Deo I

Pitanje: Da li se ikada događa da je duša, po rođenju deteta,promeni mišljenje o toj inkarnaciji, pa zbog toga beba umre?

Šri Činmoj: Da, to se dešavalo. Ako duša napusti telo više od 11 sati, obično se više ne vraća.

Pitanje: Ako je neka duša već ušla u neko telo, a potom odlučila da ga napusti, da li neka druga duša može da zauzme njeno mesto?

Šri Činmoj: Ne, to se ne dešava na taj način, osim u nekim indijskim mitovima. Jedino ako duša promeni svoj plan pre nego što uđe u neko telo, neka druga duša može da zauzme njeno mesto.

Pitanje: Da li je neki Učitelj nekada nekome promenio pol?

Šri Činmoj: U vrlo retkim prilikama se događalo da se rodi žensko telo sa ženskom dušom, a da u okultnom svetu, recimo, Majka Kali želi muško telo sa muškom dušom. Tada bi duhovni Učitelj morao da upotrebi svoju najvišu, najbržu i najsnažniju okultnu moć. Više od sedam sati se određeni Učitelj borio i borio. To je veoma teško kada je materijalno telo već formirano. Potrebno je da se potpuno promeni srce i da se ukloni duša, da bi mogla da dođe druga duša.

Pitanje: Da li bi duhovni Učitelj mogao da potpuno ukloni um neke određene osobe i da na to mesto postavi novi um, ako se radi o odrasloj osobi?

Šri Činmoj: Pretpostavimo da imate četrdeset godina i da iz određenog razloga Bog od vas želi da ostanete na svetu još pedeset godina. Možda su vaše srce, vital i telo izuzetno dobri, ali vaš um se ne predaje Božijoj Volji. Mogli biste da najbrže napredujete, ali vam um smeta. U takvom slučaju, Bog može da zatraži od duhovnog Učitelja da zameni vaš um nekim drugim umom. To se čini sa dobrom namerom i bezgraničnom Milošću.

To je neka vrsta eksperimenta. Ako je on uspešan, onda je to čudo. Ali, ponekad stari um neće da ode, pa se vraća. Kada Učitelj postavi novi um, to je kao da je postavio novu mašinu koja je bolja i ima veće mogućnosti od stare. Vi očekujete da nova mašina radi dobro, ali ponekad nije tako.

Ipak do nečega poput zamene uma dolazi veoma, veoma retko, jer se to suprotstavlja Božijem Planu. Ako Bog mora da postavi novi um, onda se to suprotstavlja planu koji je imao kada je određenom pojedincu dao onaj prvi um.

Pitanje: Ako dve duše imaju neku vezu, da li se često inkarniraju zajedno?

_Šri Činmoj: Da, one u svetu duša odlučuju da će, na primer, doći kao otac i sin, ili majka i ćerka. Nije slučajno da se neka velika teniska zvezda rodi u porodici neke drugevelike teniske zvezde. U svetu duša oni su već odlučili daće igrati tenis, pa jedan dolazi kao otac, a drugi kao sin.

Pitanje: Kada kažeš da dvoje ljudi imaju duše blizance, znači li to da su oni bili blizanci u prethodnoj inkarnaciji?

Šri Činmoj: To ne znači da su bili blizanci. To znači da su u prethodnim inkarnacijama obe duše imale slične sklonosti i interesovanja. Duše blizanci vide istinu iz slične perspektive.

Pitanje: Šta su grupe duša?

Šri Činmoj: Neke duše dolaze na ovaj svet zajedno i kreću se zajedno dok su na Zemlji. Jedna grupa duša oko Šri Ramakrišne došla je zajedno i postala međusobno izuzetno bliska. Spolja su oni možda osećali nesigurnost ili uzajamnu ljubomoru i međusobno se razlikovali na mnogo načina, ali su se u osnovi voleli.

Pitanje: Ponekad, kad treba da se rodi neka velika duša, Zemlja je svesna njenog dolaska i postoji neki poseban znak, kao što je zvezda. Da li duša želi tako nešto?

Šri Činmoj: Duša ne mari da li je zvezda usmerena u ovom ili onom pravcu. Kada kralj dolazi ili odlazi, njegovi podanici ga pozdravljaju duvajući u trube, ali kralj za to ne mari.

Pitanje: Kada duša uzme neku inkarnaciju, da li su astrološke sile takođe izabrane, ili duša manje ili više ostaje zatečena u astrološkim uslovima koji preovlađuju u vreme njenog silaska?

Šri Činmoj: Duša nije „zatečena“. Duša se spušta, a planete beleže ono što se dešava. To je kao kada neko stoji na ulici i posmatra vas kako idete u banku. Na putu do banke, možda ćete sresti ovog ili onog pojedinca, dok osoba na ulici posmatra vaše kretanje. Ali, vi je ne vidite ili ne obraćate nikakvu pažnju na nju, jer ste usmereni samo na svoj cilj. Kada se duša spušta, njeno odredište je zemlja. Mi ne možemo da kažemo da planete prisiljavaju dušu da siđe ili da uzme neko određeno telo. Planete nemaju ništa sa tim; one samo beleže šta se zbiva.

Zato ja kažem da se nečiji horoskop može poništiti. On je kao neka magnetofonska traka. Vi snimite nešto na traci; ali, ako hoćete da je izbrišete, možete da presnimite nešto novo preko onoga što ste snimili. Kada duša silazi, ona ne poziva ljude da to posmatraju i da o tome pišu knjige. Astrolozi mogu da na osnovu rasporeda planeta naprave natalnu kartu i predvide šta će se desiti. Ponekad se njihova predviđanja ispune, ali ako se spusti Božija Milost, onda se sve može poništiti.

Pitanje: Dakle, duša ne deluje kako planete odrede?

Šri Činmoj: Duša dolazi sa nivoa koji je beskrajno viši od dometa planeta. Ne sastaje se duša sa planetama i zvezdama da bi se sa njima dogovorila kako da zajedno rade. Ne! Pre nego što se spusti na Zemlju, duša će obaviti razgovor sa Svevišnjim, sa Najvišim, o tome koliko će postići u svojoj sledećoj inkarnaciji. Svevišnji govori duši šta On očekuje da ona uradi u svojoj narednoj inkarnaciji. Tada dušu vodi ili Svevišnji Lično ili neki od Njegovih glasnika. Duša obećava da će za Svevišnjeg učiniti nešto određeno dok je na zemlji, a Svevišnji kaže: „Nadam se da ćeš to učiniti. Imam vere u tebe“. Tako duša obećava Svevišnjem, a Svevišnji se uzda u obećanje duše.

Pitanje: Kada svojim učenicima daješ ime njihove duše, da li je ono povezano sa obećanjem koje je ona dala u svetu duša?

Šri Činmoj: Ime duše koje dajem veoma često spolja ukazuje na obećanje te duše. Ako vam dam duhovno ime koje opisuje kvalitete duše, to ime će vam pomoći da se setite svojih unutrašnjih kvaliteta, pa ćete moći da svesno pokušate da ih ispoljite. Iznutra vam vaša duša sve vreme govori šta da radite. Ali, ako ste i spolja svesni kvaliteta svoje duše i trudite se da ih ispoljite, onda će vaša duša i vaš um ići zajedno. Poruka dolazi iz duše, fizički um je prima i nastoji da je ispuni.

Pitanje: Kada se duša inkarnira u novom telu, da li je ona i dalje u stanju da komunicira sa članovima svoje prethodne porodice?

Šri Činmoj: Ako duša želi da održi vezu sa članovima svoje porodice iz prethodnog života, može to da učini. Ne samo da može da održi vezu, već može i da se reinkarnira u istoj porodici. Ali, tada neće biti u istom odnosu sa ostalim članovima porodice. Pretpostavimo da si ti bila nečija ćerka u jednoj inkarnaciji. U budućim inkarnacijama ćeš možda doći kao majka ili sestra te osobe.

Pitanje: Šta je važnije da duša izabere: porodicu ili mesto?

Šri Činmoj: Porodica je važnija od zemlje, ali i zemlja igra važnu ulogu. Što se mene tiče, bilo mi je lako da dođem u ašram Šri Aurobinda, jer sam se rodio u duhovnoj porodici. Potom, kada je to Bog namerio, došao sam u Ameriku, u mladu zemlju punu života i obećanja. Amerika je izvrsno mesto, ali bi za mene bila greška da sam se inkarnirao u Americi.

Pošto sam se rodio u malom selu u kome su se religija i duhovni život upražnjavali sa krajnjom iskrenošću i poniznošću, moja duhovna osnova je veoma solidna. Seme-duša je posejana na pravom mestu, a potom je negovana u ašramu Šri Aurobinda, koji je takođe bio pravo mesto. Da sam se rodio u Americi, možda bih krenuo drugim putem umesto da sledim duhovni život. Zato je za mene bilo apsolutno neophodno da se inkarniram u jednoj duhovnoj porodici u Indiji.

Pitanje: Šta određuje tačan trenutak kada će duša napustiti telo?

Šri Činmoj: Poslednju notu pesme odsvira ili duša, ili neko biće koje je predstavnik Svevišnjeg. To je slično onome što se dešava kad se u nekoj fabrici isključi mašina. Ima mnogo radnika koji znaju kako da isključe tu mašinu. Mašina je dugo radila, a potom direktor kaže: „Neka je sada neko od vas isključi“. On ne pokaže na nekoga posebno i ne kaže: „Uradi to smesta!“ On kaže: „Sada ćemo završiti!“. Ponekad će proći nekoliko dana, ili čak i nekoliko meseci pre nego što se to dogodi.

U nekim slučajevima, direktor će reći: „Uradite to smesta!“ U takvom slučaju, smrt može da nastupi naglo. Ali, u ostalim slučajevima, on će reći: „Neka neko od vas isključi mašinu života“. Radnicima je potrebno izvesno vreme, a direktor nije posebno strog. Potom, nakon nekog vremena, jedan ili dva radnika će reći: „Direktor je rekao da isključimo tu mašinu; hajde da to uradimo, jer će se inače naljutiti“. Onda jedan od njih ode i isključi mašinu.

Pitanje: To je u slučaju nekog ko postepeno umire. Ali, šta se događa u slučaju avionske nesreće ili nečeg drugog čime je obuhvaćeno mnogo ljudi?

Šri Činmoj: U svetu duša je bilo unapred zapisano da će ti ljudi umreti zajedno određenog dana i određenog sata. Toje kao igra. Igrate je pojedinačno ili timski. Na primer, kod kuće možete da žonglirate sami ili možete da igrate neku drugu igru sa još nekoliko ljudi. Ovde je potpuno isto. Te duše možda uopšte nisu međusobno povezane: jedino je suđeno da umru u isti čas. Zato su te duše bile zajedno u avionu.

Question: When a soul is born in a particular body, does it always stay in that body until the body dies, or does a more advanced soul sometimes take over the body for a particular mission?

Šri Činmoj: Obično je jedna duša dovoljna, ali od svakog pravila ima izuzetaka. U veoma retkim prilikama – možda u jednom u milijardu ili jednom u trilion slučajeva – ako je takva Volja Svevišnjeg, duša može da se ukloni a da se na njeno mesto postavi neka druga. Ako je to Volja Svevišnjeg, može da se zameni ne samo duša, nego i srce; to okultisti mogu da učine. Srce gotovo uvek nastoji da posluša dušu, ali ponekad ne uspeva, zato što ga vital i um strahovito pritisnu. Tada srce postaje zbunjeno i ne vidi svetlost. Zato, kada neko prihvati duhovni život, a srce ne napreduje dovoljno brzo, ako je takva Volja Svevišnjeg, Svevišnji može da promeni to srce i da postavi neko drugo. To se može učiniti iz raznih unutrašnjih razloga.

Kada srce ne sluša dušu, ili kad se um ili vital ili telo bune i ne slušaju dušu, putovanje duše se odugovlači. Tada duša ne može da trči najbrže ili da ispolji Volju Svevišnjeg. Duša, srce, vital, um i telo su kao članovi porodice. Ako imate četvoro dece, ponekad vas jedno ili dva deteta slušaju, a ostali vas ne slušaju. Povremeno se, na vašu veliku žalost, sva vaša deca istovremeno pobune. Što se tiče tragaoca, kod njega može da se pobuni ne samo um, nego i vital i telo. Pa čak i srce može da bude obavijeno tamom. Tada situacija može da bude veoma žalosna, jer je svo četvoro dece zaista loše. Ipak, u gotovo svim slučajevima se duša ponaša kao veoma saosećajan roditelj. Duša je voljna da čeka i čeka neodređeno dugo u nadi da će deca jednog dana postati dobra. Ona će čekati trideset, četrdeset, pedeset, šezdeset, sedamdeset godina u nadi da će telo, vital, um i srce postati dobri članovi duhovne porodice.

Pitanje: Ako neka osoba dobije novo srce, um ili vital, da li je ona toga svesna?

Šri Činmoj: Ona neće znati da joj je srce zamenjeno, ali će imati bolja osećanja, uzvišenija osećanja. Neko je možda imao loš um mnogo godina, ali sada misli dobre misli, ohrabrujuće misli, oplemenjujuće misli. Ta osoba će osetiti razliku, ali neće znati kako je to učinjeno. Ona neće znati da li je to delovala Božija Milost ili Učiteljeva milost ili neka druga božanska sila.

Svako poznaje svoj um. On zna kakav je um imao pre dve godine ili pre dvadeset godina. On zna koje su slabosti njegovog uma. Godinama i godinama, recimo, neko pati od nesigurnosti i ljubomore. A sada ima veoma malo ljubomore, veoma malo nesigurnosti. Kako je to moglo da se dogodi preko noći? On se čak nije posebno ni molio za to, a sve se promenilo!

Pitanje: Neki učenici imaju neverovatno jedinstvo jedni sa drugima. Da li su njihove duše bile povezane od rođenja ili je to nešto što se razvijalo?

Šri Činmoj: U jednoj inkarnaciji, ne možemo da razvijemo veoma blisku povezanost sa nekom drugom osobom.Međusobna povezanost i bliskost nekih učenika, ili njihova povezanost i bliskost sa njihovim Učiteljem, u najvećem broju slučajeva potiče od veza koje su stvorene u prethodnim inkarnacijama. Bliskost sa Učiteljem može biti rezultat malog ili većeg broja bliskih inkarnacija, ili posledica veoma brzog napretka koji je osoba postigla u jednoj ili dve inkarnacije.

Pitanje: Kako ti pomažeš duši?

Šri Činmoj: Ja dajem duši ono što joj je potrebno i ono što želi od mene. Ponekad će mi duša doći da je utešim zato što je telo, vital, um i srce ne slušaju. Ponekad će doći radi mira, jer u telu, vitalu i umu nema mira. Svaka duša dolazi iz nekog svog razloga. Ima mnogo, mnogo duša ljudi koji nisu moji učenici, a koje mi dolaze. Na neki način su te duše stekle pristup mojoj duši i u unutrašnjem svetu te duše znaju ko sam ja.

Pitanje: Ako smo u toku noći u dobroj svesti, možemo li da osetimo kada dolaziš da pomogneš našoj duši?

Šri Činmoj: Apsolutno! Kada se probudite u bilo koje doba noći, iz bilo kog razloga, ako operete oči, uši i nos i meditirate u krevetu, osetićete nešto. Ne morate da sedite pred oltarom i ne morate da sedite sa prekrštenim nogama; ali morate da sedite pravilno – sa uspravljenom kičmom.

Zatim zamislite neku boju. Ako hoćete da osetite Božiju beskrajnu Ljubav prema vama, pomislite na plavu boju. Ako hoćete Božiju beskrajnu Energiju ili Snagu, mislite na zelenu boju. Ako hoćete Božije Blaženstvo ili Sreću, mislite na purpurnu boju. Možete da zamislite bilo koju boju, ali je plava veoma dobra, jer plava predstavlja Beskonačnost. Kada prizovete Beskonačnost, ako ona vidi da je vaša posuda veoma ograničena, pokušaće da uveća vašu prijemčivost, dajući vam više entuzijazma ili revnosti.Tada se ona ponaša kao majka. Dete gori od želje da podigne pet kilograma, ali je u stanju da podigne samo dva i po. Zato Beskonačnost, kao majka, smesta daje detetu snagu, energiju,radost i entuzijazam kako bi moglo da podigne pet kilograma.

Pitanje: Da li bi trebalo slaviti godišnjicu odlaska duše sa zemaljskog nivoa isto kao i rođendan?

Šri Činmoj: Neki članovi porodice su veoma vezani za svoje roditelje ili decu, a drugi nisu. Na određeni način, neke duše posle smrti zadržavaju veoma blisku povezanost sa članovima svoje porodice. One dolaze ne samo da bi obeležile godišnjicu svog odlaska, već i priličan broj puta tokom godine. Neke duše, ne toliko zbog vezanosti koliko zbog naklonosti i istinske ljubavi, nastoje da inspirišu svoje drage koji su još na zemlji da postanu bolja ljudska bića. Te duše dolaze kada njihovi dragi meditiraju. A opet, neke duše uopšte ne dolaze, jer žele da njihovi dragi postanu nevezani. One žele da njihovi dragi misle samo na Najviše, na Boga, umesto da misle o svojim preminulim rođacima.

Ako na godišnjicu smrti preminulog rođaka neko ko je na Zemlji vrlo iskreno prizove dušu te osobe, u najvećem broju slučajeva ta duša će doći, osim ukoliko nije na veoma visokom nivou. Visoko razvijene duše ponekad ne žele da dolaze jer su udaljene bezbroj kilometara od nas. Za njih je to teško putovanje, zato što nama nedostaje čistota. Obična ljudska bića su puna želja. Ona ne održavaju, ili ne mogu da održe, svoju svest čistom čak ni kada prizivaju svoje drage. Prolaz između molitvi rođaka i samilosti duše je nalik stubu svetlosti. Ako ta svetlost nije čista, onda je duši veoma teško da prođe kroz taj prolaz. A opet, neke duše su veoma hrabre. Čim čuju iskreno dozivanje, one dolaze, ma koliko da im je to teško. Doduše, ako se osoba koja je na zemlji moli sa čistom brižnošću i veoma čistim srcem, onda im je veoma lako da dođu.

Obično jednom godišnje, na godišnjicu smrti, ljudi misle na svoje drage i mole se za njih veoma duševno. Kada se intenzivno mole, tada će i sami verovatno steći čistotu. Kada se neko intenzivno koncentriše na nešto, on ne gleda okolo niti dopušta da spoljašnje misli ulaze u um. Zato intenzitet često donosi apsolutnu čistotu. Da bi se prizvala neka duša iz sveta duša, potrebni su i čistota i intenzitet. Pomoću čistote prelazite jedan korak, a pomoću intenziteta deset koraka.

Ali, kada su oni koji su ostali na Zemlji tragaoci, oni ne moraju da čekaju čitavu godinu da bi prizvali duše svojih dragih. Ako žele da osete prisustvo svojih dragih, to mogu da pokušaju u bilo koje vreme. Njima se ne preporučuje da čekaju godinu dana da bi prizvali svoje drage ili mislili na njih. A opet, morate da znate da posle nekoliko godina odmora većina duša uzima ljudsku inkarnaciju. Ako nakon deset ili dvadeset godina i dalje obeležavate godišnjicu nečije smrti, misleći da je ta osoba još uvek na Nebu, ta duša vas neće posetiti. Najverovatnije je da se ta osoba već inkarnirala u nekoj drugoj porodici. Čim duša ponovo uzme ljudsko telo i uđe u običan svet, ona više ne može da putuje, čak ni uz veliki napor, da bi posetila one koji je prizivaju.

Pitanje Da li duša obično uzima isti um kada se reinkarnira?

Šri Činmoj: Kada se duša vrati u oblast duša, sa sobom neće poneti ljudski deo uma. Ostaviće um na mentalnom nivou. Kakve god dobre ili loše osobine da ima um, one će ostati tamo. Ako duša oprosti umu i želi da ponovo uzme isti um, ona to može. U suprotnom, taj um će biti dat drugoj duši. Obično duša ne uzima isti um. Ali, ako duša želi da uzme isti um, dobiće ono što je njen prvi izbor.

Pitanje: U kom procentu slučajeva će duša uzeti isti um?

Šri Činmoj: To se ne dešava veoma često – u dvadeset ili trideset posto slučajeva. To ne možemo da uopštavamo, jer ima bezbroj duša.

Pitanje: Kada neka druga duša uzme određeni um, da li on nosi karmu iz svog prethodnog života?

Šri Činmoj: Um će zadržati suštinu svih loših osobina koje je imao; to je njegova kazna ili karma. Suština tih loših osobina je kao veoma jaka doza homeopatskog leka; izuzetno je moćna. Vi uzmete dve kuglice homeopatskog leka, i u narednom trenutku vam čir procuri! Možete li da poverujete kolika je to snaga! Dakle, na isti način um sa sobom donosi svu moć loših osobina koje je otelovljavao. Zato taj um nije razvijeniji ili prosvetljeniji. Isto tako, to je razlog i što se um nije odmah prosvetlio čim je dospeo u svet uma. Kada zaradite samo jedan dolar, ne možete da očekujete da ćete iznenada da dobijete hiljade dolara.

Zato um uglavnom pati. Samo ako je neka osoba stradala u nesreći – na primer, imala je iznenadnu saobraćajnu nesreću - um neće biti kažnjen. A opet, ako neka osoba živi dugo, um može da poništi svoju karmu. Recimo da deset ili dvadeset godina neko ima mnoge loše misli ili je veoma okrutan prema drugima. Ako ta osoba počne da se moli i meditira i nastoji da vodi dobar život narednih dvadeset godina, dok je još na zemlji ona može da pročisti ili prosvetli ili poništi loše osobine svog uma. Na nesreću, kod mnogih ljudi se stvari odvijaju na drugačiji način. Dok su mladi, imaju čist um, širok um, saosećajan um; a potom postepeno, postepeno, razvijaju pohlepan i destruktivan um. Zato se sve dobre osobine njihovog uma poništavaju.

Pitanje: Zar vital nije destruktivan koliko i um?

Šri Činmoj: Vital jeste destruktivan; to je istina. Ali, verovatnije je da će vital poslušati srce nego da će um poslušati srce. U mnogim slučajevima vital može da dodirne srce, ili srce može da dodirne vital. Kod nekih ljudi vital je veoma jak; oni su veoma nemirni i destruktivni. Međutim, kada srce dodirne vital i kad vital vidi radost i ljubav srca, on se predaje. Ali, srcu je veoma teško da dotakne intelektualni um ili komplikovani um.

Zato je duhovnim Učiteljima veoma teško da imaju posla sa intelektualnim osobama; one su najgore! Smesta um intelektualne osobe počinje da prosuđuje Učitelja; on želi da ispita njegovu mudrost umesto da nastoji da se poistoveti sa njom. Čim neki beskorisni, trećerazredni student počne da prosuđuje i kritikuje profesora, taj učenik je izgubljen. Ako student, koji je gori od najgoreg, oseća da profesor ništa ne zna, takav student nikada neće moći nešto da nauči od tog profesora. A opet, ako um može da se prosvetli, to je veliko dostignuće; ali, u najvećem broju slučajeva je veoma teško izaći na kraj sa umom.

Pitanje: Kako um može da se razvije?

_Šri Činmoj: Um treba da oseti da su srce i duša nadmoćniji.Ako um postane ponizan ili skroman i ako oseti da je nešto drugo nadmoćnije, ta čistota i poniznost omogućavaju umu da napreduje i da ponudi brižnost, samilost i osećanje jedinstva.

Pitanje: Iz kog dela bića većina ljudi dobija osećaj poistovećenja?

Šri Činmoj: U najvećem broju slučajeva je to iz uma – posebno ako kod nekoga preovlađuje mentalni aspekt. A opet, čak i ako um nije pravilno razvijen, i tada to obično dolazi iz uma.

Pitanje: Kada napustimo telo, postoji li osećaj kontinuiteta?

Šri Činmoj: Da, ali to je kontinuitet duše. Sve je to iskustvo duše, koja je ono božansko u nama. Duša je sto posto božanska, dok srce, um i vital nisu potpuno božanski. U svakoj inkarnaciji duša nastoji da prosvetli srce, um i vital. Duša se poduhvatila zadatka da usavrši sve članove svoje porodice. Ponekad je to veoma bolno: duša preklinje um da bude božanskiji, ali um ne sluša.

Pitanje: Zašto ljudi čije su duše povezane liče?

Šri Činmoj: Kada su dve osobe istinski drage jedna drugoj, one nastoje da podražavaju ili imitiraju dobre osobine onog drugog, ne bi li i same više vredele. Ako su te osobe zaista drage jedna drugoj, svaka od njih misli da je ona druga superizvrsna. Tako će jedna žena reći za drugu: „Ona je tako lepa. Pošto sam njena prijateljica, hajde da pokušam da budem lepa kao ona“. Neki muškarac će reći: „On je veoma dobar ratnik; on je izvrstan pevač. Hajde da pokušam da budem kao on“. Njihova međusobna osećanja su takva da pokušavaju da budu isti. Oni osećaju svoje jedinstvo i žele da budu nerazdvojni. Zato, ako vam je zaista stalo do nekoga i ako izuzetno volite tu osobu, onda ćete čak i na fizičkom nivou želeti da podsećate na nju. Mnogo, mnogo puta povezanost duša može da se vidi na licu. A opet, u mnogim slučajevima, uopšte nema fizičke sličnosti. Dve osobe mogu da imaju jaku povezanost duša, a da izgledaju sasvim različito.

Pitanje: Zašto spoljašnje okolnosti utiču na dušu?

Šri Činmoj: One ne utiču na dušu. Kada dotaknete mastilo, osećate da to ostavlja trag na vašoj ruci. Ali, ako ste dovoljno mudri da operete ruke, mastilo će nestati i vaša ruka će postati čista. Potom, ako više ne budete dirali mastilo, ruka će vam ostati čista. Sve nebožanske stvari koje činite su kao mastilo. Ako duša želi da spere sva nebožanska dela fizičkog bića, vitala i uma, ona to lako može da učini. Duša ima unutrašnju mudrost, unutrašnju svetlost. Prema tome, baš kao što vi možete da sperete mastilo sa svoje ruke, tako i duša može da povrati svoje prosvetljenje.

Deo II

SCA 272-278. Pitanja postavljena 21 Marta 1996.

Pitanje: Kada porota odlučuje o presudi, da li njeni članovi stiču karmu ako osude nekog ko je nevin, i obratno?

Šri Činmoj: Ako nije u pitanju nikakva prevara, ako su nenamerno pogrešili i ako su bili apsolutno ubeđeni da je njihovo rešavanje slučaja bilo savršeno, Svevišnji može da oprosti tim osobama zato što su bile nedužne. A opet, On može i da ih na neki način kazni.

Ako ste vi vrhovni autoritet u nečijem slučaju i pogrešite zato što ne poznajete zakon, onda je to veoma ozbiljna stvar – pogotovo ako nekog obese ili ako se izrekne neka veoma ozbiljna kazna. Sudija mora da savršeno zna svoj posao. Ako se radi samo o tome da je neko nepravedno zatvoren mesec ili dva, Svevišnji može da oprosti sudiji i poništi zakon karme. Ali, ako neka nedužna osoba bude veoma strogo kažnjena, potpuno neznanje osobe koja zauzima mesto sudije neće je spasti. Onaj ko sudi treba da zna više o tom slučaju i da ima dovoljno mudrosti da ga ispravno rešava. Neće biti izuzet zato što nečega nije bio svestan; on treba da ima više mudrosti i sposobnosti.

Pitanje: Ja nikada svesno ne meditiram na svoju dušu. Meditiram jedino na Svevišnjeg. Da li je to pogrešno?

Šri Činmoj: Nema ničeg lošeg u tome da se koncentrišeš na Svevišnjeg! Možda je Svevišnji malo viši od tvoje duše.

Koliko ljudi svakodnevno misli na svoju dušu, a da i ne govorimo o tome da oseća njeno postojanje, što je beskrajno teže? Mnogi ljudi ulaze u hram ili crkvu, ali koliko njih pridaje značaj oltaru? Neki dolaze da tu rade, a drugi se muvaju po hramu, ali koliko njih makar i pogleda oltar? Telo je naš hram, a unutar tela je duša, oltar. Ali, mi ne obraćamo nikakvu pažnju na dušu. Većina mojih učenika, a da i ne govorimo o drugim ljudskim bićima, nije svesna svojih duša, niti misli svesno na svoju dušu čak ni sekund dnevno. Pa ipak je duša naše najdragocenije unutrašnje blago; ona je najdragocenije unutrašnje blago našeg tela, vitala, uma i srca.

Većinom se mi ponašamo kao vrane. Kada vrana nešto jede, ona zažmuri. Ona misli: ako ona ne može da vidi druge, ni drugi ne mogu da vide nju. Ljudska bića se ponašaju na isti način. Pošto nam je treće oko zatvoreno, pa ne vidimo svoju dušu, mi mislimo da ni nas niko ne vidi. Ali, neko nas gleda širom otvorenih očiju, a to je naša duša. Duša nije u dubokom snu. Duša nas posmatra u svakom trenutku. Ako imamo bar malo vere u postojanje duše, možda ćemo reći da nas duša posmatra u potaji. Ali, duša nas ne posmatra potajno; ona nas posmatra otvoreno, samo što mi toga nismo svesni.

Zato što ne osećamo da u nama postoji neko ko nas posmatra,mi dopuštamo da nama vladaju um i vital. Dopuštamo našoj fizičkoj svesti da nas navodi da činimo razne nebožanske stvari i osećamo da su samo naš um i vital svesni našeg ponašanja. Ali, bez obzira šta naše telo, vital, um i srce hoće da učine u nama i pomoću nas, ako osetimo da tu postoji i neko drugi – beskrajno viši i bolji – ko nas posmatra, moraćemo da se ponašamo dobro. U običnom ljudskom životu, ako dete zna da ga otac posmatra, ono okleva da učini nešto loše. Ono zna da, ako to učini, otac može da ga kazni. Ali, ako dete misli da je njegov otac u kancelariji ili da je negde otputovao, činiće šta god poželi.

A opet, neko može sebe da navede na pomisao da može loše da postupa u potaji i da ga duša ne vidi. Međutim, on jedino zavarava samog sebe. Duša ga u svakom trenutku vidi, mada neće odmah nešto preduzeti; ona čeka pravi trenutak da ga prosvetli ili da ga kazni. A opet, sama kazna je prosvetljenje.

Zato, ako verujemo u postojanje duše, neizostavno ćemo ozbiljnije shvatiti svoj život, jer znamo da nemamo odobrenje da činimo određene stvari. A ako ne verujemo u dušu, ako ne osećamo potrebu da udovoljimo duši, onda za nas duhovni život uopšte ne postoji.

Ovo telo će otići, ovaj vital će otići, ovaj um će otići; sve će nas napustiti osim duše. Duša uzima telo da bi ga preobrazila i da bi ispoljila božansku svetlost. Potom, nakon četrdeset, pedeset, šezdeset, sedamdeset ili osamdeset godina, duša se vraća u oblast duša. Ako su telo, vital i um činili dobre stvari, duša nosi sa sobom suštinu njihovih dostignuća. Ali, ako nisu učinili ništa dobro, duša neće uzeti ništa od tela, vitala ili uma. Srce obično učini nekoliko dobrih stvari, tako da duša može da nešto ponese od srca. Potom, nakon nekog vremena, duša uzima novo telo, vital, um i srce.

Pitanje: Kada mi je umro prvi muž, osetila sam da je njegova duša došla u mene.

Šri Činmoj: Duša ne može da živi unutar nekog drugog, ali može nekom drugom da ostavi neke od svojih dobrih osobina. Duša je kao veoma mirisan cvet. Kada cvet uvene, njegov miris ostaje još neko vreme. Kada je tvoj muž umro, možda je tada ostavio za sobom neke božanske osobine svoje duše.

U tvom slučaju ono što si osetila nije bila duša tvog muža, već dobre osobine te duše, ili, može se reći, sećanje te duše. Mnoge, mnoge dobre stvari su se odigrale između tebe i tvog muža, i sećanja na neke od najupečatljivijih stvari su ostala u tebi. Ali, sama duša ne može posle smrti da ostane u nekom drugom ljudskom biću; ona mora da se vrati nazad u svet duša.

Pitanje: Kada je on umro, osetila sam da sam i ja napola mrtva.

_Šri Činmoj: Ako su muž i žena međusobno veoma bliski, kad jedno od njih umre, to veoma loše utiče na ono drugo. Ako nisu bliski, ništa se ne događa. U Indiji, žene vrlo često žive samo šest meseci ili dve-tri godine nakon muževljeve smrti, jer se osećaju apsolutno mrtve. Isto se dešava i muževima kada im žena umre. A opet, uvek ima izuzetaka. Ali, ako pođete u neko indijsko selo, videćete mnogo, mnogo takvih slučajeva. Oni koji ostanu na zemlji mole se Bogu da ih odvede njihovim dragima, gde god da su. Oni ne žele da ostaju na zemlji jer ih tamo ništa više ne zadovoljava. Iako možda imaju i decu i druge rođake, njihova ljubav prema pokojnom mužu ili ženi je tolika da ne žele da ostanu.

Question: How do we actually know that we are getting close to realisation?

Sri Chinmoy: The more we are able to get rid of wrong forces from our system, the closer we come to our destination. If we have less impurity in our mind today than we had yesterday, then we are approaching realisation. If we have more sincerity in our spiritual life, if our lower vital problems have decreased, if we have less doubt than we had two weeks ago, then we are approaching realisation. Our mind can tell us what negative, unaspiring forces we have been cherishing for so many years. If we see that these bad qualities are decreasing, it means the divine, aspiring forces are lovingly embracing us and taking us towards the light. If we see that we have many more good qualities than bad qualities in our life, we are getting closer to the destination. But if we see that the bad qualities are absolutely predominant, then we are not doing well at all.

The whole problem in life lies in our obedience. We do not want to do the difficult thing; only the thing that is easy we want to do. We know what is right, but we want to follow the easier way. Americans do not like to take orders, but we do not realise that at every moment we are listening to someone or something. Most of the time we are obeying our stupid mind or vital. We are not doing it unconsciously. We know what we are doing; we are doing it deliberately.

Spiritual Masters who have realised the Highest can dictate to their own minds if they want to. But for ordinary human beings, it is usually the mind that is telling them what to do. And when it does so, it brings worries and anxieties into the picture. At first, when we surrender to these wrong forces, they give us some candies. We eat those candies and get false satisfaction. But eventually we come to know that those candies will not give us real satisfaction, so we challenge the wrong forces. When we are spiritually developed, immediately we challenge those forces and eventually we defeat them. Then we get real satisfaction.

Question: Does the Supreme have the same capacity of infinite Justice as He has of infinite Compassion?

Sri Chinmoy: We can speak of the Supreme’s infinite Compassion, but we cannot speak of His infinite Justice because it does not actually exist. He has the capacity of infinite Justice, but He does not use it. If we are sincere, then we will see how many bad, undivine things we do in our life. If God wanted to punish us justly, then we would be lost. Again, we may say that we do not get the proper reward or the satisfaction we deserve for the good things we do. But if we count how many good things we do consciously and how many bad things we do consciously, I tell you, our good deeds will be insignificant in comparison to our bad deeds!

Even on the outer plane, in comparison to the number of crimes being committed, how many people are actually caught? Crimes are happening everywhere, but how many people are being punished? And then there is the matter of inner crimes. It is an inner crime to try and destroy someone or to use bad will to prevent someone from getting ahead in life. It is an inner crime to hate someone because he or she is more beautiful than we are. It is an inner crime to curse someone because we are jealous of that person. For these crimes, who is getting punishment? If God used His infinite Justice the way He uses His infinite Compassion, then we would be nowhere. At every second, with an iron rod God would be standing before us! If we did something wrong, then we would be finished.

God has infinite Compassion, but inside His Compassion there is Wisdom also. We cannot separate God’s Wisdom from His Compassion. We may say that God’s Compassion is nothing but stupidity, but this is not true. God uses His Compassion because He feels that this medicine works better than anything else. But there may come a time when He sees that His Compassion-medicine is not working. Then He changes to another medicine: His Justice-medicine. But that particular medicine He will use only on rare occasions, when His Compassion is absolutely not working.

Day after day we go on doing the wrong thing, and we think that God is not aware of it. He is aware of it; but the hour has not struck for Him to use His adamantine Will-Power or Justice-Light. He is still using Compassion-Height for me, for you, for everybody. But when it is absolutely unavoidable, He has to use Justice-Light. At that time, He is not actually punishing us; He is only trying to get rid of the forces that have attacked us. Our souls act in the same way. For years and years they watch us do the wrong thing. One day they will punish us; only the hour has not yet come. So the Supreme’s Justice will come at the right hour. But why should we make it necessary for Him to use His Justice? If we know that He has infinite Compassion, then let us be worthy of His Compassion. Let us try to please Him in His own Way and join our will with His Will.

Question: Is God's Compassion for man diminishing over time?

Sri Chinmoy: The Supreme is not like the sun! The scientists say that in a few years, or God knows how many years, the sun will melt and there will be no warmth or light; they say that it is losing its power. A human being can jump high when he is young, but he loses his capacity when he grows old. A man has plenty of wavy hair when he is young but becomes bald later in life. But the Supreme is not like that!

According to Indian tradition, if you have a wide forehead, it is an auspicious sign. One day I was doing the long jump and a friend of mine said to me, “Oh, you will become very great! You have such a wide forehead.” So I went and told my sister Ahana, “I will become very great.” She said, “Yes, yes, wait for another ten years and you will see what it means. In ten years you will lose all your hair!” In her loving way, she threw such cold water on me!

If I have a dollar and give it to you, then I have nothing. That is what happens on the outer plane. But God’s Capacity is different; it is like wisdom. If you give wisdom to somebody, you do not lose it. On the contrary, you gain more. When the teacher teaches his students, he does not lose his capacity; he only increases and increases it. Similarly, the Supreme’s Capacity does not decrease at all. At every second the Supreme is increasing His Capacity, whether it is Compassion or Forgiveness or anything else. It is always increasing, increasing, but we are not aware of it.

While we are meditating, if we can dive deep within even for a few seconds, we can enter into the Universal Consciousness and become the universe. If in two or three seconds we can become vaster than the vastest, do you think that the Supreme Himself, who is Lord of the Universe, cannot also expand? If I can become good by doing the right thing, if I can increase my inner love, inner light and other qualities, then is it not possible for the Supreme also to transcend Himself? Infinity is not a mere dictionary word. Infinity is all self-expansion. In the Supreme’s case, every second is Self-expansion, Self-revelation and Self-manifestation.

Part III

SCA 279-282. Questions asked in Myanmar in January 1995.

Question: It seems as though man today is only explaining things. When is that going to stop?

Sri Chinmoy: Explanations are needed because we are using the mind instead of the heart. The mind gets satisfaction when something is explained, but why do we need this kind of satisfaction? If I drink milk, I do not need a milk specialist to tell me it tastes good and gives me strength. If I am holding a flower and appreciating its beauty, I do not care to know the scientific explanation of why the flower is beautiful and fragrant. I can be fully satisfied just enjoying the beauty and fragrance of the flower.

Especially in the spiritual life, explanations are only a waste of precious time. The person who wants to explain is a fool and the person who wants to have something explained is equally a fool. The spiritual life starts with faith, and faith does not need any kind of outer demonstration or justification. Each time we try to explain or have something explained, we are only feeding the reasoning mind. But God does not operate with the reasoning mind.

It is like dribbling a football. Let us say I have been dribbling all the time with my left foot, so the goalkeeper thinks that I will use my left foot to try to score a goal. But I only pretend to use the left; I actually score with the right. The goalkeeper is all the time preparing for a left-footed kick, and then I score with the right. Similarly, if our expectation-mind is following the ball, we will never be ready for what happens.

God is playing a game with us in exactly the same way. If we try to use our mind, we will be lost because God is not bound by the mind. He is not bound in any way, and He wants us also to be like that. When a child is running, he gets joy by running a little to this side and a little to that side in a zig-zag way, and God is nothing else if not an Eternal Child.

Question: How do we get beyond the mind?

Sri Chinmoy: The mind is a jungle; the heart is a garden. So let us spend as much time as possible inside our heart-garden and become one with its beauty and fragrance. Later, when we develop the capacity, we will try to clear the jungle and replace it with beautiful plants from our heart.

Question: How can we experience the sweetness and purity of Mother Nature when we live in a place like New York?

Sri Chinmoy: It is true that the aspiring Mother Nature helps us spiritually. But when we dive deep within, we see that real aspiration comes from a higher and deeper source. People who live in a beautiful place like Woodstock are not more aspiring than people who live in New York City. Mother Nature is ready and eager to help, but where is the receptivity?

Many people go to church, but their mind and heart are somewhere else. You may come to meditate with me, but your mind may be thinking of this person or that person. The temple is ready, but the seeker is not. Let us say that Mother Nature is the temple. Are you going to the temple to realise God or to watch who else goes there? If your enemy is going there, you may say, “I do not need this temple.” Again, if your friend is going there, you may say, “Now I shall talk to my friend.” So where is your prayer and meditation? People live in a place of natural beauty more often for mental pleasure than out of a real psychic inner urge. It is true that Mother Nature can help us spiritually. But when we go to Mother Nature, does our aspiration increase or do we get lost doing something else?

Question: Why is humanity polluting and destroying Mother Nature?

Sri Chinmoy: Mother Nature is being polluted and destroyed by the unaspiring realities of life. It is very sad. Mother Nature has become so helpless, and the people who are trying to preserve Mother Nature are in no way helping. They are only talking, talking, talking! Governments also are only talking. They come forward and say, “Yes, we want to preserve the trees and fields,” but their actions produce the opposite effect.

Because we human beings see enemies all around us, because we are afraid someone will come and attack us, we use all our money and energy to make ourselves powerful. To make ourselves powerful enough to fight our enemies, we cut Mother Nature into pieces and take her resources. We give importance only to scientific and chemical advancement, which does not allow Mother Nature to remain beautiful or powerful. Chemical advancement and Mother Nature’s progress cannot go together. As long as there is fear on earth, Mother Nature will never be able to fulfil her divinity. It is only when we no longer see others as enemies that we shall be able to keep Mother Nature intact.

Part IV

SCA 283-284. Two questions asked by Mrs. Hanne Strong, wife of Maurice Strong, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

Mrs. Strong: The degradation of the earth is so far advanced right now that the great mystics, shamans and spiritual people are saying that we have already crossed the line of no return regarding the oceans, the soil and the forests. What is your opinion?

Sri Chinmoy: If we start doing the right thing, we can always begin making progress again. From the drop we get the ocean. Let us say that because of our stupidity we are destroying the ocean; we are turning it into a few drops. But if we start doing the right thing, then eventually the drops will grow into an ocean again. Sometimes it happens that there are no plants in a garden. But when a most skilful gardener begins working there, once again it becomes a garden with most beautiful plants, flowers, trees and fruits.

Mrs. Strong: But if the soil is dead, it’s dead. If a forest is gone, it’s gone. If the ozone is gone, it’s gone.

Sri Chinmoy: We must not underestimate the power of spirituality. Prayer and meditation mean new life. When we pray and meditate, at every second we are bringing into our life a divine consciousness, which is constantly growing. You are saying that Mother Nature is being destroyed. But Mother Nature is nothing other than God the creation. So we are praying to God the Creator to save God the creation. He who created once can again create a new creation on the strength of our prayers and meditations.

Question: In the movie Apollo 13, people were getting involved with all these machines and moving away from nature. Is it good for people to be so involved with machines? Is it good for people to go into space and do things that are unnatural? Is this useful for them?

Sri Chinmoy: In this kind of movement we are going far, farther, farthest from nature. True, God is everywhere; He is both the Creator and the creation. God is also to be found inside science because science itself is God’s creation. But the kind of link we have with God through science is not very direct.

With space exploration we are trying to do something that is like fireworks. It charms us, but it does not elevate our consciousness; it does not have sustaining power. In Apollo 13 we see people walking on the moon. We are enjoying it, but it is mostly the vital in us that is getting enjoyment. The soul is not enjoying this. Not even the heart is getting joy, because the heart wants to hear the melody that keeps earth in tune with Heaven, and that tune is not there.

Science is like a cow tied to a post. The cow is given limited freedom, but inside that limited area, the cow is destroying everything. If it sees a bucket, then it kicks that bucket. By kicking the bucket several metres, the cow is getting joy. But this kind of joy is all destruction. Fortunately, the cow has a limit. It cannot go beyond the length of the rope. Similarly, no matter how many centuries or millennia shall pass, the capacity of science will always be limited. Science is progressing and developing; miracles are being created at every second. You press a button and an atom bomb drops somewhere. But anything that is not creative will never be able to unite the suffering of Mother Earth with the smile of Father Heaven.

Scientists may descend on the moon and see a few stones, but they will not get the consciousness of the moon. Only by praying and meditating can you get the consciousness of the moon or commune with the soul of the moon. Scientists do not regard the moon as a sacred place, filled with aspiration. No, they see it as fallow ground for their experiments. Then, if they find something nice there, they just grab it and smash it to bits with their scientific instruments. But these scientific instruments will never reveal the soul or divinity inside the moon. Never, never! So science will never discover the real divinity inside the moon; only seekers will discover that.

Part V

SCA 285-295. Questions asked in Maui on 25-26 January 1995.

Question: Is the spiritual life easier or less strict today than it was in ancient days?

Sri Chinmoy: In ancient times, spiritual Masters used to test and examine their disciples in such severe ways. Matsyendranath, for example, demanded that Gorakshanath pluck out his eye, and immediately he obeyed. That is why Gorakshanath became what he was and had such great occult power. In those days, just to become a disciple of a Master, the seeker had to go through such an ordeal! The initiation process was so difficult. When I initiate a disciple, I only offer light to the disciple’s soul, and then it is up to the vital and the mind to accept the light from the soul. Again, if that person decides not to become my disciple but wants to go somewhere else for different blessings, no harm! We are all one family.

Today everything is cheap — as cheap as water. Again, water is life. If we do not have water, we die. But in terms of strictness, there is no comparison between the spiritual life two hundred or four hundred or seven hundred years ago and twentieth century spirituality! In many, many ways we have made the spiritual life simpler and easier. We cannot say that God-realisation has become like instant coffee; that we will never dare to say. But we have made it very, very easy. Because of the kinds of world problems, sufferings, imperfections and weaknesses found in the twentieth century, God uses His Compassion aspect infinitely more than His Justice aspect.

Question: Spiritually, is the world going forward or backwards?

Sri Chinmoy: Twenty years ago the world was not ready for some things, but now the world is ready for them. Look at the way modern science has improved outer facilities over the past fifty years! The same kind of progress has been made in the spiritual world. One hundred or two hundred years ago, it was so difficult for spiritual seekers to get the experiences that you people get. The kind of experiences it took people years to get during the time of the Vedic Seers — experiences they tried for and cried for and shed bitter tears for — in the twentieth century people get in perhaps a few days or a few months. In the past it took so long to make a little progress or to get an iota of peace. But now, as Sri Aurobindo wrote, spiritual figures are coming who are infinitely more powerful than the Vedic Seers. So the world is progressing, progressing. Then again, some Masters of the past like Krishna and others not only reached the Highest but became the Highest.

In general, modern-day seekers have many opportunities that seekers of the past did not have. Now if you want to get inspiration by praying and meditating with hundreds of people, you get in your car and drive to church. In the days of the Vedic Seers, where could they find thousands of people meditating and praying, such as we find at our peace concerts? If many people are aspiring together most sincerely, there is often more intensity than if one person is doing it alone. In the tug-of-war against ignorance, if on one side there are ten or twelve people, there will be more strength. Some of the seekers may be weak, but even their little strength helps you have a better meditation. Again, if somebody is weak and you waste your time thinking of him or her in a negative way, when the time comes for you to pull hard and use all your strength, you cannot.

So there are advantages and disadvantages today; but on the whole, it is much easier today than in the past. Again, the seekers of the past had more intensity and more aspiration. Today there are more distractions; we have wonderful friends like television and other things! Now we have more outer facilities, but they offer no spiritual benefit.

Question: What do you mean when you speak about our highest meditation?

Sri Chinmoy: Each one has his own standard. My highest meditation may not be as high as somebody else’s highest. According to my own standard, today I may have my highest meditation; then tomorrow perhaps my meditation will not be so high, and the day after tomorrow my meditation can be lower than the lowest. When we have our own highest meditation, it is because on that day our love for the Supreme, our devotion to the Supreme and our surrender to the Supreme are most remarkable. Or you can say that God unconditionally showers His Compassion on us that day, and that is why we have such love, devotion and surrender. Or perhaps God wants to do something in and through us on that day, and He finds us ready to accept His Compassion.

When the outer world is tempting us or beckoning us, we have to remember these happiest moments. It was because of the things that we chose in our life — our love, devotion and surrender to God’s Will — that we got the highest bliss. So if we can remember that bliss when unaspiring forces are attacking us or we are allowing ourselves to be attacked by them, then we will be inspired to resist these hostile forces.

Question: Can we lose our God-realisation when we try to reveal or manifest it?

Sri Chinmoy: First comes God-realisation. Inside your heart-garden you see a most beautiful flower — the God-realisation-flower — and you become that flower. Then you bring it out of your central being and reveal it to the world, not to show off, but in order to offer the beauty and the fragrance of your heart-flower to others.

Some people, after realisation, do not want to reveal God’s Light because it is so difficult. They say, “Who cares whether others believe that there is a most beautiful flower inside my heart? If they do not believe that I have divine peace, which they lack, then I do not have to show them.” They also say, “Who knows? While revealing or manifesting God’s Light, I may lose it.”

But others want to share the peace and light that they have inside because they feel that others will be miserable without it. This is the heart’s generosity and magnanimity of those daring souls who try to reveal and manifest God. They are not afraid of losing their inner wealth. They feel, “If I only possess something, then definitely I can lose it because my possession is separate from me. If there is a difference between my existence and my realisation, then naturally I can lose my realisation. But if I have become what I was longing for, then how can I lose it? What I have, I can lose; but what I am, I cannot lose.”

Again, it is possible to have an impermanent realisation. When Arjuna got a vision of the Krishna Consciousness, he had not actually achieved God-realisation, so it did not last. In the case of one very great spiritual Master, at first the Krishna Consciousness used to come and disappear. It took twenty-eight years before the Master declared that the Krishna Consciousness had descended fully into his personality. But once you truly realise the Supreme Consciousness, then it can never go.

Question: How should we deal with our defects?

Sri Chinmoy: In the beginning, all the defects that we have we consciously or unconsciously cherish. Then, when we become wise, we feel so sad that we cherished these weaknesses. But even when we want to overcome our weaknesses, we feel helpless. This is the time when we need determination, which has to come through God’s Grace.

Everything has to happen step by step. In the beginning, unconsciously or consciously we are cherishing all our weaknesses, which come in the form of temptation. Then we realise that these defects are no good and we separate ourselves from them. We do not want to be insecure; we do not want to be jealous. We do not want to have doubt, impurity and so on. Then we decide that we must conquer these weaknesses. At that time we cannot be relaxed; we have to be fully determined. And where does this determination come from? Its source is God’s Compassion. So ultimately we have to go to the Source, God’s Compassion, to get the determination to conquer all our defects.

Question: What is poetry?

Sri Chinmoy: I always say that man writes prose, but it is God who writes poetry in and through man. In poetry, each word carries us into the Unknowable, where there is tremendous joy. We may think that when we enter into the Unknowable, we will be totally lost. But we are not lost; we are flying.

Poetry is intuitive, so we should not try to understand it. It is not the mind we need in order to derive joy, but the heart.

Question: What is the relationship between eagerness and perseverance?

Sri Chinmoy: Eagerness expedites everything; it goes faster than the fastest. With eagerness we can climb up the Himalayas. But sometimes eagerness gives up when it meets obstacles and hurdles in life. With all eagerness we try something once, twice, three times, and then we give up. We approach somebody to ask for this or that, but after two or three attempts we feel it is beneath our dignity to approach that person again. Then we fail. But if perseverance comes to join eagerness, then we are saved.

When somebody succeeds, others may say, “Oh, he was lucky.” But it is not luck. Previously, this person may have failed over and over again; many times he may have been unlucky to the extreme. But unlike others, he did not give up, and then finally he succeeded.

Many people are eager, but after two days their eagerness disappears. Two days is more than enough for them. If they do not succeed in two days, they will bring me the report: “I tried so hard, but it cannot be done.” To succeed, we have to maintain our eagerness day after day. Eagerness can move mountains. But if eagerness cannot do something, then perseverance and patience are needed.

Question: How can I not criticise others and what can I do when others criticise me? Sometimes I get very mad.

Sri Chinmoy: When somebody criticises you, think of that person as an insect or worm and feel that you are the strongest and largest elephant. Since you are larger than the largest, you do not have to pay any attention to a little insect or worm. Vivekananda used to say that the elephant is going to the market for bananas and the dogs are barking. The elephant does not pay any attention to the dogs; he just goes to the market and eats bananas to his heart’s content. So when others criticise you, you have to convince yourself that you are infinitely stronger than the criticism that you are getting.

When you are inspired to criticise someone, immediately feel that what is disturbing you in the other person is some weakness that he has. Feel that the wrong thing that he or she is doing arises out of some deplorable weakness. Then try to feel that your criticism of the other person is only increasing his weakness and making it worse.

Also, you have to feel that your criticism is causing all kinds of ailments inside the other person. Then try to pull these ailments into your own system — into your hands or legs or head. Immediately you will say, “My God, it is so painful, so painful!” Then you will see how much suffering you are causing that person. Or imagine that your words of criticism are like an arrow that you have hurled at the other person, and now his entire being is bleeding. When you see him bleeding, your sympathetic oneness will make you feel miserable. It is the same kind of sympathetic oneness that Lord Buddha felt when he picked up the bird that had been wounded with an arrow.

When you identify yourself with the other person’s suffering, you will feel, “No matter how imperfect and useless he is, I have no right to cause this kind of suffering in him. I have come into the world to establish my oneness with others and not to destroy others with my criticism.” Then your heart of oneness will make you stop criticising the other person. These ideas I am giving you are very practical.

Another thing you can do is to feel that your criticism of the other person, which you are cherishing in your being, is a very heavy load. Also, the other person’s criticism of you is another heavy load that that person has thrust upon you. How can you move or even breathe if you are carrying two heavy loads on your shoulders? What you have to do is get rid of both loads. You have to cast them aside so that you can run the fastest towards your destination.

Here is still another way. Each time you criticise someone, feel that you have created a black spot on the moon of his heart. By diminishing the beauty of his heart’s inner moon, you can never get real joy. Also, you have to feel that if you criticise him, he also will criticise you and ruin the beauty of your inner moon. By destroying one another’s inner beauty, neither one of you can be happy. So you have to feel that your happiness can come only with the other person’s happiness; it has to be simultaneous. If you do not darken his moon, he will not darken yours, and both of you will be happy.

Question: Sometimes the world lowers my consciousness.

Sri Chinmoy: That is why people remain inside the Himalayan caves. As soon as they come to the village to have a glass of milk or a few fruits, they say their consciousness descends. So they are ready to remain without milk or fruit and give their body to God. But that is not our philosophy. We feel that meditation and the spiritual life are like a boat. Because we are in the boat, we are not affected by the water. If our meditation is really solid, if we can meditate soulfully and powerfully for two hours each day, then definitely the power of our meditation will keep us safe.

But during meditation if we think of tomorrow’s breakfast or of who insulted us, then that kind of meditation will be useless. The clock will say that we have meditated for three hours, but during those three hours we have gone to so many peculiar lands and mixed with so many people! If we count how many thoughts we had during our meditation, we will be shocked. So our highest meditation may not be enough. It may be the highest for us, but it is not the kind of silent meditation that advanced seekers have, not to speak of spiritual Masters. If I am a pole vaulter, it is not enough to reach my highest; I have to reach Olympic standard or world champion standard. I have to come to a certain height.

Question: You said that the process of successfully realising God is ninety-five per cent God's Grace and five per cent personal effort. But when we realise God, you said we realise that even our five per cent was God's Grace. That being the case, how can a seeker be responsible for his success or failure?

Sri Chinmoy: When you realise God, at that time you will see that everything was unconditional from God. Why did you get up at six o’clock to pray and meditate, whereas your friends and acquaintances did not? It was because something within you responded to God’s Wish or God’s Will. God was able to inject His Will into you, whereas someone else was not receptive enough. The moment you feel God’s Will operating in and through you, at that time you are responsible to do prayerfully and soulfully what God asks. If you do not do it prayerfully and soulfully, then only will you be blamed.

God will not blame you if you do not succeed, but God will definitely blame you if you do not try cheerfully, soulfully and self-givingly. God will blame you only if you do not try with a divine, self-giving spirit. You are responsible only for making the journey with the right attitude; you are not responsible if you do not meet with success. Success and failure are at His Feet, and you have to offer the results happily and prayerfully to Him.

What does this mean? Suppose you expected something to happen in your own way; you worked very hard for it, but it did not take place. Let us say you expected your daughter to pass her driving test, but she has failed very nicely. With so much hope, eagerness and joy you taught her. If you want to do the spiritual thing, when she fails you have to place at the Feet of God the same amount of energy or feeling that you had when you were hoping that she would succeed.

Question: How important is common sense?

Sri Chinmoy: Common sense is wisdom. Suppose I see a flame. It is so beautiful that I want to touch it. But common sense tells me that if I touch it, then definitely I will burn my hand. So we start with common sense, but then afterwards we have to go beyond common sense, using whatever wisdom we have got from our past lives or from earlier in our present life. Then we come to a certain stage or height where we see that common sense no longer works. So from there we have to go forward and upward until we are far, far beyond the domain of common sense.

Part VI

SCA 296-304. Questions asked in April and May of 1995.

Question: You often tell us the story of when Lord Krishna asked Arjuna the colour of some fruit on a nearby tree. Each time Arjuna said it was one colour, Krishna said it was a different colour, and immediately Arjuna changed his opinion to agree with Krishna. When we are dealing with you, how can we know when we should agree with you and when we should offer our own personal opinion?

Sri Chinmoy: A spiritual Master deals with many, many planes of consciousness. There is a plane of consciousness where earthly realities do not exist as such. If you say that something is blue or red, you are describing the earthly reality. But realities in the higher worlds are not like that; they entirely depend upon God or the cosmic gods. Lord Krishna knew that on the earth-plane the fruits that Arjuna was seeing had a particular colour. But he wanted Arjuna to go to a higher plane where fruits do not even exist, where the tree itself does not exist. On that plane, all that exists is oneness with God’s Will. For Arjuna, Lord Krishna was the embodiment of God. So, to reach this higher plane, what Arjuna needed was oneness with Lord Krishna’s Will.

No matter how many times Krishna contradicted himself, Arjuna agreed with him. If Arjuna had been an ordinary human being, he would have said, “How many times do I have to agree with you? You corrected me and I agreed with you. Now why are you changing your mind again? What kind of man are you?” But Arjuna did not do that. He showed his obedience and also tremendous patience. All spiritual people have to go through this kind of examination.

To you, Arjuna may appear stupid because he continually changed his opinion. But Arjuna was not a fool. He was not as well-educated as his brother Yudhishthira, but he was far better educated than many people of his day, including Bhima, his other brothers, his cousins and so on. But Arjuna realised that he had to go beyond both form and formless to be one with Lord Krishna. Arjuna’s prayer was, “Lord, I want to be one with You. I want to see through Your Eyes; I want to feel with Your Heart.” Some people are clever. They say this prayer but continue to see with their own eyes and feel with their own heart. But Arjuna was not one of those; for him, this prayer was not mere words. He knew that Lord Krishna was a God-figure. That is why he made the promise, “Lord, from now on, I will make full surrender to You and become one with Your Will.”

This kind of oneness also exists in the ordinary human world. A Bengali mother will teach her child the word phul, which means ‘flower’. But a small child often is unable to pronounce it properly. He says, phu, phu! and does not use the ‘l’ sound. Even after twenty times he still says, phu, phu. The mother sees that by saying phu, the child is getting tremendous joy. So, if her heart is all oneness, she also starts saying phu to make the child happy. Her love for her child is infinitely more important to her than the correct pronunciation of the word. Her mother’s love exists one hundred per cent on the human level, and it is so strong that she surrenders to the child’s way of speaking. Sometimes twenty or thirty years later, after their children have grown up, you find Bengali mothers still using those wrong words that they learned from their children! Still they are getting so much joy from these childish words. This is called love between two human beings on the ordinary human plane.

On the human level, if the mother will call a flower phu to please her small child, on the divine level can the disciple not also surrender, out of his heart’s love, to the Master’s way of seeing reality? If the Master says, “One plus one equals four,” ordinary humans will say, “The Master is obviously an idiot. I do not want to be associated with him.” But the true disciple will say, “My Master is an ocean of love, light and delight. If he says that one plus one equals four, then he must be correct.” The disciples who insist that one plus one equals two are correct in mathematics, but spiritually they are millions and billions of miles away from the supreme truth.

On the human level, if you flatter a small child and agree with him, then the child will go into the kitchen and bring you some delicious food to eat. If you do not agree with him, he is not going to bring you such nice food. Sometimes God acts exactly like a child. By listening to yourself, you will get some satisfaction, certainly. But will you get your Master’s ocean of love and light? Who is going to give it to you? The one with whom you did not agree?

The problem is that each and every human being has formulated certain ideas on the mental plane. But a spiritual Master cares not for your mental ideas; he cares only for how much oneness you have established with him. When you agree with him, he gives you such a smile, such affection, such blessings. No matter how certain your mind is, it cannot give you that kind of smile, that kind of affection or blessings. So you have to make a comparison. See what you can get from your own mind-room and what you can get from your Master’s heart-room. By agreeing with the Master, you will be able to get infinitely more of the Master’s inner wealth than by remaining with your own limited mental conception of truth.

Question: During the Battle of Kurukshetra, Krishna got down from the chariot to fight even though he had taken a vow not to fight at all. I was wondering what this tells us about Krishna's personality?

Sri Chinmoy: When Arjuna saw Vishma advancing towards him on the battlefield, he said to Krishna, “We lost our father when we were quite young, and Vishma became our father. Such affection, such love he had for us! Is there anything that we would not have done for him? He is so dear to me. I cannot fight him.”

Krishna told Arjuna, “He is already dead in the inner world. You have to fight him!” Still Arjuna could not bring himself to fight with his grandsire; so Krishna came out of the chariot with his discus. When Krishna decided to fight, he said, “My love for my Arjuna is infinitely more important to me than my so-called promise. People will say that I am not a man of my word. I do not care. I want to prove that my love for my Arjuna is infinitely more important than preserving honour in the eyes of the world. I am prepared to go against the ordinary light of morality in order to win the victory for Arjuna.”

When Vishma saw that it was Krishna himself who had come to fight him, he came running to be killed. He said, “My Lord, my Lord, I know who You are! If You kill me, I will be the happiest person. On the one hand, I am so sad that You are breaking Your Promise. But again, I am so glad that I will die by Your Hand. Kill me, kill me! I am dying to die by Your Hand!”

Then Arjuna said, “No, no, I am ready to fight!” He pulled Krishna back into the chariot and fought Vishma with utmost determination. At last, Vishma lay dying, and Arjuna brought water to his grandsire. When Arjuna saw that Vishma was shedding tears, he said to Krishna, “Our grandfather did not do anything wrong. He was so good, so divine. Why does he have to suffer? Why are there tears in his eyes?”

Krishna said to Arjuna, “Why are you asking me? Ask him! He will tell you.” So Arjuna asked his grandfather, “Please tell me why you are crying, Grandfather. In our kingdom, there is nobody as divine as you. It was you yourself who told us how to kill you. Who else on earth would have been so noble? But now that your death is fast approaching, why are you crying? Are you afraid of death?”

Vishma replied, “You fool! I am weeping not because I am afraid of death, but because the Pandavas have suffered so much. Krishna, the Lord of the Universe, was all the time with you and for you. So how is it that you have suffered so much? I do not understand the Lord’s Game. That is why I am shedding tears.”

Krishna answered him, “This is my creation. You will never be able to understand it. My mystery is unfathomable.”

The Mahabharata is sweeter than the sweetest and, at the same time, deeper than the deepest. On the mental level, we cannot justify many of the things that Krishna did. But, again, his divinity is all the justification that is needed.

Question: Did any of the Kauravas consciously take the side of the Pandavas?

Sri Chinmoy: Just before the battle began, Yudhishthira did something most remarkable. He came and stood in front of the enemy and said, “If anybody from your side wants to join us, now is the time. We shall be very happy to have you.”

Hearing these words, one of Duryodhana’s own brothers came running and said, “My brothers are very bad. I want them to be killed! Please accept me on your side.” This brother’s name was Yuyutsu. He was born not to Gandhari but to a Shudra woman. At the end of the Battle of Kurukshetra, he was the only brother to remain alive.

Question: If someone is connected with a particular god or goddess, does that god or goddess show special concern for that person?

Sri Chinmoy: Provided the person leads a good and spiritual life, concern is definitely there and these cosmic gods and goddesses will help. In a school, not all the students are of the same standard; the teacher has to teach every Tom, Dick and Harry. But if there are some excellent students who give the teacher joy, he gives those students more attention. Privately, he tells them, “Come to my house. I will teach you more.” But a third-class student he will teach only during school hours. In the spiritual life also, if somebody is a good seeker, that person will get more attention and inner concern from the cosmic god or goddess who is ruling his destiny. But again, the cosmic god has only limited authority over the person; only the Supreme has full authority.

In the beginning, the cosmic gods and goddesses will help the seeker in so many ways when the seeker is praying and meditating. Then, when they see that the seeker is going beyond their height or domain, at that time they stand against him. First they feed you and feed you; then they stand in your way. But if you can go beyond them, they again become extremely close to you and try to help because they see that you have direct contact with the Absolute.

Again, if one has a spiritual Master, the cosmic gods do not get involved. Because the spiritual Master keeps direct contact with the Highest, the Absolute Supreme, on the seeker’s behalf, the cosmic gods or goddesses become like dear relatives. With relatives we do not keep daily contact. Once a month or once in six years we may see them. But with our father and mother we keep contact every day. So our spiritual Master is the one with whom our soul has to keep a daily connection.

Question: Why do the gods or goddesses stand in somebody's way?

Sri Chinmoy: Nobody wants somebody else to go beyond him. The Puranas are flooded with stories of Parvati’s jealousy and insecurity. She is a cosmic goddess; people worship her. But every second Parvati is dying for more beauty or cursing someone! Look at her human aspect! Again, we pray to Parvati for our illumination, for our liberation, for everything.

Question: Do cosmic gods and goddesses have the capacity to make spiritual progress?

Sri Chinmoy: Evolution requires human incarnation, and they do not take human incarnation. Mythology tells stories about how one god cursed another so that he would be born into a servant-class family; but these are just stories. Actually, cosmic gods do not take human incarnation because they are not evolutionary beings. They started meditating thousands of years ago and got tremendous spiritual or occult power and enormous light, and this satisfied them. They reached a certain height, which is infinitely superior to the height of ordinary human beings. But they will not go any higher.

According to our present standard, the cosmic gods seem unlimited. We have one dollar, let us say, and the cosmic gods have ten million dollars. But ten million is not the ultimate. After ten million comes one billion and so on. We feel that the cosmic gods are dealing with the Unlimited, but that is not the case. For that, it is necessary to take a physical body and evolve from the animal to the human to the divine and, finally, to the Supreme.

Compared to the cosmic gods, right now human beings are like little children. A child is so small; who can ever imagine that one day he will be six feet tall? But although right now we are weaker than the weakest, our evolution never stops because human beings have the eternal hunger, the eternal aspiration, to go up, up, up. By praying and meditating and surrendering our will to God’s Will, we human beings can eventually become saints, then yogis, and go beyond the cosmic gods.

Question: Are the cosmic gods still cursing each other and fighting with one another as they did in the Puranas?

Sri Chinmoy: In that era, 3,000 or 5,000 years ago, evolution was at that level. Sometimes the cosmic gods, knowing well God’s Will, did not listen to the highest Absolute, and they created disharmony amongst themselves. They were not willing to surrender to anyone — not even to the Supreme. But the spiritual Masters have taught us to surrender to the Will of God. Jesus Christ taught us, “Let Thy Will be done.” So here is the proof that we have improved.

Also, we have to know that in those days the world was at a particular level of consciousness, and at every moment the cosmic gods had to deal with the imperfect nature of reality. Sometimes they showed their compassion aspect or forgiveness aspect, but most of the time they showed their power aspect. They used the power aspect of God right and left to exercise their supremacy — to conquer others and rule human life. They did not care for God the creation; they were ready to destroy it in the twinkling of an eye. But with power we cannot conquer anyone permanently; we can conquer someone for only five seconds or five days. It is only if we conquer someone with love that our victory lasts forever. Similarly, the joy that comes from supremacy is no joy at all, whereas the joy that comes from oneness, which is based on love, is true joy.

When America dropped the atom bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan surrendered. But did America conquer the heart of Japan? Did the Japanese love or respect America for having destroyed their country? No! By dropping a bomb on your head I can silence you for a few years. At that time I feel I am the happiest person. But eventually I realise that there are many people who are speaking ill of me, and I cannot get any joy. Everybody wants admiration from other people. If I am killing you, are you going to love and admire me? No! But if I come and embrace you with both arms wide open, then naturally you want to be my friend.

Many things they put in the Puranas only to make the stories more juicy. Then, when we read these things, we say, “Oh, the cosmic gods are also like us.” Otherwise, who is going to pray for thousands of years for milk or for beauty? But the cosmic gods were ready to pray for thousands of years for whatever they wanted, including someone’s death. Again, the thousand years they spoke of was not really a thousand; sometimes it was only one year. But even for one year will we pray for anything — even if it is our greatest desire? If we do not get what we want overnight, we say, “Oh, it is not meant for me.” After two weeks or two months we say, “Since there is no hope, let me give up.” But they continued. Even the demons or asuras did not give up so easily. They wanted to throw the gods out of Heaven, so they prayed and meditated in a most austere way for years and years. They said, “Unless and until we have arrived at our goal, we are not going to stop.” These stories teach us that nothing can be gained easily; they teach us the necessity of patience and perseverance. No matter what kind of desire or aspiration we have, these stories are teaching us not to give up until we have achieved our goal.

Question: In one of your poems you say that God will do everything for us if our every breath embodies soulful gratitude. This kind of gratitude seems far beyond our reach. How can we have it?

Sri Chinmoy: Gratitude is not found in dryness or in strictness; it is not found in a morbid life. Gratitude comes from sweetness — sweetness in life, sweetness in breath. The sweetness of our own nature, our own character, our own movements will create everlasting gratitude. Gratitude is nothing but a spontaneous feeling of sweetness, which does not even have to be expressed in words. A child may not say “Thank you” to his mother, but the sweetness of his entire being is expressed through his eyes in the form of a smile. He does not know the word ‘gratitude’, but when the mother sees his sweet smile, she knows that the child is full of gratitude. So the more we can create sweetness in our hearts and in our being, the easier it becomes to offer gratitude to God.

One way to get sweetness is to look at a most beautiful, fragrant flower. When we look at the flower and smell its fragrance, consciously or unconsciously we become one with its beauty and fragrance. At that time, its sweetness enters into us or our own sweetness comes forward; sometimes both happen simultaneously. Then our whole being becomes sweet and it is easier to have good thoughts. If we are really focusing all our attention on the innocent beauty and fragrance of God the creation through this flower, then impure thoughts — which include not only lower vital thoughts but also jealousy and meanness — disappear, and only sweet thoughts remain. And when sweetness comes to the fore in our nature, it becomes very easy to offer gratitude.

Another way to have gratitude is to think of what we would have become if God had not shown us the light. Then we would have been somebody else — lower than the lowest. But rather than take a negative approach, we can take the positive approach and say, “O God, I am so grateful and I shall eternally remain grateful to You because You have shown me Your Light and You are allowing me to remain in Your Light.”

Question: How can we be sweeter?

Sri Chinmoy: Simplicity is the direct way of bringing sweetness into our life. Pure people can sometimes be very nicely arrogant. Indian saints are pure, but if you try to take a flower from their garden, they will come and break your head because they care only for justice! But if you only want to lead a simple life, then when a thief comes to steal your blanket, you will go running to give him your pillow also. You will tell the thief, “You like these things more than I do, so you keep them. I am satisfied only to look at the moon at night.” In this way you are making your life simpler and simpler and depending only on Mother Nature. In this kind of simple life, sweetness grows.