Every human being, irrespective of the country, race or period of time in which he is born, comes into the world burdened with three debts. The first debt is owed to the Divine. The second is to the Rishis (sages). The third is to one's parents.

A debt is an obligation arising out of what one has received from others. We can easily identify these debts in the human body different divine forces are present nourishing and protecting it. This divine energy permeates the entire body; it is called the Rasa (Divine Essence). We owe a debt of gratitude to the Divine which has not only endowed us with this precious human body but which also sustains it. We shall be able to enjoy these gifts of the Divine only if we discharge this debt to the Divine. It is by rendering service to other bodies saturated with the same Divine, by doing righteous deeds and consecrating all actions in the service of society.

Next, the debt to the Rishis. By selfless investigations and experiments the sages discovered for mankind the paths to be followed for bettering our lives here and attaining mergence. They have laid down the types of right action that will help human to lead a good and worthy life and successfully strive for Self-realisation. These guidelines and codes of conduct have come down to us in the form of Sastras (spiritual sciences). The sages have taught how man can proceed from the human to the Divine.

Yajnas and yagas (Vedhic rituals of sacrifice) are symbolic rituals designed to redeem these three debts. Yajnas are of two kinds: Antaryajna (internal) and Bahir-yajna (external). The internal yajna is the striving to realise the Divinity within. It can be realised only through Dhyana (meditation). The mind is the sacrificial altar. One has to offer as sacrifice on this altar all one's bad qualities. It must be realised that this is not one's first birth in a body; many lives have preceded this. Birth as human is the final stage in the upward evolution of the nearly million species of living beings.

The sole purpose of the internal sacrifice is to see that the mind does not run after the whims and fancies of the senses, like a master pathetically carrying out the dictates of his servants. The human who is a slave of sensual desire is the world's bond-slave. One who has conquered desire is master of this world and the next. It is desire that makes one dependent on others.

(Yajnas and yagas are not undertaken to promote self-interest. They are performed for promoting the welfare of the world. Instead of emphasising the inner meaning and significance of yajnas, most people pay attention to the external features).

The sthula buddhi (gross intelligence) keeps you walking but, the subtle intelligence flies you to the destination. The gross is too much weighed down by the body; the subtle transcends the body and lightens the burden.

You have to make yourself transparent, free from wish and will, then only, can the Inner Motivator be seen. You cannot argue that since it is not seen, it is not there. To earn transparency, purity of intention, impulse and instinct is essential; that is achieved by systematic and sincere spiritual discipline.

By the way, it is essential to repeat that Krishna has given to Himself three vows. They are mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, for all humanity to read, know, and believe.

3. "Surrender unto Me, giving up all other duties and obligations; I shall liberate you from all sin; do not grieve."

There is also significant to add some notes about Krishna's image. The hymn describes Krishna as "Kasthuri thilakam". Each of these words has a deep significance.

The thilakam or dot of kasthuri or musk on the forehead of Krishna is the symbol of the Eye of Wisdom, the Inner Eye, like the third eye on the forehead of Shiva. Kasthuri means jnanam or supersensual knowledge or wisdom. Then the hymn speaks of kowsthubha gem on the chest. It indicates the ananda in the heart, the untarnished ananda of the Lord. Next in the poem is the shining pearl on Krishna's nose-ring. It is indicative of the success that attends one-pointed concentration on His Glory for which the tip of the nose is considered by adepts in yoga as a point of help. And, the pearl is, in Hindu mythology, produced out of the rain drop, from the first, pure, unsullied showers that is swallowed by the oyster that has been waiting long for the precious gift from the heavens. It indicates the transforming effect of yearning and the natural thirst for the pure and the true which irks the human heart.

The next item is the Flute in the hand. That reminds all of the need to make oneself into a hollow reed, with no trace of the pith of material greed. Become straight, empty yourself of all obstructing desires and the Lord's breath will flow through you, making sweet music that awakens every soul.

Everyone should realise the integral relationship between Nature, Human and God. This Nara (human) is Narayana - the Supreme Universal Consciousness. If human did not have the cooling power of the Divine, he/she would not be able to bear the heat generated by the body, the mind and the vital air.

Every second is a new moment in your life. Utilise every second to purify your heart and fill it with love. There is no human being in the world without love. (That love expresses itself in many ways). You will then realise that God is yours and you are with love. Purity of mind is an essential for enjoying Divine Bliss as purity of body is essential for bodily health.

To secure the grace of the Divine, it is not necessary to seek wealth, power or position. Purity of mind alone is enough. Every cell of one's body will be filled with the Divine when God is worshipped with pure and single-minded devotion.

The cleansed mind can reflect more clearly the Light of Wisdom; the Light of Wisdom will reveal the Truth and human will be saved from the consequences of the ignorance. The destruction of the insidious poison of egoism is essential for the restoration of health and happiness of the mind.

Higher than all the knowledge that can be acquired in the world is the Atmajnana (knowledge of the Self). It is attained when the ego-sense is destroyed and there is prayerful submission to the Divine. Prayers must issue not from the lips but from the heart. Prayers from the lips are like a telephone number call. They will not reach the person you want. Prayers from the heart are like a "particular person call." They will go straight to God.

Buddha emphasised the need for discrimination. The, first prayer, "Buddham Sharanam Gachchaami" is a call for cultivating wisdom and discrimination, the Buddhi (intellect). The second prayer, "Sangham Sharanam Gachchaami" (I surrender myself to society). The third prayer: "Dharmam Sharanam Gachchaami" (I take refuge in Dharma). To reach your goal, the royal road is Dharma (righteousness). It is when these three are combined - Wisdom, social service and righteousness that there is fulfilment in life. (Prayers, again, are used for seeking fulfilment of material desires. Out of the millions who offer prayers, very few seek God Himself with pure hearts. Many people talk about the "Divine," but are interested in "deep wine." They talk of "compassion," but are concerned only with "fashion." They mouth the word "Cooperation," but indulge only in "operation." Devotion has been reduced to a pompous show).

Become the ruler of the senses, not their slave. Be silent yourself; that will induce silence in others. Reduce contacts to the minimum. Carry with you an atmosphere of quiet contemplation, wherever you happen to be. Why did the sages go into the jungle? To sink their minds in the silent calm of the forest; to dwell ever in the thought of God whose voice is heard when all other voices cease. If you close the windows that bring in the other voices, then, your home can be transformed into a Forest of Freedom, a Hermitage of thapas (penance.)

Dwell over on your own Atmic reality; you are pure, you are indestructible; you are unaffected by the ups and downs of life; you are the true, the eternal, the unchanging Brahmam, the entity which is all this. A mere five-minute inquiry will convince you that you are not the body, or the senses, the mind or the intelligence, the name or the form, but that you are the Atma Itself, the same Atma that appears as all this variety.

Character, conduct, daily behaviour, attitude towards others - these are all important, for Dharma (righteousness) what is essentially Social Morality. The Sruthi (holy scripture) says, "On Dharma, the World is installed." Dharma endows human with joy and keeps away grief. Every being in the world, whether it is aware of it or not, is dependent on Dharma, for peace and happiness. All triumphs, whether acknowledged so or not, are earned only through Dharma. Hence, one who is remote from Dharma is also distant from God.

Dharma is classified as general and special by the sages: general, including the virtues of truth, love, charity, etc., which every one has to cultivate and cherish; special, meaning those duties that are incumbent on one, as a result of his social obligations, professional status, etc.

The individual and society are intertwined inextricably. There must be illumination, for both. Ananda (Divine bliss) must surge out of the individual and fill the lake of society, and from thence, stream into the Ocean of Grace. Society is just a name for a group of individuals; but, it has no corporeal body. Individuals are the limbs, that nourish and support the 'corpus' called society.

Society shapes the individual, provides the arena for person's development and sets the ideals before him/herself. When the individual is stronger, more intelligent, more service minded, and more efficient as a worker, society benefits; when society is more aware of its role and of the need to cleanse that role with humility and wisdom, the individual benefits.

In ancient scriptures God is considered and adored as the creator. God created the living creatures but these beings are "creating" God. Hence these beings are also creators. God is not created by Himself. It is the devotees who are "creating" God.

It follows that every being is a creator. Every human being is Divine. But, because of identification with the body, human considers as an ordinary being. The difference between creation and the Creator relates only to the external forms. When the physical form is ignored, what remains is the Spiritual Reality. For all things, the root cause is the human heart. When the idea of oneness gets entrenched in the human heart, the ideal of human unity will be realised.

From ancient times, wise sages and scientists have been investigating the secrets of the Universe and Nature what is a part of the Universe. Everything in the Universe, from subatomic particles to the biggest star, has a form. The Universe contains innumerable objects. Whatever the Divine does, whether it is something small or great, it is for the good of mankind. (By modern science it is today called the Anthropic principle. In general it states that because humans exist, the Universe must have the properties that humans can exist. The term "anthropic principle" was used by professor Brandon Carter about 30 years ago). So by Vedas, Swami and modern science there is a power at work about which we are ignorant. Vedas described it as the Ajnaatha Shakthi (the unknown power). The ancients called it also Dhivya Shakthi (power of God). In all of them, the one unchanging, eternal principle is the Atma. That is Prajnaana. That is Brahman. It is the power of this eternal principle which sustains the evanescent and ever-changing objects of the Universe.

Is it the body that derives joy from looking at a thing of beauty? Or is it the Atma? What is it that relishes the food that is consumed? The body or the spirit? What is it that enjoys fragrance or is moved by companionship? Enquiring in this manner, it will be found that it is the Atma that is the enjoyer. The body by itself is gross and is incapable of experiencing joy. (Body attachment is human and total detachment is divine). In reality, it is the divinity that protects and safeguards human at every step from womb to tomb. No one has the power to protect one?s own self. It must be realised that the Spirit transcends the mind and the intellect and pervades the entire cosmos. The Spirit is the basis for the cognition of the external world and experiencing the inner world.

To deny what is not perceptible by the senses as nonexistent is foolish. Equally, to consider the apparent as the only reality is foolish. For example, you see a tree full of branches. The scientist sees it and says that is the truth. But the spiritual jnani looks at the roots, without which the tree cannot exist. The one who looks at the branches will not see the roots, the one who looks for the roots will not bother about the branches. The question arises: Which are more important, roots or branches? If the roots are there, the tree will remain even if the branches are cut. But if the roots are gone, the tree will not survive.

Einstein, discovered the convertibility of matter and energy and declared that energy is convertible into various forms but cannot be created or destroyed. Einstein felt that the unchanging power that underlies energy may be described as Divine. But he could not go any further as divinity cannot be defined in this way or that as the General or Special Theories of Relativity. The scientists today also conducted numerous experiments and came to the conclusion that there is a unique power, without calling it God. People can call it by any name. But the substance cannot be altered.

The term spirituality is bandied about in various ways. People regard various rituals and forms of worship as spirituality. (Sanathana Dharma has no set pattern. It admits of infinite variety, based on past achievement and present accomplishment. Sanathana Dharma is the only religion that declares that there is no religion that can be labelled 'one and only.' It says that all religions are but facets of the 'one and only.' No religion can claim to represent fully the Universal, Eternal, Truth). Truth relates to the unchanging reality. It is changeless in all the three categories of time - past, present and future. That is Divinity.

Vedas declared: "The Truth is one, it is described variously by the wise." The Vedhanta declared: "Ekameva adhvitheeyam" (Brahmam is only one, without a second). Why did they not stop with saying that Brahmam is only one? Why should they go on to say that there is no second? It is to emphasise the oneness of Brahman that the second statement is added.

By merely learning the alphabet, one cannot start writing letters. Letter-writing calls for knowledge of words and sentences. Likewise, knowledge of worldly matters will not enable the understanding of God. Spiritual knowledge is also necessary. So together with academic studies education should cultivate spiritual sadhana. Just as water stored in a reservoir is used for irrigation through canals, the knowledge acquired should be diverted to useful channels for the benefit of society. (How is possible to understand divinity without understanding the importance of human values? First practice human values, then divinity manifests itself).

Education must include the education of the mind of human. It is not merely the acquisition of certain skills by which the materials found in nature can be reshaped into utility products; it is not merely the acquisition of information about the laws of nature. It is the process by which human makes the best of own inner equipment, Anthahkarana (inner consciousness), to know him/herself. It should open inner eye, more than outer; the outer must reveal the glory of God, the inner must reveal the God within.

Students must learn to be good and steady Sevaks and Sadhakas (servants and aspirants of spiritual discipline). They have to be taught the Yoga of mind control, not breath control which under incompetent leadership might endanger health. (The body is a shrine and when it moves, the Divine moves with it. Hence the body should be cared for the same way in which an iron safe which is of little value in itself, is safeguarded for the sake of the valuables kept in it).

There was a beggar who once wailed before a rich house for a mouths; the master, reclining in an easy chair, drove him out with harsh abuse. But the beggar persisted. He asked for some stale food. At this, the daughter-in-law, who was at her meals in the inner apartments, replied; "My dear fellow! We are at present eating stale food. The fresh dishes are being cooked." The beggar knew what she meant; he understood that the woman was pointing out that the father-in-law by his insolence and cruelty was preparing for a miserable future, while his present high standard of living was made possible by the merit he acquired through charity in previous lives. We eat stale food, that is to say, the results of the acts in past lives. We also cook our future meals. So, by this service you are preparing for a nice banquet in the future, whatever be the food that you are now eating as a result of past acts.

The processes of creation, survival and dissolution occur according to the injunctions of the Divine. Whether human believes in it or not, this wheel of creation is revolving according to the dictates of the Divine.

Enormous energy and expenses are being devoted for investigating the mysteries of the atom. But there is no comparable concern for developing human behaviour.

It is the absence of self-control that is at the root of all the violence and conflict in society today. Self-control implies control over desires. Nothing ennobling can be realised without observing restraint. There is a need to acquire wealth for living. But excessive wealth is harmful. What people have to aim at is not sampada (wealth) but right samskara (conduct).

(King Janaka had all the wealth he needed. Why did he resort to the Sage Yajnavalkya? The reason is that from ancient times it was the practice of the kings to seek the advice and guidance of sages who were the repositories of spiritual wisdom. They realised that human can get enduring peace and happiness only by spiritual realisation and not by any other means).

As the child grows, self-interest also grows. The world is full of powerful people, endowed with wealth, great scholars and people with good qualities, but there are few who have realised the Divine Atma).

Students and the whole human society should develop radical social consciousness. It consists spirituality what should not be divorced from culture and social consciousness. When spirituality prevails, every kind of Dharma (right conduct) will prevail. What kind of culture is possible without spirituality? Culture means samskruti (refinement of conduct). Samskruti refers to that which has been refined. There can be no refinement (of conduct) without spirituality. And without refinement there is no culture. Hence, the first step is refinement of conduct, which can be done only through spirituality.

It is not enough to acquire academic knowledge and technical skills, which are all that present day education is concerned with. If there is no love of God, fear of sin, and practice of social ethics, how can there be peace in the world? Scientists and political leaders are teaching all kinds of things to the youth. But of what use are these teachings? Students need the example of leaders and teachers who stand up for integrity and morality.

All things in the world are perishable. But the ideals for which people live and for which they are prepared to give up their lives last for ever. That is the secret of immortality.

Bharat's culture has world-wide spread since it can correct and canalise the human emotions and motives along healthy productive routes. The sages of Bharat, charged with simplicity and sincerity, moved by the urge to expand in love to all beings. They pointed that care of the country is as important as the care of the body. For, happiness and misery, health and disease, pleasure and pain, anxiety and peace are dependent on the health and disease of desha (the nation). Half the cure is effected by kindness, softness and sympathy. Such sacred and basic principles can establish peace and joy in the hearts of all people, all nations. (Today most people are not aware of the pain they cause by angry words, or even by a gesture of contempt or resentment. Always try to put yourselves in the position of the other and, judge your action against that background).

The Atmavaan (Self-realised person) is one who has recognised the Spirit, who is immersed in the bliss of that awareness. In ancient times, many sages experienced the potency, the sweetness and the ineffable joy of this Divine bliss and gave the fruits of their experience to the world. They codified the knowledge contained in the Upanishads and offered it to the people in the world in the concept of Trikonam (Triangle).

The Body is one side of the triangle. The second side is the mind. The third is the Atma. Realise the unity of body, mind and Atma.

The Vedic declaration: Tath-Twam-Asi (That thou art) reflects the truth about this integrating process. Human does not understand the truth about the unity of "This" and "That." Tath means "That," referring to something remote. "This" refers to something that is near. From what is "That" far? From what is "This" near? "That" refers to what is far from our sense organs. "This" refers to what is proximate to our sense organs. The body, which is nearest to the senses, is connected by "This." "That" which is beyond the senses is the Atma.

The role of the mind is to bring together the body that is close to the senses and the Atma that is far from them. Asi in Tath-Twam-Asi refers to the role of the mind in integrating the body and the Atma. (It is the architecture of the mind that matters). "Tath-Twam-Asi" is an aphoristic declaration calling upon everyone to realise the integral unity of body, mind and the Atma and thereby experience the Divine.

The concept of Triangle was explored from another point of view, namely, the Jiva (the individual), God and Nature (the phenomenal universe, Prakriti). The essential nature of these three was described in the terms: Rakti, Bhukti and Mukti. Rakti represents the cosmos. Bhukti (enjoyment) represents the body (which seeks enjoyment). Mukti (liberation) represents Atma.

That is the import of the Upanishadic saying: "Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavati" (the knower of the Brahmam becomes Brahmam Himself). When all one's thoughts are merged in the Atma, one becomes integrated with the Atma.

An example. When you go to a pilgrim centre and look at the form of the deity in the sanctum, you are conscious only of the form. But when you think of the material from which the idol has been made, you recognise only the stone and not the form. Today you are looking at the world in terms of the names and forms of the objects in it. Hence you see only the hills and dales, mansions and huts, forests and rivers, and so on. But when you try to look at the basis of all of them, you realise the One that underlies all of them. All these are different manifestations of the five elements (ether, air, water, fire and earth). These five elements find their unifying factor in the Atma. Once, therefore, the Atma concept is grasped, the nature of all other objects becomes intelligible. This principle of unity was the perennial message of the ancient sages.

The another example: In the waking state one sees innumerable objects, goes through various experiences. But in the dream state, all the objects are creations of the mind by the dreamer. The pleasures and pains are also self-created experiences. The entire world in the dream state is a self-created mental phenomenon. But when one passes into the deep sleep, all these are absent, person forgets everything and is in a state of Samadhi. The experiencer in the waking state, the dream state and the Sushupti state (deep sleep) is one and the same person. It is this basic unity of the Atma that is conveyed by the dictum: Tath-Twam-Asi. This means that in all the three states, in all the different experiences, the experiencer is one and the same.

The Vedas declare: "Dooraath doore anthike cha" (Farther than the farthest and very near too). This statement means that the Lord is as far from you as you consider Him to be, and as near as you feel His presence. It is your own feelings which account for the distance. The remoteness or nearness should not be attributed to the Divine, who is Omnipresent. He is present in the subtlest atomic particle and in the vastest object in creation.

Intellect, subconscious mind and heart - these are the three centres in the individual where reside jnana, karma and bhakthi - wisdom, action and devotion.

Below is an example of simple, sincrere and deep devotion.

Once, Krishna pretended to be suffering from headache. His eyes were red and He was in evident distress. The queens rushed about with all kinds of remedies and palliatives. But they were ineffective. At last, they consulted Narada and he went into the sick room to consult Krishna Himself and find out which drug would cure Him.

Krishna directed him to bring the dust of the feet of a true Bhaktha! In a trice, Narada manifested himself in the presence of some celebrated bhakthas of the Lord; but, they were too humble to offer the dust of their feet to be used by their Lord as a drug.
That is also a kind of egoism. "I am low, mean, small, useless, poor, sinful, inferior" - such feelings also are egoistic; when the ego goes, you do not feel either superior or inferior. No one would give the dust wanted by the Lord; they were too worthless, they declared. Narada came back disappointed to the sickbed. Then, Krishna asked him, "Did you try Brindhaavana where the gopees live?" The queens laughed at the suggestion and even Narada asked in dismay, "What do they know of bhakthi (devotion)?" Still, the sage had to hurry thither.

Do karma which is approved by the higher wisdom, not karma which is born of ignorance. Then, all karma will be Shivam (auspicious, beneficial, blessed). The experience of that Shivam is what is called Sundaram; for it confers Ananda. That is why Swami's Life is named "Sathyam Shivam Sundaram."

This is why bhakthi is referred to as upasana, dwelling near, feeling the presence, sharing the sweetness of Divinity. The yearning for upasana prompts you to go on pilgrimages, to construct and renovate temples, to consecrate images. The sixteen items of honouring with which the Lord is worshipped satisfy the mind which craves for personal contact with the Supreme. All this is karma of a high order; they lead to jnana.

At first start with the idea, "I am in the Light;" then the feeling "the light is in me" becomes established. This leads to the conviction, "I am the Light." That is the supreme wisdom.

See yourself in all; love all as yourself. A dog caught in a room whose walls are mirrors sees in all the myriad reflections, rivals, competitors, other dogs which must be barked at.

So, a dog tires by jumping on this reflection and that, and when the images also jump, The dog becomes mad with fury. The wise human, however, sees him/herself everywhere and is at peace: human is happy that there are so many reflections all around.

In the human condition, as long as it is identified with the body, the human level alone is recognized. People are conscious only of the physical human existence, but are not aware of the human qualities. The foremost thing that people today have to recognise and understand are human values. Whatever position one may achieve, whatever one's scholarship or status, the primary requisite is comprehension of what it means to be human. This humanness will grow only in a spiritual, ethical and righteous atmosphere.