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Theism, Spirituality, and Religion - 5
Friends, Humility, Authenticity and Integrity are Essential for Worthy Success: Talents, deserving qualifications, and hard work are important for success in specific endeavors. But, you must remember that your success will be worthy and long-lasting, and it would shower happiness and cooperation from all directions only if it is also supplemented by some spiritual qualities such as —humility of your behavior, purity of your mind, authenticity of your (spoken or written) words, morality of your conduct, integrity of your character, nobility of your aims, etc. Also note that these qualities are essential and generate respect and support even in the absence of any specific skill or qualification.
So you must endeavor tapa-s³dhan³ to cultivate and expand these universal qualities of spirituality. Many of you are well aware of these facts and also attempt for tapa-s³dhan³. But somehow or the other get defeated by the inner weaknesses and outer circumstances. Most dominant of these enemies within is egotism (delusive self-identity and false self-pride), it does not let one accept one’s own vices and blemishes hidden within; it is also the source of arrogance, greed, selfish obsessions, and related evils.
The demonic Ravana is rooted within us in the form of egotism and sinful tendencies. Tyrannical Kansa is sitting within us in the form of cruelty and vicious lust. Villainous Duryodhana is also hidden within us in the form of selfishness, arrogance, and unchecked cravings, jealousy, hatred, injustice, and wrong-doings. We cannot uproot and get rid of them without the help of God. We must beseech His grace to destroy these mighty devils and to establish the divine discipline. This gigantic ‘war’ for uprooting of adharma and establishment of dharma has to take place within our own minds and hearts. For this, we need to recognize our own vices, weaknesses, and untoward tendencies, and eliminate them with firm determination using our faith in God and willpower.
Simultaneously we also need to cultivate righteous and positive thinking and virtuous tendencies and adopt them in practice. Friends, as many of you might have experienced, if one is rude, snobbish or irritating, people would often try to avoid him. On the contrary, if one is humble and cooperating, and also speaks with a sweet tongue, people would listen to him and would also like to interact with him. It would be easy for such a person to build friendly communication with many people and get their friendly cooperation.
Unless people trust you and accept your authenticity and integrity, no sensible person would like to join hands with you, assign you major responsibilities, or follow you. Even if you are able to somehow create a false impression, it would not last for long. Authenticity and integrity of a person are the key measures of his credibility and importance in every walk of life. You may understand it by some familiar example of what you call ‘brand name’ of an institute or organization. When you purchase something, you go for the brand or type, which you trust for quality-standards of your expectation. The companies that are considered most stable in the equity market are the ones that are most trusted for investment.
Reliability and quality of products, and services, wherever applicable, are yardsticks to gain consumers’ trust. For example, despite higher price of their products, Japanese manufacturing companies are often preferred for purchase of high-accuracy sophisticated equipment; also for domestic appliances to be used for long-term, qualityconscious buyers choose their products even if they are 10 to 30% costlier than the market price of other competitive brands. This is because of the fine quality and reliability of their products. Similar is true for viable and honorable success in other areas as well.
True respect of a person lies not in his social status or worldly possessions, but in his conduct, behavior and sincerity. Having a big house, expensive car and other resources, may be ‘status symbols’ in some societies; this may attract some people, make some other envy you, but no one will truly respect you or be your well-wisher through heart unless your behavior with them is respectful, your character is good, and you have been caring and fulfilling your essential duties towards the family and society. People may honor your powerful position, but it would be the honor of only ‘your position’, not necessarily a respect for you. If a person in power is corrupt, snobbish, or has loosecharacter, people would certainly hate and curse him on his back, even if they cannot disrespect or criticize him openly out of fear.
Sincerity, sense of responsibility, dutifulness, humility, kindness, authenticity, integrity and other moral values are most vital qualities to receive ‘respect’ in the world. Excelling growth and success is not possible sans these qualities. Not only on the worldly fronts, these virtues also account for recognition (in terms of worthy conduct and associated good deeds), in God’s ‘absolute system’ (of judging the karmas) as well. These are the qualities that nurture spirituality; these can transform an ordinary mortal being into a great person.
Prerequisites of Spiritual Endeavors: No doubt, many of you do mantra-s³dhan³1, especially the s³dhan³ of the great Gayatri Mantra, as this is supposed to lead to spiritual elevation. But, how will the Gayatri Mantra be effective if you do not follow the devout disciplines of s³dhan³? How will your japa2 be proper if your tongue is not purified? If you tell lies, if you abuse, insult, or hurt someone by your words, if you use it for pompous show of ego or self-praise, and other wrong things, your tongue would be so dirty that your chants of mantra and your recitation of prayers through such a tongue would also be maligned. No matter how many times, and for how long you do the chanting of God’s name, or a mantra, it would have no effect. Your efforts would be futile like — dropping few drops of the holy water of the Ganges in a dirty drain and expecting the drain water to become like the Ganges.
So purify and discipline your tongue for mantras ³dhan³ as an essential step along the path of spirituality. You seem to pay more attention to counting of mantra-chants rather than controlling your tongue and purifying yourself to ‘qualify’ to receive the sublime power of bio-electrical, mental, and spiritual energy generated by s³dhan³ of the divine mantras like the Gayatri Mantra.
Many people think that listening to some discourses on religious texts, or singing some devotional songs is what amounts to spiritual endeavors. But, due to superficial participation, these kinds of “satsanga” often turn out to be only as some different kinds of ‘get-togethers’. You should know that sw³dhy³ya3 is also necessary with satsanga3. These two, if practiced sincerely, motivate your mind, condition it for self-discipline, and thus help you in your spiritual endeavors.
The linkage of your inner consciousness with the sublime energy currents generated by the japa of the Gayatri Mantra depends upon the depth of your mental and emotional engrossment in meditation during japa. This is what leads to your spiritual progress. But this will not happen unless your mind is purified of all vices and its untoward tendencies (esp. those driven by ego, avarice, and selfish attachments) are controlled.
Your spiritual endeavors should be aimed at such level of self-refinement and transformation that your character, behavior, and deeds become role models for the seekers of spiritual light. Saints, Siddhas, great Spiritual Masters are evolved only through such devout endeavors (s³dhan³s). Where Does Spiritual Progress Lead To? Many people seek spiritual progress to awaken extrasensory faculties (of the mind and body) and acquire supernatural potentials. Ironically, their ultimate aim is to gain enormous wealth, fame and other materialistic success after such astonishing powers! What a pity! This way, their selfish outlook and mean mentality degrade even the ultimate enormity of their souls. Their aims attempt to ‘shrink’ even the Omnipresence of God and project it into the narrow peripheries of egotism and sensory pleasures.
Such aspirants of quick acquisition of ‘astonishing powers’ often go after some so-called ‘black magic’ practices or they go to graveyard and attempt the so-called ‘ghost-charming’ practices, and what not. People who confuse spirituality with spiritualism also wrongly associate spiritual endeavors with some occult practices; such people spread misconceptions. Please note, all such efforts in the name of spirituality are absolutely wrong. A true seeker of spirituality must never get carried away by such misinterpretations, delusions, distorted knowledge, or ambitions of supernatural attainments.
I have already explained you the core meaning of spiritual endeavors. Spiritual endeavors (s³dhan³) begin with unflinching efforts of self-refinement, and self-awakening. This refinement and awakening gradually awakens the extrasensory potentials of the s³dhaka’s consciousness-force that otherwise remain dormant in the inner self; the seeds of supernormal talents hidden in the s³dhaka’s inner being also get naturally nurtured and activated. Thus, attainment of extraordinary (To be concluded in the next issue) potentials and exceptional talents is a natural outcome of substantial progress on the righteous path to spirituality.
This path leads to ultimate realization - unification of the individual self (jºva or ³tm³) with the omnipresent eternal Supreme Self (Brah®, Param³tm³). This is what generates absolute experience of unalloyed, beatifying blissfulness This ultimate realization is referred in the Vedas and Upanishads as - “Soaha®” , “Ayam³tm³ Brah®”, “Tatvamasi”, “Pragyana® Brah®”, “Aha® Brahmasmi”. So, stop searching God outside. That Almighty, Omniscient, Absolute, Eternal Divine Force, is there within your own self. Listen to His pure voice in your own conscience. Purify your mind to strengthen His divine light and illuminate your mind (and intellect). Let the nectar of spirituality beatify every moment of your life and let its blissful glow expand and spread widely through your noble deeds.
Notes: 1. Mantra-S³dhan³: 2. Japa: Repeated, rhythmic, meditative chanting. 3. Sw³dhy³ya: Self-study and self-training in the light of sagacious thoughts and teachings of elevated souls. Satsang: Attending enlightening discourses, discussions; being in the company of great personalities.

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