Gospel of Holy Aspiration
Divine Life
Society Publication: Gospel of Holy Aspiration by Sri Swami Sivananda
The wheel of Time moves on,
ideas change, values remodel themselves in the light of circumstances, cultures
evolve, decline and are resuscitated again in different forms. But the
individuality of life, the spirit of aspiration, the urge for freedom from all
conditions of bondage, the sense of inadequacy and want, continue to persist. So,
human life will continue to flourish.
Life is sustained by hope and aspiration,
the struggle for betterment, and the zest for fulfilment. The spiritual
aspirant, no doubt, endeavors to attain the state of complacency and
dissolution of the individual self, but that is a state of fulfilment and not a
characteristic of his endeavor which is quite contradictory, the difference
between worldly and spiritual aspirations being only in character and
objective.
Every action of man is a step
towards self-expression, conscious or unconscious. Action presupposes an inner
urge, besides motive, and this urge is the power behind the expression of the
self. The spirit of man wants to express itself so that it is known in the
objects of its expression. The urge for eminence, for the continuity of life,
affection, love, domination, possession, is all dependent on this principle of
expansion or diffusion of self.
Man desires for eminence
because he wants himself to be felt in others. He wants his name and form to be
associated with power and authority and be widely known, because he desires
that his self is recognized by others. He thirsts to see himself in another
form, and is, therefore, driven by the urge for progeny. He longs to be loved
and under-stood and appreciated. He craves to have material possessions and has
a predilection for dominating over others. This is the principal motive-power
behind life, of which no one should be ignorant. Weaker wills affect it in a
smaller way and stronger wills in gigantic dimensions.
When this principal law is
misdirected, life becomes a hotbed of conflict, frustration and restlessness.
When this urge becomes exclusive and is wrongly channeled without regard to the
presence of the same urge in others, when it refuses to recognize the factor of
mutuality, then disharmony and hatred rule life. When this urge is associated
with the little self and limits itself in the material sphere, when it refuses
to recognize the universal principle of the immanence and the oneness of the
higher self, when it is grooved through selfish motivation and impelled by the
dictates of the lower nature, then the soul of man is clouded by the smoke of
misery, then poverty and pestilence, greed and animosity, untruth and
injustice, stalk the face of the earth.
Let human aspiration, the
longing to spread oneself, not be, therefore, misdirected. If the mind is ruled
by the lower nature, it is his little self that man wishes to expand, the self
that is associated with his body and mind, personal feelings and ambitions. The
characteristic longing of the higher self is to spread itself among others
through selfless service and spiritual love, to find its ideals of truth and
righteousness fulfilled in the process of its longing.
The very concept of
Sat-chit-ananda is characteristic of the nature of the higher self, which is
dormant in every human being. The concept of truth (Satya) is identical with
existence (Sat). Truth is that which eternally exists, and the principle of
existence cannot be exclusive but immanent. Truth is no truth when it is devoid
of consciousness (Chit), otherwise called awareness or knowledge. When
knowledge is not perverse, it is identical with Ananda or unmixed felicity. When
there are true understanding, devotion to the path of truth, justice and
righteousness, when the dictates of the lower self has been cured by self-discipline,
then the resultant condition of life is marked by unselfish love towards all
beings, which is also termed Ahimsa or non-injury.
The primary longing for
self-expansion should fill itself through these channels, of truth and righteousness,
knowledge and understanding, compassion and love, goodwill and fellowship. The
higher nature can blossom and spread itself among others only when the lower
nature has been thoroughly disciplined and sublimated. The victory in this
struggle is liberation, and defeat means degeneration and suffering.
The New Year’s message is: Be
steadfast on the path of truth. Obey not the dictates of the little self, but
rise above all that are bane and unbecoming through self-discipline. Do not
hanker after perpetuating the little self, but diffuse yourself in all through
the practice of noble principles, through service, fellowship and compassion,
goodwill, understanding and appreciation, self-abnegation, tolerance and
adaptability, through righteous action, seeing the good in all, causing injury
to none in action or attitude, humility of disposition, an ever-inquiring mind,
purity of heart, right knowledge, reflection, concentration and meditation,
dispassion, holy aspiration and unflagging-effort at self-discipline.
I wish a happy New Year to
everybody, everywhere, and may there be equity, peace and prosperity for all!
May God bless all!
Excerpts from:
Gospel of Holy Aspiration by Sri Swami Sivananda
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