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You have heard so far little about the inner world; but Divine Life is nothing but this method of 'inward living'. Just as the baby, after learning to watch and understand, tries to toddle here and there at home, so also the Sadhaka learns to toddle in the inner world and understand it. A healthy baby in the cradle waves its arms and legs in glee, watching the lamp on the wall and lisps in joy; the Sadhaka also healthy in body, mind and soul, lying in the cradle of life, watches the Inner world and claps his hands ceaselessly in great glee at that inner joy.

Besides, every thought, every word, every deed has to proceed from the full consciousness of knowledge. Direct your intelligence not to wander about but to dwell constantly in the inner world! This is the inward vision; Dhyana is the most important instrument needed for this.

Into the Inner Realm, the Sadhaka can enter through the gate of Self-examination. That gate accords welcome for every Sadhaka endowed with humility and devotion into the highest and holiest status possible in Life.

The Dhyani considers the realisation of Atmic Bliss as important; but the promotion of the welfare of the world is also an equally important aim. For carrying out that aim, he must bring under control certain physical, verbal and mental tendencies. These are usually known as the ten-fold sins: the three physical, the four verbal, and the three mental. The physical tendencies are: injury to life, adulterous desire and theft. The verbal sins are: false alarms, cruel speech, envious talk and lies. The mental attitudes are: greed, envy and the denial of God. The person intent on following Dhyana must take every care that these ten enemies do not approach him. They have to be eschewed completely. He needs tendencies that will help him to progress and not those that will drag him back.

He must speak and act only Subham, for Subham alone is Mangalam, and Mangalam alone is Sivam. This is what the Sastras also say. The Good is the Auspicious. The Auspicious is the spiritually helpful. If man is to merge in Sivam, the Subham is his instrument. Through the Subham or the Good, he can achieve this world and the other; he can promote his welfare as well as the welfare of others. Welfare is the fruit of knowledge; illfare is the fruit of ignorance. Through welfare alone can peace, joy and progress be attained. The basic duty of man is the welfare of all beings! Promoting it, contributing to it, is his right task. Living out one's span of life in discharging this task is the ordained path.

The Buddhi in us is the witness of all things in this objective world. The latter limit and colour the former they affect it and mould it into Chaithanya, or Consciousness. Maya is only the Buddhi as warped and twisted by the impressions of everything. Therefore, the Chaithanya which is unaffected by Maya, upon which the world has failed to produce any impression, that Chaithanya is Iswara. The person who is striving to reach the stage of Iswara must, therefore, be unaffected by Maya unimpressed by the world. How to remain so unaffected? Through analysis, ratiocination, fearless inquiry, pure reason. To acquire this Viveka or analytical reason, the sharing in the task of promoting the welfare of every being in Nature is essential. Next