Thoughts on Dibya Darshan-I

(Based on the teachings of Sadguru Sri Sri Arjun, the seer of The Philosophy Divine)

Every one is embroiled in some conflicting situations in and around, now and then. Every one suffers from �sufferings�, some times physically and sometimes mentally. Are sufferings inescapable and inevitable? Why is it so? Why then we crave for happiness? We follow all sorts social, moral and religious rites, we possess varieties of scientific knowledge, and we possess capacities to reason out and rationalize things. Still why do we feel helpless at times? Why do all our calculations fail ultimately to make us dejected and frustrated?

This indicates that we do not have sufficient knowledge to come out of the shackles of sufferings. We get some happiness for some time. Next moment happiness vanishes and again we find ourselves in the cauldron of sufferings. These dual situations are due to our imperfect or incomplete knowledge, which produces varying opinions and ideas, conflicting situation and diverse effects. Such type of knowledge belongs to the category of �not knowledge�, 'some knowledge' or 'ignorance'. In other words, variations are created by ignorance.

Dibya Darshan surges forward on the basic premise �

"Ignorance is the cause of sufferings."

According to the Buddhist philosophy, craving is the cause of all sufferings. Dibya Darshan expounds cravings further and says that �Ignorance� is the cause of cravings. In other words, craving owes its origin to Ignorance. "You suffer because you crave. You crave because you are ignorant. You don�t know yourself. You have forgotten yourself. You are really perfect. You are immortal. You are emancipated soul. Infinite energy is stored in you. You have never tried to reach the same. All peace happiness and bliss are very much in you. You are, due to ignorance, trying to get the same from outside i.e. from mundane objects. That is why, you do not get perfect and permanent happiness. Had you known what is true happiness, had you known how to get true happiness, you would have achieved the same, there by putting an end to all your sufferings. When you do not know something, which is sought after, how can you get the same? For example, if you do not know what is diamond, how can you acquire the same? Even if you are sitting on a diamond chair, you will remain deprived of the diamond and consider yourself as a pauper until you recognize diamond. Knowledge is therefore the greatest power. You acquire all other powers by the help of knowledge power i.e., "Jnana Sakti".

What is knowledge? "Knowing the truth" is knowledge. Ignorance is destroyed on the advent of knowledge. With the disappearance of ignorance, its illusory effects also disappear. Knowledge is divided into three categories, namely,

a) Knowledge for living (maintaining the body)

    1. Knowledge for living in the society with peace and happiness.
    2. Knowledge for liberation.

Some people do not possess even the first category of knowledge. What are useful and what are baneful, what are helpful and what are injurious to health are not known fully to many. People do not even have sufficient knowledge about the food, water and air they take in. More knowledge means more happiness.

Coming to the second category i.e. knowledge for living in the society with peace and happiness, it can be said that quite a large percentage of people do not know how to live and let others live. Therefore, there are so many strifes, so many warring camps and so many destructive activities, thereby creating chaos and tension which make life uneasy. Divine virtues and not devilish or demoniac vices, sacrifice and not selfishness, self restraint and not passions, efforts and not idleness, selfless service and not malicious acts, truth and not false hood, love and not infatuation or hatred, tolerance and not revengefulness, are the qualities very much required for a healthy and peaceful social life. Right conduct, courtesy, mutual respect and many other noble traits are required for a happy community life. It is seen that many people are bereft of these good qualities. Rather they possess qualities, which are opposite to what is called good. It goes without saying that good qualities bring happiness while bad qualities increase the sufferings, making individual life and social life miserable. People with less knowledge behave in a brutish manner. But those who are advanced in knowledge like to live with others peacefully by dint of their noble traits.

Coming to the third and the highest category of knowledge, it can be said that a very small percentage of people belong to this category. A majority of the people even does not know that such a category of knowledge as this i.e. 'knowledge for liberation' ever exists and it is necessary to acquire this level of knowledge. Many with the first category of knowledge, and some up to second category of knowledge remain complacent with what they have acquired and do not feel the need to seek any thing else.

We are therefore racing in an opposite direction. We try to plunge ourselves into the world of varieties in quest of happiness, leaving the all-pervasive and unitary background consciousness far behind. We focus all our attention to the outer world instead of making even a beginning to delve into the inner world. Knowledge of truth becomes dimmer and dimmer. Falsehood and things of that sort reign supreme promising to bring peace and happiness to us.

Nobody can assert that he does not have any sort of sufferings. In other words, everyone suffers. The question arises, "Why do we suffer?" We feel complacent after observing some sorts of religious ritual in a mechanical and traditional manner. Our sufferings indicate that there remain loopholes and lacunae in our observance of Dharma. Knowingly or unknowingly, we commit mistakes, which are the products of our misconceptions and miscalculations. On the one hand, we crave for peace and happiness but on other hand, we are guilty of misconduct. In such contradictory situations, how can we get peace?

Sadguru Sri Sri Arjun says that though, most of the people speak some truths and some lies, the fact remains that all know truth. They have forgotten the truth as a result of which they are not able to tell as much truth as is essential for a peaceful living in the society. We have taken innumerable births during which time we have gathered unlimited knowledge, which means that unlimited power is latent within us. When we take different forms, only that range of knowledge corresponding to the respective form becomes operative. Now that we are human beings, only the qualities and knowledge befitting a human being are revealed in us. All other knowledge lies dormant in us. If we shall try to recollect, our forgotten knowledge will buoy up one after another and layer after layer. When somebody tells us some theories or makes some statements, at that time we give our nods of approval, which means that we had known it earlier and now we are remembering or just refreshing our memory.

The scriptures proclaim that we are all children of immortality. Divine powers are latent in us. If we shall penetrate ourselves inward, those higher truths will reveal one by one. Hence no one is small or insignificant. Every one is a particular kind of expression of the same divine essence.

Therefore, Dibya Darshan preaches that wherever one may be, whatever sins one may be committing, in whatever darkness one might have been plunged, one should turn one�s face towards truth i.e. God so that not only the �distance� will be reduced but sooner or later, one will get the warmth of the divine light.

Our existence has been possible due to 'Truth' only but this fact is not known to many. Even the thieves resort to truth in some way or other while organizing themselves and distributing the booties among themselves. If any one of the thieves violates truth, there will be confusion and disunity. Why do we dis-approve bad things or falsehood? We disapprove because in our innermost hearts we love truth.

Lord Buddha used to ask, "Are you suffering or not? If you are suffering, should you not find out the reasons for your sufferings? Should you not try to find out ways and means to tide over all your sufferings?" Lord Budha used to teach that only he, who can take the remedial steps for getting rid of sufferings, can get peace and happiness.

Dibya Darshan says that sufferings are nothings but one's state of mind. Even though the jiva is none other than Brahman himself, he is unware of this Supreme Truth. He misconstrues himself as jiva. Hence all qualities and levels of knowledge pertaining to a jiva are seen in him. Sufferings, therefore, in such states of mind, are not accidental outcomes but logical conclusions. If he could realise the truth that he is Brahman himself, he would have enjoyed unalloyed peace and bliss. Sufferings would have vanished forthwith.

To explain this still further, Dibya Darshan says, "Any form contains within it all its corresponding qualities. If one has taken the form of a man, all qualities befitting such an evolved state are already involved in that particular form to find its expressions as and when necessary. Similarly, if one has taken the form of a monkey, all the qualities of a monkey are involved in that form. Similarly the properties pertaining to fire are contained in fire and all properties of water are already involved in water. Things do happen in the reverse direction also. For example, in a definite process and proportion, water is formed and when water is decomposed, we can get hydrogen and oxygen in exactly the same proportion.

God has endowed us with inquisitiveness with which we are supposed to acquire more and more knowledge, know more and more truths. In this process we have got all potentials to know the Supreme Truth who is known as "Sat- Chit- Anand". That means, He is Existence (sat). He is chit swarup or Knowledge Absolute. He is also Bliss Absolute.

Because we do not know the Supreme, we are not able to get bliss. Whatever little pleasure or happiness we get is purely of temporary nature. Body is temporary. Mind is temporary. Intellect is also temporary. All these are subject to changes. Man has to transcend one stage after another to reach the blissful sheath. This sheath (Anandmaya kosa) has to be transcended ultimately.

Absolutely bliss can be had only on knowing the Supreme Truth, because the Supreme Truth is eternal and unchangeable. Everything else is changeable. This world itself is a product of change. Every moment changes do occur giving rise to newer and newer things. Nothing is final; everything is in a transitional stage, which is on its journey towards the ultimate perfection and completeness, i.e. the Supreme Truth. To elucidate the concept of change Sadguru Sri Sri Arjun has presented his unique philosophy on the concept of change.

A few examples are mentioned below.

We were young. We grew up to youth. We shall become old and ultimately death shall overcome us.

There was no tree. A seed germinated to be a seedling. The seedling grew up and became a full fledged tree.

The sky was clear. Clouds appeared in patches and vanished thereafter. There was no rain. It rained.

Matter is converted to energy. So also, energy is converted to matter taking various forms, which are subject to further changes. The question arises, "Who causes and conditions all these changes and what is that process or principle that determines or regulates the direction of the great journey?"

The well organized processes and principles give ample indication that there is some changeless entity at the background of all changes. That changeless entity is the Supreme Truth, on realizing whom Absolute Bliss is attained. That Supreme Truth, who is otherwise known as Pure Consciousness, is the all-pervasive indivisible whole. He dwells in everyone of us as our 'True Self'. That means, absolute bliss can be attained only on realising the True Self. Therefore, self-knowledge is essential. In other words, without self-knowledge liberation is not possible.

Dibya Darshan, therefore, inspires everyone to en-kindle the light of knowledge. Whatever we know is infinitisimally small though we are under an erroneous impression that we know a lot. Knowledge is nothing but knowing the truth. If we do not try to acquire knowledge, how can we realise the truth?

Man possesses all potentiality to realize God. There was a time when we even did not hear of God. By knowing more and more, we have not only known something about God, but have started believing the existence of God. If we acquire more knowledge, we can definitely know his manifestation and ultimately God Himself.

Dibya Darshan reiterates the vedic message, " only the Bliss Absolute can give us peace and happiness. The more you know him, the more you get peace and bliss. If you turn your face towards the Divine Absolute, you will attain to perfection. The cravings that corrode you will be converted to the only craving for knowing the Creator. All darkness will vanish and you will beam with happiness. By a single pointed devotion, you will definitely get his grace, which will enable you to regain your lost paradise. Therefore, enkindle the light of knowledge within, know your self and free yourself. By 'jnana' and ' sadhana' every thing becomes possible. If you are not successful, it indicates that there is inadequacy of either jnana or sadhana, or of both."

Dibya Darshan says- "Your Creator is also your liberator". Therefore, acquire divine virtues and purify your heart. God will be definitely reflected on a pure heart. No outward worship can help in this regard. Try to know him, whom you are worshiping. If you do not know, you will not get. Sense of inquisitiveness is an inborn quality in man. If this sense is directed towards God, it becomes 'yoga' i.e. communion with god.

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