How does your body appear when scrubbing with soap while taking a bath? It looks odd, but you have a strong conviction that actually it is not so. It appears so because of the soap. Similarly when you meet even the vilest person, you should think that he is vile externally only; internally he is a fragment of God. Does black dress make a man black (bad)? His dress does not change him (the self). Similarly vileness and gentleness reside in the inner sense without affecting the man (self) who is a fragment of God. God equally pervades an enlightened liberated soul, a devotee and a vile person such as a butcher or a murderer or a robber or a thief. The striver, who wants to attain God, should behold God pervading every where, though he may have different dealings with different persons according to the need of the hour. Such a striver who beholds divinity every where is called same-sighted. Those who arrange dinners and marriages on an equal footing with people (without following the ordinance of the scriptures) are ‘samavarti (concurrent) rather than ‘samadarsi’(same-sighted).
The God of death rather than ‘samadarsi‘ (same-sighted). The God of death is called concurrent-‘samavarti paretarat‘ (Amara koşa 1/1/58); because death is identical for all beings. Therefore the wise are called same-sighted while the God of death is called concurrent. Why are the wise same-sighted? Because they behold God in all beings. While seeing a vile person, if you have ill feelings for him, it means that you are not same-sighted and you are not a striver having curiosity to know God, at least at that time.
There is an illustration to make the point clear. There was a recluse. He had two idols made of gold. One of them was of Lord Ganesa and the other one of a rat (vehicle of Lord Ganesa). He had to go on a pilgrimage. So he went to a goldsmith to sell the two idols because he needed money. The goldsmith weighed each of the two and gave the same price for each one because both of them weighed the same. The recluse was irritated. He said, “How can Lord Ganela and his vehicle (rat) be equally valued?” The goldsmith said, “Str, we don’t value Lord Ganesh and the rat, we value gold.” As a goldsmith does not value the idols but he values gold so does a striver instead of beholding beings, behold God Who pervades all beings.
God is seated in the hearts of all – this is something of a very high standard. If you can’t understand it, at least understand ‘All are God’s. This is easy to understand. Now the question arises why they are spoiled if they are God’s. The answer is that excessive fondling has spoiled them. Though they are spoiled, yet they are God’s so you should behave with them properly by regarding them as God’s As we serve our dearest brother suffering from plague with every precaution by hating his terrible disease, so should we think of the welfare of the spoiled persons from our heart, though our external behaviour towards them may be different.
“God is the disinterested friend of all beings (Gita 5/29) In the same way saints are the disinterested friends of all beings (Srimadbhagavata 3/25/211. A disinterested friend is he who thinks for the welfare of other and renders service to them without expecting any thing desirable for himself and without thinking how they behave and act. The modes of service are different. If you beat a thief and robber, it means that you render service to them. The reason is that you do so in order to reform them, to do good to them and to lead them to salvation. Don’t you slap your son when he disobeys you? Do you have the feeling of hostility towards him at that time? In fact you slap him because you love him much. God also adopts such a reformative method. A woman being pleased with playing children, gives sweets to all of them. But if they behave naughtily, she slaps only her son. Similarly if God’s ordinance seems to be against you, it means that He loves you very much.
We should behave towards others according to the status but we have no right to find fault with them. In a dramatic company two actors act as Meghanada and Laksmana. While playing their role they are hostile to each other and challenge each other. They also use arms and weapons against each other. But are they really hostile towards each other? When the play is over, they live and eat together in a friendly manner because they have no hostility towards each other at all. It has been said for saints.
The worldly people can’t judge saints by their behaviour. Their external behaviour is just like that of the worldly people but their intemal behaviour is reverse They behave just like common people but from within they behold God every where. So they have no ill will to any one and they are friendly and compassionate to all. The Lord declares the same. A devotee hates no being and he is friendly and compassionate to all beings” (Gita 12/13). They think of doing good to others from their heart.
Now the question is how to become same-sighted. You should have a firm conviction ‘I am a striver to know the divine essence’ and ‘God pervades every where Now how to behold God pervading every where? Listen to me. “The man is in this expression is viz., existence does not perish. The man may be bad or good, vile or virtuous but in it his ‘is’ ness (existence) never perishes This is-ness remains in objects of the best and the worst type. The form of those objects changes but their is-ness (existence) does not change. Bum rubbish and it will be reduced to ashes. Its form will change but its existence will remain the same. That existence is God’s Always. Keep an eye on that existence. Nature undergoes all modifications. Nature in brief includes objects and actions. Both of the objects and actions undergo changes while God (is) ever remains the same. So perceive that is (existence). There is certainly a difference between a man and a bird or a beast, between a living man and a dead man. But does it make any difference in ‘is (existence)? Similarly there is a difference between profit and loss, birth of a grandson and death of a son but what difference does it make in the knowledge of the two?
Your dealings with others will be according to the role. you have been entrusted with on the world-stage. If you are a recluse, you will act as a recluse But if you are a householder, you will act according to the circumstnaces as a householder But have a firm belief that God pervades every where in the form of truth, knowledge and bliss
Existence is of two kinds imaginary and real. A child is bom, Existence of the child is imaginary because he had no existence before birth. Then he becomes young. Thus this existence which undergoes changes is an imaginary existence of Nature, while God’s existence which never changes is real. A striver perceives the spiritual real existence while a worldly minded person perceives the mundane imaginary existence Physically a mother, a sister and a wife seem alike but this is beastly view point: while subtly they are totally diffemt from each other and this is human view point. A striver perceives divinity and so he beholds God every where. Lord Krsna in the Gita declares:
“He who beholds Me in all beings and beholds all beings in Me, I am never out of sight of him nor is he ever out of sight of Me” (Gita 6/30)
A boy said to his mother, “I want jaggery”. The mother said, “Take a few grains of Gvära (an oat like animal food) and receive jaggery in exchange”. He went to the grocer. He weighed those grains and gave him jaggery of equal price. The boy thought that the grocer was a fool because he gave him jaggery in exchange for grains of animal food. But the grocer makes a profit two times. He buys the grains cheap and sells the jaggery at a high rate. He has the least concern with commodities, he thinks of eaming maximum money. Similarly a striver has nothing to do with the world, he has to attain God Who pervades every where.
A striver should have fair dealings with others, appropriate to the occasion without bothering whether he is honoured or dishonoured. He who honours and praises us emaciates our virtues while he who dishonours us destroys our sins. So is he, who destroys our sins, not our benefactor? He who troubles us, insults us, censures us and slights us is indeed our benefactor as he destroys our sins and we have not to make any effort for it. It is indeed very kind of him that he is doing good to us unintentionally
There is a vital point to understand that no circumstances are ominous for a striver. All circumstances whether good or bad, favourable or unfavourable are the means to attain the goal of life. So a striver should always remain alert because alertness is the means to attain the goal. The saints declare:-
Always remain awake, have devotion for God’s devotees and be free from the pairs of opposites.
If we are affected by favourable and unfavourable circumstances and if we are not free from attachment and aversion, it means that we are not awake. We should have our dealings with others by holding the view that we are strivers and our aim is to attain God
Narayana! Narayana ! Narayana !
From book in ‘Ease in God Realization’ by Shradhey Swamiji Shri Ramsukhdasji Maharaj
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