O’ Lord ! O’ My Lord ! May I never forget You !

There are two very simple and easy facts. One of them if felt by reverence and the other by experience. The fact which is felt by reverence is that God always pervades everywhere without any change. Several ages pass away, several Brahmas (the creators of the world) change, but the Supreme Essence remains the same. The fact which is felt by experience is that the whole world is kaleidoscopic, it is changing every moment and is turning to naught. Thus there are two facts.

(1) God Who is ever attained is steady and there is no ‘change in Him. What is steady and unchanging, that 'Is' is the essence. He pervades at all times, in all places; things and creatures. He is already attained to all. That is something different, if you don't turn your eyes to Him, otherwise He is attained and pervades in all to the full. He exists whether you turn your eyes or not, whether you accept His existence or not, whether you know Him or not. 'Is' always exists, Sundaradasa says-What is real is eternal. You will have to believe that the essence is attained and then He will be seen and experienced. This is something of the belief.

(2) The fact which is felt by experience is that the world is kaleidoscopic, transient and illusive. It seems to exist but is actually flowing. A man may think that a particular person has got money, praise, respect. But actually he has got nothing, that is merely an illusion. What he thinks to attain is actually flowing, is not attained. If he had attained what was to be attained, there would have not been the desire to attain more. This, is the criterion. So long as there is desire to acquire, it means that he has not acquired the real thing. The Gita declares, "Anyone after acquiring that attainment can't consider any other attainment as greater" (VI. 22).

यं लब्ध्वा चापरं लाभं मन्यते नाधिकं ततः।

यस्मिन्स्थितो न दुःखेन गुरुणापि विचाल्यते।

It is an established fact that as long as you have a desire to acquire anything-money, respect, health etc., it means that you have not acquired the real thing. If you attain the real, the desire to attain anything more is pacified forever. Nothing remains to be attained. What seems to be attained has actually not been attained, because it is non-existent and is an illusion. But the problem is that the people give more importance to the illusion than the reality.

The solution is that we should have a firm belief in what is really attained. So much of experience we have got that I have existed always and will exist always. I am the same what I was in boyhood. The body, the mind, the emotions, the senses, the time, the events, the actions and the circumstances, all have changed, but I am the same today as I was in the past. Vedantic Philosophy believes in the eternity of the Self, and gives a very strong reason that 'I am the same.‘

Two men, an elderly one and a young one had met several years ago and again meet. The young man asks, 'Grand Father. do you know me?’ The elderly man answers, "Brother, I don't know. Do you know me?". The young answers, "Yes, I know. We had met at that time and talked about these things. You could not recognize me because of a lot of change in me". The old man agrees and says, "Are you the same?" The young man says. "Yes, I am the same". The old man also agrees and says, "You are right, brother, I am also the same." The young man asks, "How are you? What is your condition?" The old man answers, "I am in great difficulty, I don't have good income." The old man asks, ”How are you?" The young man replies, "I am quite prosperous, and have a flourishing business."

Think about the two gentlemen. The conditions and the circumstances of both of them have changed but they are the same. There is a lot of difference in their conditions and circumstances. The conditions and the circumstances don‘t stay with you. You are different from circumstances, conditions,

The question may arise whether this "Pratiti" seeming existence (illusion) is real or unreal or different from the two. There is a lot of difference in the opinion of different philosophers, but there is no difference of opinion in the fact that it does not remain constant but it changes. How can we call it real because if it is real, it should continue, but it does not. Similarly how can we call it unreal because it seems to exist. Therefore in the Vedanta it has been called (an Anirwacaniya) indescribable or undefinable. It can neither be called real nor unreal, not both. It is exceptional. Therefore, it is called indescribable because it cannot be defined.

Now the question arises how to accept Him as attained when we can't even see Him. There is a sentence in the Upanisads - By what means should we know the knower of all? As you see everything with the eye, but the eye is not seen. You can see only the reflection of the eye in the mirror, but you cannot see the eyesense. The power of seeing is not seen. But by seeing the things and objects we accept that there is a power of seeing, because if there is no power, how can we see the worldly objects? In the same way the material world seems to exist, but actually does not exist. The Knower by whose power the materials of the non-existing world seem to exist always exists and only He is attained.

He had not existed, how could we have felt the non-existing World to be existing? It always changes. One Who sees it, is the Looker-on. That Looker-on is called by different names such as God, the Spirit, Truth or Reality, Brahma, but the essence is the same.

Once nine chief ascetics came to the palace of King Janaka. Janaka bowed his head to them and said, "I feel exalted today." He felt exalted because he met the saints who could tell him reality, the eternal essence. The question arises why would King Janaka feel exalted if they told him the reality? God is already attained whether anyone tells it or not. The answer is that we believe only when they tell us.

We don’t accept it as true without hearing from them. Therefore, I ask you to have belief and reverence that the Supreme Spirit (Parmatma) is omnipresent. Therefore have faith in the reality by which the non~existing World seems to exist. Then and then only you can be benefited, otherwise not. Therefore, accept His existence. Though He is already attained yet you will not be benefited, if you don't accept Him.

A cow fell ill. Her owner went to a veterinarian. The veterinarian advised him to give her half a quarter of a seer (weight) of black pepper first and then to give her a quarter of a seer of ghee (butter purified by boiling and straining). The owner gave the cow half a quarter of seer of black pepper, but did not give ghee, thinking that the ghee was already there in the body of the cow. The result was that the cow's condition became worse. He again went to the veterinarian and said, "The cow's condition has become worse." The veterinarian asked him, "Did you give black pepper and ghee?" He replied, "Yes, sir, I gave black pepper and ghee was already there in the cow. I didn't milk the cow, so a quarter of a seer of ghee which we get from her milk everyday was already in her." She suffered more because first there was heat of the disease in her and secondly the black pepper produced more heat. There was ghee in her, yet it did not prove useful. If he had taken out ghee and given to the cow, she might have recovered.

Similarly we have to experience that 'Is' essence which is already attained. We have gathered here to experience that essence.

You will experience that essence only when you have a keen desire and restlessness to experience Him, Who is attained and exists always everywhere. You will be benefited only by having such a desire, otherwise you will gain nothing merely by talking; You may also give lectures as I do, but you will gain nothing. Therefore, I say -why are you getting deprived of Him? If a child knows that his mother is here, he starts weeping. If she is the mother, why does she not take him in her lap? I say so, so that by believing it, you may get uneasy to know Him.

We have to attain (experience) the attained. When we say that He is attained, it means that we should have a keen desire to attain Him, rather than to have a false satisfaction. To have that desire it is necessary not to accept the illusion as true and not to have a desire to get pleasure from it. The key to attain the attained is not to accept the illusion as reality. If you accept the illusion as pleasure-giving, you cannot experience that essence, even though you may study many sacred books, all the four Vedas and six scriptures. By accepting the illusion as real, you will not be relieved of the worldly distress and you will have to go to hell. No one can save you. The house, money, family etc., are merely illusive and if you have entangled yourself in them by getting pleasure from them, no one can save you from sin and degradation.

The question arises-Why does this illusion attract us when it does not stay? The answer is that you accept it as a reality and not as an illusion, so you are attracted towards it. If you accept it as an illusion, you will not think to acquire it. Do you think to taste the delicious dishes which you see on the screen in the movies? You don't feel them as delicious. Do you think to catch your face which you see in the mirror? Why not? The reason is that you know that even by having a desire you will get nothing. Similarly you should have a firm belief that all the wealth, respect, family, wife and sons etc., are nothing but merely an illusion. Can you get anything from an illusion? When no one has acquired any thing from them till today, what can we get? This is merely a false notion if you think them as acquired. Samsaara (world) is defined as the one which is passing every moment. Therefore, you can't acquire anything from the world. Only God is attained, but you will experience Him by having disinclination for this illusion, otherwise it will remain merely a theory. He-who-desires-anything-from-us-how-can-he-be-our-Guru.jpg

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