Murti étlé shu?
What is meant by murti? To live according to the commands (vachan) of the Pratyaksh Swaroop is murti. Whenever the Pratyaksh Swaroop gives us a command, i.e. some instruction to do something, then He also grants us the divine strength to carry out His instructions.
Murti can literally mean the idol of God. The murti or idol we see through our mind’s eye is really a vision based on our imagination. We may imagine God’s idol to have four hands or even a thousand hands!! Our imagination may be so vivid that we feel that we have actually seen the Lord through some divine vision. We will be so overwhelmed by the whole experience that we may say to the Lord:
“Oh Lord…. thank you for granting me the vision of your divine form”.
However, this is merely a projection of the inner mind known as chitta and this vision will occur in the stage of sadhanaknown as chitta-bhumika. Presently, we have the association of many accomplished swaroopo who are in constant communion with the Lord. Whatever one wishes for can be attained by remembering these swaroopo and praying to them to grant those wishes. But that is not all.
Maharaj has said, even if one cannot constantly visualise a murti of the Lord, one should still endeavour to sing the praises of the Lord’s devotees, the Lord’s saints and the Lord Himself. The Trinity is known as ‘Pratyaksh Dham, Dhami and Mukto’. One should also listen to others singing the praises of the trinity. One should recount the memories of major festivals that have been held. This will aid our purification process. At such festivals, many devotees will have gathered and at such times; some may have behaved ‘inappropriately’. Their behaviour may have caused us to take offence. When remembering such incidents, if we maintain a positive stance, reminding ourselves that all devotees are innocent, their actions are inspired by the Lord, then we are practising nirdoshbhav and that is known as murti.
Practising nirdoshbhav, harmony, unity and spiritual friendship is murti. To live according to the commands of our guruis murti, to listen to sermons and discourses, to sing bhajans, to meditate is murti. To remain submerged in smruti, which is to be deeply engrossed in memories of the Lord, continuously pondering upon them is murti.
To attain the virtues of the Pratyaksh Swaroop, it is necessary to continually seek spiritual guidance from Him and to sincerely apply the principles He teaches. Those who constantly remain submerged in the Lord and in constant communion with the Lord are true sadhus. Every move they make, every step they take and every thought they conceive is an inspiration from the Lord. How would we recognise such sadhus? If the association of a sadhu causes us to gradually lose interest in worldly desires, materialistic objects and values etc. then one has affiliated with a true sadhu.
Only a sadhu who is constantly submerged in the Lord can invoke a detachment from worldly desires, within those who come into contact with Him. This is the distinctive characteristic of a true sadhu, who in all other respects appears to be the same as any lay person. Thus once we have recognised such a Swaroop, all that remains to be done is to attain spiritual guidance from them.
How should we go about this? In Vachnamrut Loya 5, Maharaj has explained this so clearly that it can be understood even by illiterate people. He has used very simple basic language to explain important spiritual concepts such that anyone wishing to attain redemption of their soul can understand it. Those who seem to walk the immoral path, do so because they wish to, not because of a lack of understanding or their ignorance. To date, no other scripture has been written in as simple a language, or as easy to understand as The Vachnamrut.
Firstly, ascertain whether or not the sadhu is a genuine sadhu. Test Him in any way you wish. Once you have accepted that He is a true sadhu and that He is divine, you must make a firm resolution that you will never take manushyabhav in Him under any circumstances at all. Continue to seek spiritual guidance from Him in this way for at least five years. Sometimes when He does not fulfil your innermost wishes, you may begin to wonder if He really is a genuine sadhu, if He really is divine. However, if you do not succumb to such doubts and persevere, then within five years you will be enlightened. You will be granted divine vision and will recognise the true value of such a sadhu.
We have decided that we would like to achieve redemption of our soul, we would like to seek spiritual guidance and we have come here to carry out our sadhana, then how should we seek spiritual guidance?
We should affiliate with the Satpurush physically and mentally. Mentally, by using the power of our mind, we should accept the sadhu as ‘innocent’ – His actions are inspired by God. Physically, we should endeavour to do everything to please Him, this means that whatever we say or do should always be in accordance with His wishes. Always sing the glory of God and endeavour to take the positive angle at all times. Even if everything seems to be going wrong, your wishes are not fulfilled, you are faced with problems etc., take everything positively, always accept that the Lord is the supreme controller and whatever He instigates will ultimately be beneficial. The Lord loves His humble devotees, He is not their enemy. Whatever the Lord does is always for the best.
When faced with such tribulations, we must ensure that we do not take manushyabhav in the sadhu for it is by utilising the sadhu that the Lord will purify our souls. The Lord will reveal our vices to us via the sadhu and other devotees. Our principal vices such as pride, jealousy, stubborn nature etc. will be revealed by the sadhu – it is important that we do not take offence when they do so.
Secondly, our ego is the principal factor which causes us to falter from upholding the panchvartman (nirmani, nirswadi, nirshéni, nishkami, nirlobhi). The essence of the vices such as pride, lust, greed, attachment is our ego. Anything we do through our own preference – i.e. if we do something because ‘we like to do it’ then it is driven by our ego. Anything we do due to our guru’s preference, is true worship. How easy it is to distinguish between the two!! Before attempting any new task, simply ask yourself why you are doing it – instantly you will know whether the action you are about to take is for the purpose of worship or not. Simply ask the Lord if your actions will please Him. Then act upon His inspiration.
If we seek spiritual guidance from the sadhu and He fails to provide it then it is the sadhu’s fault. However, if we consciously fail to seek it then it is our fault. Why then do we refrain from seeking guidance? Surely it is because we know that we will not be pleased with the guidance we get. For example, we may want guidance on whether we should settle in the north or the south knowing that the sadhu will advise us to go south and we wish to settle in the north. We will not bother to seek their advice. We make a conscious decision not to seek their advice or guidance on the basis that we will not like what they say.
However, the sadhu has great compassion and will come to guide / advise us even if we do not seek it. He may guide us indirectly by inspiring others, i.e. friends, relatives etc. to advise us. Thus, in one way or another He will always guide us and will ensure the redemption of our souls. We are to a sadhu, what a lump of clay is to a potter. Just as a potter moulds the clay and gives it some shape, so the sadhu moulds our character, body, mind and soul, purifying them until we are the ‘ideal’ devotees – bhakto.
Firstly, we do not possess the phenomenal power and divine strength required to purify our egos. Secondly, to the Lord, our vices are insignificant. Thus, we should seek the Lord’s guidance. Our egos will definitely be purified and we will experience joy and happiness. Once we have been purified our whole being; body, mind and soul will become an instrument of the Lord and it will be utilised for His service. We should be glad that we have been chosen by Him to do His work. Otherwise, we would have lived out our lives just like any other person. What would we have achieved for our soul? Absolutely nothing. Be happy in the knowledge that you have become an instrument of the Lord.
Thus, for at least five years make a firm decision to seek guidance from the sadhus. We should never get involved in arguments. A sadhak may get frustrated and ask:
“I have been doing séva for six months now – why haven’t I been rewarded yet?”
However, the sadhak should realise that his whole life may have been spent indulging in vices – mere six months of serving the Lord may not be enough for purification of those vices. He should not waste time in analysing the whys and wherefores. He should simply surrender to the Lord and chant the name of the Lord. The sadhak should remain confident that the Lord will definitely purify his ego just as He has done for so many other devotees.
Thus it has often been said that we should maintain the friendship of a true sadhu and seek spiritual guidance from Him. The sadhu constantly remains submerged in the Lord. If we accept them to be divine, then we too will eventually attain their virtues and will experience a one-ness with the Lord. It’s as simple as that.
Gunatitanand Swami once said: “A mother bathes and cleanses the baby then hands it over it the father. Similarly, the sadhu purifies the sadhak; eliminating his vices, before giving the sadhak to the Lord. Once the sadhak has been purified, he becomes an autonomous bhakta. Just as the Lord is immune to the forces of kal, karma and maya, the bhakta attains the same immunity”.
Such is Gunatitanand Swami’s solemn pledge. This is our sadhana, thus early every morning, we should become alert and pray to the Lord;
“Oh Lord, I want to live according to your wishes – please grant me the strength to do so.”
When we cannot live according to His wishes or find it difficult to do so, we should ask for strength. He is divine, He is the supreme Lord. We are but mere souls. If we simply remember this, then within two to five years, we will see the results of our sadhana.
The Lord expects nothing from us due to the concept of sambandhyog. The only requirement is that we remain at His lotus feet, continually seeking His help, His guidance. Our peace, bliss and happiness will be guaranteed.