Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’
This sentence is the key to understanding the fate of our world. Providence will never forsake one who is really seeking for light. This, however, does not mean that spiritual search can bring worldly riches. But these ‘riches’ are not craved by the disciple of wisdom; he feels far happier and more free in possessing a very limited number of things, and desires that his means will be just enough to maintain his physical vehicle and its activity ‘according to the great plan’ as occultists say. These material possessions vary in quantity and quality according to the climate and the part of the globe where the disciple dwells. Maharshi could spend all his life with no other possessions than a small vessel for water (the traditional ‘kamandulu’) and a bamboo stick to help him climb the steep slopes of Arunachala. Clothes in this climate can be reduced to a loin-cloth, and the age-old simple ways of life, adopted by Indians as best suited to the tropics, reduce to a minimum the needs of a human being. But in other colder climates it is not so simple: our skin is not a sufficient protection against the changes of weather.
More garments are needed as well as suitable houses. These are necessary conditions of existence in colder countries, and this creates other needs and complications as regards the material side of life. Hence for us it is neither a sin nor a vanity to have somewhat more possessions than has the Sage of Arunachala. The problem lies not so much in the possessions themselves as in our attitude towards them. If we regard them as an unavoidable attribute oflife on the physical plane, according to the exigencies of Nature, it is all right and they will not be an obstacle in our search for the Kingdom of Heaven.
But if we are continually running from one object of the senses to another and are full of craving, making the acquisition of possessions our chief goal and losing sight of the highest purposes of life, then we are not seeking truth but these ‘other things’. In this case we obviously do not find either, for we have no permanent satisfaction from material possessions, and, as we desert our deeper being—called ‘soul’ in the Gospels—we prepare for ourselves further ages of suffering.
If we look round us, we must admit that in the present stage of evolution, the majority of people exist only for the satisfaction of a craving for worldly possessions, and do not see anything beyond. By the decrees of providence there are always less riches than selfish desires and appetites. Is it not to remind us of our true Goal? When the craving for possessions grows, there appear active attempts to take them from other—generally weaker—individuals or nations. And new waves of violence and evil are created, with their unavoidable result—suffering.
Suffering, so much hated and shunned by all human beings is, in fact, the only antidote neutralizing the poison of evil in ourselves. When, under mighty blows, glimpses of understanding of its cause dawn in our consciousness, our path, instead of descending lower and lower, begins to turn upward and mounts the ascending part of the arc of evolution. Then the ‘search for truth’ begins. When the time is ripe a definite turn upwards is made; we meet a Being who has completed this evolutionary course and has acquired the fullness of experience and wisdom. He is the perfect man, called by the Hindus the Guru, which literally means ‘one who dispels darkness’ and by the West—Master, Saint, Messenger of God. Everyone who is allowed by providence to meet and approach a Master is by that very fect partaking of His grace. It is a tremendous opportunity for growth and at the same time a great responsibility. According to the beliefs of my Hindu friends, which are based on the Vedas, there is no greater possible blunder in this life than to miss the opportunity thus sent to fulfil the intentions of the Most High.
In Maharshi’s environment there are strange happenings too. Not all can stand the vibratory power of the invisible radiance of the presence of one who is pure spirit. There are cases of temporary or permanent loss of balance, of mental or emotional poise. There are extravagances, foolishnesses, and nonsensical actions performed with a belief in their reasonableness. But there are also cases where obvious inner disharmonies are healed in the presence of the Saint. Of course, those benefit most who can deeply understand the teachings of the Master and grasp their inner hidden meaning. Such a meaning undoubtedly exists, in spite of the utter simplicity and directness of Maharshi’s words. It could not be otherwise, for his teachings belong to the realm of the Spirit, of Reality, and when re-veiled in words for our sake, in this very process their pristine purity must necessarily be modified by the limitations of mind, thought and word. The assimilation of Maharshi’s teachings is a process similar to that of remembering. The Sage says that the real Self—(Truth—Spirit—God being different names for the same reality) is always and everywhere present. It is therefore also in our own consciousness, which ignorance covers with a veil of thoughts.
‘All that is really necessary is the removal of the veils. Then the Light will shine by Itself and permeate all your being, then there is no need of seeking It somewhere else’.
From Maharshi’s Sayings
The Kingdom of Heaven is within us, yet we cannot remember it. Were it not the greatest tragedy of Mankind, it could be regarded as a paradox or as a gigantic jest.