The word ‘Dharma’ is derived from the word ‘Dhra’ which means to experience and worship the power which is sustaining our life and which, when It leaves the body, we become a corpse. That ‘Dharma’ is the real Dharma or we can say Manav Dharam, the Human Religion. This Dharma is beyond caste, creed and nationality and existed since the beginning of Creation. Actually Dharma is one and the same for the whole humanity, the languages and descriptions were different at different times. All incarnations and saints like Lord Vishnu, Lord Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Budhha, Mahavir, Nanak, Christ, Mohammed, Shankracharya, Vedvyasa, Kabir, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu etc. preached for the same Dharma and imparted the practical experience of the Self dwelling within us to their followers during their lifetime, just the languages and interpretations were different.
Following a Scripture does not mean just reciting it, but we should practice what it says. In Bhagvad Gita Lord Krishna says to Arjuna, “The Knowledge that I am giving you, I gave it to the Sun before the start of this Creation and that was then passed on to Manu, Ichhwaku and then to Rajrishis and afterwards it was lost. And whenever this Knowledge is lost I reincarnate again.” Now what Knowledge was given to the Sun before the start of Creation when no human beings existed and there were no languages? What was that Knowledge? Again he says- “Rajvidya Rajguhyam Pavitram idam Uttamam, Pratyakshavagam Dharmam Susukham Kartum Avayam.” He says that this Knowledge is the Sovereign Knowledge, the secret of secrets (means metaphysical, impossible to experience through the brain and the senses), pure, supreme, practical, in accordance with all religions, peace-giving and very easy to practice. Now all the religious practices are done through the senses and the brain and so are physical. But what is that secret metaphysical experience which is beyond the brain and the senses, which Lord Krishna imparted to Arjuna?
Mundakopanishad talks about two types of Knowledge: Para which means higher Knowledge or Metaphysical Knowledge and Apara, which means lower Knowledge or Physical Knowledge. Whatever comes within the sphere of senses and brain is all Apara. Only that which is beyond the brain and senses is Para which is the essence of Dharma and only through Para we can get peace of mind and salvation. So the Knowledge Lord Krishna is talking about is the Para Knowledge and for this he says to search and go to an Enlightened spiritual Master who can reveal you that Para Knowledge - the Elemental Knowledge of God, the Tatwagyan. So, we have to find a Guru and experience that metaphysical power dwelling within us. Arjuna says, ‘O Lord, I want to experience your true Form’. Lord Krishna then says: you can’t see that metaphysical form with these grosser eyes; I give you the Divine Eye, the microscopic Eye through which you can experience my real form.
Whether we call it Divine Eye, Single Eye, Upanayan, Shiv Netra or Third eye, it is a matter of language, but actually we have an eye through which we can practically experience that Divine Light within us. With the two eyes we see the outer world and with that One Eye which is situated beside the Pineal gland where the two optic nerves meet, we see the Inner World. It is not a question of months and years but of seconds. When we meet a true master, he can instantaneously, in a flash, activate the Third Eye and reveal us the Light of God within us which is brighter than thousand suns. It is said, ‘Yatha pinde tatha brahmande’ - what is in the universe in macroscopic form is within us in microscopic form. This Eye is like a divine microscope which can reveal the subtlest power within us invisible to science. Opening this Eye is not just a temptation but a necessity of human life. Without this metaphysical meditation we cannot control the mind and attain mental peace.
The meaning of the word Guru is ‘Gu’ means 'darkness' and ‘Ru’ means 'light'. Guru, the spiritual master, is given the highest respect in spirituality. ‘Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Gurudevo Maheswara, Guru Sakshat Parambhrahma, tasme Shri Guruwe namah.’ He is regarded as a symbolic representation of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara, an embodiment of God. The importance of Guru is that if he is a genuine one, he can instantly activate/open our third Eye and make us experience that inner reality, the Light of God within us, which we call as ‘Bhargo’in the Gayatri Mantra. In Gayatri Mantra we say, “Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi, Dhiyo yo na prachodyat”. We pray to God that we are meditating on your Divine Light and so please give us peace and salvation. But we are just uttering the Mantra. When we first experience the Light within us and meditate on it, then only our Gayatri Mantra is complete.
We adore the Guru as he shows us the practical way to achieve salvation. A genuine Guru never asks the disciple to worship him but inspires us to worship the divine entity within us. Vivekanand went to many gurus but only Ramkrshna Paramhansa could make him realize that Divine entity within him. A book is not known by its cover but by its contents. A surgeon is not valued just by his clothes but by the successful operation he performs and cures the patient by his knowledge of surgery. It is said, “Bhes dekh mat bhuliye, puchha lijiye Gyan, Mol karo talwar ka, padi rahne do myan”. It says not to give importance to the Master's clothing but to the metaphysical Knowledge that he imparts. A sword is more important than its cover. The taste of an orange is not in the skin but in the juice it contains. So let us not be orthodox but be open-minded and respect every tradition in the society.
There is a story that once King Akbar drew a line and asked his courtiers to make it smaller without touching it. Nobody could do that. At last Birbal drew a longer line next to it and it became automatically shorter. Criticizing any religion shows our mental weakness. An Enlightened person never criticizes but instead makes the devotees experience the metaphysical power termed as Soul within them. This experience is called the Para Vidya which is actually beyond the brain, beyond the senses, beyond books and even beyond our vocabulary. Being pure, spiritual, practical and result-giving, this metaphysical experience controls the mind and makes us pure. So we should follow Gita, Ramayana, Upnishads, Vedas, Puranas, Bible, Koran and all other religious scriptures, believe in all deities and gods and worship them but, along with that, we should endeavour to go to the ‘inner temple’ through the tenth door, about which it is said, ‘Man Mathura, Dil Dwarika, Kaya Kashi Jaan, Dashwan Dwar Dehra, Ta me Jyoti pehchaan.’ Realize the Light within.
Now, everyone talks about peace of mind and everyone needs it more than anything else. People talk about various ways for that and claim that their way is the best one, but we should first understand what is peace of mind and how to get that. Science says that there are four types of waves in the mind, namely Delta, Theta, Alpha and Beta. Delta has the slowest speed and Beta the highest speed. When the mind is in Delta or Theta and even in Alpha, it is peaceful but when it has Beta waves, it is unstable. So to get peace of mind, we need to control it, reduce its speed and bring it to Alpha, Theta and finally to Delta, the state where it becomes inert, totally peaceful. Now, how to control it and reduce its speed? Arjuna says, ‘O Lord, I find it almost impossible to control the mind’. Lord Krishna says that by practice and detachment, it can definitely be controlled. Science has developed brakes for car, aeroplanes, submarines and even rockets but couldn’t find a brake for the mind. We cannot tie an ant with a thick rope; for that we need a very fine thread. Similarly the mind is subtler than the senses and even the brain. So anything physical, anything grosser cannot control the mind, no matter how much we may try. We have to embrace that subtle/finer metaphysical technique which can really control the mind and make it peaceful. That subtlest power/energy within us is in the form of Sound and Light and when we connect the mind to It, it becomes peaceful.
This metaphysical meditation, the essence of Manav Dharam really changes people, brings goodness in them, and then they give up sinful activities and work for the welfare of the society. But have we ever wondered how this is possible. So many spiritual lectures and practices are going on with no results, so how could this meditation do that? There is a scientific reason behind that marvel. Suppose air is flowing at a very high speed and is carrying dust particles with it. If we lecture the air not to carry those dust particles as it will dirty our homes and premises, will it listen and accept our request? But if we reduce its velocity, without giving any lectures, the dust particles will fall down and the air will be clean. The Great Wall of China was constructed just for this purpose. Our mind is like that. No matter how many lectures we give, it doesn’t change because lectures go to the brain, not to the mind and so the mind remains unaffected. Remember, mind has no brain. A person’s brain knows that 'this act of mine is harmful for me', but due to the mind he still does that activity and suffers. We can see this in the case of drug addicted people. They know that it will destroy their physical and mental capabilities but still, due to the mind, they take it and suffer because of that. So we should practice the metaphysical meditation which purifies the mind and thus transforms our life.
My dear friends, we talk about salvation, about the abode from where no one returns, but have we ever wondered what that blissful state is? Salvation is the state when the soul merges in the Infinite Soul which we call God, and those who attained that claimed “Aham Brahmasmi”, that I am God. Christ said, “Now I and my Father are One.” Buddha claimed, “I am Buddha, I am enlightened.” But how can we bring about this merger, what is the obstacle to that? That obstacle is the mind. It is said in our scriptures, “Man evam Manushyanam Karanam Bandhan Mokshaya”. Mind is the cause of bondage and salvation. For example, we fill a pot with sea water and place it in the sea. Now that sea water in the pot is finite whereas the sea is infinite. If we break the pot, the sea water inside the pot also becomes infinite. Infinity plus minus anything is infinity. Similarly, our soul is contained by the mind and unless and until we break the shackles of mind, we can never reach that state. There are various interpretations of scriptures, but just by reading we cannot understand and correctly interpret it. If a person has not been to Delhi, if he comments and interprets a book on Delhi, it is childish. Only one who has been to Delhi can correctly interpret it.
The essence of all the scriptures is self-realization, ‘Atmagyan’. So we should first have self-realization, that metaphysical (para) experience which Lord Krishna imparted to Arjuna and then only we can really understand the essence of Gita. It is said, “Nana Shastra pathen loke, nanadevat pujanam, Atmagyan bina partha sarva karma nirarthakam”, that just reading the scriptures will not suffice, we have to practically experience the self within us. So my humble request is to understand the essence of Manav Dharam comprehensively because the teaching, the Knowledge that it imparts is not physical but metaphysical. Religious people say, believe in God. Manav Dharam says, believe in God but also experience Him within your inner temple and when we connect our mind to the omnipresent Name and Form of God within us we shall surely have peace and satisfaction in our lives.