Commentaries by Vee Jay Attri during the Book Study – Secrets of Karma
Welcome to the session for study and Great Invocation. How are you all keeping today? Super happy, super healthy, super strong, yes! Alright! We shall try to complete our study from the Secrets of Karma today and then, we will move on to another subject.
Of course, we shall be addressing a few questions between tomorrow and day after related to the subject of Karma. Today, we will take up a question not directly connected to karma but then it is an important question. “If everything is Maya what is the purpose of putting effort?” Maya is illusion. Of course, it is a very deeper level of philosophical discussion.
There was a learned priest, delivering a lecture about the same topic – Maya. He was mentioning that everything is Maya. At the very moment, there was a mad elephant coming towards that religious congregation.
Obviously, the people were running helter-skelter and as it came near the stage, the scholar who was delivering the lecture also started running. He has to save himself and he had a student who was also running after the scholar.
While they were running, the student asked the teacher, “Why are we running? Is the elephant not an illusion?” Now this was a test to the teacher. As they were running, the teacher replied to the student, “this running is also a part of the illusion.”
That was a clever answer. Of course, the story has a very deeper level of teaching. It is actually making us realize that the world itself is like a mad elephant. ‘World’ means existence on the physical realm. You have to run inwardly to find lasting peace, lasting solution.
So, to me, illusion or Maya is a subject that actually teaches us impermanence. Given that on the plane of matter – matter, plane of matter. Again, remember there are many, many planes of matter. It is not just only the physical dimension. The astral plane is also made up of matter. In the same way, all the higher planes.
In fact, the scriptures talk about the seven planes of existence. And the highest, according to the scriptures, is called the Satya Loka, also called the Brahma Loka. That is why, the traditional Gayatri, it describes about the seven planes of existence. As Om Bhuh, Om Bhuvah, Om Swaha, Om Mahah, Om Jana, Om Tapa, Om Satyam and then, comes Tat Savitur Varenyam.
So the ‘Satya’ means the Satya Loka. ‘Loka’ means world. So, the land of the world of truth. So the scriptures identified Satya Loka as abode of Brahma. So, right up to the Satya Loka, scriptures say it is still a plane of matter. Matters that are refined but still part of the material manifestation.
That means, if you want to go beyond this cycle, you have to transcend even the Satya Loka. That is another discussion that we can take up some other time. So, the point that I am actually referring to is, given that the planes of existence are unreal in the sense it is impermanent and therefore, if you want to find lasting peace, lasting joy, you have to start your inward journey.
It is there that you will find the peace. Chasing the material world, impossible that you can ever come to a state where you say I’m happy. Even if you are happy, it is only transient.
But it does not mean that you should not do anything. You must do whatever you can to the best of your ability, as in the case of our teacher and the student running to escape from the mad elephant. Do whatever you can and then, learn to practice detachment.
Alright, let’s come to our study! We were reading from the last title, “Look at the whole picture.” We were talking about conquering pride. We shall read a short story from the Ramayana.
Towards the end of the battle, with the demon king Ravan, Lord Rama released the Brahamastra – the blazing arrow that look like a hissing serpent – that finally brought down Ravan to the ground. So, Brahmastra is like a missile in the ancient time you can say. So, the demon king was brought to the ground. Seeing him nearing his death, Rama told his brother Lakshman, “Go and request him to share whatever knowledge he can.” Lord Rama knew that despite being a vicious demon, Ravan was a great scholar.
So, scriptures say that Ravan was a very, very learned scholar. Because of his pride and arrogance, he had to go through whatever he had.
Lakshman went to Ravan and standing next to his head told him, “Ravan, share what you know with us before you die.” Ravan responded by simply turning his head away. Lakshman felt insulted and went back to Rama and said, “He is an arrogant demon full of pride. He will not share anything with us.” Lord Rama smiled and walked towards Ravan and knelt at his feet. With folded hands, Rama said to Ravan, “O mighty Lord of Lanka,
Lanka is the kingdom that this demon king was ruling.
“O mighty Lord of Lanka, because you abducted my wife I was forced to punish you. You are no more my enemy. I bow to you and humbly request you to share your wisdom with me. If you die without doing so, the world will forever be deprived of your precious wisdom.”
This is what we call knowledge sharing today. Sharing your resources is extremely, extremely important. I was hearing a saint giving a powerful lecture. He said the people who keep their entire wealth – wealth is not only physical or material wealth, even the resources or talents, such kind of people should be dumped into the ocean.
Of course, a very crude language but what he meant to say is if you do not share, you do not have a place on this planet. You are a liability. So, that is exactly where we come to knowledge sharing and this, in the ancient time, the great masters knew that no resources should be unutilized.
At this the demon king said, “Unlike your ill-mannered younger brother, you are a worthy recipient of my wisdom.
You cannot sit in front of a teacher with a bowl that is full. That is what Buddha says. The bowl need to be empty for you to receive. Any pride is going to destroy you. That is why, many masters have said, “If you have any other vices, the teacher can still help you, support you, save you but if you have pride, you are finished, even the teacher cannot save you.” So, that is the problem with the pride. Any trace of pride, you have to eradicate them.
“Unlike your ill-mannered younger brother, you are a worthy recipient of my wisdom. Before I die I will share with you one important lesson I learned in my life.
This lesson is for all of us!
Things that are bad for you seduce you and you run towards them easily but things that are good for you fail to attract you and you shun them. I was lured to abduct Sita…
That is Lord Rama’s wife.
…but avoided meeting you.
So, this is again similar to what we talked about, Shreyas and Preyas. Shreyas are the exalted aspect of life, things that are good to the soul. Preyas are the desires or the passion.
Pride and arrogance will eventually make you fall, materially as well as spiritually. Humility is a foundation for success and growth.
With a weak foundation, all that you have built will collapse with time, in fact the higher you build the greater are the dangers, for it can pull down the whole structure. So, whether it is in your material or your spiritual life, do not be in a hurry to grow before creating a strong base of values, virtues and good karma. Plan not just for this life but look ahead as well. After all, one lifetime is just like a second, compared your vast journey in numerous embodiments in the past and in the future.
You remember, we were talking about the different dimensions have got different timeframe. So, when we talk about higher planes or higher dimensions, the concept of time is very, very different.
So, that is where the scriptures talk about the day and night of Brahma. The day of Brahma is 4.32 billion years and the night of Brahma is another 4.32 billion years. So, day and night of Brahma put together is 8.64 billion years on the physical plane. Such is the scale in the higher dimensions.
So, when you leave the body and go to higher realms, the way you are looking up at things in the physical plane are not the same in the higher dimensions. There, the soul looks up life from a completely different perspective.
Obey the laws of nature. “Nature is conquered by obedience.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.
When you act within the boundaries of law, it will protect and help you to attract all that you need. But when you violate them, you will cause more harm to yourself.
All the time remember, people can get away with small problems and blunders or get away with injustice and causing severe harm to the people but they have no idea about the laws that govern our lives.
When the laws are enforced, no matter how clever you might be, you will be punished and that is why it is better to build your life on truth. The truth will eventually triumph. That is the law. Of course, it is said that it is not easy for a person to walk on the path of truth.
So, some of the great stories give us lots of insight into this, like Raja Harishandra. You can browse on the internet. He had to go through so many obstacles, so many tests before finally, he was triumphant. Obstacles will be there for an earnest spiritual aspirant who want to build his or her life on truth. Not very easy but then this will give you lasting joy, lasting happiness for sure.
Choose any spiritual path that blends with your nature and practise diligently. Do whatever is in front of you with absolute commitment and courage, fulfilling all your karmic obligations. Be grateful for everything in your life and cultivate happiness. Have unshakable faith in the goodness of Divine order and surrender to God.
I will be narrating another story about faith tomorrow.
Further reading, Secrets of Karma, Page 150-152