Why do we need Spiritual Knowledge?

Sri Sathya Sai in the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus Hostel

Bhartruhari was an ardent devotee, poet, scholar and a role model on the path of spirituality. Once upon a time he was contemplating on his fallacies and misdeeds. He said to himself, “Out of ignorance I behaved like an elephant in rut thinking that there is no one superior to me. Because of the Divine vision of sages and their teachings, I learnt the truth. As a disease can be cured by taking appropriate medicine, the fickle mind can be subdued by the Darshan and teachings of the sages and scholars.” 

In this expansive universe, of what magnitude is the body of a human being? What is your form? What sort of a man you are? In the infinite space, of what magnitude is the sun? In that solar system, the earth is like a miniscule entity. Asia is still smaller in comparison to the earth. In Asia, India is still smaller. Andhra Pradesh is a small state in India and Anantapur district is a still smaller piece of land. Prashanti Nilayam is a smaller place in the district and the room in which you stay is still smaller. And in your room you occupy a very small area. Hence what could be the place for your ego compared to the universe in its totality? This is delusion out of ignorance! As one dwells upon humanness, one can understand the true and eternal aspects of philosophy. A train runs at a speed of 50 miles per hour, a flight at 500 miles per hour. Light travels at a speed of 5 crore miles per hour. We are at a distance of 23 lakh crore miles from the stars. The sun appears brightest to us because it is the nearest to us. The sun is also a star. What could be the reason for the faith that humanness is itself Divinity and the reason for transforming humanity into Divinity in this universe? 

Three Types of Knowledge

Knowledge is essential to know the Truth. In the circumstances prevailing today, knowledge is being understood as three types. In the normal level, truth is understood as truth and untruth as untruth. This is considered natural knowledge. In the intermediate level, truth is believed as untruth and untruth as truth. The illusory world is believed to be true. What is beyond the comprehension of the senses is believed to be untrue. Hence the belief in natural forces and the non-existence of Divinity is considered knowledge at the intermediate level. The true spiritual knowledge is believed as that where there are no differences and all is one. ‘Sarvam Vishnu Mayam Jagat, Sarvam Brahma Mayam Jagat’ – the entire universe is Lord Vishnu, the entire world is Brahman. This is the quintessence of the spiritual knowledge. For one to assimilate the spiritual knowledge, the natural knowledge is necessary. Only after experiencing this can one gain the eligibility for receiving the spiritual knowledge. 

Knowledge is like mother. Everything has manifested from knowledge. ‘Naasti Matru Samo Guru’ – there can exist no other teacher greater than one’s mother. No one is trying to experience the personification of knowledge in the mother. Neither the youngsters nor the elders of today are trying to understand this Divine principle. The root cause of this problem is the modern education system. Because of the modern education, people are adopting the ways which suit the mind and not that which is good for them. They are transforming their tender and sweet hearts into rocks. They are further losing the power of discrimination. 

Once upon a time Jawaharlal Nehru asked Mahatma Gandhi as to why he was sad. Gandhiji answered, “How stone-hearted the students are becoming today? What good can these students do to the society? This is my only worry.”

Education is for Life, not merely for a Living

A young woman today aspires to be a good wife but not an exemplary mother. A student today does not aspire to be an exemplary father but an attractive husband. They forget that they should become exemplary fathers. Adding to this, parents encourage such education which promotes all these. A typical father in today’s society does not want his son to be a man of virtue. He wants his son to be a man of great education. Those parents who aspire for transforming their children to be men and women of virtue alone are worthy. Worldly education is not the lone goal of life. Virtues are the backbone of life. Education is for life, not merely for a living. For all this, spiritual thought and spiritual path is highly essential. 

Devotion is that which does not allow parting of a devotee from God. That which does not separate a devotee and God, that binding force is devotion. Indians compared devotion to the sacred river Ganga. Ganga means that which is pure, blemishless and of prime significance. Ganga received recognition and fame in the entire universe. Thus devotion has to be pure, blemishless and selfless. Human activity has to be in accordance with devotion. This is compared to river Yamuna. All those activities undertaken to please God are comparable to Yamuna. Hence all the activities performed to please God are the replications of the river Yamuna itself. Selfish and self-fulfilling activities are related to Lord Yama (the God of Death). The former is Yamuna and the latter is Yama. In the world today, both devotion and activity are seen, but the undercurrent (Antarvahini), Saraswati is not seen. The river Saraswati is hidden and undisclosed. The latent knowledge is not visible to us. This knowledge is the true knowledge. Such knowledge aids in subduing the senses.

Ravana had learnt 64 disciplines of education whereas Rama learnt only 32. Even though Ravana was an expert in more disciplines of education than Rama, he has been labeled as stupid and ignorant. What could be the reason for this? Despite his education, he was enslaved to his senses and therefore was pronounced stupid. Lord Rama subdued His senses. All educated people are not knowledgeable. They may be literate. But the educated person who has gained control over his senses is truly a knowledgeable person. Hence those people who realised this inner significance were portrayed through the element of devotion in them.

The Need for Repeated Spiritual Instruction

A devotee should not get disgusted at any point of time. He should not get vexed despite his repeated listening to the same teachings or repeated eating of the same type of food. Swami may be repeatedly speaking of the same thing time and again. He may be telling the same things which He has told earlier. How do you reason it out? You are taking food repeatedly for the same stomach. You have been washing the same face many times a day. Why? Food once taken gets digested and we have to have food again. Similarly, you may forget things you have heard earlier. So to recollect the forgotten things you have to listen to them frequently. You should not feel disinterested. For example - You started taking tea or coffee 15 or 20 years back. You are never bored of taking it even though you have been taking it daily for 15 or 20 years. Every time you take coffee or tea it gives you new enthusiasm and excitement. If it is delayed by 2 minutes you may have a head-ache. You don’t feel uneasy to drink coffee or tea 4 or 8 times a day because you like it. Unfortunately some people are disinclined to listening to spiritual talks, experiences or examples that convey profound meaning. During a spiritual talk they either sleep or have a head-ache. If not these two, they recollect undesirable thoughts and ideas. Even if such unfortunate people listen to innumerable spiritual talks, it would be of no use. 

So, even though you may have listened to such spiritual instructions a lot of times, it is necessary that you listen to them once again to remember them well. One should experience the joy of devotion unceasingly without having the slightest feeling of disinterestedness. You should not feel disinclined to it even for a second. The Chakora birds may feel bored of flying in the moon lit night sky. A cuckoo may get bored of singing. As one drinks more and more nectar, he may get vexed of it. But when it comes to God and devotion, one should not be indifferent. This is the true symbol of devotion. Such pure thoughts should develop in the hearts of the students. 

Source: Roadmap for a Righteous Life, Discourse 5, My Dear Students Volume 3, Divine Discourse delivered on June 26, 1989 at Sri Sathya Sai Hostel, Prasanthi Nilayam