Five stages of realization and attainment

Vishwas: One of the basic prerequisites of self realization or God realization is to  have implicit faith and trust in one’s own self, your Guru and God. A firm belief about the existence of God is equally important and that we belong to HIM and HE belongs to us. Our relationship was established right since the inception of this universe and there is no doubt that we shall attain Him.

Nature and material world are composed of five tatvas.  What relates to nature (like human body and material objects) are temporary, ever-changing, destructible and mutable while the soul derives from God and is, therefore, unborn, eternal, everlasting and primeval.  The human body and the material world, because of their very nature, are prone to decay, but the soul is incorruptible.  This material world is not real and the unreal has no permanent existence.  The soul and God are real, are part of each other and the ultimate truth, and the real never ceases to be.  This reality of both has thus been perceived by the seers of truth.

We practically observe every day this changing world with a naked eye and     what  we  see  with our own eyes does not need any proof.   Everything is subject      to change – relationships, objects, insatiable desires, actions, circumstances, situations.  Change is the very essence of life in this material world.  Our own body changes every minute.  Modern scientists maintain that in seven years  the whole body changes and that not even a  drop of old blood remains.  Nothing is  permanent or stable here.  What was available yesterday, is not available today;  what is available  today, will not be so tomorrow and the never  ending  wheel  of   time  will continue  to   revolve.   Our close relatives,  our loved ones  who  were  so very dear  to  us,  our  friends  on whom we relied implicitly, left us.  So much so,  we did not even realize when  our childhood, our youth left us quietly.  But one existence,  i.e.  jeevatma,  that kept watching these changes as a spectator, is the only real, stable and permanent entity.  It is a law of nature that the one who takes birth,  grows, changes, decays and over a  period of time will be  destroyed. In such a situation,  any attempt made  to establish  a permanent relationship in this temporary world is a mirage.

Shradha:  Having realized the temporary nature of this material world and frustrated by the dualties such as, attachment and aversion, love and hate, pleasure and pain, success and failure; strayed human beings need  guidance of the One who will lead them out of this morass  of desires, sufferings and  ill-will.  They need someone who can take them out  of the darkness of this illusionary material world, show them light and put them on the right track.  The solution to these problems lies in the solicitude  of a true Guru,  who can give them  the knowledge  of truth  and lead them to salvation by teaching them patience, detachment and selflessness.  It is the Sadguru alone who gives us the strength to intelligently fight adverse circumstances and come out of such situations by transcending all limitations. At a particular level, there is no difference between a Sadguru and God; both assume the same position and have solutions to the problems of suffering humanity.

Guru plays the pivotal role in reminding us of Divine advice, teaches us the art of living a balanced life with restraint and stability of mind.  He is the one who dispels the darkness of ignorance and shows  the path of light and eternal  bliss.  He  is  the  one  who  brings about awareness that actions (karmas) performed under the influence of senses give rise to sensuous pleasures and pains, which are transitory and fleeting.  He guides you how to discipline and bring under control the five wild horses – ‘kama’ (passion), ‘krodha’ (anger),  ‘lobha’ (greed), ‘moha’ (emotional  attachment)  and  ‘ahankara’  (ego)  and  helps you to take the chariot of your life in the right direction of inner peace and tranquility.  He brings about a realization in you that over-indulgence in sensuous objects give rise to Tamoguna which results in regret, remorse, sorrow and loss of peace.  Like a  father,  Guru  holds  your  little  finger  and  conditions  you  to  fearlessly  travel  from  the   illusionary material world, to the realms of spirituality so that you could be one with the Real One and realize the ultimate truth – i.e. God.  With Sadguru’s grace, at this point of time, when you look upon your Guru with love, awe and reverence, then faith and belief (Vishwas) transforms into ‘Shradha’ (reverence) and, unconditionally, you start following him unto the path of  truth.

Sewa:  Sewa can also be termed as karmayoga.  Service to mankind should be rendered with a sense of sacrifice and dedication, relinquishing all attachment.  Alleviate the sufferings of humanity and earn the prayers and blessings of Daridra-Narayan. Rendering service to mankind with a feeling of selflessness is, in fact, serving the Lord himself, because He is present in every human being.  By doing so, we attain the highest good.  In return, the all merciful, benevolent Narayan showers His abundant blessings on us and accelerates the process of our spiritual advancement. Interestingly, when we render service  with a feeling of  selflessness,  not  with ostentation,  pride  or  a desire to  gain fame;   not  as charity  to  give a  feeling  to  the recipient that he is an object of pity; but with love and compassion,  with a   feeling that to do so is our duty;  then we establish an unbreakable bond of ‘bhavana’ between the two.  When our sewa  is  moistened with love and compassion, resultant contentment and happiness  is  gratifying  both  to the giver and the recepient   in   an   infinite   measure.  Such   an   act   of   a ‘karamyogi ’ generates  ‘satoguna’  and  the  all  pervading  infinite  is  always  present  where such ‘karmas’ (actions)  are being  performed.

Guruji said, “no  form  of  worship is greater than serving his creation – the mankind.   Japa (inward  recitation  of mantras), dhyana (meditation), and nishkam sewa (rendering selfless service to mankind with a sense of dedication and sacrifice) is the simplest and shortest route to attaining salvation and God realization.

Gyan: Knowledge about the existence of God, the ultimate truth, and the temporary  nature of this material world, is Gyanyoga.  That this material world is subject to change  and is destructible, but the soul and God are permanent, everlasting and eternal.   Mankind  is the most exalted creation of the Lord.  In fact, every human being is like a  mobile temple in which He  has established  Himself in the form  of  an Atman.   Atman  is  an inseparable part of Param-atman.  If our thoughts are pure and satoguna  is predominantly prevalent in us, then  we can perceive the presence of God in every being that we come across.  Clearer the mirror, equally clear would be the reflection.

The human body is a creation of nature and therefore mutable, while the soul derives from God and is, consequently, eternal.  The body, because of its very nature, is prone to decay, but the soul is incorruptible.  Tamoguna, Rajoguna, and Satoguna are the characteristics of nature, whereas God is beyond these gunas. It is human susceptibility to Tamoguna and Rajoguna that binds us to the material world and makes us suffer.  In the ultimate analysis, to be one with God, we need to transcend these three Gunas, because these Gunas also have a binding factor. Transcendence from these gunas, releases us from the short-lived pleasures of earthly existence and we become one with  ‘Sat-chitta-ananda’, where there is no ego, but a state of bliss. The moment this knowledge dawns upon us, that moment is attainment of ‘Nirvana’.

Bhakti: Unconditional surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord and a firm conviction that you belong to God and God belongs to you and both are one entity,    is Bhaktiyoga.  Inculcating more and more of ‘Satoguna’ and relinquishing ‘Rajoguna’ and ‘Tamoguna; i.e. realization about the existence of God, detachment from the material world, and overcoming ego-centric desires (I, me, and mine) are importance milestones towards that end.

Light the flame of His pious name in the temple of your heart.  Let the bells toll and the harmonious sound of His ‘Japa’ reverberate in your heart. Get completely absorbed and meditate on the ‘Jyotirlinga’ of your innerself.  Then look at your enlightened self and recognize  your original, pure and pious reflection. In the cosmic whispers of music (anhad naad), your ‘Antaratma’ will hear a  resounding sound -  ‘Hari Aum Tat Sat, Hari Aum Tat Sat,  Aham Brahmasmi’.  Then you may not even feel your outer existence.  You will experience enlightenment, happiness, and tranquility around you. 

Ek se Anek:  At the beginning of creation, the Mahashakti created out of Herself,   Lord Vishnu and then Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva to perform the functions of protector, creator and destroyer respectively.  For procreation and multiplication, once again, She created three Shakties – (Ma Lakshmi, Ma Saraswai, and Ma Parvati).   Thereafter,  Brahmputras  and  seven rishis  were born and the universe multiplied – Ek se Anek. All these manifestations emanated from one source (the omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, infinite and the absolute truth) and that ultimate power manifested Herself in various forms.  As such, a strong, common and a permanent bond exists through the hierarchy.  Guruji, lovingly used to say “where are you lost, my child, in the false and temporary attractions of this material world. Remove the layers of Tamoguna and Rajoguna collected during birth after birth and recognize your realself.   You are the TRUTH, PURE CONSCIOUSNESS, and BLISS.  Just as waves rise from the ocean and merge into it, because they are a part of the ocean, similarly you are a part of ‘Paramatma’ and it is only right and natural for the ‘Atmatatva’ to merge into its original source, the ‘Paramatma’   As  simple as  it was  for you  to accept  the  existence of  this material world (which is false), it is far more simpler to accept the ‘Paramtatva’ – The Supreme Lord – because, in reality, you are truly a part of  Him – from Anek to Ek.

Guruji attained self/God realization at a very early age (continuing his sadhna from the previous births).  One by one Guruji collected his shishyas (some had links with him from the previous birth and some he picked up from the present birth) and he thus formed a Shiv Parivar.  He was the rarest of the rare Gurus who declared that he does not make shishyas, but he makes Gurus and that is why his shishyas are also addressed as Guruji.  He groomed and empowered his shishyas to render selfless service and alleviate the sufferings of humanity.  This reminds me of Guruji’s words “wherever you left your sadhna in the previous birth, you have to continue it further from that level in the present birth, till you attain salvation”.  To achieve that ultimate goal, he would often advocate that it is absolutely essential to rise above  kama, krodha, lobha, moha and ahankara.  Regard yourself an Atman.  This body is just a temporary abode of the soul.  But what is important to understand is that it is in this human form alone you are capable of practicing dhyaan (meditation) and evolve your atman to be one with the Paramatman – which is attainment of nirwana, the eternal quest of every soul.  Thus he showed us the way from Anek to Ek.

According to our holy scriptures, the earliest manifestation of Parbrahma is thefirst akshar Aum and its sound reverberates the entire universe.  All exalted mantras begin with this powerful akshar and the meditational process also concentrates on its form and sound – i.e. withdrawing from the multiplicity of this material world and concentrating on one object (Aum) – from Anek to Ek.