V: 10

[Krishna Jaya]

Chapter 5, Verse 9

“In seeing or hearing,
In eating or walking, or sleeping, In talking or grasping or relaxing,
And even in opening and closing the eyes,
At all times, they remember,
‘Sense-objects are inter-acting with the senses.’ ”

Sri Eknath Easwaran:

"In our villages in Kerala, bags of rice, water pots, and other heavy burdens are often transported on the head. After carrying a load for miles, when it is time for a rest, the villager finds it difficult to unload and then reload when it is time to move on. So, by the side of the road, stone parapets have been constructed, about the height of an average person. If I have been carrying a load and am ready to rest, when I come to a stone parapet, all I have to do is move close to it, nod my head, and the load will slide on to the wall. I can lie down and rest peacefully, and when I feel refreshed, I go back to the slab, give the bundle a little tug, and balance it on my head again.

Sometimes we will face great crises in life, the challenges will be immense, but the Lord will always whisper from within, 'I am your support. I am your stone parapet. Shift your burden to me.' God-filled people who are instruments in the hands of the higher power don't get discouraged. They are so completely identified with the Atman that they do not get entangled in the interplay between the senses and their objects in which all of us get caught when we are living for ourselves. Their every action is done as an offering to the Lord. Even when they eat, it is not for the sake of satisfying the palate. It is for the sake of serving the higher power. When we eat nourishing food as an offering unto the Lord, it strengthens the body, the mind, and the intellect. In the same way, we can keep our body strong with regular exercise, so that it can be used for many years in God's service.

We have another opportunity to move closer to the Lord when it is bedtime. Between the last waking moment and the first moment of sleep, there is an arrow's entry into the depths of consciousness, into which the name of the Lord can enter when we repeat it with devotion as we fall asleep. This takes effort and perseverance, but when we have learned to fall asleep in this way, throughout the night we go through a healing process and wake up closer to our goal. My Grandmother used to say that even in our dreams resentful thoughts and hostile attitudes will gradually subside. We can come to have such mastery over our consciousness that even in our sleep we can reach the state where nothing but love and the awareness of unity pervades."

The Old Wisdom by Jane Goodall

When the night wind makes the pine trees creak
And the pale clouds glide across the dark sky,
Go out, my child, go out and seek
Your soul: the eternal I.

For all the grasses rustling at your feet
And every flaming star that glitters high
Above you, close up and meet
In you: the Eternal I.

Yes, my child, go out into the world; walk slow
And silent, comprehending all, and by and by
Your soul, the Universe, will know
Itself: the Eternal I.

An inspiring conversation between Jane Goodall and Bill Moyers can be found at...

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/11272009/watch.html