Children, many people ask Amma what a human being’s real dharma, or duty, is. The goal of human life is to know oneself. In other words, we should know the answers to the questions “Who am I?” “What is my real nature?” This is our ultimate duty. If not, what is the difference between human beings, on the one hand, and animals and worms, on the other? They too are born, they too grow up, procreate and die. But unlike human beings, animals do not form new habits or forge new karmic bonds because they do not deviate from their natural duty and because they live without violating natural laws at all. And human beings? We suffer, make others suffer, and finally fall prey to death. In this way, we are slowly sinking below the level of animals.
Amma remembers a story. A mahatma (enlightened soul) was conversing with a man who had come to see him. The sage asked the man, “What are you working as?”
“As a clerk in a company.”
“What will you be promoted to next?”
“To a senior clerk,” the man replied.
The mahatma asked again, “After that?”
“Assistant to the head of department.”
“And after that?”
“If I work hard, I can become the head of department.”
Hearing this, the sage said, “Not bad! Okay, what are you likely to be promoted to after that?”
“If I’m lucky, I can become the vice-president of the company.”
“Well done!” congratulated the mahatma, patting him on his back. After a moment’s thought, the mahatma said, “Well, I was just wondering what you could be after that!”
The clerk was starting to lose his patience. Raising his voice, he said, “With luck, hard work and political influence, I can become the company’s president. There, have you had enough?”
The mahatma did not give in. “Wow! What then?”
The clerk lost all self-control. Glaring at the mahatma, he yelled, “Tell me, what do you want to know? That I will become God?” At this, the mahatma roared with laughter and said, “My child, finally you have given the right answer. The only thing is, you don’t need to become God; you’re God already. It’s enough if you know just this.” This knowledge is true spirituality. At present, we think, “I am this body, mind and intellect,” and have become thus identified. If we can transcend this thought, we can realise and experience the truth that “I am the divine strength that pervades everything, both the inside and the outside.”
Sanatana dharma teaches that creation and creator are one, not two. There is nothing other than God—not that there is only one God, but that everything is God. There is water both in the ocean and in the wave. The different wave forms as well as the immense and expansive ocean that we see are nothing but water. The difference lies only in the external form. When we see the figurine of a horse or elephant carved from wood, don’t we think of the animal? When we see the form, we forget the wood; conversely, when we see the wood, we forget the form.
Our state right now is like this. We are mindful only of external forms to such an extent that we have forgotten how to apprehend and experience our indwelling paramatma, the supreme self. Some might wonder, “If so, is there consciousness in a corpse, too?” If the fuse in an electric blub blows, the electricity isn’t cut off. It’s just that since the medium is impaired, it can no longer manifest the electric power. In the same way, a dead body cannot manifest consciousness; it’s not that the all-pervading self is absent in that body. There is no beginning or end to consciousness. It is eternal and immutable. It is our real nature. This knowledge is spirituality. Realisation of this truth is the goal of human life. If even a little of this awareness becomes firmly entrenched in our intellect, to some extent we can realise the peace and happiness of which the world dreams.
The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader