In the previous episode, we once again laid stress on why we should ensure the well-being of all living creatures in this world, including plants, trees, insects, animals, etc. Apart from maintaining the ecological balance in the world as per the modern-day science, this is the best way to control our mind and its wanderings. If we offer our services dedicatedly to animals, our ego would drastically come down and our mind would get matured to strive forward towards attaining Moksha. Saying thus, Rishabha Deva has sowed the seed for a huge phenomenon that our Sanaathana Dharma talks about, which is virtually absent in other religious texts.
Thus, one thing is clear here – It is never easy to attain Moksha, however, having said that, it is not impossible either. We should put the right effort in the right direction, so as to reach the ultimate goal. Having charted down the clear direction thus, there are instances of various people following this course of direction and thereby attained Moksha. Bhagawan Krishna too outlines similar pathways to reach Moksha in His Bhagawad Gita and as Bhagawan is explaining thus, Arjuna asks back, “Oh Vasudeva! It seems to me that you’re talking about something that is out of my reach! In fact, it’s not only me – It feels as if you’re talking something in the air! Who has ever performed all what you’re describing?” Bhagwan Krishna answers back thus, “Oh Arjuna! Please don’t come to the conclusion that whatever I say is impossible to perform! There are people who’ve performed whatever I say and have attained Moksha thereby! For instance, King Janaka – He was a meticulous follower of ‘Karma Yoga’ and thereby with that ‘Saadhana’, he attained Moksha. Similarly, there are various examples to prove that there were people who’ve done it in the past!”
Thus the point here is that, attaining Moksha is possible for all of us, provided we follow the path and the guidance provided by our Sanaathana Dharma scriptures and through the divine grace of the Spiritual Master.
Moving on thus, Rishabha Deva continues his accord and now he focuses on some more important points. He explains why we should be able to differentiate between our “Atman” and “Shareera” (Physical body). We should understand that the Atman is the one that is permanent, and the physical body is temporary and susceptible to changes as we age. Moreover, to continue on the point of focusing our mind towards our Atman and Bhagawan, we should make it a practice to chant His names, sing His songs and possibly be amidst a group of like-minded people who are also totally focused on Bhagawan (Satsanga).
Of course, the first point of understanding the differentiation between the Atman and the physical body is the basic fundamental principle of “Advaita”, which almost all of us know by now. We’ve witnessed several explanations of this in the past as well and I’m not going into describing it again. Now coming to the second point – Chanting of Bhagawan’s names and singing in praise of Him – This is an important way through which we can turn in our mind towards Bhagawan. The moment we involve ourselves in chanting a Mantra, perform constant “Japa” (repeated recital of the Mantra), or singing Bhagawan’s glories in the form of simple songs, our distractions into the external world slowly starts coming down. This is all about how we engage our mind at the end of the day! If we’re able to give quality inputs to our mind, it is going to get reformed better and better every passing day. This is exactly why our parents, grandparents and our ancestors have heavily emphasized that we should learn “Slokas”, “Mantras”, sections of the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagawad Gita, etc. right from our childhood days. The moment our mind is exposed to a spiritual atmosphere at home, the mind starts getting matured at a tender age itself, and therefore, all sorts of external distractions that might come at a later stage of our life could be avoided easily.
Moreover, as Rishabha Deva rightly points out, associating ourselves with a group of like-minded and spiritually oriented people is also of paramount importance. This process is known as “Satsanga” or “Saadhu-Samaagama”. If we’re part of a spiritual group, it opens up opportunities to know and understand a variety of things. For instance, nowadays we see different types of spiritual groups such as “Vishnu Sahasranaama Group”, “Lalitha Sahasranaama Group”, “Ramayana discussion group”, etc. which are totally dedicated to some great causes. The point to emphasize here as a corollary is that, if we offer prayers by chanting slokas like Vishnu Sahasranaama or Lalitha Sahasranaama together as a group, the positive effect and vibrations that get generated is too huge to comprehend! Therefore we often emphasize that if we offer prayers, it is always preferred to offer it in a group, rather than at an individual level.
Of course, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t do our regular prayers at home, which we do it individually. We should of course do all of it too as part of our regular routine. However, in addition to that, we should also make it a point that we associate ourselves as part of a group and discuss spiritual matters, pray together, chant slokas together, sing together, etc. This would certainly add to the benefit of the world, as well as would aid our spiritual progress further.
We might ask few questions here at this juncture – Although all said and done, is it a mandate that we should associate ourselves with a group? Why can’t I follow the principles of Sanaathana Dharma all by myself? Won’t there be unwanted politics and gossips if two or more people come together? Thus, rather than doing some constructive things, won’t we end up doing unwanted activities that would be counter-productive for us to reach Moksha? Let’s wait till the next episode to answer these questions! Stay tuned! 😊
The Indian Dharma 