High Moment in Life

— T. G. L. Iyer

Wise men say that there are three stages in the expression of man’s spiritual life. In the first stage, man’s religious impulse seeks to find expression in outward acts of worship, that is, it seeks God outside. Hence, he visits temples, churches, mosques and gurudwaras. He listens to bhajans, hymns and religious songs. He fasts on auspicious days to propitiate planets and prophets. He goes on pilgrimages to holy places like Mecca, Sabarimala, Jerusalem or the Vatican in an effort to find peace and to subdue his turbulent mind.

This first stage is an effort to capture the eternal through the concrete and the gross. In the process of doing this, he learns to discipline himself, to control his emotions and to silence his mind.

The second stage is inward contemplation. Having learnt that there is a semblance of serenity through discipline, he begins to feel the presence of God within himself. In this state, there is very little external expression or noise or voices from outside. This is the beginning of true religion. The first stage can be compared to a kindergarten a child goes to before entering school.

When the thoughts become purer and purer, there is a tug inside and one experiences a pull of the ‘divine’ within! A connection is established between the soul and God. Silence becomes a delightful experience; the cacophony outside is shut out. This stage continues till the mind is stilled like a placid lake without any ripples.

This is the time when the devotee enters the third stage, and senses God within himself. He sees God in contemplation. He sees God everywhere just like the great saints of the past like Tukaram, Thiruvalluvar or Ramakrishna, who achieved the fullness of realization. It may not be possible to achieve fullness, divinity in one life, may be, in more than one. In Bhagvad Gita Chapter VII, Verse 3, Krishna says, “Out of thousands of people, only a few strive for perfection; and out of thousands that so strive, only a few realize the truth of my true being.”

In verse 19 of the same chapter, the Lord says, “Striving through several births, the wise one realizes ME as existing in every being; such a great soul is rare to come across.”