Nishtas ….

The Baba continued: ‘The second nishta is ‘Satya nishta’. It means truthfulness in word and deed. We are called to be truthful to ourselves and to others in what we speak and do. Truth alone will succeed in the end. This is the national motto of India: ‘Satyameva Jayate’…..

‘Truth alone can liberate us from bondages of sin. It alone can set us free to grow as true children of God. It will help us become ‘sovereign spiritual persons’ of freedom, peace, power and joy….

‘Truth is the ‘link’ between the eternal and the temporal, between the sacred and the secular, between the infinite and the finite…. 

‘The Chandokya Upanishad speaks about truth as ‘Satyam’. The Sanskrit word ‘Satyam’ is composed of three constituent elements: ‘Sat’, ‘Ti’ and ‘Yam’. ‘Sat’ means that which is eternal. It also implies the sacred and the infinite. ‘Ti’ means that which is temporal. It also implies the secular and the finite. ‘Yam’ means that which binds these two; the eternal and the temporal, the sacred and the secular, the infinite and the finite.

‘There is an inherent unity between the eternal and the temporal, between the sacred and the secular, between the infinite and the finite in creation…. This inherent unity needs to guide our thoughts, words and deeds. Only then we can be really truthful people… This is also a basic prerequisite for the unitive divine consciousness to dawn upon us. 

The Baba continued: ‘The third nishta is ‘Karma nishta’. It means dedicated and devoted hard work without selfish motives. The Bhagavad Gita speaks about it in terms of ‘Nishkama Karma’. It means selfless action without attachment to its fruits. This is a sure means to God-realization. All true work should lead us to ‘moksha’, to God-realization….

‘First of all we need to work to earn our living, to take care of our physical needs. All of us have to put in work to deserve our food. Gandhiji called it ‘bread labour’. The Holy Bible says that those who do not work do not deserve to eat… 

‘It is very important that all of us must put in at least one hour of physical labour to deserve our food. One who eats food without working for it is a ‘social parasite’ eating into the fruits of other people’s labour.....

‘Karma nishta also implies fulfilling our assigned duties and responsibilities…. We have responsibilities to our own selves, to our parents, to our families, to our institutions or organizations, to our community, to our nation, to our religion, to Mother Earth…. We need to sincerely strive to fulfill all these responsibilities to the best of our ability…. We also need to serve the old, the sick and the needy in the society… All these come under Karma nishta…. 

‘The fourth nishta is ‘Samaya nishta’. It means punctuality at all times and in all matters. ‘Samaya’ means time. It is God’s most precious gift to us. Our life span is measured in terms of years, months, weeks, days and hours, …. in terms of time. The time that is gone can never be recovered by any means. All our wealth cannot buy back even one minute of lost time…..

‘We use time to generate wealth. We use time to study and develop ourselves. We use time to work…. We need time to recover from sickness…. Everything needs time…. 

‘Our life will depend on the way we use the time available to us…. It is by converting time into work, into wealth, into relationships,…. into moments of peace and happiness, into companionships,…. that we make our lives fruitful, useful and joyful….

‘Practical spirituality is nothing but management of our time and resources for the glory of God and for the good of humanity and of the world at large.… Blessed is the one who makes the best use of time…

‘It is a crime to waste one’s own time, or to make others waste their time. That is why we need to be punctual at all times and in all things…. Punctuality also shows our respect for others and our gratitude to God for the gift of life….. It is a great spiritual virtue.

‘Have to understood this foruth nishta, Atma Prakash?’ the Baba asked after a pause.

Atma Prakash nodded gratefully.

‘Now let me explain the last and the fifth nishta of the five-point rule of life given to me by my revered guruji...’ the Baba looked at his beloved disciple… and continued..

‘The fifth nishta is ‘Sudhi nishta’. ‘Sudhi’ means cleanliness. We need to maintain physical, mental and environmental cleanliness at all times. There is an ancient dictum which says ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’. It implies that cleanliness and divinity go hand in hand. Cleanliness has to be an integral part of our spiritual quest for God-realization and for excellence in life….

‘You will find that all truly spiritual people try to maintain absolute cleanliness in their lives, in their dress, in their surroundings.. Cleanliness also is very necessary for good physical and mental health…..

‘Keeping the mind filled with positive thoughts, avoiding all negative thoughts and emotions, avoiding all unhealthy relationships and habits, and cultivating good friendships and creative habits…. keeping away from drugs, alcohol, and non-vegetarian food… developing interesting hobbies and eating ‘satvic’ vegetarian food are very effective ways of keeping the mind and heart clean, pure and healthy… 

‘You have seen Gandhiji’s three monkeys,.. one monkey closing it’s eyes with both hands, another closing it’s ears, and the third closing it’s mouth… What do they mean?’ the guru asked his disciple.

‘Do not see evil, do not hear evil and do not speak evil’ answered Atma Prakash promptly.

‘Yes, avoid looking at evil or trying to see bad in others, avoid listening to evil talks and useless conversations, and avoid speaking ill of anyone or anything…. This is an effective way of keeping one’s mind and heart clean and healthy....

‘My son, observing the ‘Pancha nishta’ in my life has enabled me to develop and nurture a unitive divine consciousness… You can also see our Mataji keeping this five-point rule of life very sincerely as the basis of her own life…. We have kept this rule of life also as the rule of this Ashram-gurukul…

‘You can also adopt it and make it your own. In fact, you are expected to do so. It will help you in your spiritual quest and life-mission. It will surely enable you to enjoy and grow in unitive divine consciousness of a high order.’… The Baba concluded and looked thoughtfully at Atma Prakash. 

‘Guruji, I will follow the Pancha nishta from today, and make it the very basis of my life hereafter.’… Atma Prakash assured the Baba. 

The guru seemed very much pleased with the assurance of his disciple.

Excerpts from ‘Integral Revoution’