PURITY UNITY DIVINITY

EDUCARE FIVE

The aim of this article is to focus on the theme of PURITY, UNITY and DIVINITY. The article compiles Swami’s teachings as guidance which can either be read and meditated upon or discussed at Study Circles. This should allow you to develop your own thoughts and ideas. For us, Purity, Unity and Divinity must be our watchwords; they alone can ensure material and spiritual well-being. With Purity and Unity, we can disclose our Divinity and develop genuine devotion to God.

PURITY

Baba teaches us that Purity is of two kinds - external and internal. Below are His quotes about this:

“External Purity is achieved by the use of water and cleaning agents. But apart from bodily cleanliness, in daily life we have to ensure Purity of the clothes we wear, the food we consume, the places where we live, the books we read which should be wholesome and elevating, and the like. All organs of the body have to be kept completely pure. This is essential not only for maintaining perfect health, but also to enjoy a state of bliss. The environment around you should also be kept pure.”

“You should always take food that is pure and promotes harmony sathwic like vegetables, green leafy vegetables, etc. You should avoid consumption of items like egg, meat, etc. Also, you should keep away completely from intoxicating drinks and drugs. By consuming such items, all your sense organs will be paralysed. Alcohol is not at all conducive to spiritual sadhana. In spiritual sadhana one has to attain ecstatic level by natural process, not by artificial methods like drugs and alcohol.”

“But mere external cleanliness without internal Purity is of no value. However pure the ingredients may be, if the vessel in which they are cooked is not clean, the food will be spoiled. For a man, his heart is the vessel, and he must see that it is kept pure and untainted.”

“The first requisite is Purity in the use of the five senses of perception given to man.”

“Buddha declared that men should cultivate at the outset the right vision Samyag-drishti. This means that the eyes should not be misused for looking at all sorts of things. Your vision must be pure and sacred. See no evil; see what is good. A sacred vision is that which looks only at divine and sacred objects. Your vision must originate from the heart.”

“Pure vision leads to pure thoughts. Only the person who has developed Purity in vision can have Purity in thoughts. To sustain pure thoughts, everyone should always think of God, whatever one may do. Then, one will be free from bad thoughts.”

“If our thoughts are pure, our actions will also be pure. When actions are pure, life itself becomes holy. The primary reason for the lack of peace in the world today is that the thoughts and conduct of people have gone astray. The first step, therefore, is to make our thoughts pure.”

“Your thoughts and actions are decided by the company you join. As your company, so you become. The good and bad of the world are based on man's conduct. Man's conduct is based on his thoughts. Thoughts are based on desires. Desires depend on the company you associate with. So, join good company. Good company gives rise to noble thoughts.”

“Pure vision naturally begets Purity in speech by the refinement of the heart. Pure words must come out of the depth of the heart, which is a fountain of compassion. Avoid all kinds of gossip. Keep your speech confined to what is godly and sacred. Engage yourself in service to others. Pay no attention to other people's defects and faults. The tongue has to be sanctified by refraining from falsehood, slander and abusive speech. If you slip and fall, the injury can be repaired, but the slip of the tongue is irreparable. It will make your life miserable. So, you should have control over your speech. Excessive talk will lead to untruth and unpleasantness. That is why the ancient saints and seers used to observe silence. You can uphold truth and attain fame only by talking less. Limited talk will confer happiness. Excessive talk will put you to grave dangers.”

“Listen to pure and sacred words. People misuse their ears listening to scandal and gossip. This evil tendency should be eliminated by listening to the glories of God. Such listening sravanam has been accorded a primary place among the nine paths of devotion. When one listens to unsacred words he can have only unsacred thoughts.”

“Purity in thoughts and Purity in speech must lead to Purity in deeds. This is the triple Purity hailed by the sages. When this Purity is manifest, human life gets redeemed. The principle of "Help ever, hurt never" becomes the governing principle of daily life.”

“Everyone should do pure deeds. Through pure deeds man is able to recognise his human essence. Man is not merely an embodied being. By his capacity for developing good vision, entertaining good thoughts and performing good deeds, he has the power to transform humanness into Divinity.”

“When we become conscious of the omnipresence of Divinity, our thoughts, speech and actions will become pure. That is to recognise that in all beings, from the smallest insect to the highest, there is God. This awareness will make the mind pure. You must have the conviction that the Divine permeates everything and is present everywhere. The infinite, universal Spirit is omnipresent.”

UNITY

“Mankind can build up a great society based on Unity and on adherence to the divine principle of Love. This profound change must begin in the minds of individuals. When individuals change, society will change. And when society changes, the whole world will change.”

“Unity can come only through sacrifice thyaga, not through the pursuit of desires and comforts. You must cultivate charity, which does not mean giving some money to a person in need or to an organisation. Charity calls for the removal of all evil thoughts that are within you and development of a largeness of spirit. Charity will confer Purity, and through Purity, Unity will be achieved. Once you have Purity and Unity, you can realise Divinity.”

“To develop good qualities, one has to get rid of one's bad traits. If you want to cultivate Unity, you have to give up hatred. If you wish to develop a sweet temper, you have to rid yourself of bitterness. As long as hatred remains, Unity cannot grow. Even if there are differences of opinion, these should not be allowed to stand in the way of united action for promoting welfare as a whole.”

“Get rid of selfishness. Regard yourself as an integral member of society. Develop the faith that your welfare is bound up with the welfare of the society. Develop your social consciousness. In human life, there are three important things: One is the individual; the second is the family; the third is the society. Today in whatever he does, man is concerned primarily about his individual interests. From there he proceeds towards concern for the family. But few care to take any interest in what concerns society as a whole. If society is not in good shape, how can individuals be well? Individual welfare is based on social well-being. Consider every human being as a spark of the Divine. Today we are failing to cultivate that sense of Unity. Union is strength. Lacking Unity, we are becoming weak. To promote Unity, we have to give up selfishness.”

“Service Seva is the highest of paths of Devotion which wins the Grace of God. It promotes mental Purity, diminishes egoism and enables one to experience through sympathetic understanding, the Unity of mankind.”

“Man is not aware that time sanctified by service offers high rewards to themselves as well as those whom they serve. All acts of service are not equally sanctifying or uniform in the benefits they confer. When service is undertaken by power-hungry people, or under compulsion or by imitative urges, it results in more harm than good. Self-aggrandisement, competition or ostentation are motives that will pollute the sacred spiritual practice (Sadhana) of Service. The candidate for this Sadhana has to avoid egotism Ahamkara, exhibitionism Adambara and favouritism Abhimana.”

“Why should the individual serve others? What claims has society on the individual? When we examine these issues we realise that the individual can find fulfilment only in society. Born in society, growing up in society, living in society, man ends his life in society. In the word Samajam (Society), Sam represents Unity, aa means going towards. Samajam means going forward in Unity.”

“Unity is the secret of social progress, and service to society is the means to promote it.”

“What is humanness? Essentially it means Unity in thought, word and deed. When what one thinks differs from what he says and what he does, he ceases to be human. He becomes a demon. Today what men have to cultivate is Unity and Purity in thought, word and deed. True human qualities can grow only in a heart filled with spiritual aspirations.”

“True spirituality consists in promoting human Unity through harmonious living and sharing the joy with one and all.”

“People talk about spirituality. What does it mean? Is it performance of Japa or sitting in meditation? No. Spirituality means the quest for oneness. It means discovering the underlying Unity in the apparent multiplicity. The awareness that Cosmos is manifestation of the Divine Viswam Vishnuswaroopam should be obtained. The truth of the Upanishadic declaration, Isaavaasyamidamsarvam (All this is permeated by the Divine), should become a firm conviction. Therefore, spirituality consists in recognising Unity in diversity.”

DIVINITY

“Noble thoughts is the royal road to Divinity.”

“Divinity will be absent where there is no Purity and Unity. Once you have Divinity with you, everything else will follow.”

“Man should make effort to visualise Unity in diversity and thereby attain Divinity. Only through Unity, Purity and Divinity can one experience bliss. You can never attain bliss if you do not give up the feeling of diversity and cultivate the spirit of Unity. People should recognise the intimate and inseparable relationship that exists between Unity, Purity and Divinity.”