How to accept the choiceless? - 1992 talk

In our culture, the life of an individual is to be governed by the teaching of the Vedas. Vedas are otherwise known as Shruti and therefore, an individual life should be in keeping with the Shruti just as a musician’s music should be in keeping with Shruti. If the Shruti is behind and if the musician is aware of the Shruti then his music will be enjoyable. Not only he himself enjoys but in the process he gives enjoyment to others also. If the support of Shruti is not there and if the music becomes Apashruti, it is not only a problem for him but it is terrible for other people also. In the same way, if our life is governed by the teaching of Shruti our life will be like music.

The Vedas or Shruti has no origin. It has been coming down in the form of a Parampara - Anādi Parampara, the author is unknown. That is why they say it is Shruti - it is heard. From where it was heard, nobody knows. Therefore we say it is Apourushēyam. It is not created by human being or we say that it is a gift from the Lord himself.

We classify this Shruti teaching into two parts. The first part of the Shruti or the Veda deals with our common problems in life. Every human being, while living, is going to face lot of situations in life which create lot of mental problem, emotional strains, worries, and depression. We only have to ask an individual how he is. Then the stories will come. My son is like this, my daughter is like this, or daughter-in-law, sonin-law or husband or family etc.

            This emotional problem is unique to human beings. Animals don’t face this problem. They don’t feel the separation from their children. They happily grow up and happily get separated. You don’t see a cow crying because the daughter or the child goes somewhere else. So the first part of the Veda deals with the mental problems of a human being.

            If you analyze, all our mental problems can be reduced to one basic problem. The problem is that we are not able to accept some of the situations that we are facing. If you take hatred, you will find I hate a person because I am not able to accept his behavior, his character, his way of life.

            Take anger or irritation - again you analyze that it can be reduced to one problem; I am not able to accept my son’s behavior therefore I am angry. Take jealousy problem - again we traced down to one thing that I am not able to accept my neighbor’s prosperity, I am not able to accept my neighbor son’s first rank my son getting the second or third. Thus you take jealousy you take hatred, you take fear. What is fear? I am not able to accept the future that may come to me. Thus, you can see that all our emotional problems can be traced to one fundamental problem. What is that? I am not able to accept certain situations in life, certain people in life, and certain things in life.

            Now Veda tries to give lot of Parihārams for the situation. In fact varieties of rituals are prescribed, varieties of Pujas, Japa, Tapa, pilgrimage because Veda believes that many of the situations can be changed, cured - remedy is possible.

But Veda itself accepts one thing. It is that for many situations, remedies are there but there are many other situations for which remedy is not there. That is why we divide our Vidhi or Prārabdha into two types - Durbala Prārabdha, Prabala Prārabdha.

            Durbala Prārabdha means a weaker problem, a weaker situation over which I have control. I can use my free will; I can work out a solution. But there are certain types of Prārabdhas or Karmas which we call Prabalam wherein you will find that there is no solution.

You do Puja, you do pilgrimage, you do charity, try astrology method, palmistry method, Pakshi Josyam, including back magic but nothing provides a remedy. Now Veda accepts that there are certain Aparihārya Artha; To use Krishna’s expression - tasmad aparihārye arthe.

            Aparihārya means there is simply no remedy. It is a simple common sense that what cannot be cured, should be endured, and accepted. You don’t require a great logic for that. We know that we have to accept but we resist.

            We know that all doors are closed and we have no other way out, we have to accept. The intellect tells me to accept. But my mind refuses to accept. So herein we find that the mind is incapable of facing the situation. It refuses to accept some situations in life.

So when such an emotion pain, depression, frustration etc. come. What is the logic behind it?  Let me give you an example:  Imagine a father who has fixed the son’s or daughter’s going abroad. He has fixed for higher studies and he is crying when they go away.

I ask him why do you cry and he says it is because the son is going away or daughter is going away. Then I say you yourself have fixed it; then don’t send them. Then he says no, I want them to study. So you only have planned, you know that is good for the son or daughter and then why do you cry?  

He says, what to do I have to cry. So we find a situation where whatever logical argument we give, those arguments do not seem to be meaningful. The mind continues to have depression, suspicion etc where intellect fails in addressing the emotional problem.

When there is such an emotional problem, mind is not able to face even when intellect tells that there is no other way other than acceptance. Then, what can be done? If the situation cannot be changed, then the only way to peace is the change the mind by accepting the situation.  

But I know mind has to accept but I am not able to accept. Then, we say that if the mind is not able to accept what it has to accept, it only means the mind is weaker. All emotional problems are not an indication of a weak intellect. Intellect is wonderful, brilliant, sharp, and capable of analyzing even Vedanta in depression.

He is so depressed but still he analyses Vedanta. That means that intellect is not weak but the mind is not strong enough to face what it has to face. Then what to do? The only remedy is mind has to be strengthened. And, ONLY you can strengthen your mind and no one else.

The best method is to gather strength from a source where the strength is available. This alone is called Sharanāgati, surrender, devotion to the Lord. Don’t ask me what the logic is. When the emotional problem is illogical, I need not give you any logic for the solution.

For faith there is no logic because for emotional non-acceptance there is no logic. In the case of faith also there is no logic. Even though it is illogical, emotional problem is there. Similarly, even though there is no logic in faith, faith works. So for a non-logical problem the solution is also non-logical.

Karmanyē vādhi kāraste mā phalēshu kadāchana mā karma-phala-heturbhūr mā tesangostva karmani

Mayi sarvāni karmāni sansayādhyātma chētasa nirāsīr nirmamo bhūtvā yudhyasva vigata jvaraha

           

            There is only one remedy and that is surrender to the Lord who is infinite source of strength. “O lord give me the strength to face what cannot be changed. O lord give the strength to accept or face what cannot be changed”.

This is not to solve our intellectual problem. This is only to solve our emotional weakness and it is only to strengthen our emotional personality. And this is the entire Karma Kānda or the first portion of the Veda which deals with religion. Religion helps to solve some of the problems and religion helps to accept the unsolvable problem.    

Religion gives method of solving what can be solved. Religion gives the strength to accept what cannot be solved. And once a person has gathered sufficient emotional strength he is able to accept or receive the impact, the onslaught of lot of emotional strain.

And once the emotional problem has been reduced to some extent then intellectual problems begin to raise its foot. Because when a particular situation comes, the mind asks the question why should I get this problem?

Yesterday there was an item in the newspaper. There is a tennis player called Tracy Austin. She was the youngest player to win the US Open championship at age16 year. She won the championship twice and she was having a wonderful future and at that time she suffers a big accident. She had some knee injury and her future is totally wiped out. Now she is not able to play but she can only do commentary. The media interviewed Tracy who said: Even though it was a terrible accident, I was unlucky to lose my knee but I was lucky enough to survive.  

Any other person would have spent a lot of time thinking why me? Why should it happen to me? What is this all about? Why should that person die? He is all the time singing about Lords glory, devotee of Swamiji and why should it happen to that person? What happens to Karma? What will happen to rebirth? What will be this? What will be that? Then they themselves answer saying it is all KARMA.

If a person has got sufficient intellect, he will ask the question, how did that Karma come? Because I have not done any Pāpa, I have been a nice person, a devotee going to temple, every Guru Poornima I don’t miss. Why should I get? Then the answer is that it is all because of Pūrva Janma Karma.

Then he asks the question, how did the Pūrva Karma come? - It is because of the last birth. How did the last birth come? – It is because of its last birth. How did that last birth come? It is because of its last birth. Then how did all this happen? Slowly the mind becomes philosophical.

Once the emotional problems are solved to some extent, the intellectual or philosophical problems begin to occupy. I am not able to accept everything is predetermined. When everybody says that everything is predetermined, I ask the question, predetermined by whom? Somebody says it is predetermined by God.

Then I get a doubt. God determines that a musician should die in an accident? God determines that an innocent person should be killed by a terrorist? God determines that there should be a famine in Africa? God determines all the things? Why should I worship that God?

A sadistic terrible God who kills all the people, who creates terrorists why should I worship that God?  Therefore, either you raise the questions about God, or you raise question about the world, or you begin to raise question about your very life.

If everything is predetermined, my effort has no meaning. Then why should I work? Why should I study? - Because whether I will get a job or not is predetermined. Why should I marry and why should I get children? - Because the future is going to be determined by some destiny.

Therefore, we get into a philosophical problem of why live at all. And the entire struggle to ultimately to die? All unions are meant for separation. Why union at all? All growth will only lead to death so why put any efforts for growth at all?

Initially, what questions? - Emotional problems. And you ask a question who created the world? He will give you one slap. So when emotional problems are there, philosophical problems do not appear large. But once you are able to deal with emotional problems to some extent then fundamental questions come. To answer these philosophical questions: Why live? What is destination? What should I achieve? Is there any meaning in all achievements? For such questions, the second part of the Veda, the philosophical portions of the Veda come and they solve all intellectual quests for the fundamental questions.

Thus, the religion helps to solve or face emotional problems (religion means faith in God) and philosophy helps in solving the intellectual philosophical questions. And once we have tackled both of them, the intellect subsides with satisfaction. The mind also placated with a solution or acceptance. And then our life becomes smooth.

This is in short the content of the Shruti or Veda. But even though Veda contains this wonderful treasure to solve the emotional and intellectual or philosophical problems, Veda teaches not in direct method. Veda uses peculiar method; A method which cannot be directly understood.

Therefore, we require a key to open the Veda, and get its teaching. It is just like the person in the following experience - once we went to beach with someone, and he had brought some nice dinner dishes. Then, one of the persons does not like the regular side dish. Therefore, he bought the tomato sauce. There was no opener. He had to keep it, look at it and eat. You have a side dish but you cannot use that. Similarly, Veda has got wonderful solution for emotional and intellectual problem but unless we have a key there is no use.

That key is called Sāmpradaya, method of teaching, method of unfolding. This key also has been coming down in the form of Anādi Parampara. Just as the Veda itself has been Anādi, the key to the Veda has been coming down.

 Just as there are some books which contain the questions and a key in the backside similarly, the key for Veda also has been coming down. That alone we call as Mīmāmsa. Pūrvamīmāmsa is the key to the first portion of the Veda. The Uttara Mīmāmsa is the key to the final portion of the Veda.

Mīmāmsa (Sāmpradaya) is the method of bringing out the teaching. And this key has been maintained in the form of Guru-Sishya Parampara, which alone we said - nārāyanam padmabhuvam vasishtam shakthim cha tat putra parāsaram cha vyāsam sukham gouda padam mahāntham etc. - The Guru-Sishya Parampara.

Thus, Nārayana is the author of both - not only the Veda but also the opener. The food is Veda and the opener is Mīmāmsa. Even though it has been coming down in the form of the traditional teaching, the credit of putting both the Veda and the Mīmāmsa in written form goes to Vyāsāchārya.

Even though, Guru-Sishya Parampara started from Nārāyanam padmabhuvam vasishtam etc, Vyāsāchārya gets the glory of being a pioneer in which he has unfolded the Pūrva Mīmāmsa portion in the form of Dharma Shāstra which is there in all the Purānās and also in his Vyāsa Smruti etc. He has brought out the Pūrva Bhāga of the Vedas.

Vyāsāchārya has contributed to the Pūrva Mīmāmsa or the Dharma Shāstra. He has equally contributed to the second part in the form of his Brahma Sūtras. It is called Uttara Mīmāmsa Sūtrāni or Vyāsa Sūtrāni, or Bādarāyana Sūtrāni. They deal with the deeper philosophical problems, intellectual problems.

When a person is emotionally depressed, we don’t tell him the Brahma Sūtras - athātho brahma jignyāsā, janmā dyasya yataha. This person has lost money in business. You have to give some Parihāra. You will find that Sanyāsis will have two things - when a person comes with depression they give Vibhūti. What is the logic? No logic, but it works.

There is no logical solution to emotional problem. But the very same person has come with intellectual quest and he is ready, emotionally cool then, I will start with sādhana chatushtaya sampannādhikārinām, I start Ēsāvāsyamidam sarvam. Thus Vyāsa has contributed to the solution of emotional problem, to the solution of philosophical, intellectual problem.

Therefore, Vyasa is considered as our Mukhya Guru. Even though Bhagavān is the original Guru, Ādi Guru but Vyāsāchārya has given the teaching in a form that we can understand through the Purānās, through the Brahma Sūtras etc. After Vyāsāchārya alone, Sankarāchārya has further elaborated and then we have got this tradition.

Therefore, when the Sanyāsis start their Chārturmāsya Vratam - Chārturmāsya Vratam is a Vratam which Sanyāsis generally follow beginning from today onwards. Chārturmāsya Vratam means four months they don’t go anywhere which means that the other eight months they should be moving around. In this time they stay in one place, do Swādhyāya and do Pravachana and propagate this teaching.

This Chārturmāsya Vratam of Sanyāsis begins today, and today they start their Vratam with Vyāsa Pūja. That is why it is called Vyāsa Pournami or Guru Poornima or Guru Pournami etc. We not only offer to Pūja to Vyāsa, we offer Pūja to all Guru’s up to our immediate guru. sadāsiva samārambhām sankarāchārya madhyamām etc.

And we choose Vyāsa and not Sankarāchārya because Sankarāchārya is not accepted by all the people. Visishtādvaiti will talk about Ramānujachārya, Dvaitis will talk about Madhvāchārya. Therefore, there is a controversy. But all the people whether they are Visishtādvaitis, or Dvaitis or Advaitis, all the different systems of philosophy, agree upon one person as their Achārya and that is Vyāsa.

Therefore by consensus, we decide to worship Vyāsāchārya and that is done today. Thereafter wards, we are supposed to study our Shāstra learning. Therefore, on this day we pray to the Guru Parampara so that we will be able to study the scriptures and also strengthen ourselves emotionally so that I will have a shock absorber to face any situation. On this auspicious day, we will also pray to the Lord as well as Vyāsāchārya and Guru-Sishya Parampara for us to get strength and knowledge.