Steps to a Successful Life

One is the action-born pleasure, the sensual pleasure, which is derived from eating, drinking and clothing the body. Eat, drink; not for pleasure, otherwise you will suffer ailments caused by overeating. Sex for the purpose of procreation is okay; but will invite premature old-age if it is done for pleasure. In this, you merely enjoy some momentary pleasure, only to repent in the end. A momentary phase of amorous dalliance between a husband and wife is followed by fatigue, strife and misery. You enjoy drinking liquor or eating meat and end up with health hazards. Similarly if you wallowed in the joy of being praised, you will but cry when slandered.

Sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing are the five kinds of action-born or sensual pleasures. If one develops the habit of seeking happiness from worldly objects, one will meet his and very soon. It is better instead to observe self-restraint and get the joy of Bhagwad Bhava, devotional sentiments, japa or meditation. But then, even japa or meditation cannot be continued perennially. Nor can the same kind of Bhava or spirit of devotional love be maintained forever, as emotions will keep changing. They actually commit a grave mistake who say, “I used to have such and such experiences in meditation. Bapuji! I could see You in my dreams but now I do not have such experiences any more. Alas! I am lost. “These are, after all, emotional joys and emotions keep changing. Happiness, whether external or emotional cannot remain constant and those who wish to keep them constant, create misery for themselves. “I should look beautiful forever.” Well, that is impossible, for beauty belongs to Nature and hence is ephemeral.

Superior to emotional joy is the pleasure derived through vichara, i.e., spiritual reflection, as it involves (comparatively) less efforts. The joy of reflection is derived by moulding the mind in accordance with the principle that has once been assimilated.

Greater even than that joy is the bliss derived through knowledge. On realizing the very genesis of that bliss as one’s real ‘I’ –

Purna guru kirpa mili, purna guru ka jnan
asumal se ho gaye, sanin asaram
jagrat swapna susupti cete,
Brahmananda ka ananda lete
‘Blessed with the grace of the Perfected Guru;
And the knowledge of the Perfected Guru having descended upon Him,
Asumal was transformed into Sai Asaram,
As a witness to the three states of walking,
Dream and deep sleep;
He revels in the Brahmic Bliss.’

The waking state comes and passes, while various events in waking state come and pass; but the ‘I’, the witness to the events of the waking state, does not pass. The dream state came and many trains, people and other good and bad things were seen in it. All this came and passed but the ‘I’, the witness thereto, still exists. Same is the case with deep sleep. I went to bed and quickly fell asleep at about eleven in the night and woke up around quarter to four in the morning. Now, sleep did come and go, but isn’t the witness to the arrival and departure of sleep still present?

Jagrat swapna susupti chete brahmananda ka anand lete
‘As a witness to the three states of waking,
dream and deep sleep,
He revels in the Brahmic Bliss’

In contrast to these fleeting states of awareness, I am the eternal Brahman, the consciousness Absolute.

Khate pite mauna ya kahate,
Brahmananda masti men rahate
‘While eating drinking, being silent or speaking,
He revels in the intoxication of Brahmic Bliss.’

Practices like visiting pilgrim centers, temples or mosques do not help as much as the satsanga helps.

‘A single Ghadi (24 minutes) or even half, nay be it halved again,
Spent in the company of a saint, frees us from innumerable sins, says Tulsidas.’

The mind and the intellect of one sitting silent get repose. Where does repose come from? You get tired after a whole day’s work and when you completely cease to work in the night, it is the same Atman wherefrom you get the energy to work on the next day; but you remain oblivious to it due to sleep. Nevertheless, you do gain in enough energy for the next day’s work. The repose, attained in meditation by becoming quiet after chanting ‘Hari Om’, gives us enough power to eradicate our vices and experience divine Bliss.

The Vedas teach us to laugh and dance leading a joyful life; but not by indulging in evil deeds rather practicing devotion to God and remaining engaged in altruistic activities. Lord Shiva dances playing His damru, Lord Krishna plays His flute, Devarshi Narada – his lute and Gauranga dances clapping his hands, while Tukaramji Maharaj would do so playing the cymbals… life should be full of joy divine.

The sensual pleasure enjoyed by drinking and eating meat leads the jivatman to ruin and down fall; while the joy of devotional Bhava elevates the jiva. The joy of knowledge enlightens one to stay in the higher states of elevation. The bliss of Love makes one recognize the most unalloyed bliss. Just a single step above this is the bliss of Self-realization. The Bliss Divine elevates the jiva. The nectar of divine knowledge unites the jivatman with God.