Spiritual Message for the Day – The Greatest Wonder by Sri Swami Chidananda
Baba Times Digest© | 2 January 2015 13.42 EST | New York Edition
The Greatest Wonder
Divine Life Society Publication: The Message of The New Year by Sri Swami Chidananda
Om! Om! Om!
We offer our adorations for the Great Message Time has given us today and every day; with the sunrise it gives the message of the day that is born and with the sunset it gives the message of the day that is past. We should not be asleep; we should be alert and heed the message. The reason why people forget this is due to the power of Maya. How universal this power is we shall know from the pages of the Mahabharata.
When the Pandavas were living in the forest, the younger brothers were sent by Dharmaputra to fetch water. Seeing that they did not return, Arjuna was sent. He also failed to return. Draupadi was suffering from intense thirst. With great anxiety Dharmaputra sends Bhima. He, too, does not return.
They have come across a lake. As they were about to get into the water and slake their own thirst and also take some water for Dharmaputra, a Voice warns them: "Stop. You cannot drink the water. This lake belongs to me. There is a condition upon which alone all people can partake of these waters. I shall ask you some questions. They have to be answered by you. If you answer them successfully, only then can you drink the water." The brothers were in a hurry; they did not listen to the Voice; but they got into the water and promptly fell into a death-swoon. Bhima finds all of them stretched on the banks of the lake. His anger is at once roused. When he is about to touch the water, the same Yaksha speaks the same warning. Bhima, too disobeys and falls dead.
This brings Dharmaputra himself to the spot. Herein comes the difference between the men of wisdom and others. When he hears the Voice, Dharmaputra thinks: "What is the use of my unnecessarily disregarding the Voice?" and says: "You are at liberty to ask your questions. I shall be pleased to satisfy you and with your permission I shall take the water." The Yaksha is highly pleased. Then follows in the Mahabharata a wonderful chapter with marvellous wisdom.
Among the various questions, the Yaksha puts this one: "What is the most wonderful thing in this world?" The answer that Dharmaputra gives is wonderful. "This I think is most wonderful: that the man of the world, even though he is seeing before his eyes constantly creatures dying and passing away, never for a moment the idea enters him ‘I, too, have to fall; I am also a creature destined to be destroyed.’ Even if it is told to him, it never enters his mind. Only the surface-mind understands the language; but the actual sense never goes into his head." Yaksha says: "Yes you have answered rightly."
Because there is this mysterious power of the Lord that man runs after the material pleasures of life. And because of the Law of the Crowbar—the Law that inspires us to dig, dig, and dig ceaselessly, that Swamiji keeps hammering into our consciousness the truth about our life and its goal, so that whether we would have it or not, it enters into our mind and begins slowly to transform our life. Let this great blessing not go in vain. Let us, upon this solemn occasion remind ourselves of all these factors and of our great duty and necessity for vigilance and quick action, and attain the Supreme Bliss of Satchidananda.
Excerpts from: The Greatest Wonder - The Message of The New Year by Sri Swami Chidananda
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