Dear Reader, Loving Sairam from the Heart2Heart team. How can we discover ourselves

There is a technique by which the Immortal Spirit can be discovered. Though it may appear difficult, each step forward makes the next one easier, and a mind that is made ready by discipline can discover the Divine basis of man and creation in a flash. There is no short-cut to this consummation. One has to give up all the tendencies that one has accumulated so far and become light for the journey. Lust, greed, anger, malice, conceit, envy, hate – all these tendencies have to be shed. It is not enough to listen to spiritual discourses and count the number you have listened to. The only thing that counts is practising at least one of those teachings.

What is the correlation between the awareness of the Divine and the realization of Oneness?

The Divine is the base, and is also the superstructure. The beads are many, but the interconnecting, integrating string of the rosary is one. So also, for the entire world of living beings, God, the permanent, omnipresentparabrahman, the Supreme Divine Consciousness, is the base. “Soham”, “I am God", “He is I”, “I am that” - all these axioms indicate that even those who differentiate themselves under various names and forms are in fact God Himself. This is why the scriptures proclaim, “Brahmavith Brahmaiva Bhavathi” (He who realises Brahman becomes verily Brahman). This awareness of the Divine in oneself is the awareness of the Reality.

How should we deal with "difficult people"?

While dealing with uncultured folks, you must exercise caution. So too, you must be careful with ungrateful people, who forget the good done to them. The law is the instrument that Government will use to punish those who do wrong. As educated persons and students, you should not condemn difficult people outright. You must manifest your natural virtue of detachment and practise your characteristic attitude of helpfulness.

What is the true barometer for a scholar?

A true scholar should not entertain egoism in his thoughts at any time. However, the misfortune is that scholars as a class are today afflicted with unbounded egoism. As a consequence, they follow incorrect ideals and take to wrong paths. They confer the benefits of education only on themselves and on their kith and kin. As a result, they forgo their position among sajjans (noble men) and the respect it can bring. One must grant generously to others the knowledge, skill and insight that one has acquired. If this is not done, human progress itself is endangered. In order to promote the best interest of mankind, one has to cultivate the holy urge of paropakaaram (service to others) and the attitude of sharing.

Why should we express our deep gratitude to the Almighty, in every moment of our day?

It is due to the gift of His Divine Grace that we survive in this world. Every drop of blood coursing through our veins is but a drop from the shower of His Grace. Every muscle is but a lump of His Love. Every bone and cartilage is but a piece of His mercy. It is clear that without Him we are but bags of skin. But, unable to understand this secret, we strut about boasting “I achieved this,” and “I accomplished this.”

What is the true definition of "service"?

Education is rendered noble when the spirit of service is inculcated. The service rendered must be free of the slightest trace of narrow selfishness. That is not enough. The thought of service should not be marred by the desire for something in return. You have to perform the service as you would perform an important Yajna (sacrificial ritual). As trees do not eat their fruits but offer them to be eaten by others in an attitude of detachment; as rivers, without drinking the waters they carry, quench the thirst and cool the heat from which others suffer; as cows offer their milk, produced primarily for their calves, in a spirit of generosity born of Tyaga (renunciation), to be shared by others; so too you should offer yourself to others prompted by the motive of service and without consideration of selfish interests. Only then can you justify your status as sajjana (noble men).

Why should we not forget Divinity in our daily lives?

Consider what happens when a person sees a dry stump of a tree at night: he/she is afraid that it is a ghost or a bizarre human being. It is neither, though it is perceived as either. The reason for this misperception is darkness. The absence of light superimposes on something another object that is not there. In the same manner, the darkness that is spread through maya (false perception) veils and renders unnoticeable the Primal Cause, Brahman (Divine Self), and imposes the cosmos on it as a perceptible reality. This deceptive vision is corrected by the Jnana(awakened consciousness) and transmuted into the vision of Prema (Universal Love).