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Chintya BhedAbheda
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** ************* *************************** Thy centuries follow
* ** ***************************************** each other
* ****** ***** *** * *** **** * ** perfecting
** ****** ***** **** * ***** ** * a
***** ** ***** **** ****** ** * * * small
* ** * ** ***** **** ***** ** ** * * * wild
** *** * *** ** ***** * * *** * flower.
************************************************ -Gitanjali
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"The Hindu religion authorizes the worship of a variety of Gods; this
has resulted in sectarian feuds and factions which fill the land with
fear and unrest. All the infights and agitations in the country can
be traced to this one basic defect"- this is the unthinking verdict of
many observers. But this judgment is not correct. It is a flimsy
flight of fancy, indulged in by persons devoid of the faculty of
reason.
In the West, the inhabitants of all lands are, more or less, adherents
of the Christian religion. Though all of them adore one GOD, they have
been slaughtering each other by methods far more horrible than wild
animals resort to. In the name of patriotism, do they not wage wars in
which peoles remote from the scene of conflict, including innocent
women, children and the aged are wiped off the earth by merciless fire
power? Is their religion the basic cause for such heartless,
disgraceful, stupid and demoniac devastation and fratricide? Of course
they belong to one religion and they adore one God but there must
some poisonous trait lurking behind the facade of adoration,
polluting the entire personality. Religion cannot be the cause, even to
the slightest extent, for faction, fights, and wars.
Germany had no place for caste groups and sectarian conflicts. It had
achieved extraordinary progress in science and technology. It shone in
the forefront of nations by means of its strength, courage and
heroism. Such a nation was cut up into four bits by the four
victorious nations, each bit being ruled by a separate nation! Japan
which had no problems of religious differences and sectarian
conflicts has had to suffer the vengeance of the nations for some
years! What was the reason? For the downfall of nations, religion
alone cannot be the cause. This is the lesson that Germany teaches.
No one can imagine a world in which differences do not exist.
Differences are born from the inner springs of intelligence and the
cumulative educative effect of impacts. Each life of every being is
the external expression of this intelligence and this effect. All
inert as well non-inert entities are but manifestations on different
levels of this `intelligence'. The parrot casts its eyes in a distinct
way; the crow does the same, quite differently. The jackal reasons out
situations differently from the dog. The nature of animals is of one
type; the nature of human beings is of another type. Between man and
man, there are differences in the knowledge gained by each. Not only
in knowledge but even in physical characteristics and personal charm,
there are countless variations. Their likes and dislikes, their
thoughts and feelings are shaped in diverse ways by the knowledge
they have and the professions they are engaged in. We have no need to
go so far. Even twins growing together in the womb are not often
identical; they manifest different natures. What is the reason for
this? The reason lies in differences in the development of the
intelligence, Buddhi.
Therefore at no time can mankind be free from differences, universal
equality can never be witnessed. It is an impossible aspiration; the
desire to have it established on earth is a fantasy, it is
the search for flowers in the sky.
The animal lives with the awareness that it is an animal, the bird has
the consciousness that it is a bird. A woman engages herself in the
activities of the world, conscious that she is a woman; so also does
man. The consciousness one has until sleep overwhelms continues
without change after waking from sleep. The living being continues its
activities as before sleep. Man continues his activities where it was
broken off by sleep; so too, man continues in this life, the
activities broken off by death, from where they were ended. "Yam Yam
vaapi smaran bhaavam, thyajathyauthe kalebaram. He gives up his body
at the end, remembering the feelings that moved him ever so strongly."
And, in the Githa, "Tham thamnivathi Kauntheya, sadaa thad bhaava
bhavithah" -He attains that status itself to which his feelings were
all the while directed." The nature of the next life is in accordance
with the feelings which occupy the mind when man casts off his corpse.
For, those feelings will only be in accordance with the feelings that
motivated his living days. On deeper thought, it will be evident that
the basic truth is just this: everything depends on the progress
attained in the sublimation of intelligence.
Though in outer form, a certain uniformity may appear, there exist vast
and varied differences in inner nature. A genus or species is mainly
decided on outer characteristics, which are really the manifested
expressions of the inner intelligence. An individual is primarily a
form. Man, Tree, Hill, Sparrow, Fox, Dog, Cow; Snake, Scorpion-
these `sounds' denote members of the species with these forms. The
individuals may undergo destruction, but the species will continue.
Many men die, but Mankind will persist. Trees may fall and be reduced
to ash or dust but the genus cannot ever suffer destruction. The
living genus is eternal; total destruction can never happen.
If we analyze and inquire into even the small things that we
experience in our daily lives, these truths will be clearly evident
before us. We know that every one in the human species has human
characteristics but when we evaluate one person, we pay special
attention to his virtues and habits, present status and future
prospects. Cows- all of them- belong to one species. But when we desire
to purchase a cow for our house, we try to find out its parentage. We
look for auspicious marks on its body. It must give us copious milk ;
it must be a pretty little quiet animal. We purchase only cows with
these desirable qualities. We are not attracted by the fact that it is
a cow like all the rest of the species and led to purchase a barren cow
or a wild unruly cow. Therefore though all men are more or less
uniform, he is to be evaluated on the basis of his qualities only.
When an inquiry in depth is made into another topic, it will be clear
that feelings of difference between high and low are natural
reactions. Though urine and faeces are uniformly unclean, the urine of
the cow alone is treated as holy. Sanctity is not attributed to the
urine or faeces of other animals; these are definitely unholy. Take
the instance of fire, Agni. Fire is fire, in whatever form. We light
lamps at home, we have fire in our hearths. We have the sacrificial
fire, rising up in flames. This Agni is revered and worshipped; people
prostrate before it. But, the fire in the lamp and the hearth are not
evaluated so high. When fire is raised to burn a corpse on the
cremation ground, the flame is not considered pure enough for any
other use- no one will bake `rotis' over it; no one will revere it or
offer prostrations before it. For, it is treated as `low', `unholy',
`polluted.'
Similarly, though men have the same physical form, the
peculiarities of each body and of the other sheaths in which he is
encased, and the nature of his qualities and activities, distinctions
among them have necessarily to be made. Some must treated as "high"
and some as" low". Electric bulbs do not all emit the same quantity of
light; some are bright and some dull. There is the same current in
every bulb though some express it in full strength and others are not
able to do so.
In conclusion, we have to note that for the world to evolve,
levels of awareness, stages of excellence, distinctions like high and
low, holy and unholy, religious and irreligious are essential
requisites; they are inevitable. They are designed by Divine Will.
-excerpts from a handwritten message by Sri Sathya Sai Baba
March, 1979
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