Claim Your Birthright
Divine Life
Society Publication: The Ultimate Success - An
Instrument of Thy Peace by Swami Chidananda
Swami Sivananda said that man is an
extraordinary mixture of the animal, the human and the divine. Man has the same
biological nature as the animals--hunger, thirst, fear, procreation and the
desire to survive. There is at the same time a uniqueness that is denied to any
other form but man--such as reasoning, the ability to discover, to be aware, to
ask questions and to progress in knowledge. What is more, what the physical
sciences cannot see is that in addition to these evident aspects, there is also
an unseen, nonmaterial dimension available to man. The true identity of man is
deathless and eternal. This was clearly perceived by the mystics and the
illumined sages, who boldly stated, "You are divine, you are a child of
immortality." These sages called on mankind to claim its birthright. They
possessed the vision of this divine dimension of man’s personality that is not
seen by scientists, because despite tremendous knowledge in their own fields,
the scientists have only the outer knowledge.
These great sages saw all of life’s endeavours
in the light of that supreme destiny of man. For them the real attainment
always had to do with this ultimate fulfilment, and success in life was
meaningless if it did not relate to that supreme goal. A life lacking in the aspiration
for this attainment would have been wasted. No matter how much you have
succeeded and how wonderful your life is, if it lacks this ultimate purpose,
you have gone off the track and wandered into a desert.
These self-same masters were not mere impractical
visionaries who ignored the secular aspects of life. They gave it its due, and
they said, "Yes, do all that you have to do in order to prosper in life.
Acquire the necessities to live a successful and comfortable life, and of
course strive to improve your lot." They never looked down upon man’s
endeavours to improve his situation, but these endeavours should not be limited
to just physical well-being. You should also try to improve yourself as a
person by building up your character and integrity through your principled
living. Life becomes meaningful only if, in addition to living a life of
comfort above want, it also brings a person further towards the attainment of
that supreme goal. Otherwise, this life had no intrinsic worth. Just to make a
living and to manage to get along comfortably is not enough. It is necessary,
but it is not all.
A very important element here has to be kept in
mind. When the Eastern masters spoke about inner unfoldment, they were always
aware that within man there is the potential for both the positive and the
negative. We are swayed by both forces--that of light and that of darkness. In
terms of inner unfoldment, they were always trying to encourage the highest
being. The sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita speaks about this twofold
aspect of the human being: demoniacal and divine. The unfoldment of the divine
leads to liberation, and the domination of the demoniacal leads to bondage.
That superior part of you thinks in an elevating way, while the inferior part
revels in petty, selfish and hurtful things. Their concept of inner unfoldment
was based on this higher being of light within. There is in you a sleeping God,
and so the beauty of your higher nature should be unfolded.
The great masters’ concept of this process of
unfoldment was not merely to try to develop superior abilities, which would
give you a keener intellect and a better memory so that you could succeed in
your profession. Nowadays, there are many courses in the marketplace based on
this idea of self-improvement in order to tap one’s inner resources and also to
make more dollars! While we can’t treat them with contempt, we can say that one
should not be completely caught up in this alone, because there is something
greater to be attained. If you are satisfied only with these things, you may
become a more dynamic and magnetic person, but you will eventually die as a
dynamic and magnetic person!
Supposing all these advertised powers and
abilities did come to you after a six-month course. If you are a person of strong
will and determination and if you apply yourself, perhaps you will get the
power to influence people and be more successful in your work. But supposing
that in this process of self-improvement, you have not fundamentally changed
yourself in terms of dealing with your own mind? If you have not conquered your
mind and mastered your lower senses and appetites, what will be the ultimate
outcome of these newly acquired abilities? They are bound to be misapplied one
day or another, because if you are still at the prey of your desires, you will
remain the same person with all your shortcomings and weaknesses.
Then these abilities will be a doubtful
endowment. They may be applied in some positive ways, but they may also be
applied in a negative way, and that may happen not once but 101 times. You have
managed to tap the inner resources and have got superior abilities, but as a
person, what happens to you? It does not necessarily mean that you have become
a better person. There is a distinction between being a more effective and
successful person and being a better person. If there has not been simultaneous
progress upon the ethical level, the unfoldment of these abilities may be
dangerous.
Excerpts from:
Claim your Birthright - The Ultimate Success - An
Instrument of Thy Peace by Swami Chidananda
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