All that we take in through the Five Senses constitutes Our Food

Discourse of Sathya Sai Baba during the Summer Course in Spirituality and Indian Culture
held for College Students at Brindavan, Whitefield, Bangalore District in May/June 1974
Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust
Web posted at Jun 20, 2002

If one slips by his foot, one can take it back and be rescued but if one slips through his tongue, he cannot be rescued. So also, if one has taken the wrong path, no one can change his path and pull him out of such a situation.

We will see today that Pratishta, Swadhyaya and Srihi stand for one and the same thing. The aspect of Brahman which has been described by the names Pratishta, Swadhyaya and Srihi will not be described by another name, Swadha. In one of the Brahmanas, the same thing has been called 'Pitru Yagnesu Swadha Bhoota'. Taking such sacred words of the Vedas as the basis, we should try to give the relevant meaning for the word 'Swadha'. In the Aitreya Brahmana, it has also been said 'Swadha Name Iti Vashat Kara'. This means that this aspect of Vashatkara will also be taught to us by the word 'Swadha'.

In common parlance, the word 'Swadha' has the meaning of food. When we give this meaning, it becomes possible for us to recognise the equivalent word food as what we normally eat by our mouth. In this word 'Swadha', we must take it to mean not only the food that we normally eat but all other things that we take in. Here, there is a meaning which we may extend so as to include the five senses, that is Sabda, Sparsa, Rupa, Rasa, Gandha and regard all that is absorbed through the sense organs as included in the word 'Swadha'. All the items that we see around us that can be experienced with the five senses have been included in the meaning of this word 'Swadha'. For all things which we can experience and enjoy in this world, this word "Swadha" has stood as the basis. Therefore, this word is the very basis for the environment around us.

It is in this context that our scriptures have been explaining that for nature or Prakriti, a synonym would be Swadha. This kind of Prakriti does not manifest itself in different aspects but manifests itself in a chosen way and is called 'Parameswari'.
This Sakti or energy which goes by the name of Parameswari is the basis for Swadha because Swadha is the equivalent of this Parameswari or Sakti. In the context of this, we see that Maya or illusion and Avidya or lack of knowledge and Karma or work have been explained as the basis for creation. Here illusion and ignorance are synonymous. It is not possible for us to undertake work without a basis. For work, desire is the basis. For desire, ignorance is the basis. Here we see that the basis of all work is desire and the basis for desire is ignorance and for all these things, this word "Swadha" has been standing as the basis. In other words, when we try and see the inner meaning of this, we come to the conclusion that for whatever we see in the world, Swadha becomes the basis. For this word Swadha in all its forms, the Parameswari Sakti is the basis. This Parameswari Sakti is no doubt the basis but this Sakti does not by itself independently do anything.

Parameswara is the one who has Maya as his instrument. This Maya is taking the form of ignorance. Ignorance also occasionally takes the form of illusion. The body that is Maya and the Parameswara who is resident in the body are closely connected with each other. These two aspects, Maya and Parameswara, are inextricably linked with each other. We have seen that Swadha is the basis for Maya, ignorance and creation and therefore Swadha also becomes a meaning for the word Parameswari. For this Parameswari Sakti, Parabrahma is the Pratishta or the basis and therefore, this word Swadha also becomes appropriate for Parabrahma. Here the ignorance which is the Parameswara Sakti can be experienced and enjoyed. In this context, Parameswara who is the basis for Sakti turns out to be the one who experiences. This relationship between the experiencer and the experience itself has been established by Swadha.

This word Swadha has also given a meaning to Prakriti as if it was a woman and a meaning to Parabrahma as if He was a Purusha and Swadha gives the relationship between these two. If the aspect of Parameswara and of Sakti cannot combine, there cannot be creation in the world. Specially these two aspects are such that one cannot exist without the other. In this context there is no objection to regard the whole of Prakriti as a woman and the aspect of Parabrahma as Purusha. The fact that ignorance and Parabrahma are intermixed with each other is implied by the word Swadha.

Creation is something which is the result of our imagination. This creation by imagination has the desire for its basis. If this Sankalpa which is latent in us is not there, it is not possible to have a view of the created world. In order that this Sankalpa or desire in us may be of the right type, we shall have to perform the necessary Sadhana. The seeds that we put in will determine the kind of tree that will sprout and the kind of tree will determine the kind of fruit that we will get. The Sankalpa is the seed and when Sankalpa gets into action, the result will be the tree. The fruit that will come on the tree is the final result. The kind of seeds that we put in will determine the kind of fruit that we get out of it. If an individual desires to have sweet and good fruit, he must take care to see that he selects sweet and good seeds. Therefore, that which is the basis for our Sankalpa or desires and the world is the aspect of Swadha and this Swadha which is the aspect of Brahman is the basis for all these things.

We should recognise and understand the meaning of the statement "Sarvam Brahmamayam Jagat". This means that the aspect of Brahman is the basis for all the work that we do and having this in mind, we should not be disappointed with any result that we may get. If we understand correctly the meaning of what has been said, then we will understand the spirit of the Siva Sakti Atma of the world. We have to recognise the oneness of the experience and the experiencer himself.

In a manner of speaking, the mother of the universe is Maya and the father of the universe is Parabrahma. If there is no Maya, we will not even attempt to understand the aspect of Parabrahma. Maya is the form of God whereas Parabrahma is the name for God Himself. This form and name are related with each other in an inseparable manner.

Therefore, this ignorance or Maya which is a form of God can be controlled only by praying for getting over it. There is a good support for this in the Ramayana. In the forest, Rama the embodiment of Dharma is showing the path and going ahead and behind him was his wife Sita following him. Lakshmana is going behind both of them as the protector. The point here is that Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are going one behind the other in a single line. At that time Lakshmana representing the Jiva, decided to have the Darshan of Rama, the symbol of Brahman. But if he wants to have a glimpse of Rama he has Sita representing Maya - standing as an obstruction between him and Rama. Thus if Jiva wants to have a glimpse of Parabrahma, Maya stands as an obstruction in between them. Under those circumstances, Lakshmana cannot use harsh words and ask Sita - representing Maya - to make way for him. This will only make matters worse. Rama will not bear such harsh words. Neither using harsh words nor getting angry with Sita would be the right way. The only way would be to pray and ask Sita to move aside a little, thus allowing Lakshmana to have Rama's Darshan. Then Sita will feel pity on Lakshmana and will move aside to enable Lakshmana to have a glimpse of the divine.

Sita symbolises Maya and accompanies Rama inseparably like a shadow and one cannot become angry with Sita because Rama will not like such a situation. God wears this Maya as his form and because of this, we must bear with Maya and welcome it and treat it with respect. Swadha constitutes the basis for this Maya Sakti as well. Either for the creation or for the existence of the world, Maya and Parabrahma remain as the basis. If we examine this carefully, we will come to the conclusion that Parabrahma alone cannot be responsible for the creation that we see around us. Creation is possible only when Parabrahma and Sakti or Maya come together. This becomes that basis for creation.

A potter cannot make pots with dry mud. If he wants to make pots, he has to use both water and mud. We cannot make pots with mud alone or with water alone, but pots can be made only when both water and mud are brought together. One cannot run a machine like a railway engine with fire alone, nor can such a machine be run with water alone. It is only by bringing fire and water together into intimate contact and generating steam that we can run a machine. Parabrahma Sakti and Parabrahma are interdependent and are both needed for creation like the mud and water for a potter or like the fire and water for a railway engine. Thus, we get a basis to regard the entire Prakriti as having the nature of a woman. The one who has taken endearingly to this woman called Prakriti is the Parabrahma. Such a Parabrahma is also pictured as wearing the ignorance or the Maya Sakti on Him as His form.

In this context, there is only one Purusha and the entire creation consists of women only. You may get a doubt at this point and may feel that when so many Purushas are sitting here how is it possible to describe the entire creation as women only, with just one Purusha. You are all only wearing the apparel of a Purusha but you are all not really Purushas. The qualities that mark out the word Purusha are not present in you and therefore you cannot be appropriately called Purusha. You can call yourselves Purushas only when you develop qualities which are above all Gunas and above all worldly ideas and thoughts. You may get a doubt here and ask how God who is present everywhere and in all the Gunas is described as being above Gunas. Gunas are all artificial creations. God exists in all these created Gunas but the Gunas themselves do not exist in God and therefore we can correctly describe him as being above Gunas.

In the example that we have just considered, we can get an understanding of this aspect. We have considered pots as having been made out of mud and water and therefore in all the pots, there is mud but there are no pots in the mud. The pot has been artificially prepared, like the Gunas, and in the pot there is mud but in the mud there is no pot. In a similar manner, God is present in the artificially created Gunas, but the Gunas are not present in God. Therefore Gunas are also described as those that bind one. They may be understood as the ropes that bind one. In this context, you are all bound and you are not free. You are all bonded to this artificially created world but God has no such bondages and is a free individual at all times. You can call yourself a Purusha only when you can get rid of these bondages and become a free individual. To call yourself a Purusha without doing this is not correct. You are having the aspect of Purusha in your inner self but you are not giving any attention to the qualities that go to make a Purusha or that entitle one to call himself a Purusha. When you aspire to become a Purusha, you must be prepared to accept and imbibe all the qualities of a Purusha. If one encounters hunger, a woman eats and a man also eats and thus when both men and women react to situations in an identical manner it follows that a man is as weak as a woman and in this sense they are both weak. Purusha should have strength and a woman is characterised by weakness. It is for this reason that a woman is described by the word 'Abala' or one without strength.

Today in order to fulfil the normal requirements in the world and in order to do the various tasks on the stage of this world, some of us are calling ourselves men and others go by the name of women. This is purely related to the worldly life but spiritually and in truth, all are characterised by the qualities of a woman. You can take a very good example for this. During the college day at the Anantapur Girl's College for instance usually Adhyatmic dramas are staged and in such a drama, one of the girls plays the part of Sakkubai while another girl plays the part of Kasipati but behind the screen, she knows and calls herself by her real name, say 'Sudha'. In a similar manner on the stage of this world, some of us call ourselves men while others call themselves women. Such a right and nomenclature is appropriate only for the purposes of acting on the world stage but so long as one does not posses the qualities of a Purusha, one should not call one self as a Purusha.

In the realm of the divine, I mentioned yesterday that there are five different constituents, namely - being, awareness, Ananda, name and form. Of these five, name and form are relevant only to the aspect of the body and the world but in matters relating to the realm of God, name and form have no significance at all. Even if we cannot fully understand the aspects of Brahman, it is possible for us to study Vedas, scriptures and Sastras. Since we are students and since we want to study something, it becomes inescapable for us to submit ourselves to some kind of discipline and to observe some rules and to accept some limitations in our daily lives. Whatever work we undertake, we should recognise our duty and such discipline as is appropriate to the work that we have undertaken. If we strictly adhere to the rules and to the discipline of the work allotted to us, then we will not meet with any obstruction and nobody can stop us from fulfilling our task. There is a small story illustrating this aspect in the Mahabharata.

Once Kausika was sitting under a tree and was reciting the Vedas and doing penance to understand the aspect of the Brahman. As he was continuously engaged in Tapas and always uttering the name of Brahman, his mind was full of Brahman and he acquired a special kind of strength. There is a small example in this context which will clear some doubts regarding the grace of God. If we take two pieces of wood and rub them against each other sufficiently long, we can generate fire. Thus by these two pieces of wood coming together and rubbing against each other, a new feature namely fire has been generated and this fire is not originally present in either of the two pieces. In a similar manner, if we concentrate on the name and form of the Lord and go on bringing them together, in that process there will be generated a new feature, the fire of wisdom. Our sacred culture has taught us many process by which this fire of wisdom can be generated.

In this manner, while Kausika was sitting under the tree and continually reciting the Vedas, a bird sitting on top of that tree dropped excreta and it fell on the head of Kausika. This enraged Kausika and he angrily stared at the bird. Because of this anger, the bird was instantly killed by the fire generated from his eyes as a result of the discipline that he was submitting himself to. At this display of strength, Kausika felt proud and elated that his vision had the power to burn things. So long as he was one of pure and unwavering mind, this wisdom was like burning fire but the moment he started feeling proud and allowed a certain amount of ego to enter his mind, the great divine strength began diminishing slowly. The moment this ego entered his mind, a small desire sprouted in him and he wanted to test his newly acquired strength. He went to the front of a village house. The woman of the household was very dutiful and would not sever from her duty. At that time, her husband was not in good health and she was serving her husband and was thus immersed in her duty. Kausika asked for alms but the woman did not pay any attention to this because of her immediate preoccupation. Finally when she did come out, she found that Kausika was very angry and that his eyes were red with anger. The woman was so devoted to her husband and so disciplined that she could immediately see through the mind of Kausika. She said 'I am not a poor bird to be killed by your anger. I am a woman who has been discharging her duties and I have not done anything wrong.' In fact she advised Kausika to reduce his anger as that was not a quality which a Rishi can have. The lady said that whoever protects Dharma will be protected in turn by Dharma. Not only did she have confidence in herself but she conveyed the truth and strength of self-confidence to the Rishi also.

Education gives humility. A person who is educated should be humble. Humility will lead you to deservedness and deservedness will in turn get you wealth. Wealth in turn will get you righteousness or Dharma and you will be able to give charity of the right kind. If you want to realise the aspect of Parabrahma, you should not feel proud that you are an educated person. You should first show humility if you want to realise yourself and have happiness. If you show ego and feel proud of your qualifications and your degree, you will be bringing disgrace to the qualifications that you have acquired. If one is not humble, he will not be called an educated person. He may think himself to be educated. Our scriptures which have given the injunction that a person who has acquired ordinary education should be humble, surely lay down much more rigid rules for those who are well versed in Vedas. For all this, the word Swadha is the basis. Whether it is the Vedas or the Veda Purushas or even the creator of the Vedas, they are all becoming one and the same and merge in this one word Swadha. Therefore in our being able to perform with discipline the tasks that arise out of certain duties, there is pleasure. Having Dharma as our objective, recognising our objective and not swerving from the path of Dharma if we conduct ourselves, then we can get the blessings of the Vedas and the grace of God.