“One must become colourless while playing with colours.” – Rev. Babuji Maharaj

Sri. Radha Krishna Murthy

Majority of people rejoice on the occasion of Holi festival playing with colours by sprinkling gulal on friends and relatives. It is a festival of colours. Those who are inclined towards play participate in it, while those bystanders and non-participants also are charmed by the beauty of colours. If your inclination is not for admiration of colours, you may strengthen your attitude towards it. The distinction of colours is possible so long as the eye has the capacity for it but it is not capable of discriminating (possessing real knowledge)about colours. Babuji poses a question whether the festival Holi comes for getting the distinguishing of colours or manifestation of God’s craftsmanship and answers Himself that one must become colourless while playing with colours.

He explains it that if affected by colours one’s behaviour gets affected being a mixture of coherence and incoherence like that of a drunkard. He explains it in a spiritual way that when we link ourselves to the whole (ultimate) , the colour of the ultimate(colourlessness) shall be in our vision and the same shall prevail in us; then, if per chance we maintain that link uninterruptedly, the same state of mergence be experienced by us. A good lesson can be learnt from this festival by this view. Babuji, perhaps, refers to this appearance of vision of ultimate to our constant linking with ultimate, ( and disappearance of form and shape in that vision) as the development of inner vision which is not possible for the human eye. Unless the manifestation of Maya is got over by realizing it as ‘Maya’ by proper discrimination it is possible that we admire and take interest in playing with colours and indulging in revelries which at the most can give momentary excitement and pleasure as long as we continue it.

An instance of common observation may help to realize the existence of myth in manifestation of colours beheld by our eye.

On a sunny day, when sun is covered by sparce colours and if it rains simultaneously while sun shine continues, drizzle of rain may absorb sun’s ray (which is white) and gets refracted on the opposite side of the sky exhibiting ‘VIBGYOR’ in all its colours most brilliantly like a huge semi circular ribbon on the horizon. It is, no doubt , a beautiful vision. No sooner the rain stops, ‘VIBGYOR’ vanishes automatically .

This would mean that the sun’s ray which is perfectly white imbibes in it, various shades of colour, pleasing the eye of a beholder momentarily with all its colours causing a mere illusion, proving it to be so, by its impermanent nature of vanishing soon after. Diverse colours are brought out, out of a unitary ray of sun which is colourless.

We may also, in this context consider a case of diversity getting united to form unity. Rivers taking their origins from, remote, widespread mountain ranges from slender rock crevices having insignificant water springs flowing soon assuming large quantum of water mass in plains, finally lose their form and name when they join the ocean, thus losing their very identity themselves.

The above two examples may, be helpful to remind us of our origin from ultimate, (the unitary form) by downward fall at the time of creation with Divine flow forming knots at various levels showing creation in diversity to maximum taking shape as various forms of creation similar to the refraction of sun’s light into its constituent colours of ‘VIBGYOR’. While our attempt to return to our homeland, with all our names, forms attainments and achievements to get merged with ultimate similar to rivers joining the ocean, of course, with greatest effort on our part supported by a push by our Master in the upward journey represents an example of diversity merging to form unity.

Babuji exhorts in this article, that we should always keep our destination (Base) in our view and become crazy and mad to arrive at the destination. He reminds us that this is the best method adopted by all those who achieved results. This craze on our part makes God restless. Pain should be developed which also brings cure in its wake. All our abhyas and practices are aimed at achieving this end. Babuji is definite that a time comes to all of us to develop a feeling of eager impatience to achieve all those states of progress similar to Him, which He is restless to impart now to us.

He expressed the possibility of His love towards us, may bear fruit in creating similar intensity in our hearts similar to His restless craving for our Grand Master.

In several Messages on various occasions, Babuji makes it abundantly clear that earnest craving for only realization will help choosing the correct person as our guide when realization will not be difficult. Real craving keeps one in constant restlessness which is greatly helpful in working our real goal.

He specially lays stress upon the abhyasi cultivating an intense craving amounting to restless, eagerness or pinching impatience for the realization of the goal. It is this feeling of pain or restlessness which one has to develop to ensure easy success. A firm will and undivided attention towards it are all required for this purpose.

Babuji’s message reveals His anxiety for our quick progress. Besides, He expresses the same in another message delivered at TINSUKIA (on “ way to perfection “)

In His words “ My strong desire is that I should give people an inkling of the final state of spiritual evolution. Teachings of Natural Path are of the highest because it teaches the maintenance in view of one’s final goal. It is necessary for any teaching which aims to assist in the attainment of the Highest, to be of the highest order. My restlessness lies in this, that you should continue to be restless to achieve the goal of attainment of the Divine which alone can give me Real peace. To the extent that you are restless in this manner, to that extent peace will accrue to me. If you believe and remember this that for all the service rendered by me to people, the return that comes to me is peace, then the only method for you is to remain restless. Let us get so deeply involved in the thought of “This”, that no thought arises at all of “That”.

Summing up, Babuji gives us a Message through this article on ‘Holi’ that (a) The base or destination must never go out of mind. For this, we must ever keep our base in the mind ;
(b) we must develop restless craving with eager impatience for attainment of realization at the earliest for which intense Abhyas is a must.

Pranamams.