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Reality dawns upon him alone who goes
back along with Nature making himself subtler and
subtler
Dr. S.V.Raghavan
The topic of the seminar has been
taken from the message delivered by Revered Master
at Raichur on the inauguration of the ashram
building constructed there. We may observe that the
topical sentence expresses the gist of the entire
philosophy behind the Natural Path.
The next observation of the Master
relates to the effect of thoughts; in particular He
comes down rather heavily, though in a barely
disguised manner, upon the reprehensible behaviour
of man in general of releasing thoughts
characterized by intense negativity metaphorically
likened by Him to scorpions and snakes. Examples of
such thoughts would be thoughts soaked in
self-centeredness, anger, aggression, hatred, lust,
violence, intense intolerance, narrow sectarianism,
religious fanaticism, pride, prejudice, greed,
appropriative and acquisitive tendencies. The Master
is emphatic in His statement that such thoughts “do
not serve the spiritual purpose but wade deep in the
mire of ungodliness”. (R1)
In addition they are responsible for
the grave disturbances caused to the cosmic order
itself. The disturbed cosmos- (it may be noted that
the word itself derives from the greek word
kosmos meaning orderly beauty; cosmetics-the
science of beautification if we may term it so, also
derives from the same word; there is a widely held
intuitive perception that there is beauty in order
and vice versa)- has in turn a deleterious effect on
the minds of men keeping them always restless and in
tumultuous disorder (see ‘The goal and the path’,
article by the Master on the interdependence between
man’s thoughts and the cosmos (R2)). In the article,
‘The background of spirituality is the moral
courage’ (R3) Bro. K. C. Narayana states, “It
naturally becomes our duty to go beyond our petty
selves and move into the cosmic realms of existence.
We in the natural path know that there are certain
ideals such as excellence in thought and deed and
dedication to universal good, towards which we
should strive and which allow the full enfoldment of
our humanity and hopefully of divinity.” The Master
exhorts us to “rise according to the needs of the
times and employ ourselves better for the good of
others” (R1). However He states that such service is
subordinate to the spiritual progress implying that
the service referred to can not be effectively
performed by the individual unless he has attained
the requisite spiritual elevation and has in
addition the Master’s mandate for such a task.
Otherwise the intention for such service on his part
would be reduced to just a pious wish.
The Master then turns His attention
to the conception of God/Reality which has an
important bearing on the topic of our discussion.
When we say ‘Reality dawns upon him alone…’ it is
necessary to understand the nature of Reality which
Master is talking about. In the following
description of Reality I will be using Master’s own
words (R4) to the extent consistent with the flow of
the narration and quote when necessary. Reality is
that from which we have emerged and we are bred to
have union with it. It is of the essence of
infinity, the limitless which we have brought with
us and that remains the core and root of all that is
brought into existence. Further it is so simple and
plain that it is often beyond common conception for
that very reason. Hence we must also become simple
like that for realizing it. It is therefore
absolutely essential that the means which we adopt
for the purpose must also be equally simple and
natural. Such a method shall be that which touches
the inner core of the heart. The Master declares
that the external means usually adopted for the
purpose are really of no avail and do not lead the
seeker to the real goal of human life.
The Master states that we may call
Reality which is basically indescribable as the end
of all spiritual stages for the sake of
understanding, though it may just be the beginning
of Reality.
Further that too disappears and its
memory also receded to the background. Then we reach
the plane where our swimming goes on endlessly. We
may recall here Master’s oft quoted statement in
Reality at Dawn “the end of religion is the
beginning of spirituality, the end of spirituality
is the beginning of Reality, the end of Reality is
the real Bliss. When that too is gone, we have
reached the destination. That is the highest mark
which is almost inexpressible in words.” (R5) The
Master tells us why we have lost contact with the
Reality which forms our very core of existence in
the words “having continuously lived in matter we
have lost our own ‘matter’ i.e Reality” (R4).
Reality is beyond force, excitement
or heat; it is similar to the state before heat came
into existence. It is beyond feeling and
understanding. In fact the very simplicity, purity
and innocence of Reality have become a veil to it.
Discussing the further and farther
approaches in one’s march towards Infinity the
Master states, “Reality may be represented as a
sphere which one has to pass through during the
course of his march. After landing on the other side
one has to march on still—how far this sphere
extends is beyond imagination.” Again He states “We
have now disembarked upon the dreary shore. The
freshness of the water is gone. There is no pleasant
breeze, nor are there ripples exciting emotion.
There is no charm, no attraction, no enjoyment,
nothing but a dreary waste, devoid of everything.
That is also a source of anandam but of a
different type. In order to differentiate it from
the previous one I may call it anandam
absolute.” (R4) He adds that the state is an
unchanging one and real without any rise or pitch.
One having reached up to it feels himself lost.
Needless to say all the above conditions which can
hardly be expressed in words have to be imperienced
in one’s heart through His benevolent grace alone.
Talking about His own sadhana,
the Master states that He experienced what He terms
as Real Reality given in His work ‘Reality at Dawn’,
after 22 years of continuous abhyas “when the
charm of life was lost and I was nowhere in myself.
The true nature of zero or Centre which one must
crave for if he is really earnest in achieving the
Ultimate (the final point of approach) is neither
unreal (n)or elusive. It however appears so only
when we apply the wrong medium of senses to enclose
it within the fold of human language for the sake of
expression. That is the main difficulty in the path
and philosophy is to a great extent responsible for
it. To realize ‘Him as He be’ must therefore be the
real pursuit of life.” (R4)
Elsewhere the Master states “the
final point of approach is where every kind of
force, power, activity or even stimulus disappears
and a man enters a state of complete negation,
nothingness or zero” (R6) The state of complete
negation is characterized by the total obliteration
of individuality, that is, the sense of a separate
self. It is only divinity and divinity alone which
gets expressed by such a person who has become an
absolute non-entity, a person with no persona or
mask. As Master has expressed it such a condition is
bestowed upon the seeker in the rarest of rare
circumstances, as it is the finest of divine gifts
reserved just for the human being residing in the
state of moderation in all respects. It is when man
becomes fully and truly a Real Man. The Master
extols the unique excellence of such a divine gift
which is patrimony of the entire progeny of mankind
in the words “to be Real Man is hardly available
even to human beings.” (R7) We find the Master
adding a note of firm encouragement to the seeker
following the above observation that this should not
deter the seeker from seriously attempting to
deserve such a divine gift. Having the right sort of
courage he should “move on and on till the purpose
be fulfilled holding on to the promise that whoever
moves one step towards it the goal moves ten steps
towards that one.” (R7)
Having dealt with the nature of
Reality in some detail, we may look at that which
prevents us from having even a peep into it not to
mention its realization. We know the answer; it is
the grossness of various hues, types and densities
which we have assiduously accumulated through our
misdirected thoughts and actions driven by our own
volition having been influenced by the charm and
glitter of manifestation spread out before us at the
time of creation. This could happen because we
forgot our real nature and became oblivious of the
company of the divine which we were enjoying. The
Master says “We have set up a tiny creation of our
own, in the form of our individual material
existence, having layers after layers of grossness
and opacity. What is now to be done is to shatter
off those layers of grossness one by one and assume
the absolute state we had at the time of creation.
We are, so to say, to dissolve this tiny creation of
our making or to unfold ourselves.” (R8)
Elsewhere describing the system of
the natural path, He says “God is the subtlest
being. Somehow if we become subtle as He is it means
union. In the Natural Path we try to grow subtle
from the very beginning and the teacher also tries
for it.—We discard according to yoga those things
which add grossness to the system. Thus the thing
goes on and the time comes when grossness bids
farewell and subtleness also loses its charm. What
comes after it is nothing short of what we want and
which we are seeking.” (R9)
When does one peep into something for
having a more intimate acquaintance and further an
actual experience of the same? Obviously he has to
find it attractive. For the common run of people the
description by the Master of the Ultimate Reality (Tam)
based upon His direct experience, an experience
never had by even the most advanced of all the
saints and sages of the past, would not be appealing
at all. As the Master remarks in the same article,
though the trend of the general public is no doubt
towards God, the tragedy is that they begin to think
Him to be just as they are and proceed in a grosser
way to attain the subtlest being. Who would indeed
be prepared to love and strive assiduously with
unflagging zeal to attain to that state described as
a dreary waste, devoid of all charm and bereft of
the anandam of the sentimental and sensuous
kind people are running after? Who would like to
lose himself in toto and be supremely happy and
content to be back in such a homeland “from where
nothing comes to him by way of knowledge even about
himself”, a “destination which may be preferably
called insignificance, an insignificance of which he
knows nothing” (R10) and a state for which the
exchange of one’s head would be a cheap bargain? We
can now understand why the Master states regarding
the attainment of Reality as in, “I may say here
that Reality is not the field for cowards. Lion
hearted men alone can dare approach Reality and men
are made so, by Sahaj Marg.” (R1) As Master states
we have to learn to like and love the Ultimate “who
is neither saguna nor nirguna but
beyond both. He is what He is. What should be done
to solve this mystery? The only possible solution
can be to fix our eyes upon the Absolute, be it
saguna, nirguna or neither, and develop
love for it.”(R11) Such a love when it arises in the
heart is the true awakening of Reality. It is the
duty of the aspirant to nurture and grow this love
which turns into pure devotion characterized by an
all consuming passion devouring all obstacles in the
path even like a wild forest conflagration
decimating everything in its path into ashes. It
should transform into an intense restlessness
amounting to a pinching impatience as the Master
would call it so that we can not only peep into
Reality but also realize our true and essential
nature.
The Master emphasizes again and again
the inevitable need to remove the impediments in the
path which are the layers and layers of grossness
and opacity we have formed by our own actions and
thoughts during the descent from the origin.
The only way to realize and have
union with Reality is to make ourselves subtler and
subtler by adopting ways which eschew grossness
totally and are absolutely in tune with nature.
Adopting gross ways would result in “our forming the
curvature and with every vein of our body creating a
pole to bring about changes in the system with
grosser effects. Unless they are destroyed by the
power of the Master there is no way open to the
Reality.”(R1)
It is well known to the followers of
the Natural Path that the regular and assiduous
implementation of the purification practice
supported by pranahuti sessions with their
trainers (individually and in satsanghs) and
strict adherence to the Ten Commandments of the
Master goes a long way towards the progressive
elimination of grossness from their system bringing
them closer and ever closer to the cherished
destination.
Pranam.
References: R1 (Showers of Divine
Grace, 4th Edition, October 2006, pp
25-8); R2 (Silence Speaks Second Edition, May 2007,
pg 127); R3 (BP V8 103-5); R4 (Sruti 137-149); R5
(BWS 179); R6 (BWS 192); R7 (SDG 174); R8 (SDG 140);
R9 (SDG 144); R10 (SDG 39-40); R11 (SDG 78).
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