The Wheel of Divine Life
Salutations to the Supreme
Guru, the Immortal Spirit, the common unifying entity, present in all.
Salutations to the torchbearers of knowledge divine. Salutations to all seekers
of Truth who live the life divine. Adorations for all holy aspirations.
Benedictions for the fruition of every noble endeavour.
The eternal mysteries of the
human spirit, the ever restless and dissatisfied emotional being of man, the
inadequacies of the temporal existence, the failure of the intellect to solve
the problems of life satisfactorily, the baffling gulf that separates great
ideals from rude realities—all tend to turn one’s mind towards God. Divine life
is the process through which one progresses towards the realisation of God, and
achieves the remedy of all the ills that life is heir to.
Guru is the guide who leads
the aspirant on the way, and the aspirant is the pilgrim who toils on the
ascent of divine life.
A progressive refinement of
the mental and moral make-up of man is the primary objective of divine life. It
begins with dedication to some fundamental principles such as truth, purity and
non-injury, the practice of which automatically entails the voluntary
enforcement of self-discipline, and ensuing of the process of purification. The
implementation of these three fundamental principles in the daily life of the
individual, in an impeccable manner, itself constitutes the vital part of
divine life.
Human nature has two sides,
the negative and the positive, one trying to preponderate over the other. There
are invariably the "Dr. Jekyll" and "Mr. Hyde" elements in
every man. When the "Hyde" element dominates, one becomes a social
derelict, bringing upon oneself and others all the evil consequences of the
boundless passions and destructive sadism of the instinctive part of one’s
being. Yet, there are people who have in them a remarkable measure of the
"Jekyll" element, which distinguishes them as great benefactors of
society, and who are by far in a better position to be in peace with themselves
and with others, too.
The positive ultimately
overcomes the negative, though, in common experience, the negative forces hold
an irrepressible sway over frequent phases in the lives of the most of the
people. But not so with those who have made a beginning in walking the way of
reason, of discretion, prudence, divine life. In them, the discriminative mind
tries to rule over the instinctive part of their being. Viveka (discrimination)
guides their actions, Vairagya (dispassion) sanctifies their motives, and
Mumukshuttwa (longing for liberation) inspires their endeavours—each of the
three deriving its strength and light from the spiritual part of their being.
To follow the path of truth,
purity and non-injury is implicative of the highest form of self-discipline,
amounting to neutralising every negative propensity emanating from the lower
nature. Truth necessarily indicates, apart from the chastity of speech, the
right sense of values, the courage to implement into action what one knows to
be true, though it may not be entirely conducive, or may be even detrimental,
to one’s material good. Truth also means the strength of will to abide by all
positive principles, a sense of justice, an unbiased mind, and recognition of
the pervasiveness of its subtle essence in all life.
Purity is the touchstone of
divine life, which should have the power of transmuting all that is negative
into the positive. The practice of purity covers the entire range of the
culturing of emotions, and whatever is implied by self-restraint. It means the
practice of the "Shat-Sampat," namely, control of mind and the
senses, tranquillity, forbearance, faith and concentration. Purity is physical
and mental, since both are inter-related. Purity of thought naturally leads to
purity of action. Purity of motive, of life in general, is preliminary to the
practice of truth.
Non-injury is love, indicated
counter-wise. Here self-restraint (Yama) is again incumbent. The meaning of
non-injury is complete only when it is implemented wholeheartedly—in thought,
speech and action. The principles of love, compassion, mercy, fellowship and
goodwill are all entwined in the term "non-injury." Unless these
principles are fully practised, the virtue of non-injury remains artificial.
Whilst love is a direct
expression for non-injury, its logical fruition is in service. That
much-maligned term, "love," which is overly misapplied to sensual
tomfoolery, selfish attachment, circumstantial sentimentality, emotional
fixation and superimposed self-pity, is, indeed, a rare plant that grows only
in the garden of divine life and that has to be continuously tended and
nurtured to make it enblossom in all its glory. Love and service are
inseparable. So, too, with understanding of, and respect for, the feelings of
others. One cannot be said to possess love for humanity and yet be selfish and
callous to the suffering of others. Thus selfless service is divine love in
action.
If you are able to cultivate
and practise these three basic tenets of divine life, which, in reality,
traverse the entire gamut of practical spirituality, then you are on the road
of Self-realisation, the ultimate goal of human aspiration. Even a rudimentary
success in this path is greatly conducive to one’s peace and happiness, the
worthiness of existence, to the betterment of human nature, to the good of
society and the world at large. A collective awareness of the great importance
of divine life, with all its pragmatic values, can surely contribute, in a
large measure, to the promotion of world peace, solidarity and fellowship.
Brahmavidya is, in other
words, the knowledge of divine life, the central ideal of all spiritual
aspirants. In this alone lies the salvation of mankind. May the blessings of
the Divine Guru be upon all.
Excerpts from:
The Wheel of
Divine Life by Sri Swami Sivananda
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