Last Birth

 

Self-Realization & Liberation

Vijayalaxmi: Will I have another birth?

Sage Agastya: Mother, it is God’s duty that when a devotee asks for a boon, he must grant it immediately. However, sometimes if the boon that is asked gives rise to a little reluctance, then it creates a difficult situation.

We are not allowed to normally give a clear response to such questions, because it is against the wishes of fate. You have a question arising in your heart, on why I gave a clear response to your husband (Gajaraj Swamigal) regarding this, but not you. His situation is different from yours.

Yet, let me answer the question. A situation may arise when others ask your husband that same question. You did not ask this question for your own sake. I made you ask this question for the sake of the people of the world.

If anyone asks a question on whether this is their last birth, the response is the same for everyone. If a person desires that he should attain the state where this shall be his last birth, then what are the characteristics that the person needs to have?

The philosophy is this - the microcosm is a small particle that has come out of the macrocosm. The microcosm that has emerged out of the macrocosm yearns to return to the state where it can merge once again with the macrocosm.

When a man is born, his actions and thoughts are desirous of committing unrighteous acts. His soul will not be freed and attain liberation unless he completely forgets these unrighteous ways. Once he does that, his birth is complete, and he will not have rebirth.

I will now explain what a person has to do to attain liberation through his efforts, behavior, intellect, and practice of meditation.

Who am I? What is soul? Where has it come from? Where does it need to go? First, this needs to be understood. To understand this people need books and lectures. This is what is known as knowledge or higher understanding. Once that understanding comes, then such a person must pray to God, and find a Guru.

After experiencing materials, physical intimacy, and gold as allowed at the stipulated age, man must get rid of his desires for these things. He must reflect on each one of them.

It is natural that man must have a desire for each of these, based on the phase of life. However, despite having experienced them, if one wants it repeatedly, that will give rise to repeated births.

Desire multiplies in the place where there is a hankering to fulfill excessive wants. Certain people, after acquiring something, do not want to give it up. They want to hold on to it all the time and hence keep fueling their desire for it. When such people refuse to part with those things and try to hold on to those things, desire keeps building up.

Lust is that which comes from attachment, that turns to desire. Lust occurs when one has obtained something and wants to experience it excessively.

Next is greed. When one holds on to something more than the norm, then that person loses power of discernment. Which means, they will not understand the difference between right and wrong. Righteousness is lost when greed comes to the fore.

For example, seeking money is a desire. Looking at money constantly and finding joy in it is an attachment. Enjoying it without sharing it with others is lust. In such a situation, when one tries to gain money through wrong means, it becomes greed.

When one’s money increases, and the person doesn’t want to give it to another; and when that another tries to steal it from him; then getting displeased with him, when one acts out, that is called anger.

As one accumulates more and more money, and sees someone who is wealthier than him, and gets jealous of him, then that leads to the delusion of the mind.

Hence, the one who wants this to be the last birth, must not have the following: desire, lust, anger, greed, delusion, and arrogance.

The response to your answer is for you to reflect on each one of these. What is needed to end this cycle of life and death is the Vazhipaadu given to you all.

Have you followed all this? You have achieved a lot of purity. However, you still have a couple of blemishes that are present in an ordinary man.

If one has excessive and unnecessary desire or anger, then that person does not have the blessed opportunity to find liberation.

One must only think good in thought, words, and action. Reflect only on the good. Do only good. There is no good or bad in the creation of God. You yourselves have created these characters. That is why you look at another and judge them as good or bad. There is nothing bad or good for the Gnani. He does not consider anyone good or bad. He has neither affection nor hatred. Why? At the end, he even forgets the ‘I’ at the very end.

When there is no longer ‘I,’ there is no body, no mind, only soul remains. Understanding your soul this way is called ‘self-realization’ in English.

 

Secret of Life

 

Sage Agastya: Aum. There is no indication today that man has any concern whatsoever for the question of ‘What are we doing, and why’ or for morality and respect.

Many Gurus are preaching to their disciples during this period,. Even  they do not understand that the world is at the brink of destruction. They are not trying to teach these important things to their disciples.

In the olden days, Gurus gave good knowledge to their disciples. However, the Gurus of today have begun to change, as their status is changing in all aspects.

Each thinks that he is superior and only his blessings are the best. It is because of their disciples that these Gurus are changing. Gurus now desire money and materials, and want to construct ashrams, hospitals, schools, and colleges. They are more focused on how to run these institutions. They are beginning to forget the most important things - devotion and knowledge.

Secret of Life

Sage Agastya: Aum. Life is a game. We cannot see where it begins or where it ends. What one has seen is ‘life.’ What one gains from materials is seen as ‘happiness.’ What the five senses have seen and understood is perceived as ‘truth.’ This is how man thinks in the small fortress he builds for himself in earthly life. The ability for man to think about what is outside his small fortress is becoming lesser.

Very few have the opportunity to think “Where have I come from? why was I born? What path must I follow? Where should I reach at the end?”

Very few have the ability to avoid problems, to loosen themselves from the grip of life. They do not attempt to find a spiritual path or ponder on what is beyond life and desire to learn about it.

However, there are some who have done good work in their previous lives, who are finally seeing the light. They are reborn as ordinary mortals in this life but after sustaining pain and injury, and tripping in darkness, they are finally seeing a new light.

Once they see the light, then the desire to know where it comes from wells up within them. Seeing that light, such people leave the dark fortress that they were living in; momentarily find a little happiness in that light and attempt to understand where that light comes from.

This is when one sits in meditation with closed eyes to see where this joy comes from. It is then that they realize that they have not experienced this sacred joy before.

That is when they realize the difference between the pleasure they have experienced until now through their five senses and intellect; and the pure joy they experience through their soul.

He also learns another truth that these small pleasures do not last forever. In worldly pleasures, things like money, material, and intellect get used up. In a way this pleasure is like a business.

However, there is no give or take in the pure joy that wells up from within. The soul that is a small particle of the Absolute that is present within man remains immersed in joy always. It is still there.

Bliss, ecstasy, and joy are the permanent characteristics of the Absolute. To experience this one need not:

1.Spend money.

2.Acquire materials.

3.Use intellect.

However, what is required to understand this deep tunnel within us is knowledge, devotion, and the ability to surrender oneself to God.

A mother doesn’t ask the baby if it wants milk when she feeds it. She does not use her intellect for that.

In the same way, one who in complete faith expresses the desire to see the Absolute; such a man, sitting in meditation, forgetting his body, disconnecting himself from the sensations experienced through the five senses; pushing the mind that is a monkey outside; if he follows the light within him with his inner eyes, will understand where that light comes from.

That is when he realizes that he is a soul, and that the entire universe is hidden within him. With this inner material, he is able to realize wisdom and Supreme energy of the Absolute.

That is when he realizes that he is not just a body made of the five elements, it is not he, he is not the body. In addition, he realizes that he is not the tool that is called the intellect that he has been experiencing until now.

Whenever that veil or curtain is completely drawn, then the light dawns, wow! I am a soul. He gets the answer to the question where have I come from?

When he realizes that the microcosm is a part of the macrocosm, he understands the meaning of ‘Aham Brahmasmi.’ If he continues in this state, he realizes that all the living things in the outside world are a part of the macrocosm like himself.

In this state he realizes ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ which is, ‘I am that.’ This is the meaning of Supreme Knowledge.

Once he realizes that he is the aspect of the Absolute, man understands that he must return to the Absolute. He understands that achieving that is the right thing to do.

It is not wrong to experience or enjoy the materials required for the body and mind within limits, in the correct way, without violating righteousness.

If the soul must exist, it needs the covering of a body. There is a relationship between the living body and the soul. When life leaves and the soul becomes detached from the body, it gets disconnected from the clutches of karma and will reach the place it is supposed to reach. This is the secret of life.

Future of Mankind: Sage Agastya Speaks

 

Sage Agastya: Where are we headed? This is a burning question and a most practical one. Humanity is in floods; it is in turmoil. Everything seems upside down now. There is no stability, no spiritual guidance.

The flooding water flows over and under, bumps against rocks, squeezes out of holes, scratches the surface, pulls out roots, invites rubbish. It is full of force, and it stinks. This is how I visualize modern society. Devoid of direction but provided with a lot of energy, it knows not in which direction it should flow.

At this stage, it is not possible to stop the flow and create a beautiful lake out of it. It requires significant effort from various sources.

Neighboring mountains have to be blasted; and stones have to be piled one above the other to curtail its speed. Once the speed is slowed down, the banks have to be strengthened, and further inflow should be diverted. In short, this is an analogy to show what is required to change this dangerous course humanity has taken.

Man has lost all knowledge of the great scriptures. These scriptures in the form of Vedas, Shastras and Puranas have no value for him. Enormous knowledge rising out of scientific investigations and technology have created a mirage which is being perceived as the reality. People are searching for a fuller life in a mirage!

Modern man’s entire life is in this direction. He is going deeper and deeper into the process of investigation. It is literally also true that man is digging deeper into the earth, exploiting every bit of useful material available in the womb of mother earth. He has cut her stomach, is stabbing at her heart, and tearing at her lungs. What does all this indicate?

It indicates self-made destruction. We feel pained to witness all this wanton destruction and exploitation of nature and natural resources. Man is a symbol of unlimited greed.

What is the result of all this? The very natural resources that sustain life have been destroyed. That is why man is now buying clean water and clean air!

In the future, he will not be able to buy land. As things indicate, the powdered earth or soil itself will become dearer. This is the present condition of the relationship between man and his environment.

What about the relationship between man and society? Today, man is like a dust particle without stability of its own. A dust particle gets carried around by the wind, bumps against other particles, and finally settles down in a place it was not intended to settle. In the same way, man usually does not get the job he was intended to have. Instead, he settles down in other jobs by sheer force of circumstances.

There is no direction even in marriage. The proper selection process is not undertaken. Selection is based on outer appearance and material acquisition. That is why there are so many failures on the job front and marriages.

So also, his neighborhood. In big cities, people do not want to know their neighbors. This is the result of sheer indifference and lack of confidence in themselves. They do not want their neighbors to know the ills and sins committed by their families. They are afraid of losing their name, fame, and valuables.

I have touched upon three aspects of relationships, between man, his habitat, society, and his immediate neighbors.

What is the result? He has no love for others and others have none for him. In the absence of love, what is it that grows? It is hatred. Lack of love breeds hatred, jealousy, lack of confidence in himself and others. So, what does he do? He seeks all those materials, living and non-living that give him temporary relief.

What are the things that purportedly give him pleasure? In the modern world, it is going to parties, clubs, restaurants, movies, and picnics. These are all connected with the physical pleasures of eating and drinking. There is no end. There is no complete satisfaction. People get attached and addicted to these pleasures.

Addiction leads to submission. Submission leads to surrender and surrender leads to slavery. In short, the life of modern humans is slavery to time and emotions. Though he pretends and expresses that he is happy, this expression is born of his mind, not of his heart. It is superficial and empty. That is why man is neither happy nor content.

Each one of you can analyze your own friends, relatives, or acquaintances, keeping the above factors in mind. Are they happy?

How do you gauge happiness? It is seen in the health, in the glow in the eyes, purity of words, actions, and deeds. You should analyze these things to find out if a person is indeed happy.

Now the question is, how can we make a person really happy? Judge for yourself who is really happy in society? A poor man who can meet his physical needs for the day, appears to be happy. A child who does not know the full details of society is happy. A rich man who spends part of his money and wealth for those in need is happy. Then there are those who serve in old age homes, destitute homes, and so on. They are happy.

What does this show? It shows that those who lead a simple life are happy. Happy are those who share their love and profit with those who have them not. To sum up, it is in giving that you receive. It is in loving others that we get love. It is in pardoning others that we are pardoned. All this amounts to sacrificing and sharing. The moment you feel other souls as your own, you will be happy. So where does this lead us?

This leads to the ultimate point that every one of you must consider the others as your own soul. You are all part of one Absolute. Love every child as your own.

I understand that it is difficult in the modern world. You extend your hand to shake, and the other person does not react. Do not take it to heart. Just regard it as that person’s karma. He will also wake up at an appropriate time because the strength of the body and wealth and power of intelligence are never the same. They dissipate as time goes on. But remember, love multiplies as time passes.

Finally, the significance of this lecture. You[1] have a significant role in putting a dam across this mad stream. You have the ability to change humanity’s direction. One person cannot accomplish this.

So, in the beginning you will start changing the direction of individuals who come to you. When your purpose is pure and your preaching is effective, people who come in contact with you will change their direction. From them, few others will feel the change. When people who have changed their direction enjoy peace, contentment, and inner joy, they will know the purpose of their life. Small springs with pure water are then available for others who need it.

‘Vazhipaadu’ is meant to serve this purpose. It is a spring that is easily available, and easily tested. Give it to all those that need them.

Then addressing Gajaraj Swamigal, Sage Agastya said: People have already started coming to you one after another. A time will come when you address groups of them. When they change, that change will increase in geometric proportions. Once the lamp is lit, the flame can light an indefinite number of other lamps.

The initial flame belongs to the Supreme Knowledge of the Para Brahman. It flows through the Gurus, seen and unseen. You are all part of this wonderful cosmic intention!

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[1] Even though the discourse was given to Gajaraj Swamigal, his wife Vijayalakshmi and daughter Anuradha, as in all scriptures, these words are meant for everyone who reads these sacred words.

The Essence of Thirumandiram

 The Essence of Thirumandiram as given by Appa Agastya in Agasthiyar Vazhipaadu

What is Thirumandiram

A devotee Surya Kumar asked Sage Agastya, “What is the essence of Thirumandiram?”

Gajaraj Swamigal in turn posed the question to Sage Agastya: “Father, my relative (Surya Kumar) has placed this question before me unexpectedly[1]. What is the essence of Thirumandiram?”

Sage Agastya: This is a devotee’s question. In addition, this is a question that has come as a test to my devotee (Gajaraj).

Then addressing Lord Muruga, Sage Agastya said, "God of Knowledge, Vadivela (holder of the spear). Did you not disclose the essence of Thirumandiram to your own father that day? It is rare that such a question is being asked in Kali Yuga. Give me permission to explain this in a simple form."

This was the explanation given by the great Sage. 

A mantra is one that contains layers and layers of meaning and is uttered in a few words or a single word. Many are the great ones that have attempted to give different meanings to this substance at various times.

It is impossible to contain the essence and meaning of the word ‘Thiru’ in books, which bestows meaning to the contents of this great text.

It is that mantra that one chants in complete devotion when sitting in meditation trying to gain the ultimate realization of the Supreme.

That is Thirumandiram.

Essence of Thirumandiram

Combining the three qualities[2] into one,

Bringing together the Trinity that contain these three qualities,

Making the three into one,

Turning the one into light,

Making that light small,

While chanting the Aum mantra in the mind,

When the mantra itself disappears from one’s mind,

When one attains nothingness,

And the soul merges with the Supreme,

That which is the essence of liberation,

That is Thirumandiram!

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[1] Gajaraj Swamigal had not heard the word Thirumandiram before.

[2] Three qualities: Tamas, Sattva and Rajas are considered three important qualities that are present in everyone and everything. The proportion of the quality differs in each. Tamas is ignorance, inertia, violence, and laziness. Sattva is goodness, purity, calmness and harmony and Rajas is passion, activity, dynamism, and movement. It is their interplay that defines physical and psychological character and nature. In cosmology, all these three gunas are combined in the primal matter, the universe. Consciousness or purusha which is changeless is beyond and separate from Prakriti., the created.