Two Clean Eyes (Philosophy of life)

The Garuda Purana says
‘Satsanga and discrimination – these are the two clean eyes of man. One devoid of these two is actually blind. How can he save himself from treading the evil path?’(49.57)

He is bound to suffer troubles, afflictions, life in wombs of mothers and hells. This is as sure as death. Even Lord Brahma can not save him.

Satsanga and discrimination are the two clean eyes of men. The physical eyes are not clean. No matter how much you treat them with all kinds of collyrium and Netrabindu eye drops, filthy substances continue to come out of them. If they happen to see a beautiful damsel, impure thoughts come in the mind. If they see a delicious stuff, the mouth starts watering. So, this is not clean vision. But by the grace of God and the Guru, when discrimination is kindled, one experiences his oneness with the Supreme Being, the direct and immediate experience of the Absolute.

If one is devoid of these two eyes of satsanga and pure discrimination, one can never get rid of misery, howsoever rich, powerful, learned, illustrious and ascetic one may appear. And if one is equipped with these two eyes, sorrow can not come near him, howsoever small and insignificant one may appear. Even all the people of the world can not make him troubled, upset or miserable. They can inflict pain on his body but can not make him sorrowful. Socrates’ opponents gave him all kinds of troubles; they gave poison to him; Mansoor was impaled on stake; but people could not make them miserable for those saints were equipped with clean eyes. Mira’s brother-in-law, Vikram Rana, by means of his machinations and political power left no stone unturned in tormenting her, but could not make her unhappy. Ravana did all he could to torment Vibhishana; he even kicked the latter on one occasion, but couldn’t make Vibhishana unhappy. Vibhishana is immortal; he lives even today. (He is one of the seven immortals).
Kabirji points to this fact:
“So long as the mind is not equipped with discrimination.
It can not be shot by the arrow of knowledge.”

‘Satsanga and discrimination – these are the two clean eyes of man…..’
One, who does not have the two eyes of satsanga and discrimination, is blind even if he has ten heads and twenty eyes (as Ravana had). For, the world that is changing and perishing every moment will look real to such a one and the Supreme Brahman that which is the sole existing reality through all the three phases of time, viz. Past, present and future, will appear alien to him, You remember God… you go to temples, mosques or other places of worship… good! But the real benefit of going to temples, mosques, churches or other places of worship is to bring you, sooner or later, into the temple of your own heart. The deity of the temple of your heart never deserts you and the world on the other hand can not stay with you forever. Did the childhood stay with you? No, it passed. Pleasures and pains all passed. Due to absence of pure discrimination, you take passing things for permanent reality and you do not know what permanent reality is. In truth, God is permanent and He alone was always with us, is presently with us and shall stay with us forever. The world is essentially impermanent and ever changing. It gives attachment hatred, worry, fear, trouble, birth, death, old age, and diseases. But we are getting increasingly mired in the world itself, only because we have not opened the eyes of satsanga and discrimination. We are chasing a mirage – ‘I shall be happy if I get this much education, if I learn such and such thing, if I get such and such thing…’ – and doing only this throughout the life so many people have already gone into the jaws of death. Not one or two, billions of people have died and been ruined; yet others are pursuing the same disastrous course with all earnestness simply for want of this pure discrimination.
‘Not just one or two, the whole world is deluded. Saved is Gorakha, the only one, who has got the shelter of his Guru.’

If the error is rectified, troubles and sorrows will automatically vanish! Somebody says, “Lord Brahma is the greatest”, another says, “Lord Vishnu is the supreme”, still others say, “Wealthy men or those in power are great”. But the greatest of all is the error that makes all dance to its time.

‘Two clean eyes of man….’ Only the two clean eyes of satsanga and discrimination are capable of rectifying this error. Nobody else can do so. One may read and make you read a lot of scriptures: but he can only make your error fixed rather than removing it.

Can we get discrimination on the strength of religious merits earned by us?
Sant Tulsidasaji says:
‘Pure discrimination can not come without the benign grace of the Lord or the Guru.’
Discrimination can not be achieved on the strength of religious merits. Actually, it is the other way round. On the strength of discrimination alone does one pursue endeavors that bring one religious merits. Discrimination does not come through any action. Rather our actions achieve excellence on account of discrimination. Purity of heart does not bring discrimination either; rather it is discriminations either; rather it is discriminations that brings purity of the heart. So, discrimination does not come from purity of heart, wealth, learning, intelligence, etc. It is but a divine gift that is further developed and sharpened by the benign grace of the Guru and the saints as well as through satsanga.

‘Discrimination is not awakened without satsanga and satsanga is not available without the Lord’s benign grace.’

(The Ramacharita Manasa, Bala Kanda: 2.4)
Ordinary discrimination of what and what not to eat is possessed even by animals, birds and germs. But satsanga alone gives us the discrimination to distinguish between the transient and the eternal, between fleeting pleasures and eternal bliss. Now, sharpen your discrimination with the help of satsanga. When the discrimination is sharp enough, you will clearly and distinctly see what is transient and what is eternal. The transient is constantly changing and perishing. Your ‘I’, the Real Self or the Existence Absolute, is eternal and unchanging. It is free from hunger, thirst, birth, death, desire, anger, grief, delusion, worries and bondage. It is called the Atman and it never deserts you.’Which cannot be perceived by the mind or the senses nor comprehended by the intellect….’ The discrimination to release such Atman can be developed with the help of satsanga alone; Your experience will then be:
‘The Guru’s grace has relieved me of the misery of birth and death.
Hunger and thirst now do not exist. Free from desire and Karma. I have transcended both birth and death.’

What never deserts you is the Atman or the Lord Supreme; and what does not live with you always is the body and the world. Thus, your union and separation with the body and the world is going on perennially. Every union is bound to be followed by separation. But has one ever got separated from the Atman or the Lord Supreme? Have you ever experienced being separate from your Real Self, your ‘I’? So, you have permanent union (Yoga) with the Lord Supreme. Now, kindly accept this fact and your discrimination will be instantly awakened. As the sunflower blooms with the sunrise, your discriminations will bloom with mere acceptance of this fact! This verify is the ultimate essence of all Knowledge, all precepts. Just awaken your pure discrimination.

If you want to realize God quickly, take time off your worldly activities to awaken your discrimination and realize God. Faith, concentration non-attachment, brahmacharya and purity of character-these five virtues will single-handedly awaken your discrimination and unite you straight away with God. There is no doubt in this. But to strengthen these virtues, satsanga is required. Japa of the Lord’s name and satsanga will sharpen your pure discrimination to the core.
‘Discrimination does not come without satsanga….’

One can not achieve the supreme beatitude without pure discrimination. There is a narrative in the Srimad Bhagwata: On having their discrimination awakened, the Prachetas engaged themselves in severe tapasya. Lord Shiva appeared before them and by His grace, they had the darshana of Lord Vishnu. But they were still short of the supreme beatitude. Lord Vishnu said, “Look Prachetas! You want Me to grant you what is best for you. So I grant you that you will get satsanga of the celestial sage Naradaji, whereupon your pure discrimination will be awakened leading you to the realization of your Real Self, the Supreme Self.” Indeed! How supremely great the glory of satsanga and pure discrimination is!

Keep your pure discrimination ever awakened. Predominance of actions, gives small and limited benefits. But predominance of discrimination gives greater worldly benefits and bestows the highest spiritual benefit of Self-realization. The highest discrimination is the realization that the Atman is Imperishable, Immortal, Pure Knowledge, Pure Love, Eternal and Supreme Bliss; and that the world is just opposite thereof. Once we are firmly convinced that God, our supreme well-wisher, is Himself abiding in our heart as our Atman, we shall be delivered forthwith!