All World
Gayatri Pariwar

Delivered by Rev. Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya on Guru Purnima, 1981)

Let us begin with the collective chanting of the Gayatri Mantra:

“Om Bhur Buvah Swah, Tatsaviturvareñyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi,
Dhiyo Yonah Pracodayat ||”

Sisters and Brothers,

This auspicious festival of Guru Purnima is meant for awakening, establishing and nurturing the power of shraddha in the inner self and orienting it in chiseled transmutation of personality with prudent determination.  But please do not confuse shraddha with blind faith or emotional tide of hallucination during devotional practices. SHraddha in the truest sense is – unflinching, intrinsic faith in the eternal, omnipresent order of the Almighty and the inner urge for zealous endeavor and dedication for achievement of noble aims.

Guru Purnima is an occasion of inculcation and expansion of the shraddha of the disciple for his Guru. "Guru" means the inner voice of the soul, which is a representative of God.  SHraddha is supreme among the three perennial powers bestowed upon human life.   Let us look at these powers that originate and govern the evolution of consciousness.

There are only three siddhis (supernormal potentials); only three preeminent powers in this world. The gamut of activities of life, its ascent and majestic expression and fulfillment is driven by these three powers of Consciousness Force.  These are the powers of – shrama (vigorous physical and mental labor, enterprising diligence), gyana (knowledge, enlightened thinking) and shraddha. Whatever benefits and joy we attain are acquired by means of these powers only. The edifice of a fulfilled life rests upon these three foundational pillars.

Gur¿tatva is the sublime element of spirituality that inspires, illuminates and activates these powers in a devout sadhaka and devotee. A true Guru is a spiritually enlightened master, a noble guide whose being is a concrete and visible manifestation of the gur¿tatva. 

The power of shrama is bestowed by the Almighty in the vitality, vigor and enormous potentials of our (physical) body. This is essential for success and progress in all walks of life. The Earth was there in Primordial Age too. Even at that time, it possessed all the treasure of Nature that it does today. It is only the dedicated shrama of mankind that discovered and harvested the treasures of crops, minerals, oils, jewels and a wide variety of other natural resources and enabled the dawn and multifaceted ascent of civilization on this planet. This is the root, the essence of history of evolution of life on this planet.

The earth, as created by Lord Brahma, must have been in crude form and hard to survive initially. Grand mountains, deep ditches, unbounded roaring rivers, floods, intractable forests, threats of wild 'giants'… and what not…! So many challenges must have been there. But the zealous efforts and industriousness of mankind could overcome all. Just imagine! How our ancestors would have survived? Forget about communication, even after discovering and using fire, they had no roads, not even by-lanes; no electricity, no machines or tools; nothing! The threatening floods used to literally keep them in 'captivity' during the monsoon season. It is the power of intelligent shrama that made the boats, the bridges, the roads, etc, and enabled the human race gradually to conquer so many challenges of Nature.  Look, it was the enterprising diligence and labor of our ancestors that have bequeathed to us so many comforts! And, we the luxury-driven fellows tend to neglect and even scorn hard work!

It is said that prosperity is generated through the sweat of hard work. Wealth is not showered from the heavens or acquired by begging or praying. There is only one God of prosperity – the power of shrama. It is this divine power that can endow you with a prosperous, healthy and progressive life. You should be ardent devotees of this God by making assiduity, enterprising hard labor an integral part of your life. 

You might inherit lots of wealth from your parents or ancestors; but be careful! You can neither keep it safe, nor use it joyfully without your own efforts. It is shrama that produces, safeguards and expands prosperity. We will certainly enjoy numerous benefits, if we realize the importance of shrama and adopt it constructively. Not only for gaining monetary or material benefits, hard work also helps us in attaining the wealth of health and vigor. Assiduity is also necessary for brilliant success in school education and efficiency in any talent or artistic potential etc. Be that excellence of social interactions or management, everything requires sincere training and practice by self-effort in one way or the other. 

Someone might snatch wealth by unfair means, cheating, etc, but he can't earn anything without shrama. He cannot prosper without putting in his shrama. If you want to get the crops flourishing in your fields, you will have to take the trouble of ploughing the land, sowing the seed, watering it, guarding it carefully till it grows. You can't get it simply by snatching the seeds or eating them in bulk. Honest efforts from your own side count for every success. You should understand it and also teach this to others in your contact.  Those desirous of progress must possess the virtue of shrama.  This is what I call as one the three boons bestowed by the Almighty upon us. Each one of us can and should make best possible use of this divine potential of hard work.

The second key to glorious accomplishments is – gyana, the power of thinking and acquisition of knowledge. This also happens to be one of the principal sources of happiness. It is the balance and peace of mind, the righteous flow of thoughts that enables us to be happy.  When our mind is calm, everything around appears pleasant. It is the attitude, the quality of our thinking that makes all the difference. In the same circumstances one could be in a happy mood whereas someone else might get furious, anxious or depressed.  For example, looking at thick dark clouds, someone might begin to panic of thunderstorm, whereas someone else sitting besides him might grin, enjoying Nature's beauty. 

Let me tell you my personal experience in this regard.  I was going to Gangotri for the first time. I was climbing the Himalayas all alone; there was horrifying solitude all around in the dark, dense forests on the way.   The creeping sound of dry leaves used to scare me of a snake's crawling.  The whistling sound of wind blowing between the bushy trees was threatening me of a scream of a ghost.  Even a stout wrestler would shiver of fear in that dreadful wild atmosphere. But the moment I shifted my flow of thoughts to positive side, all the fear disappeared. I found a source of inexplicable joy in the serene beauty of the Himalayas. My mind seemed to have absorbed itself in Nature's magnificence. My journey became heavenly blissful and easy thereafter. Those of you who have read my book "Sunsaan Ke Sahachar" ("Companions in Solitude") might have shared my delight in those marvellous moments. Although I haven't been there since long, the pictures of natural beauty of the Himalayan peaks, the springs and rivers, the blossoming green forests, etc in my room make these memories alive.  You won't find any other picture, not even of any god in my room, but the divine splendor of Nature is everywhere around.  I always feel the unity with Nature and enjoy the blissful memory of my first visit to the holy mountains upon my Guru's instructions.

So, you see! The joy of life emerges from within. If you have the positive attitude, even the daily chores of life would be full with ever-new joy for you; your wife, children, all the members of your family would give you soothing peace of mind, every activity around your home would become enchanting. If you just think how the movements on the road outside your house offer you instant diversion in the moments of tension or grief, those routine scenes or 'mechanical activities' on the road would also become enthusing for you.  If you learn to think righteously, the godly heavens will be there for you; you won't have to die or go searching for them.

It is said that paradise lies in the eyes of Beholder. You should inculcate the correct attitude, the proper way of seeing things.  The Sanskrit and Hindi word for "Philosophy" is "darshana".  Literally, the word darshana means to see from a close distance. Seeing the truth, the depth of every aspect is – (philosophical) vision. If you learn to see things this way, you will acquire the real knowledge. For example, you will grasp the essence, the knowledge contained in a book only if you look at (read) that book with this kind of focused attention.

Once you cultivate the righteous outlook, you will experience an inexplicable joy of enlightenment. Philosopher prince Darah Shikoh was immersed in this limitless ocean of bliss once he grasped the glimpse of true knowledge. His daughter Jebunnisah was amazed, finding him in a state of unprecedented joy without any apparent reason. It appeared as though he was in some different world, in the paradise of dreams; she thought it to be some kind of intoxication. But she could not help asking the secret from her father, as she knew he would never drink liquor or wine, or use any other mode of intoxication. Darah told her that it was the nectar of divine knowledge, which he found in the Upanishads of the Hindus. He said he feels as if he is flying in the sky; there is light and unalloyed joy everywhere and that he had found the real treasure of life, the key to absolute fulfillment in the wisdom and vision contained in the Upanishads.

This indeed is real knowledge, the real joy. All that is hidden within us. Heaven or Hell is nothing but reflections of our own (right or wrong) thinking. As such a book is only a print of ink on a paper. It gives you food for thought only if you have the will and capacity to assimilate its contents. Things or circumstances encountered in life are not good or bad in themselves. It is only how you look at them; how you react to them that makes all the difference. Everything is blissful in the deepest depth of truth. You just have to have the acumen to plumb that depth. It is our own fallacious thinking, our wrong attitude and ignorance that have entrapped us in the thralldom of passions, worries and sufferings. The moment you realize it and teach yourself that –– you are the soul, the reflection of ‘Thy Will’, so no sanksaras (accumulated tendencies and mental inscriptions) and nothing else could ever enslave you –– you will be free.  You will then experience a divine sense of salvation in (physically) the same life. 

It is said for certain species of deer (Kasturi Mriga) that it runs desperately in search of the heavenly fragrance which actually lies in the saffron hidden in its own naval.  Similar is the case with us. The source of ultimate bliss is within us but we remain outwardly driven by our passions and madly run after external means and worldly possessions with our unfulfilled thirst for joy. We go to cinema, entertainment clubs, arrange picnics, parties, accumulate hoards of luxuries, grab worldly powers, and what not in search of happiness. But in that process, without the righteous thinking we end up increasing the visible or invisible burdens of life and somehow drag the breathing corpse of our own life.

If you want to live happily, change your attitude towards life accordingly; learn also to make others happy. Distribute your joy amongst your family, friends, everyone around you. Daanvir Karna used to donate gold everyday. You don't have to do that. You should be generous enough to share your joy, expand and distribute it. This is an invaluable alms. Today's man is starving for happiness. You can make others happy if you have learnt the secret of being happy. This is what is the true expression of knowledge – righteous outlook, enlightened thinking and its adoption in day-to-day interactions. 

You don't have to necessarily be a genius, erudite scholar or intellectual to acquire – gyana (beatifying knowledge or enlightenment). Higher studies and intellect can help you in terms of extrovert knowledge and talents but the real knowledge comes only through inner enlightenment. Only those who have the righteous outlook and vision of (inner) mind might acquire a sense of detachment towards their degrees or intellectual training. This is why I emphasize the need for refinement of attitude, righteous orientation of thoughts and conduct; without which you cannot experience the light of gyana, which is indeed the source of all happiness and ultimate transmutation of life. 

The power of shraddha pertains to the sublime domain of consciousness; it is the architect of your intrinsic character, your nature, and your personality as a whole. This is what makes you what you are as a person, as an individual being.

The worth of one's life lies in that of his personality. Noble personalities can alter the trends of time, divert the course of history; they can even compel the gods to bestow their grace on this planet. As forests attract the clouds and invite rains, the 'magnet' of virtuous personalities also attracts the grace of sublime powers. If you want to be blessed by divine grace, by your noble Guru, you will have to transmute your personality to be worthy. 

Divine powers indwell subliminally in the omnipresent cosmos of consciousness. The siddhis (supernatural potentials) are also pervading everywhere around.  As per the scriptural descriptions, once upon a time (in the Vedic Age), there lived 330 million human-gods in this land. What does that mean? That means, all the inhabitants of this land had divine personalities.   It is the worth of personality – the merit of character - that attracts glorious honor and benevolent cooperation from all directions. You must realize that virtues of purity and character are invaluable assets.

You may ask – what bestows or generates this preeminence of character? Well, it is the sublime power of shraddha!  How…?