Commentaries by Vee Jay Attri during the Book Study – Secrets of Karma
Let us continue with our study from the Secrets of Karma. We are reading on the Chosen path.
Some people are proud of their life and their accomplishments, including spiritual knowledge and look down upon others.
Actually there is nothing for you to be proud about. Whatever that you think you had accomplished, there is a very big element of what is called grace. Without divine grace, nothing ever is possible.
So, all the time keep expressing gratitude for the divine providence, for whatever that you have been provided with; your skills, your talents, material wealth. Everything is a manifestation of grace.
The moment you start taking pride out of whatever that you have or you think you have accomplished, the portion of the grace that has been supporting your life invisibly will gradually diminish. That is catastrophic for you. That is why humility, humility, humility! This is extremely extremely important.
Other day, I was listening to a saint, very very profound discourse he was giving. He said that at the beginning, when the Brahman had created Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, also called the Shankara, these three beings, they were nowhere. They did not know from where they had come and they really do not know who they are and what they are. So, this is basically in the initial stages of the creation of solar system, you can call it Brahmaand or maybe some other existence, some other dimension.
So, these three beings which have been created by the Brahman did not have an identity. It was the Brahman’s grace that actually gave an identity to even such great beings. Even at that level, if you don’t have the divine grace, it is impossible to recognise what you are and who you are and what you need to do.
Very very profound! I cannot actually put it in words because you have to blend with teaching to understand the depth of the teaching contained in this discourse, extraordinary. So, at that level, without divine grace nothing really works.
Now we at the human level, such a miniscule portion of the creation, we are proud about so many things. That is something very very puzzling to me. You are proud of this, you are proud of that, you are proud of your physical appearance, you are proud of your position, your status. Just in a fraction of a second everything changes; Anityam, asukam, lokam.
Anityam is impermanent, asukam – nothing ever can give you lasting happiness in the plane of matter. Keep at the back of the mind that it is an ever changing universe. Everything must change and will change.
It is not basically to be taken in a negative way thinking that, “Oh, I should not have any enjoyment!” No! Have all the pleasures, all the enjoyment. At the same time, keep at the back of your mind that everything will change and therefore no attachment. Anaasakt Vriti, a state of being detached, experiencing everything, at the same time at the back of my mind I am detached. I am not too attached to anything. That should be the ideal way of living.
They lack the wisdom to look at the ‘whole picture’ and do not know that all are bound by their karma and have to learn their lessons through the path that would support it.
So, if you come across an ignorant person, do not brand them as whatever because sometimes even the most intellectual person have to play a very very humble role because they have not conquered pride in some of their lifetime.
Nature puts them in a place where they will be compelled to be humble. They might be performing very miniscule activities, simple activities. At the same time, they have to maintain a very very low profile. I have seen these kind of people. You might be thinking that they are all duffers.
I have seen people making jokes out of these great saints and suddenly, when their real nature came, they regretted so much. Same thing happened with even Mahatma Gandhi. So many great saints have been taken for granted.
When Paramahamsa Yogananda, for the first time he was actually planning to travel abroad, the person who was sitting at the visa office, he was actually thinking he is basically a snake charmer and he was insulted even during the time when he was actually getting into the ship by the captain or somebody, I don’t remember exactly.
So, people will take you granted easily just by your appearance. You do not do this mistake because you do not know what the soul is undergoing and what is the greatness of the soul. All the time, give respect. This is so important. It doesn’t matter who that person is, from your side do not take anybody for granted. Then, this karma will come back to you that people will also take you for granted.
They do not realise that while some are busy doing enriching and rewarding activities, others could be engaged in ordinary activities out of necessity to balance their karma, while laying the foundation for building greater things.
So, it is about the package with which all of us are here. We are here to do a specific thing, it might be a very insignificant activity, it does not matter. That particular insignificant activity alone will provide you the lesson that you are expected to get.
Don’t try to imitate another person’s role. That is a foolish thing. You don’t have to compare yourself with anybody. Yes, you can all the time look at great people as a role model and follow what they have been doing but it is not intended to do their job.
Everybody comes with a specific job. Some are here to make the people religious, some are here to make the people spiritual, some are here to make the people material. Everybody is playing their role perfectly well. You have to transcend the need for any judgement.
Sometimes, whom you think is a very materialistic person could be a very highly evolved spiritual person. You are seeing them as materialistic because the soul has to experience what it means to be materialistic. So, people who have been on their extreme levels of spirituality, the nature puts them in a path where they expected to experience what it means to be material.
After that part is over, suddenly the awakening comes and the soul will start skyrocketing in front of you, they would be superseding. These are all things we had witnessed, not in one or two years, over four decades we have been witnessing all this. Therefore, we need to be very very careful about all this.
The episode of the Pandavas in exile in the Mahabharata gives a good account of this.
So, there is a scripture by name Mahabharata, we are actually having a story. No need to go into religion because we are beyond religion. However, the scriptures contain enormous wisdom. You need to go into the essence of the teachings, not looking at the scripture itself or the religion that it is coming from.
On their thirteenth and last year in exile, the five Pandavas with their common wife Draupadi, had to be very careful lest they had to serve another twelve years in exile if found by Prince Duryodhana before completion of the exile period.
Strangely, in most of the Eastern scriptures you will find that the main hero of the scripture goes on exile; for example, in Ramayana, Lord Rama and his family had to go on exile for fourteen years. Here, in Mahabharata, the Pandavas had to repeat the same activity.
So, it seems to be quite common in those days for the wise and the good hearted to suffer in many many ways, including going in exile.
So all the six of them…
Meaning the five Pandavas, the brothers and with their common wife Draupadi.
So, all six of them went to the kingdom of Matsya and approached King Virata for a suitable job.
They went to another kingdom called Matsya, which was ruled by a great King called Virata and they were actually seeking for a job. Remember, they are all actually from the royal lineage but they are now actually maintaining a low profile because of the need of the hour.
The eldest among the Pandavas, Yudhisthira, offered himself as a learned Brahman and told the king: “I am Kanka (they had actually changed their name now) and I am well versed in matters of the kingdom.” Offering himself as a cook, Bhima, who had an insatiable appetite for good food said :“I am Ballava and, like Nala…
Nala was actually traditionally supposed to be one of the greatest cooks.
…and like Nala I can prepare the best food for you.” Arjuna, the mighty archer,
One of the greatest archers in the times!
…wore the clothes of a woman and presented himself as a dance instructor and said, “I am Brihanalla.
Meaning, he was basically at that time if I am not mistaken, due to some curse or some other reason, he was actually been turned into a eunuch. So, that is why he was portrayed as a dance trainer in a feminine body.
I have learnt the art directly from the Apsaras.”
Apsaras are basically names of the inner world, we call it the paradise. So, there were all the dancers in the paradise.
In this way, Nakula became Damagranthi and offered himself as a groom of horses, Sahadeva became Tantipala, the physician of cows while the most beautiful woman, Draupadi, became Sairandhri, the Queen’s beautician.
Thus, the mighty Pandavas who had royal blood and were heirs of the great kingdom of Hastinapur had to play the meek role of royal servants.
If ever you are already playing this kind of a role, do not be disheartened. There is always a divine purpose in everything that happens. Understand that in the eyes of justice, under the compassionate hands of God, we are ever safe, there is nothing to worry about. All that is needed is from your side, regardless of the role that you are expected to play, play it with 100% commitment, not even 99.99%, 100% commitment.
Do it in the perfect and in the best possible way. Play your role exemplarily, so perfectly, that is all is expected and while you are playing whatever role that you are assigned, keep looking for the lessons and get the lessons correctly. When the right time comes, everything will turn around, that is the promise of the great ones.
Further reading: Secrets of Karma, Page 115-116