There is a heavy veil of ignorance that covers the intelligence of living entities. This is relevant more so with the human beings; animals being disabled by nature herself to be categorized under the domain of intelligence since they work on instincts and not intelligence. The topic of intelligence is relevant only amongst the human species. Having said so, human beings although they appear to be intelligent; operate far below their intelligence capacity. The veil of ignorance that grips human beings thwarts human beings to operate intelligently. Hence even human beings, most of them behave under the grip of instincts where mind rules over intelligence. Human mind is prone to be infected with mundane tendencies with strong likes and dislikes that freezes human potential itself. People thrive on social identity and this is the greatest debacle where everyone is striving constantly in pursuit of name and recognition.
This is the one aspect of “pratishtha” or self-image that is deterrent on the spiritual path. A person unconsciously harbours self-defeating tendencies of attracting attention, providing unwarranted and unnecessary advice to others just for establishing one’s own importance. This tendency is so deep rooted that it methodically eats up the spiritual verve in any individual. One who takes up to this habit unknowingly whiles away vital energy with everything to lose and nothing to gain. This habit is so debilitating that it also eats away all existing intelligence in one who constantly engages in advising others. Thus instead of being able to relieve others; the one who is delivering advise himself gets throttled by the veil of unknown ignorance!
It is said that one has to constantly talk about the Lord and engage in service by talking about related topics to others. However there is a point of discretion here. One should only talk to like-minded devotees and that to only when one seeks suggestion or advice. At all other times one should conserve vocal energy and spend time in chanting or personal sadhana and engage one’s intelligence in service of Guru and Gauranga. It should be fairly understood and realized that nobody needs us. The material world spins at the will of the Lord and will cease to exist when He wills so. We are non-entities in the whole scheme of the universe and we should know that we are not even a millionth part of all a miniscule drop of water in comparison to all water bodies in the multiverse of all creation. So it is better that we focus on ourselves and go deep inward in our sadhana.This is the time of introspection and one needs to have total inward focus on the self if we are really interested in grappling sense of what is happening around us. Outward focus is unnecessary in the field of spiritual science. Bhakti empowers one who is inward focussed. When one establishes one’s lost connection with the Lord ; the Lord engages one in eternal service whether one is physically engaged in work on the earthly platform or when one is elevated to the spiritual regime of the Lord. Until such time one has to judiciously and gracefully reject company of anything that deters one from one’s spiritual goal or “Prayojana” of spiritual entreaty. We have to take shelter of an accomplished Sadhguru by first humbly submitting ourselves to the Lord first. The Lord then through the His agent of the Caitya Guru in the heart leads us to the perfected sadhaka or the Sadhguru who then engages us in sadhana and spiritual rigor. This will make our life immensely successful. There is then no question of “preaching to others” concept as we ourselves are entrapped by the mayic force. Once sadhana takes us beyond certain mayic restrictions; the Lord will qualify us and make us eligible to pass on His message to the world at an appropriate time; without any effort from our side.
Charan Pahari 