Our belief that the source of joy is material objects is full of illusion. If this belief were to be true all material pleasures would have given satiation to all mankind in an equal manner. Or else all of mankind would have attained eternal joy without a speck of sorrow by now. Today all over the world we find people who have amassed plenty of wealth and grandeur and yet their lives are full of despair, agony and hopelessness. These material objects (TV, computer, cars, aircrafts, AC, movies etc) do not help in alleviating their pain and sorrow in a permanent manner sound healing certification.
The fact remains that all material objects are inert. Thus inert is after all inert. It has no potential of its own. On their own inert objects are incapable of giving us both, joy or anguish. Material objects lack the potential of joy and sorrow since they are inanimate. Thus they cannot induce sorrow or joy in us on their own. When we contact material objects with our sense organs, our mind gets attached to them which in turn induce joy or pain as the case maybe. Thus it is our mind/psyche, a conscious entity that manifests joy and pain in our inner self.
When man’s joyous soul contacts a sense object the object seems desirable and when a sorrowful soul contacts that object the object seems undesirable. All worldly objects are inert and hence by themselves cannot induce joy/sorrow in our psyche. It is man’s soul principle which contacts inert objects so as to label them as ‘joy’ or ‘sorrow’. THE BELIEF THAT ETERNAL JOY CAN BE ATTAINED VIA MATERIAL OBJECTS IS NOTHING BUT AN ILLUSION AND AN EXERCISE IN SHEER FUTILITY.
The sad part of life is that man under the spell of spiritual ignorance refuses to accept that sense pleasures can give only transient joy and never eternal, infinite peace. Thus without realizing that it is an exercise in futility he hunts for joy day in and day out in material pursuits. He wastes his precious human life in amassing material wealth with the illusion that he will find eternal contentment and bliss. This is because he erroneously imagines that joy is in the object (TV, house, car etc) when in reality it is in his own soul. Thus while amassing material wealth he stoops as low as carrying out criminal, illegal and heinous acts which ultimately create his downfall. JOY LIES IN ONES SOUL AND NOT MATERIAL PLEASURES. JOY SHOULD BE SEARCHED FOR IN ONES SOUL AND NOT IN EXTERNAL MATERIAL OBJECTS, RELATIVES, PROFESSIONS ETC.
Material objects are enjoyed via the 5 sense organs viz. eyes, ears, tongue, skin and nose. It is only when are organs are active can we enjoy sight, smell etc. As long as man is youthful his sense organs are active and agile. During this youthful phase of his life he can fully enjoy sense pleasures but the more his body ages these very objects become distasteful and inconsequential. Suddenly an old person finds that all his pleasures attained via sense enjoyments have dried up to naught. The fact remains that when old age sets in our 5 sense organs become weak and thus are unable to enjoy those sense pleasures enjoyed in youth. These aged sense organs lose the capacity to enjoy sense pleasures. It is this weak potential of the sense organs that induce lifelessness and a sense of distaste for sense pleasures in ones old age.
Why restrict the above observations to old age merely? Many a time in one’s prime youth one experiences distaste for sense pleasures. This happens either if one is afflicted with an illness like typhoid, malaria etc or that an event like death of one’s beloved is announced. If our tongue is afflicted with ulcers even the most delicious food item induces aversion in our psyche. Indigestion too induces aversion for tasty food. Eye related diseases stop us from enjoying even the most alluring scene. THUS WE CAN SAFELY CONCLUDE THAT JOY LIES NOT IN SENSE OBJECTS/PLEASURES BUT IN THE EXPERIENTIAL CAPACITY OF OUR SENSE ORGANS.
Now the question to be asked is what is the nature of the capacity/potential of sense organs that enjoy sense objects? There are many people in this world whose eyes are attractive and beautiful to look at and yet they cannot see anything i.e. they are blind. In fact the anatomical structure of their eyes too has no defects as proved by medical tests. Their nerve functioning too is in proper order. Despite this they are blind. These observations have been noted for other organs of the body like nose, ear, hand etc too. The anatomical designing and nervous systems are in proper shape and yet these organs do not function. This proves that it is not the physical/anatomical organ (eye, ear etc) that is enjoying/experiencing their objects. Obviously there lies a separate and yet related entity/principle that is the one which is experiencing/enjoying sense objects. What is the precise nature of this experiencing principle? The answer is Consciousness. It pervades man’s entire physical body and thus bestows capacity on our senses in order to experience/enjoy sense objects. This conscious principle that pervades every pore of our body without exception is called soul or Atman. Eternal infinite bliss or Ananda lies in our soul. A living being experiences bliss in his soul. Bliss or joy lies not in material objects or in our physical sense organs. It is the sole monopoly of our soul.
It is man’s own soul that is the be all and end all of life. Without his soul man is but a heap of dust. When the soul leaves man’s body at the time of death his body is called a corpse. A corpse is quickly disposed off via burying, cremating etc. All relationships that exist in this world have their basis in our soul. If ones soul is related to an object, individual etc one loves that thing or person until then. When this soul based connection is snapped all our love, attachment too disappears. Someone is very attached to his/her friend. When one meets this friend ones heart rejoices. When one is physically away from this friend ones heart experiences the pain of separation. But the day this friendship ends (due to any reason) this very friend no longer is important for us and that he/she is just another ordinary human being in our eyes. Now no longer is one overjoyed on seeing this friend (of the past) nor is one unhappy when this friend goes far away from us. In fact sometimes this friendship becomes so much soured that when we meet this friend we find him/her very obnoxious. Thus love, joy etc are all related to ones soul and not to an individual, object etc. The world of joy lies in ones soul (Atman). SEARCH FOR JOY AND ETERNAL BLISS IN YOUR SACRED SOUL. SEARCHING FOR JOY IN MATERIAL PURSUITS DEVOID OF SPIRITUAL VALUES IS LIKE A THIRSTY DEER RUNNING MADLY TOWARDS A MIRAGE IN A HOT DESSERT IN SEARCH OF WATER ONLY TO LOSE ITS PRECIOUS LIFE DUE TO UNQUENCHED THIRST.
It is man’s own qualities and character that attract love and affection. Lack of such qualities and character renders his life futile and demeaned. Thus he is no longer liked by anyone and none look upon him as attractive. In order to understand this, take the relationship between a mother and her infant. As long as a child gets breast milk and affection from its mother, the child clings to her. The child loves its mother intensely. Not for even a moment does the child like to stay away from its beloved mother. Even if for a few minutes the mother goes somewhere the child wails aloud. But when this very child grows up and no longer needs its mother’s milk, he or she no longer cry or hanker for her attention. In fact these grown up children tend to stay separately from their parents and instead of breast milk they get attached to a bottle (could be milk or alcohol etc.). It is man’s inner personality that creates situations of love, affection etc in relation to others.
So the question asked is: Where is the source/fount of man’s special qualities? The answer is none other than our soul. We have already pointed out that without the soul man’s body is nothing but a stinking corpse. There is no question of love and affection existing in a corpse that is totally inert. It is the soul’s subtle power that controls man’s mind, vital force (Prana) and physical body. The moment the contact between the soul and the above 3 becomes imbalanced or weakened all our bodily activities too get disarrayed. An otherwise healthy and balanced body is now rendered weak and imbalanced. The vital force weakens a great deal and the mind becomes imbalanced and lunatic.
Under such fearful circumstances no individual of the world can love another individual nor harbor any goodwill towards anybody. Thus it is man’s own soul who is his true friend, relative and benefactor. The onus lies on man himself that he augments his character for the better and thus augments the value of his presence in society. It is most required that man turns to his beloved soul for joy, happiness and creativity. Man should search for joy, peace etc on an eternal basis in his very soul.
Joy does not lie in an individual’s body, sense objects etc. True joy rests in ones own soul. All the objects of the world are inert and lifeless. By themselves they cannot give joy or sorrow to anyone. We experience joy and sorrow only when our soul contacts objects or individuals. When this soul contact is snapped we neither experience pain or pleasure. It is our soul that influences objects etc so as to make them desirable or otherwise. Without this soul’s influence all material objects are insipid and lifeless. Inertness renders objects ugly and unwanted.
The more one’s soul gets attached to a person, object etc the more the latter become dear to us and the lesser the attachment of the soul the more one detests them. Bliss is related to ones sole only and not to any object etc. Thus love your soul and make it radiant and attractive. With this radiant soul one can contact the world of material objects and beings without undergoing bondage. Our soul is the centre of knowledge and wisdom. It is the foundation stone of bliss and peace. The seed of prosperity and all round progress lies hidden in it. It is the very substratum of heaven and salvation. The proverbial wish fulfilling tree (Kalpa Vriksha) grows not outside but it does so in our own very soul. Everything exists in the soul and the soul is the be all and end all of everything. One should meditate and worship the soul because it is the infinite store house of peace, prosperity and eternal bliss. He who masters his soul, masters the external world too. He who has seen his soul has seen all that needs to be seen. He who attains the soul has definitely attained all that requires to be attained. This is because the soul abounds in joy, peace and eternal infinite bliss.
It is sheer stupidity on our part to search for eternal joy in external material pursuits when the fact remains that true joy lies within i.e. in our very soul. Inert objects can neither give joy nor sorrow. If one analyzes this observation more closely it becomes clear that it is more prudent to search for joy within ones soul and not go astray like that deer which runs after an illusory dessert mirage in order to quench its thirst. Maya is nothing but our spiritual ignorance which erroneously induces human beings to focus on gross material aspects of the world. Such ignorant men do not make efforts to make a deeper and subtle analysis of life and this material world and thus they run miles away from true reality. Great seers of ancient India called Rishis have pointed towards eternal peace and happiness by saying: The light of research should be turned inwards (soul). The famous Western philosopher Carlisle too proclaims: Turn the search light inwards.
No force of attraction exists in objects or individuals. When our soul experiences oneness with them they appear dear to us. We all are attached to some special set of people and objects. But the moment we succeed in attaining them our attraction for them starts depleting. If for some reason our attachment towards these objects/individuals diminishes we feel a sense of aversion to them in spite of the fact that very recently they were very dear to us. The object/individual is the same yet for some time they are dear to us and later they fail to attract us any more. The reason for this is very clear; our attachment at the mental level towards these objects has diminished.
If we succeed in deeply imbibing this precept we can continue our attraction for people/objects for a long time span by remaining attached to them. But the idea is to enlarge our attachment to a wider range of objects/individuals of the world and ultimately a day will dawn when every pore of the cosmos will be dear to us eternally without exceptions. Despite being aware of this great spiritual truth people feign ignorance. In order to search for joy they run amuck after a few individuals and objects. If only one renounces this illusory mirage one can manifest oneness with the entire world and thus enjoy untold eternal bliss and peace.
Generally one experiences grief and pain when one is separated from ones beloved people/objects. If one truly realizes that separation is bound to follow union just as death follows birth one will always be mentally prepared for separation at any point in time. When we inhale air we know that the very next moment it will be exhaled and thus our breathing activities continue smoothly and uninterruptedly. When we inhale there is no joy and when we exhale there is no grief. One dies and the other is born. Birth in any household is strongly related to the grief of death. It is only when one businessman incurs losses that another makes profits. If we mentally imbibe the fact that just like darkness-light, day-night, heat-cold etc separation follows union and that losses follow gain one will neither experience too much joy or sorrow in the realms of attachment/aversion and loss/gain in ones daily life. Our spiritual ignorance is that culprit which induces intense pleasure when we like something and intense hatred when we dislike something. Thus like pendulums or waves in the ocean we arise to great heights and then dash on to the ground with the same intensity. This is the root cause of our transient joys and grief which lead to emotional and mental stress. If only our thinking which is ensnared by spiritual ignorance is freed from the latter’s shackles and if only man deeply understands the relentless cosmic cycle of birth, death, creation, destruction etc he can become mentally serene, poised and contented on an eternal basis. In a flash this divine mental state can give us heavenly bliss and joy. It is the virus called spiritual ignorance or Maya that deludes our psyche and thus like children seated on a seashore we foolishly clap our hands in joy when waves arise to great heights and lament when they dash down with a bang on to the shore.
Nature has covered a bag of urine and feces with an attractive wrapper called the human body so that this foul smelling bag does not spread its stench everywhere. People are mesmerized with this attractive covering along with its youth. The eternal thirst for beauty can be easily satiated right from an enchanting flower to the innocence of a child but our distorted minds full of lewd lust agitates every male and female. Thus they end up doing things which they should totally refrain from doing. Slight scratching of the lowly urinary area can induce human beings to carry out undesirable lustful acts. If only the veil of illusion called Maya had been lifted from our psyche all our lustful thinking could be destroyed. Such a person overcomes all attachment and attraction for this transient body and instead the ever radiant soul full of bliss and serenity would have manifested in his/her bosom. Lewd lust could have been replaced by sacred divine love for all. Such sacred hearted couples could then have jointly showered this all encompassing love for world welfare and well being. Today’s hell like married life based solely on physical attractions could have been made more sacred and all encompassing. Households with the pillars of sacred ideals and human values could have then made the entire earth heavenly and divine. It is the witch called spiritual ignorance which mesmerizes our senses to mere physical attractions and consequently we lose the paradise of eternal soul bliss and peace.
If only man understands his true nature, goal of life and righteous duty his thinking and endeavor can become outstanding both materially and spiritually. Such a person is none other than God Himself because even the dust of his feet spreads the fragrance of sanctity in all directions of the world. But alas! The veil of ignorance in his mind has made a beast of him and he does not think twice while indulging in unethical lowly acts. It is ignorance that makes our life a living hell and thus we hear wails of anguish and grief just about everywhere.
Our perception and visualization of the material world is based on prejudiced deluding beliefs along with the information given by our sense organs, mind and brain. If once and for all we accept this basis as irrational and inapplicable and instead start scientifically analyzing our true nature and our relationship with the world of animate and inanimate beings the reality that will emerge will be totally in tandem with Vedanta philosophy expounded in Vedic scriptures.
Just as we wake up at dawn and sleep at night in the same way at a macro level the cycles of birth and death occur. The sun rises and sets everyday. Our life starts and ends for a particular time span. Just as one day of our life ends and another day commences the following day so too one entire life span of our ends one day (death) and another life span commences (birth). For this there should be no sorrow or fear. If we always maintain this awareness we can truly glorify our lives and live without constant fear and stress that nags us all day in and day out. If in order to make our future bright we have to undergo certain trying times in the present no one will abhor it because the law ‘this moment too shall pass’ will definitely take its course. A wise man will never carry out unwholesome actions which no doubt gives him temporary pleasure but which in the long run will give him nothing but strife and agony. If we remain constantly aware of the transient nature of both happy and sorrowful circumstances all our mental taints like greed, avarice, lust etc would come to a grinding halt. With the result such a pure minded person will make apt use of objects and circumstances he faces with the intention of working hard not only for his own material and spiritual advancement but that of world humanity too.
Man erroneously thinks that his present life is the ultimate life and hence fritters it away by eating, drinking and procreating. Thus his future becomes bleak and dire. Instead if man learns to look upon each birth of his amongst infinite other incarnations akin to 1 day of his life he would work as hard as a college student or a farmer in his field so as to render his future bright and radiant. He will look upon all hardships he has to undergo due to the fruits of his past actions spanning over millions of lives as very light like a blade of grass. Alas! Does man ever imbibe this attitude so as to avail its benefits? It is spiritual ignorance of his psyche that makes him think his present life to be the one and ultimate life. Such erroneous thinking induces man to act undesirably and thus he accrues sins. In order to overcome this flaw the veil of ignorance in our psyche must be destroyed in totality we will give up childish attitude of ‘eat, drink and be merry’ and instead imbibe mature ways if living ones precious human life.
All of us are living our lives like travelers living in rest houses, hotels, motels etc. We individuals of the world gather together like blades of grass flowing in a huge river. Hence it is most required that we observe the rules and disciplines of rest houses, hotels etc. Let us all learn to carry out our duties selflessly like cogs in a wheel. This will help us overcome the spiritual ignorance of our psyche which erroneously induces to like certain people by saying ‘mine’ and hating the rest by saying ‘not mine’. The right perception is ‘all of us belong to God’ and that God is our ultimate benefactor. Every human being is rotating on his/her axis by being tied to it with the rope of his/her Karma (actions). It is cosmic time that unites people for sometime only to separate them later. If we truly imbibe this fact we will refrain from getting mentally attached like glues to objects and individuals and thus bondage will run miles away from us. We must learn the spiritual art of relating ourselves to all individuals and objects of the world in a cosmic and all pervasive manner. When we attach ourselves to a few individuals like say our family members our psyche gets deluded and hence we will stoop to any level so as to satisfy their lowly desires. There are households who are used to feeding their members by availing free ration etc distributed by governments and other agencies. It is perfectly alright to take free ration in times of hardships but the problem is this becomes an unwholesome habit. Thus these people instead of making apt use of their intellect and hard work live lives of beggary and indolence. Forget working for world welfare such people cannot even uplift themselves either materially or spiritually. All these are the dire fruits of Maya or ignorance that binds us painfully to illusion. Thus the true goal of life which is first the material and spiritual advancement of an individual and then such a person contributing towards world welfare eludes us like the proverbial mirage in a dessert.
Material pleasures have been created so that we make the most apt use of them and thus not only uplift ourselves both within and without but the entire world at large too. Material means lie in the realm of an inert material world and they keep changing their color and form so as add beauty to the world. Where we err is that we wish to possess these inert objects and thus our ego becomes fat and bloated. We will definitely enter the portals of hell and downfall if we insist on bloating our illusory egos, satisfying unholy desires etc. Thus we can lead only selfish and narrow minded lives and fritter away this precious human life meant for higher material and spiritual goals.
It is certainly not wise or farsightedness on our part to look upon this illusory ego ‘I’ and our mind as the be all and end all of life’s potential. This is because our true ‘I’ is an unlimited ocean of divine cosmic consciousness which in daily parlance is called God by us all. If we divert our efforts in the direction of attaining this cosmic divine consciousness instead of running after transient material pursuits devoid of spiritual values, we can attain those divine glories which have been attained by saints, sages, great men, leaders etc all over the world right since time immemorial. It is amazing to see people give up great spiritual gains by immersing themselves in unholy acts for some transient pleasures. Such unholy acts definitely reap fruits of pain and sorrow in future. A wise person will never stoop low for the sake of some fleeting pleasures that ultimately pave the way for his long term downfall both materially and spiritually. It is the play of Maya or spiritual ignorance that induces us to execute unwanted acts for short term so called gains. Just as one mistakes land for water so too man mistakes loss for profits. It is like attacking ones own feet with an axe.
Man is so hypnotized by spiritual ignorance and mental taints that he himself creates his overall downfall in life. Thus he swims in his self created ocean of sorrow and grief. If instead man makes optimum use of 3 mediums available viz. 1) soul 2) mind/psyche and 3) 5 sense organs he not only can uplift himself but can also like a cog in a wheel contribute to world welfare, peace and prosperity. Our sense organs have been designed so wonderfully that in ordinary daily chores one experiences extraordinary ease. It is natural that we eat food to fill our bellies. The Almighty Lord is so great that he has designed our body in such a manner so as to perform our daily chores naturally with ease. By eating healthy food our soul finds contentment and peace.
The function of our eyes is to see external objects and beings for smooth functioning of our lives. Hence our eyes are so amazingly designed that our soul exudes bliss and joy on seeing beauty, grandeur etc in the world. The world undergoes the cycles of creation, propagation and destruction since eons together. In the middle stage everything is youthful/new and beautiful to look at. Be it man, bird, flower etc all have to undergo birth, growth and death. The middle phase appears beautiful. In reality all these 3 stages are beautiful in their own way. Despite this our eyes categorize these stages as desirable or otherwise. Thus whatever is in the growing stage appears desirable to us all. From the absolute standpoint nothing like ‘beautiful’ and ‘ugly’ exists but it is our amazing eyesight that categorizes certain objects, scenes etc as beautiful and radiant so as to manifest joy and peace in our soul.
The same holds true for our genital organ functioning. Procreation is carried out even by mosquitoes, birds, worms etc. This is the natural straightforward function of the world and yet the human genital organs are imbued with so much ecstasy that not only during sexual intercourse but the mere thought of it excites our psyche no end. From the absolute standpoint all this is illusory and non-existent. What is so extraordinary for one human body to touch another body? What is the wonder in this? What does one gain from it? We can understand that actual touch sensation excites us but the important question is why mere imaginations of this touch sensation titillate our senses and psyche? The fact of the matter is that these emotions exist relatively but not from the absolute standpoint. This is because our genitals have been designed in such a way that physical contact between man and woman or either a mental visualization of it evokes excitement in our psyche. Thus our otherwise listless life experiences ecstasy and joy.
In the above paragraphs we discussed the tongue, eyes and genitals. The same can be applied to our ears and nose. We have been given eyes, ears etc so that our lives are filled with joy, zest etc. Without these sense organs our life becomes insipid and dry. The idea is to make apt and optimum use of these sense organs so that both our material and spiritual lives are enlivened and made radiant.
Apart from the 5 sense organs God has given us a psyche/mind so that by ‘touching’ our soul and consciousness we can attain pinnacles of unalloyed bliss and joy. Our sense organs are conjoined to the inert physical body. These senses contact inert objects and give us pleasure. Inertness touching/contacting inertness can give joy as can be seen via the medium of sense organs contacting their objects. When consciousness contacts consciousness, living being contacts another living being etc. one experiences bliss, joy, friendship, affection etc. Under adverse circumstances hatred, aversion, dislike, violence etc tend to manifest and yet their very existence depends on positive emotions like friendship, affection etc. If there were no darkness light would never have been given due importance. Our psyche has been designed so as to contact others and manifest love, cooperation etc for ones own well being and that of the entire world. This is why we love going to parties, discos, fairs etc. When people gather in large numbers, a sense of camaraderie manifests and thus they experience joy.
Man is attracted to sense pleasures, joy attained in congregational functions (parties, fairs, community gatherings etc) and wealth. By itself wealth has no potential of attraction. It cannot directly excite our senses or psyche. How can a coin made of metal or a currency note made of paper attract our mind? The modern day social arrangement is such that via currencies of all nations one can buy sense objects like TV, computer, delicious food etc and thus gain joy from using them. Hence wealth attracts the human psyche forcefully. This leads to wealth being included in the list of mediums/instruments that give pleasure.
A living being has 3 bodies. All three give joy and pleasure. Previously we have discussed 2 of these bodies. The grandeur of the physical body is conjoined to the 5 sense organs. The functions of food intake, sleep, sexual intercourse etc are performed by the senses. The subtle body is our mind/psyche. Proper mental functioning is dependent on contact with other people and objects. Mind attains joy due to family attachments, contact with society, leading organizations, celebrations, public programs etc. External events influence our psyche and thus we get affected by movements of various sorts in the world. Thus our psyche experiences both desirable and undesirable sensations. Novels, newspapers, movies, TV, computers etc are hence found attractive and pleasurable by the mind.
The 3rd instrument which experiences joy is our soul. It functions in the realms of the ‘causal body’. It endeavors to establish greatness, progress and glory. These are achieved via tasks carried out with sacred ideals and human values. In order that man’s greatness and yearning for walking on great paths remain undeterred an experience of bliss is added to it. This is called ‘Gaurav’ or leadership, fame and glory. Man influenced by the yearning to attain glory aspires for success in all walks of life so that in comparison to others he remains outstanding, wise and great. Thus he not only gains glory himself but sets an example to others too to follow suit.
Briefly we have discussed the taste of joy of 3 bodies of mankind. All our endeavors, aspirations, desires and activities revolve around the 3 fundamental activities of the 3 bodies mentioned above. Whatever man thinks and how he acts can be classified in 3 ways. The Almighty Lord has given us these 3 varieties so as to live a life of bliss and contentment. They also exist so that man always remains active devoid of lethargy and indolence. In order to attain these 3 types of bliss all 3 bodies will perforce remain active. Thus lethargy, insipidness, hopelessness etc run far away from us and that life will not become a heavy burden because of lack of joy. The world exists with activity as its substratum which can hence continue unobstructed. If our soul, psyche and senses gain opportunities to walk on the path of truth our life will ooze with zest and bliss.
Man starts erring when he tries to attain the above mentioned bliss via foul means or carrying out acts in haste which leads to undesirable consequences. He will not think twice to carry out illegal and unethical tasks which temporarily give you pleasure but in the long run are the very cause of your material and spiritual downfall. This undue haste is the cause of sins and mental stress/tension. Imbalance and chaos in ones life manifest due this unwholesome attitude. Overall downfall is the result of this error. One becomes a criminal, vile person etc because of our attitude of attaining sense pleasures in a jiffy without working hard with integrity and instead using foul/illegal means for their attainment. A man in haste loses his mental poise and hurriedly performs vile/unethical acts so as to amass perishable wealth, property etc. This makes him unruly and violent which then paves the way for his demeaned state both within and without. Whatever he had previously attained by the sheer dint of hard work in an ethical way too is now out of his grasp since he has adopted illegal and criminal means to attain sense pleasures. Thus our precious human life becomes a living hell full of diseases, mental strife, social boycott, financial lack and lack of soul peace. Man who is in a hurry to amass more and more loses his peace of mind and instead slowly but surely gets ensnared by poverty, tension and unbearable stress. This error is generally executed by a major portion of world humanity and the chief culprit is Maya/spiritual ignorance/Avidya. This Maya wrests away all peace and contentment bestowed on us all by God Almighty. With the result man instead of aspiring for higher material/spiritual goals demeans himself and those associated with him.
The goal of Spiritual Science is to help man master his thinking and righteous duty and manifest zest and sense of right & wrong so as to stay away from vileness and lowliness. Man should try and truly understand the nature of his very existence, goal of life and social relationships. He should march ahead on the path of all round progress by imbibing spiritual values like integrity, compassion, sense of service, humility etc in all his material and professional pursuits. He should transform his present unfulfilled state into that of omni-potency. The ultimate goal of Spiritual Science is to help us imbibe spirituality in our day to day lives (in our jobs, professions, household chores etc) with great spiritual masters (Gurus, prophets, messengers of God, saints etc) as instruments of God who ooze with divine radiance and vibrations.
We must all remember that man has been created from both inert/material and conscious principles. As long as consciousness exists in our body until then our sense organs will function smoothly. But the moment consciousness departs from our body the latter if but a heap of lifeless dust. A dead body is devoid of movement, vibration and activity. Thus it is crystal clear that man’s material body conjoined to consciousness can become a powerful source of spiritual energy but the moment consciousness departs the body is lifeless and valueless. Every second of our life is being used for amassing material pleasures (TV, computers, telephones, bungalows etc) and enjoying their fleeting joy. Despite this, when death glares at us ferociously, not even a small percent of our desires are satiated. In fact great saints of the world have time and again cautioned us that the more you try to fulfill even one desire infinite number of new ones manifest in our psyche. Thus desire satiation is nothing but a losing game.
In order to achieve all goals of human life it is most required that we make intense efforts not only for material progress but equally work hard for spiritual unfolding. Both, our material and spiritual leanings should be made sacred, advanced and glorious. Ignoring either one of them (material or spiritual life) will definitely doom our lives and make it a stressful burden.