Practical Vedanta

Practical Vedantaa plague comes, it is I; if a tiger comes, it is I. If death comes, it is I. I am bothdeath and life. We see that fear comes with the idea that there are two in theuniverse. We have always heard it preached, "Love one another". What for? Thatdoctrine was preached, but the explanation is here. Why should I love every one?Because they and I are one. Why should I love my brother? Because he and I areone. There is this oneness; this solidarity of the whole universe. From the lowestworm that crawls under our feet to the highest beings that ever lived — all havevarious bodies, but are the one Soul. Through all mouths, you eat; through allhands, you work; through all eyes, you see. You enjoy health in millions ofbodies, you are suffering from disease in millions of bodies. When this ideacomes, and we realise it, see it, feel it, then will misery cease, and fear with it.How can I die? There is nothing beyond me. Fear ceases, and then alone comesperfect happiness and perfect love. That universal sympathy, universal love,universal bliss, that never changes, raises man above everything. It has noreactions and no misery can touch it; but this little eating and drinking of theworld always brings a reaction. The whole cause of it is this dualism, the idea thatI am separate from the universe, separate from God. But as soon as we haverealised that "I am He, I am the Self of the universe, I am eternally blessed,eternally free" — then will come real love, fear will vanish, and all misery cease.Practical Vedanta9. Yajnavalkya and MaitreyiWe say, "That day is indeed a bad day on which you do not hear the name of theLord, but a cloudy day is not a bad day at all." Yâjnavalkya was a great sage. Youknow, the Shastras in India enjoin that every man should give up the world whenhe becomes old. So Yajnavalkya said to his wife, "My beloved, here is all mymoney, and my possessions, and I am going away." She replied, "Sir, if I had thiswhole earth full of wealth, would that give me immortality?" Yajnavalkya said,"No, it will not. You will be rich, and that will be all, but wealth cannot give usimmortality." She replied, "what shall I do to gain that through which I shallbecome immortal? If you know, tell me." Yajnavalkya replied, "You have beenalways my beloved; you are more beloved now by this question. Come, take yourseat, and I will tell you; and when you have heard, meditate upon it." He said, "Itis not for the sake of the husband that the wife loves the husband, but for the sakeof the Âtman that she loves the husband, because she loves the Self. None lovesthe wife for the sake of the wife; but it is because one loves the Self that one lovesfile:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Chitra%20Selva...oksBySwami/PracticalVedanta/PracticalVedantaPDF.html (73 of 113)2/26/2007 12:24:33 AM