12
6
Reverential service rendered
to the spiritual teacher
“The sixth is reverential service rendered to the
spiritual teacher. This virtue will promote affec-
tion for the pupil, so one will benefit a great deal.
But the guru who has no goal will only mislead
the disciple into perdition. The guru must shower
grace on the disciple as freely and as spontaneously
as the mother cow feeds the young calf with milk.
The teaching of the guru is the source and suste-
nance for attaining God and acquiring liberation.”
7
Cleanliness
“The seventh virtue is cleanliness—not merely
outer cleanliness but inner cleanliness. And what
is inner cleanliness? The absence of affection and
hatred, of desire and discontent, of lust and an-
ger; and the presence of good, i.e., godly, quali-
ties. Water cleans the body; truth cleans the mind.
Knowledge cleans the reasoning faculty; penance
and discipline clean the individual.”
8
Steadfastness
“The eighth
virtue is called steadfastness, fixity
of faith, the absence of fickleness or waywardness.
Aspirants must hold fast to what they have once
fixed their faith upon as conducive to their spiri-
tual progress. They should not flit from one ideal
to another, changing their goal from day to day.
This is also referred to as dedication. Fickleness,
the product of weakness, has to be scrupulously
avoided.”
9
Control of the senses
“The ninth is control of the senses. Be con-
vinced that the senses have to subserve your best
interests, not that you should subserve the inter-
ests of the senses. Do not be the slave of the senses;
rather make them your slaves.”
10
Detachment
“Next, the tenth virtue: detachment or renun-
ciation (vairagya)—the loss of appetite for sound,
touch, form, taste, smell, etc. The senses run after
these things because they titillate and give them
temporary joy. However, the senses are not inter-
ested in the goals—righteousness-wealth-desire-
liberation (dharma-artha-kama-moksha) of the
sublime type. The Atma can be discovered only
through pursuit of the sublime.”
11
Absence of egotism
“The eleventh virtue is absence of egotism—
the breeding ground of all vices and faults. The
ego-centric individual pays no regard to right and
wrong, good and bad, godly, and wicked. That
person doesn’t care for them, doesn’t even know
about them. That person is completely ignorant
of dharma and morals and will not conform to
justice. To be devoid of this poisonous quality is
to be endowed with absence of egotism. Egotism
is a foe in the guise of a friend.”
12
Awareness of birth-death-old
age-illness-grief
“The next virtue is called janma-mrithyu-jaraa-
vyadhi-dukha-dhosha-anudarsanam, meaning only
this: awareness of the inevitable cycle of birth and
death, of old age and disease, of grief and evil, and
of other signs of the temporariness of this created
world and life in it. Although people see these
things happening to them as well as others, they
do not investigate the reasons for them and the
methods of escaping from them. That is the great-
est mystery, the wonder.
“If only you go to the root of the problem,
you will realise that whatever else you may escape,
you cannot escape death. What people conceive
as happiness now is, in reality, only misery in the
guise of happiness. So understand the truth of
these things; reflect upon the flaws in the reason-
13
ing that delude you. Then, as a result, detachment
is strengthened, and through that, you attain wis-
dom. Therefore, Oh Arjuna! liberate yourself from
birth, death, old age, illness, and grief (janma,
mrithyu, jaraa, vyadhi, dukha).” Thus spoke Krish-
na, exhorting Arjuna with a great deal of affection.
13
Withdrawal of Desire for Objects
Then He spoke of
asakthi, the withdrawal of
desire for objects.
The greed to possess things that you see is
caused by egotism. “I must have this,” “I must
be the proud owner of this valuable thing,” this
is how egotism prompts. It is a strong cord that
binds you to objects. Withdraw the mind, and
treat all as manifestations of the Lord’s glory. Love
all things as expressions of His glory, but do not
delude yourself into the belief that possessing them
will make you happy. That is an illusion. Do not
dedicate your life for their sake; use them for your
needs, as and when necessary, that is all. That kind
of impulse activating you will be a great handicap
in your progress toward liberation. Whatever you
may acquire as property will have to be given up
some day. On that last journey, you cannot take
with you even a blade of grass or a pinch of dust.
Keep this fact ever before the mind’s eye, and then
you can realise Reality.
14
Absence of attachment
to family and home
Before birth, one has no relationship with this
world and its material objects. After death, they
and all kith and kin disappear. This sojourn is just
a game played in the interval. Getting fascinated
with this three-day fair is foolish indeed. Desire
tarnishes the mind and makes people unfit for
higher pursuits. Aspirants who seek liberation and
realisation must rid themselves of desire, for, like
grease, once contacted it sticks and is difficult to
remove.
15
Equanimity
After this, attention has to be paid also to
another virtue, the state of equanimity, of un-
disturbed peace during joy and grief, prosperity
and adversity, happiness and misery. This is the
fifteenth virtue of a wise one. Being elevated or
depressed by success and defeat, profit and loss,
honour and dishonour is a futile activity. Accept
all equally as the grace of God, His consecrated
food (prasadha). Just as you wear shoes to tread
over thorny places, or hold an umbrella to escape
getting wet in rain, or sleep inside a mosquito
curtain to escape the stings of insects, so too, arm
yourself with an unshaken mind that is confident
of the Lord’s grace and bear praise or blame, defeat
or victory, pleasure or pain with equanimity. To
live bravely through life, this equanimity under all
circumstances is declared essential.
16
Devotion
Next is devotion
without any other feeling or
thought. When grief overtakes you, you run to
God. When difficulty overpowers, you take ref-
uge in the Lord of Venkata (Vishnu). When joy
is restored, you throw Him overboard. When you
are down with fever and your taste is ruined and
your tongue is bitter, you crave some hot pickle;
but when the fever subsides and you are normal
again, you do not relish the same pickle. Devotion
is not a temporary salve. It is the unbroken con-
templation of God without any other interposing
thought or feeling. Whatever the activity, recre-
ation, or talk, it must be saturated with the love
of God. That is undivided, undistracted devotion.
17
Solitude
Thereafter comes practise of solitude. One
must be fond of being alone. This does not mean
keeping the body in some solitary place, far from
the haunts of humanity. There must be solitude
and silence in the mind; all its occupants must be