04 Oct 2006
O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,
[Message on Dasara, Day-3] Today, a most important concept is to be analyzed. By doing social service one will certainly reach heaven, which is a temporary place only. One has to return back to the earth and take again the risk as per the Gita. But the abode of God is permanent and if one attains such divine abode, one will not return back to the normal human birth. Such a divine soul is liberated and comes to earth as human incarnation along with the Lord. The same social service can be done as a secondary activity keeping the preaching of spiritual knowledge and devotion as primary activity. Such divine service includes the social service. But the social service alone does not include the divine service. Heaven (Svarga Loka) is the third upper world, which is in the path to the abode of God, which is the seventh upper world (Satya Loka). If you are traveling towards the seventh world, you can make a break in the journey and visit the heaven for some time, since you have the ticket up to the abode of God. But if you have the ticket only up to heaven, you cannot travel up to the abode of God. Social service is just like a hostel feeding boys and girls without giving them any education. If you run a college giving them the education and associate the hostel to it, the total name is college only and not the hostel. In the divine service, the devotees are served. In this world, a large majority is of devotees only. Thus, a large part of society is served.
Only atheists remain. They should be also helped to attain the basic needs. There is a chance for them to become theists in their settled lives. Perhaps the stress caused in earning the basic needs made them become atheists. Only the peaceful mind can digest the spiritual knowledge. For them also, you must give basis and then preach philosophy. God often helps the devotees with a view that when the worldly worries are removed, they will travel in the spiritual path. Even after frequent helps, if the devotee is not changing, who continuously sticks for help only, God becomes silent to his/her prayers and condemns such devotees. There is a limit for patience in hoping the possibility of change.
Mahishasura is a he-buffalo. This animal is of soft nature and is not cruel like the tiger or lion. A blind person, who follows tradition without analysis can be compared to this animal. Such blind ignorant fellow without intelligence to analysis of the truth is often scolded by the name of this animal. The tiger or lion is a cruel animal but is in the service of Goddess Durga. Such cruel animal is honored since it is in the service of God. The silent and peaceful animal like he-buffalo is condemned. The message from this story is very important. A person, who is always interested in himself and his family and goes on earning without any trace of spiritual knowledge represents the climax of ignorance like the he-buffalo, which is always interested in eating grass and is employed in routine mechanical worldly work. This indicates that such a fellow will be born as a bull or buffalo, employed always in the routine work and constant earning of food. You find such people frequently in this world, who are constantly engaged in the work propagating that work is worship. We agree that work is worship provided the work is confined to earning of basic needs of life. Above that, the work is not worship but is a sin. Above such work done for livelihood, worship to God is to be followed. Thus, work and worship are correct.
You can find the other extreme people, who say that worship is work. They do not earn their livelihood by separate work. They like to earn the livelihood through worship only. Both these extremes are wrong and the middle golden path of Aristotle is correct. In the concept of work and worship, the work is done only to earn the livelihood that is essential to maintain the body, which is required for the worship. Such work is also a part and parcel of worship only. Hence, such a devotee is doing always worship only. Remember that the word ‘worship’ always means the practical devotion (service by sacrifice of work or fruit of work) and not the theoretical devotion like meditation, prayers, songs etc. Knowledge can come under this theoretical devotion. Though it appears as theoretical devotion, it has a separate status (Jnana Yoga is separated from Bhakti Yoga) because without the knowledge, the devotion and service are impossible. Of course, if the knowledge is not ending in service through the devotion, such knowledge again comes under useless theoretical devotion.
Importance of Practical Devotion
Knowledge, devotion and service are the three consequent steps to please the God. If the service (which can be called as practical devotion) is not seen, in such case, the knowledge and devotion are only theoretical and useless. We find great scholars of divine knowledge and great devotees without the aspect of sacrifice of service. Such theoretical scholars and devotees are useless and do not achieve even a trace of grace of God. Such scholars can be useful in preaching the public and such devotees, who are good actors in expressions and good singers can be used as actors in the devotional cinemas. A boy saw a cinema called “Bhakta Prahlada” and became a saint by staying in a cave without food (Bala Yogi in Andhra Pradesh, India). But the girl, who acted as Prahlada became a great actress in the cinemas and earned a lot of money. Such unfortunate preachers and acting devotees are mocked by the Veda as the animals of angels (Devanam pashuh). Such unfortunate souls are meant for serving others only and cannot enjoy the result. An animal like a bull cultivates the land through hard work. The fruits of the crop (grains) are taken by the farmer and the useless grass is given to the bull. The bull even carries on the grains from the field to the house of farmer as a vehicle. The film actress, who acted as Bhakta Prahlada, is like such bull and all the money earned by her is like the useless grass. The boy, who sat in the cave in the meditation of God, is like the farmer, who got the fruits of the crop.
Majority accepts the existence of God. But God is unimaginable. To pray or to praise or meditate upon God, a form is required. Prayer, praise and meditation are theoretical devotion, which is the preliminary step. When you love a girl with mind and express love on her by sweet words, it is all theoretical phase only. She may be trapped by you to fulfill your desire by such theoretical love and your love is that of a prostitute. You will avoid marriage, which is the practical love. Married life involves service to her in form of sacrifice of wealth and work continuously. Sometimes, if she is bedridden by a lifelong disease, you have to continue your service without aspiring any fruit in return from her. Instead of all this risk, you may spend a little on her for fulfilling your momentary desire and you are a merchant investing something for profit. Your behavior to God is also similar to these two (prostitute and merchant). Both these are called as Veshya Bhakti and Vyshya Bhakti respectively. Some want to fulfill their desires just by expression of love (mind) and words (prayers or songs) like a prostitute. Some are prepared to spend a little temporarily for God apart from theoretical devotion to fulfill their desires like a merchant. [At this point, a devotee asked a question]
Devotee asked: Can You please explain what You mean by prostitute-like devotion and businessman-like devotion?
Swami replied: They behave with God as a prostitute behaves with her customer. The prostitute speaks wise words to attract the customer. In sweet words, she claims to love them. She even sings love songs in praise of her customers. However, she has no love for them, since she never practically sacrifices anything for them. Instead, she wants to grab their money. Such is the case of these prostitute-devotees, who wisely discuss spiritual knowledge (jnana yoga), and express their devotion in words, feelings, and devotional songs (bhakti yoga), but avoid practical service and sacrifice to God. Yet, they expect practical benefits from God in return. Business-devotees are those who do business with God by paying some amount to Him in worship for fulfilling their desires. Both these types of devotees forget that God can never be trapped by any soul.
[Swami continued…] The different types of insincere devotees are like different types of insincere lovers. Some lovers want only enjoyment from the girl but do not want to pay any dowry to her. Similarly, some want only bliss from God but not any materialistic benefit. Some are exactly reverse to this since they want to fulfill their materialistic desires by loving a rich girl. Such people are not bothered about any form of the girl. Similarly, some people love the God for His superpowers, which are used to satisfy their worldly desires. They are not bothered about God whether He has form or no form or any form. A few people love the girl not for their selfish enjoyment and not for her wealth. They love the girl really and the aim of their love is the happiness of the girl. Such lovers have no reason for their love and are ready to sacrifice any thing for the sake of the happiness of the girl. Similarly, a very few devotees love God not for bliss and not for using His superpowers to solve their problems. The love of such rare devotee is reasonless and real aiming at the pleasure of the God only and not the pleasure of himself/herself. He loves the girl in one-way traffic and is ready to sacrifice even his life to please the girl. Similarly, some blessed soul loves God in one-way traffic and is ready to sacrifice even his life to please the God. I have given this simile to you because all of you are very good scholars of cinemas and you will understand the concept through a simile, which is very familiar to you.
The knowledge, love (devotion) and service to God are thus either in the selfish path or in the selfless path. The first one is called as Preyas and the second one is called as Shreyas as per the Veda. In both the paths, all the three (Jnana, Bhakti and Seva) exist as the common components. In the path of loving a girl also with selfish motive or selfless real love, all these three steps are inevitable. Getting the details of the girl (Jnana), interest in her (bhakti) and serving her temporarily or permanently (seva) are the sequential steps in any path (selfish or selfless).
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