Asserted Topics:
The state of upshama (tranquility) and the means to achieve it.
Key Points:
- Why do the pancha visaya (five sensory objects) cause birth and death for others, but not for the devotees of God?
- The state of upshama.
- Serving God’s devotees with humility and urgency makes achieving upshama easier.
Explanation:
In this Vachanamrut, Shreeji Maharaj poses a question to the assembly of ascetics (muni mandala). He explains that all living beings derive their life essence from the pañcha viṣaya (five sensory objects). Without them, their existence becomes impossible. Maharaj likens this to a fish that swims, plays, and thrives in water, but loses its vitality and dies flailing when removed from it. Similarly, the pañcha viṣaya have become a life force for living beings, just as water is to fish.
A living being either engages externally with the pañcha viṣaya or internally contemplates them when external engagement is unavailable. Such beings cannot exist even for a moment without experiencing or contemplating the pañcha viṣaya. Among these, the contemplation of sensory experiences—either remembered or imagined—is the primary cause of their repeated cycles of birth and death (janma-maraṇa).
Even liberated souls (jīvanmukta) may engage with gross sensory objects. As Maharaj states, even accomplished sages like Narad and Shukadev partake in sensory experiences when not in a state of deep meditation (samādhi). However, this interaction is purely to sustain their bodily functions and is not a cause for their cycles of birth and death, as they do not dwell on or ruminate over the essence of these experiences.
For bound souls, the root cause of janma-maraṇa lies in the indulgent and repetitive contemplation (chintavan) of the sensory essence of the pañcha viṣaya, either after experiencing them or even without direct contact.
Maharaj gives an example: A banyan tree remains green because of its roots. Even if a large banyan tree is uprooted entirely, but a single small root remains attached to the soil, the tree stays alive. Similarly, if external sensory indulgence is renounced but internal contemplation persists, it becomes the root cause of rebirth (janma-maraṇa).
This illustrates the dominance, destructiveness, and malignancy of the pañcha viṣaya. The question then arises: if these pañcha viṣaya also affect devotees of the supreme God, why do they not lead to janma-maraṇa for them?
The saints could not provide a satisfactory answer, so Maharaj clarified. A devotee who perceives the three bodily layers—gross, subtle, and causal—as distinct from their true self (ātmā), and instead meditates solely on the divine form of the supreme God (Parmeshwar), attains the state of upshama. This state of upshama protects the devotee from being bound by the pañcha viṣaya.
Maharaj provides an analogy: When a powerful river like the Sabarmati or Mahi floods both its banks, elephants, horses, and trees may all be swept away, and nothing can withstand the current. Similarly, in the state of upshama, even if delightful sensory objects are presented before a devotee, their inward vision (antar-dṛṣṭi) renders these objects insignificant, as if they were forgotten remnants of past lives. This forgetfulness arises naturally in a devotee who has attained upshama.
Two Analogies for Understanding Upshama:
- A flood: Just as a raging flood overtakes its banks, a devotee’s intense remembrance (smarana) of God’s form creates a similar surge of divine focus, overwhelming all sensory attractions.
- A devoted longing: Consider a mother eagerly awaiting her son’s return from a distant land, constantly thinking of him with love and anticipation, or a devoted wife remembering her husband who has gone abroad. The flow of this emotional remembrance is akin to how a devotee contemplates God.
Maharaj further provides another example: Imagine a newlywed couple separated after walking barefoot for three days without rest. When they finally meet, the exhaustion from their journey renders all sensory desires insignificant. Similarly, when a devotee’s contemplation of God intensifies, worldly objects lose their allure entirely. This state is known as upshama.
This state of upshama is immensely glorious. It ensures that the pañcha viṣaya (five sensory objects) no longer serve as the cause of birth and death. Such a state is achieved by transcending the three bodies—gross, subtle, and causal—and continuously contemplating Maharaj’s divine murti (form).
At this point, Nityanand Swami humbly requested Maharaj, “Oh Maharaj! The method to attain upshama that you have described seems extremely difficult. Is there an easier method?”
In response, Maharaj revealed another method, saying that a devotee who deeply understands God’s greatness and has unwavering faith in serving, worshipping, and beholding God and His devotees can also attain the state of upshama. Maharaj explained that just as gross sensory objects are separate from their essence, similarly, the act of service (seva) is distinct from the essence of service (sevaras). A devotee who finds genuine joy in serving God’s devotees achieves this state of upshama.
The distinction between gross service (sthula-seva) and the essence of service (sevaras) is crucial. While the essence of sensory objects leads to birth and death, the essence of service (sevaras) brings about upshama. This sevaras uproots the very causes of birth and death and fills the devotee’s heart with a flood of devotion (bhakti-rasa), much like the torrents of the Mahi or Sabarmati rivers. At the same time, sevaras dries up and removes the sensory influences entirely. However, it is essential for a devotee to grasp sevaras while engaging in service. Maharaj emphasized that no other method to attain upshama is as potent and accessible as this one.
The Challenge of Sevaras:
Maharaj highlighted a significant difficulty associated with sevaras. While serving, before a devotee experiences the essence of service, they often encounter the essence of ego (mānaras). This egoistic pleasure becomes an intoxicating addiction. Since service often increases the devotee’s recognition among others, leading to admiration, honor, and praise, the devotee begins to enjoy this mānaras (joy of pride). Over time, this attachment to recognition distracts them from achieving upshama, replacing the fruits of service with this corrupting addiction.
Maharaj declared, “We do not favor service performed with ego. Such service is as unappealing as eating stale grain once a year. Even though we, as merciful as the ocean, continue to sustain ordinary beings for their spiritual progress, such service does not lead to the exalted state of upshama. It results in the equivalent of planting a sapling that fails to grow due to poor care.”
Instead, Maharaj instructed that if a devotee serves with humility, becoming “a servant of servants,” and cultivates steadfast faith in service and darshan, they will achieve the state of upshama.
The Role of Effort and Urgency:
Subsequently, Shukmuni inquired, “What about those who lack discernment or wisdom? How can they please God?”
Maharaj replied, “Were Mulji Brahmachari, Ratanji, or the Ayodhyawasi particularly wise? Even so, their intense desire (khap) and yearning for liberation enabled them to please God.”
Thus, Maharaj clarified that achieving upshama, pleasing God, or becoming free from the cycles of birth and death does not necessarily require great intellect. Instead, it requires an intense yearning (khap) and urgency (garaj). Without this urgency, even the most intelligent individuals cannot overcome the suffering caused by the cycles of birth and death. Maharaj remarked, “In this spiritual path, yearning and urgency are far more important than intelligence. When a devotee possesses these qualities, they naturally develop an interest in service and eventually attain the state of upshama.”