A Master Message of the Ancient Rishis : Thinking the Cosmic Totality- 1. : Swami Krishnananda.

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Thursday, January 27, 2022. 20:00.

(Spoken on April 25, 1972 during night satsang on Swamiji's 50th birthday.)

Post - 1. 

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Our heartfelt gratitude goes to the Supreme Father of the universe, whose incomparable compassion keeps us alive and breathing, makes our existence possible, and Who as the great Director of the drama of creation operates every activity, every effort, and every thought and feeling in all this mighty cosmos. May our silent obeisance be at His feet which are everywhere as the highest purifiers and the only solace of the restless souls in this world. May God's grace be upon us all.

Our efforts in life assume a meaning only when they are based on honesty of purpose. And what is honesty? It is a simple obedience to the law of our own being. To be respectful to the rule that governs and controls our own selves is to be honest in one's life. When we are disobedient to our own selves, we are dishonest, so honesty comes before us with a new significance. It is not so much regard for the welfare of others, as it is usually defined to be, on account of which definition it has become so difficult to practise. It is, rather, obeisance to our own principle existence. When we are not honest, we violate our own selves, tear ourselves into pieces psychologically, intellectually, spiritually. We remain as a house divided against itself, as it were. What could be worse for man than to violate his own laws and to be disobedient to himself? Honesty is the highest policy, as you must have heard. It is not merely a policy; it is the law of righteousness. It is the dharma that rules all creation. Life has significance when it is rooted in the law of Being.

Now, this Being is something enigmatic for the human intellect to grasp. Where is this Being, to whose law we have to bow our head? When this mystery behind the practice and the fulfilment of law becomes clear to our eyes and our minds, our life itself becomes fulfilled. Inasmuch as we do not know the very background and presupposition of this principle, mostly we appear to be failures in our life. A person who cheats himself or herself cannot be expected to achieve success in any walk of life. It is impossible for us to cheat others. We first cheat ourselves; then it manifests itself outside by an extension of its force. We cannot do violence to others unless we do violence first to our own selves. As they say, charity begins at home. Dishonesty and violence also begin at home. We fall first, and then make others fall. We cannot hurl another person into the pit unless we ourselves have fallen into the pit. This is a miraculous principle which rules inexorably, inviolably all creation, visible and invisible, whether it is operating in organic life or in so-called inorganic matter.

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SBG-13.2 :

Sri-bhagavan uvacha :

"Idam shariram kaunteya kshetram ity abhidhiyate

etad yo vetti tam prahuh kshetra-jna iti tad-vidah."

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The Supreme Divine Lord said: 

O Arjuna, this body is termed as kṣhetra (the field of activities), and the one who knows this body is called kṣhetrajña (the knower of the field) by the sages who discern the truth about both.

Here, Shree Krishna begins explaining the topic of distinction between the body and spirit.  The soul is divine, and can neither eat, see, smell, hear, taste, nor touch.  It vicariously does all these works through the body-mind-intellect mechanism, which is thus termed as the field of activities.  In modern science, we have terms like “field of energy.”  A magnet has a magnetic field around it, which creates electricity on rapid movement.  An electric charge has a force field around it.  Here, the body is the receptacle for the activities of the individual.  Hence, it is termed as kṣhetra (the field of activities). 

The soul is distinct from the body-mind-intellect mechanism, but forgetful of its divine nature, it identifies with these material entities.  Yet, because it has knowledge of the body, it is called kṣhetrajña (the knower of the field of the body).  This terminology has been given by the self-realized sages, who were transcendentally situated at the platform of the soul, and perceived their distinct identity separate from the body.

This Being, whose law is righteousness and honesty, is to be the guiding principle of our life. Where is this Being? 

This root of the Being of individuals, of personalities, of things in the world, is sometimes designated as the kshetrajna in us. Where is this kshetrajna, the regulator of the kshetra, the operator of this body, the vitality behind all forms in creation? It is sarvakshetresu, in all vehicles of existence. It is the meaning and the very substance of yourself, myself, and all things. Surprisingly enough, it is the law of our own being, and impliedly, it is the law of the being of everyone everywhere, merely because of the fact that our being is also the being of everyone else. When it is our kshetrajna, it is also the kshetrajna of all other kshetras – sarvakshetresu. Kshetrajnam mam viddhi. This is something which is not visible to our eyes or palpable to our senses, but the most essential of all essentials in our life.

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To be continued ....

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