The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 4/Addresses on Bhakti-Yoga/The Preparation
THE PREPARATION
The best definition given of Bhakti-Yoga is perhaps embodied in the verse:
"May that love undying which the non-discriminating have for the fleeting
objects of the senses never leave this heart of mine — of me who seek after
Thee!" We see what a strong love men, who do not know any better, have for
sense-objects, for money, dress, their wives, children, friends, and
possessions. What a tremendous clinging they have to all these things! So in
the above prayer the sage says, "I will have that attachment, that
tremendous clinging, only to Thee." This love, when given to God, is called
Bhakti. Bhakti is not destructive; it teaches us that no one of the
faculties we have has been given in vain, that through them is the natural
way to come to liberation. Bhakti does not kill out our tendencies, it does
not go against nature, but only gives it a higher and more powerful
direction. How naturally we love objects of the senses! We cannot but do so,
because they are so real to us. We do not ordinarily see anything real about
higher things, but when a man has seen something real beyond the senses,
beyond the universe of senses, the idea is that he can have a strong
attachment, only it should be transferred to the object beyond the senses,
which is God. And when the same kind of love that has before been given to
sense-objects is given to God, it is called Bhakti. According to the sage
Râmânuja, the following are the preparations for getting that intense love.
The first is Viveka. It is a very curious thing, especially to people of the
West. It means, according to Ramanuja, "discrimination of food". Food
contains all the energies that go to make up the forces of our body and
mind; it has been transferred, and conserved, and given new directions in my
body, but my body and mind have nothing essentially different from the food
that I ate. Just as the force and matter we find in the material world
become body and mind in us, so, essentially, the difference between body and
mind and the food we eat is only in manifestation. It being so, that out of
the material particles of our food we construct the instrument of thought,
and that from the finer forces lodged in these particles we manufacture
thought itself, it naturally follows, that both this thought and the
instrument will be modified by the food we take. There are certain kinds of
food that produce a certain change in the mind; we see it every day. There
are other sorts which produce a change in the body, and in the long run have
a tremendous effect on the mind. It is a great thing to learn; a good deal
of the misery we suffer is occasioned by the food we take. You find that
after a heavy and indigestible meal it is very hard to control the mind; it
is running, running all the time. There are certain foods which are
exciting; if you eat such food, you find that you cannot control the mind.
It is obvious that after drinking a large quantity of wine, or other
alcoholic beverage, a man finds that his mind would not be controlled; it
runs away from his control.
According to Ramanuja, there are three things in food we must avoid. First,
there is Jâti, the nature, or species of the food, that must be considered.
All exciting food should be avoided, as meat, for instance; this should not
be taken because it is by its very nature impure. We can get it only by
taking the life of another. We get pleasure for a moment, and another
creature has to give up its life to give us that pleasure. Not only so, but
we demoralise other human beings. It would be rather better if every man who
eats meat killed the animal himself; but, instead of doing so, society gets
a class of persons to do that business for them, for doing which, it hates
them. In England no butcher can serve on a jury, the idea being that he is
cruel by nature. Who makes him cruel? Society. If we did not eat beef and
mutton, there would be no butchers. Eating meat is only allowable for people
who do very hard work, and who are not going to be Bhaktas; but if you are
going to be Bhaktas, you should avoid meat. Also, all exciting foods, such
as onions, garlic, and all evil-smelling food, as "sauerkraut". Any food
that has been standing for days, till its condition is changed, any food
whose natural juices have been almost dried ups any food that is malodorous,
should be avoided.
The next thing that is to be considered as regards food is still more
intricate to Western minds — it is what is called Âshraya, i.e. the person
from whom it comes This is rather a mysterious theory of the Hindus. The
idea is that each man has a certain aura round him, and whatever thing he
touches, a part of his character, as it were, his influence, is left on it.
It is supposed that a man's character emanates from him, as it were, like a
physical force, and whatever he touches is affected by it. So we must take
care who touches our food when it is cooked; a wicked or immoral person must
not touch it. One who wants to be a Bhakta must not dine with people whom he
knows to be very wicked, because their infection will come through the food.
The other form of purity to be observed is Nimitta, or instruments. Dirt and
dust must not be in food. Food should not be brought from the market and
placed on the table unwashed. We must be careful also about the saliva and
other secretions. The lips ought never, for instance, to be touched with the
fingers. The mucous membrane is the most delicate part of the body, and all
tendencies are conveyed very easily by the saliva. Its contact, therefore,
is to be regarded as not only offensive, but dangerous. Again, we must not
eat food, half of which has been eaten by someone else. When these things
are avoided in food, it becomes pure; pure food brings a pure mind, and in a
pure mind is a constant memory of God.
Let me tell you the same thing as explained by another commentator,
Shankarâchârya, who takes quite another view. This word for food, in
Sanskrit, is derived from the root, meaning to gather. Âhâra means "gathered
in". What is his explanation? He says, the passage that when food is pure
the mind will become pure really means that lest we become subject to the
senses we should avoid the following: First as to attachment; we must not be
extremely attached to anything excepting God. See everything, do everything,
but be not attached. As soon as extreme attachment comes, a man loses
himself, he is no more master of himself, he is a slave. If a woman is
tremendously attached to a man, she becomes a slave to that man. There is no
use in being a slave. There are higher things in this world than becoming a
slave to a human being. Love and do good to everybody, but do not become a
slave. In the first place, attachment degenerates us, individually, and in
the second place, makes us extremely selfish. Owing to this failing, we want
to injure others to do good to those we love. A good many of the wicked
deeds done in this world are really done through attachment to certain
persons. So all attachment excepting that for good works should be avoided;
but love should be given to everybody. Then as to jealousy. There should be
no jealousy in regard to objects of the senses; jealousy is the root of all
evil, and a most difficult thing to conquer. Next, delusion. We always take
one thing for another, and act upon that, with the result that we bring
misery upon ourselves. We take the bad for the good. Anything that
titillates our nerves for a moment we think; as the highest good, and plunge
into it immediately, but find, when it is too late, that it has given us a
tremendous blow. Every day, we run into this error, and we often continue in
it all our lives. When the senses, without being extremely attached, without
jealousy, or without delusion, work in the world, such work or collection of
impressions is called pure food, according to Shankaracharya. When pure food
is taken, the mind is able to take in objects and think about them without
attachment, jealousy or delusion; then the mind becomes pure, and then there
is constant memory of God in that mind.
It is quite natural for one to say that Shankara's meaning is the best, but
I wish to add that one should not neglect Ramanuja's interpretation either.
It is only when you take care of the real material food that the rest will
come. It is very true that mind is the master, but very few of us are not
bound by the senses. We are all controlled by matter; and as long as we are
so controlled, we must take material aids; and then, when we have become
strong, we can eat or drink anything we like. We have to follow Ramanuja in
taking care about food and drink; at the same time we must also take care
about our mental food. It is very easy to take care about material food, but
mental work must go along with it; then gradually our spiritual self will
become stronger and stronger, and the physical self less assertive. Then
will food hurt you no more. The great danger is that every man wants to jump
at the highest ideal, but jumping is not the way. That ends only in a fall.
We are bound down here, and we have to break our chains slowly. This is
called Viveka, discrimination.
The next is called Vimoka, freedom from desires. He who wants to love God
must get rid of extreme desires, desire nothing except God. This world is
good so far as it helps one to go to the higher world. The objects of the
senses are good so far as they help us to attain higher objects. We always
forget that this world is a means to an end, and not an end itself. If this
were the end we should be immortal here in our physical body; we should
never die. But we see people every moment dying around us, and yet,
foolishly, we think we shall never die; and from that conviction we come to
think that this life is the goal. That is the case with ninety-nine per cent
of us. This notion should be given up at once. This world is good so far as
it is a means to perfect ourselves; and as soon as it has ceased to be so,
it is evil. So wife, husband, children, money and learning, are good so long
as they help us forward; but as soon as they cease to do that, they are
nothing but evil. If the wife help us to attain God, she is a good wife; so
with a husband or a child. If money help a man to do good to others, it is
of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is
got rid of, the better.
The next is Abhyâsa, practice. The mind should always go towards God. No
other things have any right to withhold it. It should continuously think of
God, though this is a very hard task; yet it can be done by persistent
practice. What we are now is the result of our past practice. Again,
practice makes us what we shall be. So practice the other way; one sort of
turning round has brought us this way, turn the other way and get out of it
as soon as you can. Thinking of the senses has brought us down here — to cry
one moment, to rejoice the next, to be at the mercy of every breeze, slave
to everything. This is shameful, and yet we call ourselves spirits. Go the
other way, think of God; let the mind not think of any physical or mental
enjoyment, but of God alone. When it tries to think of anything else, give
it a good blow, so that it may turn round and think of God. As oil poured
from one vessel to another falls in an unbroken line, as chimes coming from
a distance fall upon the ear as one continuous sound, so should the mind
flow towards God in one continuous stream. We should not only impose this
practice on the mind, but the senses too should be employed. Instead of
hearing foolish things, we must hear about God; instead of talking foolish
words, we must talk of God. Instead of reading foolish books, we must read
good ones which tell of God.
The greatest aid to this practice of keeping God in memory is, perhaps,
music. The Lord says to Nârada, the great teacher of Bhakti, "I do not live
in heaven, nor do I live in the heart of the Yogi, but where My devotees
sing My praise, there am I". Music has such tremendous power over the human
mind; it brings it to concentration in a moment. You will find the dull,
ignorant, low, brute-like human beings, who never steady their mind for a
moment at other times, when they hear attractive music, immediately become
charmed and concentrated. Even the minds of animals, such as dogs, lions,
cats, and serpents, become charmed with music.
The next is Kriyâ, work — doing good to others. The memory of God will not
come to the selfish man. The more we come out and do good to others, the
more our hearts will be purified, and God will be in them. According to our
scriptures, there are five sorts of work, called the fivefold sacrifice.
First, study. A man must study every day something holy and good. Second,
worship of God, angels, or saints, as it may be. Third, our duty to our
forefathers. Fourth, our duty to human beings. Man has no right to live in a
house himself, until he builds for the poor also, or for anybody who needs
it. The householder's house should be open to everybody that is poor and
suffering; then he is a real householder. If he builds a house only for
himself and his wife to enjoy, he will never be a lover of God. No man has
the right to cook food only for himself; it is for others, and he should
have what remains. It is a common practice in India that when the season's
produce first comes into the market, such as strawberries or mangoes, a man
buys some of them and gives to the poor. Then he eats of them; and it is a
very good example to follow in this country. This training will make a man
unselfish, and at the same time, be an excellent object-lesson to his wife
and children. The Hebrews in olden times used to give the first fruits to
God. The first of everything should go to the poor; we have only a right to
what remains. The poor are God's representatives; anyone that suffers is His
representative. Without giving, he who eats and enjoys eating, enjoys sin.
Fifth, our duty to the lower animals. It is diabolical to say that all
animals are created for men to be killed and used in any way man likes. It
is the devil's gospel, not God's. Think how diabolical it is to cut them up
to see whether a nerve quivers or not, in a certain part of the body. I am
glad that in our country such things are not countenanced by the Hindus,
whatever encouragement they may get from the foreign government they are
under. One portion of the food cooked in a household belongs to the animals
also. They should be given food every day; there ought to be hospitals in
every city in this country for poor, lame, or blind horses, cows, dogs, and
cats, where they should be fed and taken care of.
Then there is Kalyâna, purity, which comprises the following: Satya,
truthfulness. He who is true, unto him the God of truth comes. Thought,
word, and deed should be perfectly true. Next Ârjava, straightforwardness,
rectitude. The word means, to be simple, no crookedness in the heart, no
double-dealing. Even if it is a little harsh, go straightforward, and not
crookedly. Dayâ, pity, compassion. Ahimsâ, not injuring any being by
thought, word, or deed. Dâna, charity. There is no higher virtue than
charity. The lowest man is he whose hand draws in, in receiving; and he is
the highest man whose hand goes out in giving. The hand was made to give
always. Give the last bit of bread you have even if you are starving. You
will be free in a moment if you starve yourself to death by giving to
another. Immediately you will be perfect, you will become God. People who
have children are bound already. They cannot give away. They want to enjoy
their children, and they must pay for it. Are there not enough children in
the world? It is only selfishness which says, "I'll have a child for
myself".
The next is Anavasâda — not desponding, cheerfulness. Despondency is not
religion, whatever else it may be. By being pleasant always and smiling, it
takes you nearer to God, nearer than any prayer. How can those minds that
are gloomy and dull love? If they talk of love, it is false; they want to
hurt others. Think of the fanatics; they make the longest faces, and all
their religion is to fight against others in word and act. Think of what
they have done in the past, and of what they would do now if they were given
a free hand. They would deluge the whole world in blood tomorrow if it would
bring them power. By worshipping power and making long faces, they lose
every bit of love from their hearts. So the man who always feels miserable
will never come to God. It is not religion, it is diabolism to say, "I am so
miserable." Every man has his own burden to bear. If you are miserable, try
to be happy, try to conquer it.
God is not to be reached by the weak. Never be weak. You must be strong; you
have infinite strength within you. How else will you conquer anything? How
else will you come to God? At the same time you must avoid excessive
merriment, Uddharsha, as it is called. A mind in that state never becomes
calm; it becomes fickle. Excessive merriment will always be followed by
sorrow. Tears and laughter are near kin. People so often run from one
extreme to the other. Let the mind be cheerful, but calm. Never let it run
into excesses, because every excess will be followed by a reaction.
These, according to Ramanuja, are the preparations for Bhakti.