from the body. When you do anything under this influence, you feel the solidity of things with the idea that you (body) are doing it. This is the lowest or the crudest form of egoism. In this stage the eye of a person is located on his body. He sees and feels the body to be the doer and does not go beyond it. He has no idea of anything else except the physical body. This is the condition of ordinary people of the world.

When you proceed onwards you feel that something other than your body is the doer of things. This is the second stage of egoism. Here the vision of a person passes on from the physical body to something inward or finer. Different people feel differently according to their own thoughts and beliefs. Some feel the soul doing all actions, and the body acting only like a machine or a tool in the hands of a workman. It is the workman who is really working tools are only for his help. Similarly the real agency which is working is the soul and not the body. Some feel that mind, God, Guru (master) or whatever object they have adopted for their ideal, is really working and is the actual doer. Here the idea of the physical body as doing the action is forgotten. Go ahead and you will see that whatever is being done by you is not through the agency of either the body or something inward, as epitomised above. Now you take the right course and feel that the work is being done automatically with no idea of the doer. Neither your body nor the mind is the doer, nor do you feel any other agency doing the work. You only feel the work being done automatically, in whatever way it might be. In this state the questions, how? by whom? or through what agency do not even cross your mind.

You go further ahead, and no longer even feel the work being done. Rather you have no idea whatsoever of the work being done either before or after the action has taken place, but it goes on automatically as need demands. It can better be understood by the following example. A man is sleeping; mosquitoes or ants bite him during sleep or he feels some itching sensation; his hand automatically goes to that part of the body and he rubs or scratches it according to his need, but he remains in the sleeping state. Now he had no idea of the action either before, during or after it, and when he wakes up he does not even remember anything about it. When this condition is attained, i.e., the sleeping state in the waking condition, and you go on with it, doing everything as circumstances demand, without any idea of the work or its doer, then the actions you do leave no impression whatsoever on you; and a little beyond, it is turned into identity.

These are the different stages of egoism which almost die out while entering the central region. The thing I called identity, or the identity of the liberated souls, remains even then. It disappears only in mahapralaya when everything comes to an end. Of course the so-called Zero remains even then. That means all the identities of the liberated souls, as well as those of others and everything else in existence, merge into one and lose their individual identities; and this itself becomes an identity to bring forth creation anew when the time comes. (BWS-74,75,76,77,78)

If we consider ourselves great, we put up a wall to that Greatness, where we have to arrive. We create a bondage, so to say, that becomes an obstruction on the path. What's the harm! When we assume greatness, we start considering others as low(insignificant). Now that path, which we have to trudge, also gets closed; and we are wholly lost to all intents and purposes. Somebody takes it on his mind that he excels someone else in some particular way: that assumes various forms; and we strengthen egoism for nothing, without getting anything in return. We blow our own trumpet in our own thoughts, and lose a lot in the process. (SDG-40)

EKAGRA-VRITTI

Please see MIND - TENDENCIES

ELAN VITAL

You are now aware of the destination and of the guide too. Nothing remains to be done now except to attach your thought firmly with That. When the attachment grows strong it becomes indiscernible who is attached, and with what. The Consciousness of body drops off and the very thing remains which we may call Elan Vital, the life force. The method for this would be the same as referred to above, and the Master's help would be indispensable to ensure the sure hit on the target. For this it is also necessary to avoid taking in the impressions of bodily effects. This having been done, the formation of further samskaras will stop, bringing their progressive growth to a close. The only solution would be to break off from this and to connect yourself with that. For this the only method is meditation as already prescribed to you. (SS-26,27)

ELEMENTS

Whatever has come down or descended got expanded. Whatever was seen or felt, the condition became like that of a vessel full of water which, when it spills over, goes on increasing in area. And then there were our rishis to catch this overflow and their attention was also towards it since it was the beginning of the time. No sanskaras were found in them till then. The thing came into their awareness exactly as it flashed. Of course, it did happen that somebody's attention turned towards that solid thing which had assumed a greater volume, and another's view fell over that which was like a current in which there was less overflow. What can that solid thing be? Those things which were essential for the needs of everybody. Hence they went into them and left the subtler things for the subtler seers. Of course, the needs are there of Fire, Water and Air. They have to work from time to time according to their speed. The seers took up these things only, and created such a turn in their inner condition that they gave a movement to them from the very place where there was the effect of the thick current. Agni, Vayu, etc., were given the impulse from that very place with which they were connected, and where there was the required effect of that thick current. In my humble opinion that view at first reached the elements in which there was the power of spirit. Therefore, you may observe that only such mantras were written in the beginning with which we may get those results which are essential to maintain and keep our life, which is also an essential thing. (SS-485,486,487)

I do not take up the topic how fire, air and other elements came into being since it has been sufficiently dealt with in the scriptures. (SS-475)

For further reading please see PANCH AGNI VIDYA.

ENDEAVOUR

So long as we are extroverts our eye can never turn inwards. (SDG-72)

Through thinking of the Divine, devotion and love develop. I will certainly say, this development of attachment is your job, and your very important duty. If you do not do this, you do not carry out the duty imposed on every service minded abhyasi and the characteristic of a Fakir and of man consists in this, that your duty- discharge gets completed. Truth lies in this that we keep turning our vision inward; if you do this, your condition will stay there wherefrom the “Substance” came to us, that is, we make a mark on the true “Treasure House”. Now it is left to us just to develop the form of expansion. This form of expansion takes birth when, along with practising meditation on the Divine, the endeavour is maintained to keep our vision more and more turning inward. If the true craving for attainment of the Divine is developed in you, it takes no time to achieve success. You are reaching out for bliss and I am talking of craving and restlessness. But, Brother, the happiness that this craving and restlessness bring, is never obtained in peace. When restlessness increases and reaches the limit, crosses the limit of strength, then the beginning of real peace starts. (SDG-128,129)

ENERGY

Your thought is correct that man is, by nature, a philosopher; and there are proofs for it. Soon after a child is born, and he begins to see a little, a sort of wonder comes to him, which is the essence of all material and spiritual science. Some people indulge in enjoying the fruits while others start counting trees. But the basis of all these is wonder. The scientists get involved in the complexity of matter, and the seeker, leaving this, comes to that image of which all these are images. When we know the effect of Arsenic, we conclude that everything in which it is mingled becomes poison, or else we consider everything mixed with it as a poisonous thing. Now, this poison alone helps the things to become poisonous, because it is this very property of Arsenic which is impregnated in every fibre of the thing with which it is mingled. Energy is working in matter in the same way. This example will solve your question as to how the spirit is considered as the state of “with all” and “without all”. During the spiritual progress, the abhyasi also gets such a condition where even matter does not remain after the maha pralaya , because if anything remains, the maha pralaya will become a misnomer. I do not consider matter to be eternal. The self alone is eternal, and if it is the cause of all, then a time comes when nothing remains except That. Hence, it is proved that matter was formed at the time of creation of the Universe. What was this matter? They were the churning actions which could form the solid thing. What a nice philosophy is contained in the saying that everything appears as round. The reason is that when That Great Architect willed to create the universe and used the energy, the actions started in a round way in order to establish a circuit so that the energy could work. Even as when you transmit, your energy also works in a circuit so that the abhyasi may be affected. And we sit for meditation making a circle of the satsanghis, because this too may help us. Now when this very energy got concentrated, it came to be called as solid, or matter, due to the force of the action. Now you have to remove this very solidity from the abhyasi, so that he may become spirit from top to toe. Moulana Rumi, who was a king as well as a Saint, and who was the disciple of Shams e Tabrez, has said:

“He was free Himself and was arrested by Himself only.”

This is really the description of the oneness of existence, which I do not believe. I am a believer in oneness of the manifestation. Nevertheless, this throws sufficient light on the fact that energy took a different turn. (SS-496,497,498)

ENSHROUD(ED)

From time immemorial God realisation has been trumpeted to be the goal of human endeavour (purushartha) and existence, specially in India. But just like the concept of God (i.e., Ultimate Reality) the idea of God realisation too has become shrouded in such sheaths of mystery that a sincere man of reason and science begins to feel disgusted at the very mention of the term. (WU-40)

The wrong inducements offered by roaming sadhus and sanyasis have further enshrouded our understanding with false notions of the grossest physical type, and have pulled people down to solid (gross) forms and practices. People get firmly engrossed in them. It is beyond their power and capacity to get out of the condition and to mould themselves to the right course. It would have been far better if they had done nothing at all for the purpose so that they could have offered themselves to a real guide when the opportunity came. A piece of raw wood is much better than a piece of crude furniture which is almost impossible to transform into the proper, desired shape. The degradation on this account is almost complete, and ungodly things and ways have come to be treated as pious and godly. (SS-171,172)

ENTANGLEMENTS

We are acting like puppets at a show-dance, which we alone are enjoying. We are so much lost in its charms that we get rigidly entangled in it. If ever the thought of getting out arises at all, the entanglement becomes too compelling a bondage for us. The more we wish to be out of it, the tighter becomes its hold upon us, and all our efforts turn out to be fruitless. The charming pleasantry does not allow our attention to be diverted away from it. The only possible way out would be to take into account its basic cause, presuming it to be the Ultimate. When we repeatedly take into our thought the origin of it, the same view settles down in our heart. This may be interpreted as remembrance. But since it is linked with the origin, our thought travels on towards the Ultimate. This we develop by the practice of meditation. When we begin doing it, help begins to flow down from the very source. When you link yourself with it, the outer charms begin to fade automatically. It is good that you have made up your mind for abhyas, but its fulfillment also rests upon you alone. If you take in a deep impression of the Reality, meditation cannot but start by itself. (SS-227,228)

For further reading please see CHARMS.

ENTERPRISE

The Master does a lot for you even without your knowledge, to inspire you with the true feelings required for your spiritual uplift. But then there must be a true response from your side too. You must promote within him the intensity of feeling which might compel him to push you on and on. That is, as a matter of fact, your part in the enterprise, and for that you have to develop intense love and devotion. (SS-56,57)

ENVIRONMENT

Please see FORESTS, CONFUSION.

ERUDITION

As a matter of fact knowledge picked up from books or scriptures is no knowledge at all in the real sense of the word. It is simply erudition based upon other's experiences, attainment of the brain alone, and not the practical knowledge based on self experience and attainment of heart. Let this serve as a guiding light to the true seekers of the real knowledge. With me it was so, because instead of striving for the attainment of knowledge, I remained ever in pursuit of Him, my Divine master, who was the store-house of knowledge and perfection. This is the reason why I have never been off from Reality in all my thoughts and expressions. I had entered the field with a burning desire to see the end of love which I bore for my master, and I did have it in full. (SS-286,287)

ETIQUETTE

"Do not complain of sorrow, because it is far from etiquette. Happiness cannot be had without undergoing sufferings”(a poet). (BWS-156)

EVOLUTION

Now in order to trace out the solution of the problem we must look back to the point wherefrom our existence has started. Our existence in the present grossest form is neither sudden nor accidental but it is the result of a slow process of evolution. (BWS-188)

EXCHANGE

I have to take a lot of work from you, and also do a lot of work on you. Thus, taking and giving both are involved. In English there is a saying, `Exchange is no robbery!' In your spare time you must be remembering God. You may note as you go on that some changes are taking place. At present, I have just made a beginning of this; in future I hope it may come to your knowledge. For this, you have to be prepared for ‘work' in the space. (SS-303,304)

I have often offered to the abhyasis to rob me of all that I have, and to give me in return that which they have. Fair exchange is no robbery. Let us now see what it is that is theirs. Obviously those having in mind the story of Raja Janak and Ashtavakra would at once conjecture that it must only be the mind. But I do not mean that, since it may be possible only for men like Raja Janak to give away the mind and for Ashtavakra to accept it. I am not Ashtavakra to venture it. In fact what is theirs is that which they have so far accumulated as their belongings in the form of samskaras. In Reality at Dawn I have stated that most often people enter the Master's sphere having with them all their belongings, causing thereby considerable delay. Belongings are the things of their own creation which they are deeply engrossed in. God is completely free and devoid of everything, so one can join Him only when one also becomes so. I do not like to prolong the subject further. You are all wise and learned and can understand your duties well. (SS-164,165)

EXCUSES

Often people put forward excuses for not being regular with their practice of meditation, saying that they are faced with worries, troubles and engagements. They mean thereby that they can continue their practice of meditation only when they are free from all distractions. What they really expect is that I should exercise my power or will to extricate them from out of their worries and troubles and set them on the path. Then alone will they be prepared to follow and practice. I have, however, no defense to offer since I could not set an example for it. All that I mean actually to lay stress upon is that people must get awakened to the sense of duty. I undertake to attend to my part of the duty while they should look to their own. They must stick to their practice and then see whether they gain thereby or not. But the practice must be supplemented with the feelings of love and devotion. To tell you the feelings of my heart I may say that all that I possess — thanks to my master — I am ever ready to bestow lavishly upon him who offers to prepare himself for having it. But so far none seems to have come up to have his bowl filled up to the brim. (SS-163,164)

For further reading please see NEGLIGENCE.

EXISTENCE

At the time of creation everything began to assume a form of existence. Man also assumed his individual existence. The consciousness of individuality was the first covering in the composition of the man. Further additions continued one after the other. Egoism began to develop and ultimately assumed a grosser form. The working of mind, senses and faculties began to contribute their share towards grossness. Actions of the body and mind led to the formation of Samskaras. Finally, now the man exists in the grossest form, consisting of the outer gross body and inner finer bodies and coverings. Now, from this outer solid state of existence we march right towards the centre passing through finer states one after the other. From gross body we come to the mind body and then to the causal body growing finer or subtler at every step and proceed on further, dealing with other coverings. (BWS-267,268)

EXPANSION

Every saint or yogi has his own expansion up to a limit, great or small. But when the seeker's thought is firmly fixed upon Divinity, Divine force thus enlivened in him brings about the greatest expansion. At lower levels the expansion is less. In our sanstha every abhyasi has his own limit of expansion which is in accordance with capacity developed by him. For establishing a direct connection with the Divine it is therefore absolutely essential for an abhyasi to connect himself with the greatest personality of the type in existence at the time. The attainment of a perfect Being is, in other words, the attainment of God, and the scriptures too support this view. If such a type of personality is not accessible at the time, then the only proper course would be to connect himself with one who is duly connected with the great personality, for, when the best is out of reach, the second best must be approached. (SS-193)

If we are deep-rooted in meditation, we connect our link with the innermost thing desired. Devotion of course increases the capacity and smoothens the way. If we make our heart the target of masterly force we begin to expand inside, with the result that in the long run we find ourselves stretching throughout the Godly empire. I am speaking this about those who have so fixed themselves in the heart of the central region. What such a man can do by his will-force, others cannot do by force of arms. The materialistic view may not accept it because the world is shorter before its advocates. People may think it to be a ‘dog barking’ subject as they have not developed this sort of vision. (BWS-100,101)

EXPERIENCE(S)

If we pay attention to further account (narration) concerning experience of the pain of thorn-prick, there are many categories(states), wherein pain is not experienced from thorn prick, or there remains no possibility of telling anything about it. Thorns prick the feet of many animals other than man, but in certain cases there is no experience of that at all and in some other cases there is no experience of the experience. Similar happens to be the cases of the newly born human child. On growing up also the particular part of body can be got anaesthetised by using some drug or otherwise in the case of a grown up human being as well; and experience and narration of pain gets blocked also in the event of vivisection or non-functioning of the relevant part of the brain Thus, many illustrations of this sort are there lying below the level of normal human experience.

Then there are other examples which may be spoken of as states of higher category. Love or attachment of heart, whether mundane or Divine, in proportion to its intensity reduces the experience (sensitivity) and expression of physical penury: and still beyond and above a certain limit, attachment of heart and mind obstructs the most profound physical experience altogether An anecdote about a prominent scientist is well known, that he was so absorbed in his work that his dog ate his lunch and when in the evening his servant on enquiry told him that he had eaten his lunch and empty plates were taken away for washing by the servant, he (the scientist) was satisfied just that in a state of self-oblivion he had forgotten having eaten his lunch. Whether some body treats it as a state of high level or low level, this story is certainly true at the level of human experience.

You can form an estimate of that superb spiritual state, where at there remains no experience or its remembrance: and possibly even you may have experienced it yourself some time, and in order to remember it as a high level experience, you may have made a note of it or else felt worried, considering this state of self forgetfulness as a harmful disease of heart and mind. In fact, people assess good, bad, right, wrong generally on the basis of personal benefit (or loss).

It may be asked as to what constitutes the standard of personal benefits finally after all! A hungry person considers food as personal benefit: but the scientist forgot his hunger in his fondness for his work it may be remarked here that intellectual benefit has precedence over physical benefit. There is yet another anecdote about this very scientist that his dog upturned the lamp on his table, and the labour of his about 20 last years of life got reduced to ashes in no time it is stated that the scientist just patted the dog and said only ‘you do not know what great harm you have dealt to me’. It is also stated that Lord Christ, in this very strain, prayed for his killers: ‘O God, pardon them for they do not know what great sin they have committed’. Here even intellectual and emotional benefit also weighted lighter as compared to spiritual benefit. We can proceed on and on like this to realise that on emergence of higher form of experience, the experience of lower category loses its weight (value) and one who lacks acquaintance with (comprehension of) higher and finer form of experience has only to say that he had no experience. (SDG-169,170,171,172)

In short, just say: every honest genuine practicant is bound to comprehend and experience spiritual advancement in the right way. In the beginning, mostly there may be emphasis on the importance of physical and material experience. However, comprehension concerning health and peace of heart and mind should develop gradually. Miracle, jugglery, black magic, machination, fraud etc., producing effect through such means, is entirely against spirituality and Brahma Vidya (Divinity); and anyone after these can never be a deserving vessel for this superb science. Certainly there remains so much beyond and above the reach and grasp of heart and mind (intellect), but proper comprehension and experience of that too is possible only through the heart and mind, which is oriented to soul and God. Just due to this, then, there is special emphasis on cleaning and training of heart and mind in this science. (SDG-173,174)

During meditation in our march towards Reality, we come across different spheres having different airs. Experiences are there. Of course, in the initial stages some may be imaginative but afterwards they are all divine. (SDG-27)

EXTRICATE

The difficulty arises when we remain held up by our own resourcefulness applied for our advancement. When it is so, the idea of freedom does not even crop up in the mind. That is really a sad tale of our own. Such persons ever remain a prey to their own thoughts which go on adding veil after veil to their thinking and practising. They have, so to say, fastened themselves so rigidly into their own ways that they would never listen to the ways suggested to them for extricating themselves from the meshes.

The thing with which we started in the beginning thus becomes an impediment to our advancement on the path. (SDG-96,97)

Sruti

Daily Inspiration