They were stunned. Then his disciple said, "It is as if the unseen principle of the universe " Brahma' has become manifest all of a sudden and is asking us to recognize who he is! Yes, we are really unprepared for this moment. You have given us no time and if we let it pass by, you have left us with no choice but to regret.!"
Artabhaga sensed the agitation that rocked their minds. He got up and came forward.
"Calm down," he said, "Moments do not pass by, nor do they visit us for no reason. Live in them as if they are eternity and eternity will live with you. But calm down first. Do not feel deprived. There is a bond of love between you and your Master. You are ready to receive and that is all that is required for a revelation. Open your hearts and even the silence of your Master will speak to you."
They were not ready for any reasoning. How could they reconcile to this knowledge? That which they considered as belonging to them was being taken away before they could call it their own!
Artabhaga spoke again : "A Master does not speak unless you have the quest. Look into your hearts and search."
A disciple rose and said,"Our Master has been in the company of learned scholars. We gather that Videha is a seat of learning where sages live and they have knowledge of the ultimate reality : Brahma! May our Master give us an insight into that 'Reality'?"
All eyes turned to Yajnyawalkya. He looked all around and said, "My beloved pupils, try to understand life on this earth before taking a leap in the direction of the unknown and the unknowable. Try to understand what makes us happy and what makes us unhappy. Understand the thin line that separates joy from pain, gain from loss, love from hatred, and self from the non-self."
His pupils were not satisfied. Why was their Master denying them the greatest truth of life? One of them asked, "please tell us what rites, rituals, mantras or sacrifice will lead us to the knowledge of Brahma."
Yajnyawalkya said, "Remove these blind-folds from your eyes. They will lead you nowhere. It is like venturing into the ocean on board a leaky ship. You will only drown yourself faster than ever. "
There was a stern silence on the part of Yajnyawalkya after this, making it difficult for the pupils to elicit anything out of it. A disciple got up with courage and asked, "You have been teaching us to invoke the inner light : the light of the deity Gayatri. Is Gayatri the same as Brahma which has been sought after by sages?"
Yajnyawalkya said, "No, Gayatri is not Brahma. Gayatri is the grand chariot which helps you traverse the path of this life on earth. Gayatri mantra enables you to unveil the light within you. Live your life constantly in that light. That light is the very power of Gayatri. It resides within you but you know it not."
Someone asked, "Are we born with that light or do we acquire it by effort?"
Yajnyawalkya said, "We are all born with it; and still we have to put in an effort to retrieve it, because we have lost it in the process of living."
Why do we lose it?" asked the pupil.
"Because our life on this earth makes demands on the other faculties which we call the mind, intellect, ego and memory. We develop a trust in them and come to believe that we cannot understand this phenomenal world without their aid. Gradually we become one with them. We do not see ourselves as distinct from them. We are lost to that light in this process which we call 'living' "
"If we are blessed with the faculty of memory, why are we lost to that light?"
Yajnyawalkya said, "The memory which loses sight of that light is the functional memory, which is an instrument of the mind connecting us with the space and time that we can measure and imagine. It helps us to communicate, speak, understand, synthesize and analyze. But it has limitations. Its function serves the body and the mind but does not enable us to reach that light. "
"How do we reach it then?" asked the pupil. "Can the incantation of Gayatri mantra help us do it? Is it enough to recite the Gayatri mantra?'
Yajnyawalkya said, "The incantation aids the physical memory. It helps you to be mindful, which is the primary need. But though necessary, recitation alone is not sufficient. Gayatri is the vibration of the life within. It unites you with everything that vibrates in the universe, outside of your body. Open your mind, body and heart to the power of the energy that the universe is transmitting to you ceaselessly. Gayatri opens up the heart, restores energy, heals and elevates".
The pupil who was asking questions was an energetic youth with the spark of life in his eyes. He smiled contentedly and said, "This is love; is it not?"
Another disciple who seemed disenchanted with love, got up in an agitated state of mind and exclaimed, "If that was so, this world would be full of self-realized sages. There would be no violence, no discord, no fear."
To be contd.
Artabhaga sensed the agitation that rocked their minds. He got up and came forward.
"Calm down," he said, "Moments do not pass by, nor do they visit us for no reason. Live in them as if they are eternity and eternity will live with you. But calm down first. Do not feel deprived. There is a bond of love between you and your Master. You are ready to receive and that is all that is required for a revelation. Open your hearts and even the silence of your Master will speak to you."
They were not ready for any reasoning. How could they reconcile to this knowledge? That which they considered as belonging to them was being taken away before they could call it their own!
Artabhaga spoke again : "A Master does not speak unless you have the quest. Look into your hearts and search."
A disciple rose and said,"Our Master has been in the company of learned scholars. We gather that Videha is a seat of learning where sages live and they have knowledge of the ultimate reality : Brahma! May our Master give us an insight into that 'Reality'?"
All eyes turned to Yajnyawalkya. He looked all around and said, "My beloved pupils, try to understand life on this earth before taking a leap in the direction of the unknown and the unknowable. Try to understand what makes us happy and what makes us unhappy. Understand the thin line that separates joy from pain, gain from loss, love from hatred, and self from the non-self."
His pupils were not satisfied. Why was their Master denying them the greatest truth of life? One of them asked, "please tell us what rites, rituals, mantras or sacrifice will lead us to the knowledge of Brahma."
Yajnyawalkya said, "Remove these blind-folds from your eyes. They will lead you nowhere. It is like venturing into the ocean on board a leaky ship. You will only drown yourself faster than ever. "
There was a stern silence on the part of Yajnyawalkya after this, making it difficult for the pupils to elicit anything out of it. A disciple got up with courage and asked, "You have been teaching us to invoke the inner light : the light of the deity Gayatri. Is Gayatri the same as Brahma which has been sought after by sages?"
Yajnyawalkya said, "No, Gayatri is not Brahma. Gayatri is the grand chariot which helps you traverse the path of this life on earth. Gayatri mantra enables you to unveil the light within you. Live your life constantly in that light. That light is the very power of Gayatri. It resides within you but you know it not."
Someone asked, "Are we born with that light or do we acquire it by effort?"
Yajnyawalkya said, "We are all born with it; and still we have to put in an effort to retrieve it, because we have lost it in the process of living."
Why do we lose it?" asked the pupil.
"Because our life on this earth makes demands on the other faculties which we call the mind, intellect, ego and memory. We develop a trust in them and come to believe that we cannot understand this phenomenal world without their aid. Gradually we become one with them. We do not see ourselves as distinct from them. We are lost to that light in this process which we call 'living' "
"If we are blessed with the faculty of memory, why are we lost to that light?"
Yajnyawalkya said, "The memory which loses sight of that light is the functional memory, which is an instrument of the mind connecting us with the space and time that we can measure and imagine. It helps us to communicate, speak, understand, synthesize and analyze. But it has limitations. Its function serves the body and the mind but does not enable us to reach that light. "
"How do we reach it then?" asked the pupil. "Can the incantation of Gayatri mantra help us do it? Is it enough to recite the Gayatri mantra?'
Yajnyawalkya said, "The incantation aids the physical memory. It helps you to be mindful, which is the primary need. But though necessary, recitation alone is not sufficient. Gayatri is the vibration of the life within. It unites you with everything that vibrates in the universe, outside of your body. Open your mind, body and heart to the power of the energy that the universe is transmitting to you ceaselessly. Gayatri opens up the heart, restores energy, heals and elevates".
The pupil who was asking questions was an energetic youth with the spark of life in his eyes. He smiled contentedly and said, "This is love; is it not?"
Another disciple who seemed disenchanted with love, got up in an agitated state of mind and exclaimed, "If that was so, this world would be full of self-realized sages. There would be no violence, no discord, no fear."
To be contd.
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