Shun theory but worship practice

In spiritual matters, it is not the working of the mind that is important but the inner realisation of the five truths that the late Sri Sathya Sai Baba emphasised. He said there were five immutable laws that governed the working of the universe and these included (a) there is only one religion and that is the religion of love; (b) there is one language and that is the language of the heart; (c) there is only one caste and it is that of humanity; (d) there is only one law and that is the law of karma; and finally, (e) there is only one God and He is known by many names.

These truths outlined by Baba go to the essence. They constitute the kernel from which all else becomes comprehensible.

Inner development helps to embody this wisdom in the heart and not merely grasp them as intellectual truths. The search for inner revelation is not about building fancy theories about the existence of God or about proving His absence or yet about constructing elaborate theories of human and divine order. It is about devotion, faith, persistence, patience humility and surrender. As Sri M (born as Mumtaz Ali Khan), author of the celebrated ‘Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master, A Yogi’s Autobiography’, declared: “Go to the core. Theories are of no use.”

His gurudev, Mahavatar Babaji said: “Keep things simple and direct. No mumbo jumbo. Live in the world like anybody else. Greatness is never advertised. Those who come close, discover it themselves. Be an example to your friends and associates. You can live in this world happily and in tune with circumstances.” This is priceless advice because what this means is that the head is not the vehicle for the search for the inner self but the real vehicle is the heart. Many of us unfortunately live in the head and abandon the heart.

Sri Guru, the guru of Sri M expressed the same matter differently: “Brahman comes from the root ‘brh’ meaning ‘to expand’ and this infinite expansion is an inner reality mistaken by most humans to be an external process. This misunderstanding is the cause of all suffering.” This is a powerful breathtaking truth.

The guru comes into our lives to correct precisely this fallacy.