Sad Vani | Teachings of Anandamayi Ma 2

19

All creatures are fundamentally one, for the whole universe is a manifestation of the One.

A man who hears the word 'Himalaya' without having actually set eyes on the mighty range, will be under the impression that it is but a single mountain, whereas once face to face with the Hima­layas he will realize that they consist of hundreds upon hundreds of peaks, stretching over hundreds of miles, with milliards of trees, animals, birds, insects, with streams and waterfalls.

Similarly, the farther one advances or the deeper one penetrates on the path of sādhana, the more clearly will be perceived the One revealed in the many and the many in the One.

In actual fact we are always with the One, but distracted by the many we forget Him. Step by step we learn to walk, mouthful by mouthful we satisfy our hunger; single letters are composed into words, groups of days form a month, and months added together con­stitute a year.

You often say: "There is only the One-Without-A-Second." This is indeed a fact, for in this universe there is nothing except the One.

The world is made up of sense perceptions. Although each one of the five senses reveals a different facet of the imm­ensity of Creation, yet their endless move­ment originates from the One, and they again find their rest in Him. Their whole significance lies in giving expression to the One.

With the one goal before you, try to focus your whole attention on one form, one perfume, one contact, or one sound, and you will eventually come to see that everything is contained in this one.

Thereupon you will realize that the One appears as the many and that in very truth the many are the One; you will know that nothing whatso­ever exists outside of the One.

20

So long as speech has to be employed, use your words sparingly. Listen and try to assimilate what others say, and only when necessity demands utter a few words mea­sured out in homoeopathic doses, as it were.

Have you not noticed that where large quantities of allopathic medicine fail, a few drops of homoeopathic medicine sometimes work wonders.

What is the hidden motive behind talkativeness? Is it not to display superiority or erudition or else to defeat someone by argument?

The force of action is much greater than mere words. Super­ficial conversation and discussion will not take you far. Practise self-introspection and calm the passions of the heart, and you will see how little inclination there is then for talk.

21

At all times gaze into the heights and keep on mounting. If you aim at what is low, you will sink down into the nether­world.

Accustomed to take the even, easy road, you have almost lost the ability to aspire after the sublime. Although you are in the habit of seizing opportunities as they present themselves at every moment, you fail to use this faculty in the right direction.

Make a sustained effort to aim at the highest, and if your eyes cannot always remain turned towards the sky, you can surely at least keep them fixed straight ahead. The courage to climb upwards comes through enterprise and perseverance.

You often complain that the body is willing but the mind does not co-operate, or else that the mind is quite active but the body lags behind.

When this is so, you will have to set to work with untiring energy, or your downfall is inevitable. Courage is required in whatever one does; courage itself is power.

22

Try always to spend as much time as you can in the open air, keeping the body as bare as is practicable.

Gaze to your heart's content at the lofty mountains or on the wide ocean, and your words will be frank and free. If you cannot do any­thing else, at least peer at the open sky whenever you have the chance.

Little by little the rigid knots that make up your shackles will be loosened, and you will find your­self becoming freer. A fully awakened con­sciousness functions only through an untrammelled mind and body. To be fettered is to be crippled.

You brought nothing into this world but your naked body, and one day you will have to depart stripped of everything. If during the short period that lies between birth and death you are burdened with too many possessions and luxuries, it will be very painful to leave them behind. Keep your body light and your mind will be light.

When both body and mind are light it is easy to attain to Liberation.

23

Why do you accumulate wealth and possessions? In order to maintain yourself and your family. And for whom does the family exist? If you give a straightforward reply, you will have to admit that it is for yourself. But if you ask, "What is this self?" you will find no answer and your intelligence can take you no further.

"Who am I?" Once you sit down and ponder seriously over this question, you will soon discover that all the book learning that you have crammed into your brain in school and college, and all the practical experience you have gained in active life, are not of the slightest help in solving this question, if you want to discover the origin of the sense of "I and mine" you will have to alter the whole course of your thinking, and give your undivided attention to the search after Truth.

Whenever the mind starts wandering, it must be firmly brought back to concentration upon the source of the "I". This is the means by which to arrive at Self-realization (Ātmā darśana).

24

When at daybreak a vairāgī (traveling ascetic) goes from door to door chanting the name of “Hari”, thousands may hear it, but how many have realty listened? Why is that?

Most people have the power of hearing, but the majority are so captivated by the melodies of the world that they will not easily give ear to devotional songs.

The only way to counteract this is japa (regular repetition of one of God's Names, anything from 10 to 10,000 times), or else to devote some time every day to prayer or meditation, the search for the Self, satsang, the singing of God's praises, religi­ous discourses, or any other practice of the kind.

In this way the mechanism of body and mind will by and by become attuned to the vibrations of religious music and be able to appreciate it. Without regular practice no science can be mastered.

Similarly, sustained effort is necessary for those who aim at Self- realization. This should be borne in mind. Just as a watch has to be wound every day, so the winding of the machinery of the mind with the key of divine con­templation at least once daily, will greatly assist in purifying one's thinking.

25

Do not pay attention to the faults of others. It blurs the vision, defiles the mind, and adds to the load of the world's sin. Therefore try to see only the bright side of things in whatever you perceive.

It is the good and beautiful which are true and living, whereas the bad and ugly are only the shadow of what really is. Nobody ever wishes to be bad.

When you seek the company of others, remember you are out to find the good and beautiful.

Truly, if you are simple and sincere inwardly as well as outwardly, your heart will be pure and full of joy, and your intelligence and reason sound and accurate. Then you will find good everywhere and nothing will appear to be evil.

God alone is perfect; no person can be free from defects. By making a practice of seeing the good qualities in others, the same virtues develop in yourself, for as you think so you become.

In fact it gives much greater satisfaction to appre­ciate the merits of others even than to dwell on one's own worthiness. To take pleasure in thinking of, one's own excellence will only inflate the ego and magnify the faults and frailties of others.

26

He only who lives consciously, that is to say in Self-awareness, deserves to be called a human being. Without being truly a human being first, one cannot become a superman.

By following the social and moral laws, human qualities are gradually developed, after which, when one becomes interested in the spiritual quest and the mind has been purified by divine contem­plation, one may go beyond illusion and grow into a superman.

The endeavour to fulfil his real want is characteristic of man; to be established in his true being is the mark of the superman.

Man’s task is to satisfy his want by awakening to his true nature; the superman's task to become perfected in his true being, which implies renunciation and all-embracing Love.

First of all try to be a real human being.

27

The Supreme is Joy itself. This is why the goal of life for all sentient beings is Joy (ānanda). At all times give and receive happiness, hear and see the delightful; thus you will be able to live blissfully.

Gloom is the token of death; none in the entire universe welcomes it. If dejection does steal into your heart, drive it away by force. Say to yourself: "Why should I, who am a scion of Joy Supreme, feel downcast?"

Does a rich man's son ever exhibit his poverty? Even though his parental wealth may have been lost, he will rest content in himself; for he knows that he is the offspring of a distinguished family.

And you, whose inner treasure is quite intact— ought you to pass your days like beggars? Can anything be accomplished without keep­ing one's backbone erect?

Do you not see with how much energy the people of the West talk and act. They have put their heart and soul into securing the material welfare of the world, and all affluence and every comfort is in the palm of their hands.

For ever banish from your heart anything in the nature of fear, anxiety or despon­dency. Where joy, enterprise and diligence are, there the Supreme Energy (Mahāśaktī) Itself is present.

Learn to see God in all worthy undertakings of mankind. If you can do this, you will pass from the material world of karma to Reality, the Brahman, which is identical with the realization of Supreme Bliss (Paramānanda).

28

Since one cannot see oneself with one's; own eyes, one should listen eagerly when others point to one's mistakes. This is an aid to self-scrutiny; whereas hearing one's praise does nothing but harm.

The attitude of the majority of people is exactly contrary to this: they like being praised but greatly fear censure. As a result they remain dependent on praise and blame throughout, their lives and in consequence suffer fre­quent frustration.

In worldly life it is necessary to be mindful of praise and blame. But on the spiritual path, unless one be­comes indifferent to both, one cannot re­main firm and steadfast.

In order to pro­gress inwardly, one must concentrate on the one Goal, in other words, become absorbed in the One. Therefore it is imperative to cultivate activities and states of mind that promote one-pointedness, and to withdraw as far as possible from all external distrac­tions.

29

One of God's names is Chintāmaṇi (ful­filler of desires).

At first men turn to God because He fulfils all desires, but by and by they become so absorbed in the contemplation of Him that there is no room left for any other thought, that is to say, they become infused with the divine Pre­sence.

One must pine for God as keenly as the miser craves for wealth, as the childless longs for a son. Throughout life's journey keep Him first and foremost in your thoughts and He will become your sole aim.

If anyone can thus enshrine Him in his heart, He will take all burdens off His devotee and give him freedom to contem­plate exclusively the Divine. There have been numerous instances of this, not only among saints and sannyāsins but also among men of the world.

Even beasts, birds and plants are within the pale of His Mercy. Laying all cares at rest, take shelter in Him with a tranquil mind. Keep your kite flying with the string held firmly in your hand; the wind will of itself seize it and carry it soaring into the sky.

30

Whenever you have the chance, laugh as much as you can. By this all the rigid knots in your body will be loosened.

But to laugh superficially is not enough: your whole being must be united in laughter, both outwardly and inwardly. Do you know what this kind of laughter is like?

You simply shake with merriment from head to foot, so that one cannot tell which part of your body is most affected. What you us­ually do is to laugh with your mouth while your mind and emotions are not involved.

But I want you to laugh with your whole countenance, with your whole heart and soul, with all the breath of your life.

In order to be able to laugh in this way you must have implicit faith in the power of the Self and try to bring the outer and inner parts of your being into perfect harmony.

Do not multiply your needs, nor give way to the sense of want, but live a life of spotless purity. Making the interests of others your own, seek refuge at His feet in total surrender. You will then see how the laughter that flows from such a heart defeats the world.

31

Each of the five fingers of the hand has its own peculiarity; each part of the body has its own function, high or low; the teeth may at times well bite the tongue; but since the whole of it is your own body, you accept all its ways and take great pains to look after every part of it.

In the same manner, try to regard as your own every person you contact. By making this a habit you will in due course come to feel that everyone in the universe is part of you. To abolish the distinction between 'I' and 'you' is the sole purpose of all spiritual endeavour.

32

By degrees reduce all external diver­sions, such as going to see people and superficial conversation. Otherwise these will become     obstacles on your way to God-realization.

The One resides in the sanctuary of your heart; if your sight and hearing are turned outward, how can you become aware of His presence? Real worship is of the heart. Outer rites and ceremonies are only a small part of it.

As a mother fondles her ailing baby in her lap, so have we in the initial stages of our sādhana to hug the Divine close to our breast as we would do with a sick infant.

If at the time of prayer and meditation you are un­able to calm yourself and to forget your worldly activities and cares, you will not get any living experience of God.

Just as when listening at the telephone you focus your attention wholly on hearing, so also when you meditate must you rally all your senses to one point in order to intensify your power of concentration.

33

Man is the image of God. To be born in a human body is the highest type of birth.

Nowhere in the world can be found such a wealth of hidden treasures as in the domain of the human mind. Like a pearl-diver one has to plunge into the in­most depths of one's being and be at work day and night in quest of those precious jewels.

Kindle the inner flame and let it illumine your life and the world. This is the supreme purpose of human striving.

34

To speak means to float on the surface; unless the  mind remains on the surface, words will not come. So long as one is immersed in the depths, there is not even the possibility to talk; but as soon as one comes up to the surface, speech will issue forth. This is why language can­not always fully express one's feelings and ideas. 

One can often hear people say: "I am unable to put into words what I feel". Does this not show how limited and imperfect human language is? It cannot even convey the little you understand, how much less the enormous amount that lies beyond your ken!

Try to learn the science of using and understanding the hidden lan­guage of the heart and you will be able to accomplish everything without words.

35

In whichever direction you may turn your gaze you will find One Eternal Indivi­sible Being manifested. Yet it is not at all easy to detect this Presence, because He inter­penetrates everything.

As a King is known by his majesty, as fire is known by its heat, so the Unmanifest reveals Himself through the world of manifestation.

The analysis of the substance of all created things, if carried sufficiently far, will lead to the discovery that what remains is identical and equally present in all creatures: it is He, it is That, which is styled as Pure Consciousness (Chetanā).

In the laboratories of universities and hospitals and in many other places all over the world, research of various kinds is being carried on and new theories are constantly evolved. If you carefully think over these, you will see that they only go to prove the existence of the One All-pervading Being.

If in the midst of the diver­sity of the world of appearances you make a sustained effort to do all your work as a faithful servant of the Almighty Father of the Universe, love and devotion for Him will awaken in your heart.

As the confin­ing prison walls of the ego are broken down, you will become more and more persistent and wholehearted in your pursuit of Reality.

Then all the manifold pictures you perceive will merge into one single picture and all your divergent moods and sentiments will be engulfed in the one great ocean of Bliss.