Q        What is our destination? How should we reach our destination?

            Destiny will propel you towards a station and that is your destination. There is nothing that you can do regarding this. Only an ignorant person assumes that he is the doer. Bharathi puts it this way, ‘We did not will our birth. We do not know what is in store for us.’

          The next issue crops up: is there something called destiny? A European lady asked the late Paramacharya of Kanchi Math, ‘How do I believe that (a) there is a destiny and (b) in the karma theory of Hindu religion?’ Hinduism propounds the theory of karma. The soul takes different forms across various births, propelled by the unfulfilled desires of its previous births. When all experiences are done, the soul goes beyond the fetters of bondage and reaches a state of no-births. Whenever someone sought Paramacharya’s guidance, the saint would either ask that seeker a question in return that will contain the reply for the seeker’s question, or would give a live demonstration for making the seeker understand. He called one of his disciples, asked him to escort the lady to a maternity hospital where she could record the details of all the children there. When she returned, the Mahaan asked her, ‘You met several babies, of different hues of complexion, some are healthy, some sick, some are wealthy, some poor; what do you think is the reason for their varied background? How do you account for a particular condition of a particular child?’ Some flashback must be there; this was his reply. So, karma holds good.

          Where destiny leads us to, is our destination. This question is itself marching towards destination; because questions asked with the desperate need for knowledge propel us towards Truth. The clarification I give is based on my experiences under similar circumstances. Seekers have always been there, and when they attained the sought, they become Gnaanis. Those who are raising the questions are vignaanis (researchers); those who do not concern themselves with such issues are agnaanis (ignorant persons).

            So, from being an agnaani, you evolve to the state of a vignaani and then a Mei Gnani. Then you will understand that your physical form is an illusion, the world is one whole illusion. You will be able to appreciate the whole world as one unit, bearing no distinction anywhere. It is your thoughts that create disparity.

          A person attends a medical college and graduates into a doctor. A lawyer is a product of the law school. A person in constant research becomes a scientist. And so it is with saints. Those who want to embrace sainthood, undergo penance, do meditation, visit Mahaans and become saints. Siva Shankar Baba has realized that sainthood is not an exclusive post. It is attainable by everyone, if only persons put in the requisite efforts. There is nothing called virtue, there is nothing called vice. God is the tree thriving on the seed you sowed. You desired to become a saint, so you become one. That is all there is to it.

          There is a 12-year-old boy who has become a Gnaani and is in deep penance in Sabarimala; he goes by the name ‘Ayyappa’. Several pilgrims visit him every year, observing rigorous fasting and rituals, climbing rocky hills to reach the sanctum. This by itself is proof that everyone has a spark of devotion within him. How much you kindle that fire within you, will determine the heights you attain. And since that Ayyappa is accessible to all and does not differentiate in his blessing to anyone, where does the question of any disparity among human beings arise? If you comprehend this, you become a Gnaani. Then, conceit has no place in you. The bubble of bodily ego bursts. Once this illusion vanishes, the whole universe reveals itself to you as Light, the Light that is within you. Only that Light is real. Everything else is a figment of imagination. That Light reveals you to yourself. It is present within you as well as within me. Let us call it Sivam. As long as that Jyothi (Light) abides in you, you are Sivam. Else you are Savam (corpse). This is what life is all about. If you can comprehend the Sivam that you are, before you become a Savam, then, before your death, you are a Gnaani.

            The only way to know all these is to get refined by the experiences you undergo in this world. Then you will understand the reality that the world is false. You will not believe it if a realized person says that your relatives are illusory, your wealth is illusory, your belongings are part of the deception you call ‘life’. When you realize of your own accord, through your own experiences, then you will renounce the world in your mind.

          He whom you trust as a friend, is not within reach in times of need. Only then you will understand that your trust was misplaced. As long as you shower ornaments on your spouse, she will be pleasing. The moment you encounter some monetary problems, she will start nagging you. Then you will know that you have been only a money-vending machine for your family. You will realize how cheap the world is.

          All relationships are based on selfishness, a means of securing some benefit. But you will mock at me if I say this … till such time you experience it for yourself.

          You will not touch a flame even if I force you to do it, because you burnt your fingers when you were a child, despite your mother’s warning. You experienced it and so you know the consequence. You are being advised to love everyone; that only God is true. But you are not prepared to learn these lessons. You have to experience it for yourself, and then it will remain evergreen in you.

          Extreme joy will lead you to super-saturation and then naturally, you will become a Gnaani, as was the case with Siddhartha. Extreme sorrow will lead you to frustration and then you will become a Gnaani as in the case of Arunagirinatha.

          Understand that what you assume to be sorrow is in your own interests. What you imagine to be joy is equally good for you. So whatever happens, happens for your good only. Through either of these, you will attain your destination, which is Truth. You must be like a log of wood drifting along with the current to wherever the river of Samsara flows, and we all know that this river is bound for the ocean, the Ocean of Bliss.

( continues next week....)