Atmonnati Sadhana – Part 6

“Without God’s permission man tries to alter the cosmic design, and not understanding this truth, he becomes the cause of his own unrest.” God created infinite universes, the living world and among them His most special creation — the human being. Scripture explains deeply how the human body is formed:

• From Earth arise grains and fruits; the gross part of the food becomes waste, the middle becomes flesh, and the subtle becomes mind.
• From Water, the gross becomes urine, the middle becomes blood, and the subtle becomes life-force (prāṇa).
• From Fire, the gross becomes bone, the middle becomes marrow and the subtlest becomes speech.

God, the Master of the Universe, consciously designed each being’s diet, nature and duties. He declared, “Man is made of My essence.” He placed divine powers within him, made him radiant, capable and intelligent, and presented him as His highest creation. But today this masterpiece has become restless because man attempts to change the cosmic order. Animals never violate their natural law: a thirsty cat does not drink soda, a hungry tiger does not eat grass. Only man forgets his swadharma, moves away from right diet and conduct, loses awareness of time, purpose and responsibility, and runs toward harmful actions. Thus he weakens himself — the mind withers, prāṇa fades, speech loses purity and confusion increases. Param Pujya Narendranath Maharaj teaches that to damage this divine masterpiece is to insult its Creator. Our true duty is to purify the body and uplift the soul. When we follow swadharma, the five elements bless us, the mind becomes fresh, devotion deepens, austerity increases inner radiance and agitation disappears.

“Gods themselves bow to the Guru, for He shapes human destiny. The Guru teaches all beings while God remains the cosmic creator.” God created countless universes and arranged food, shelter and survival for every creature, and then became invisible, residing in the heavens. From there He observes the cosmic play, which human intellect cannot comprehend. He did not take direct charge of Earth; instead, He entrusted that authority to the Sadguru. The Sadguru is sovereign. He works beyond logic and reason. He can do, undo and redo anything. Giving birth according to accumulated karma is God’s work; shaping the born soul through impressions (sanskaras) is the work of the Guru. The Guru accepts every seeker as he is and reshapes him through devotion and grace. He gives the seeker God’s Name, discipline and inner purification, yet never allows praise for Himself. God and Guru completely honour one another’s domains. For spiritual growth, the seeker must become good, noble and useful. The Guru removes faults, calms the restless mind and awakens true discrimination (viveka) — the capacity not just to know what is right, but to act upon what is right. Duryodhana knew dharma yet declared, “It is not in my nature to follow it,” illustrating the absence of viveka. Sadguru alone awakens this light. As Ramdas Swami said: “I cannot describe the Guru; my description ends before it begins.” Thus surrender is the only rightful response.

“The karma of this very life determines the direction of the next. The Guru gives guidance according to the seeker’s previous accumulations.” The Guru is committed to shaping us — yet why do we not transform? Because our determination wavers. Ramdas Swami advised: “Enough of many ambitions; have only one determination now!” That single focus must be the Name and practices given by the Guru. Running behind countless desires only increases anxiety. We must trust entirely in the Guru’s power. He is not merely a person; He is a principle, an eternal force. When seen as a body, His divinity is missed; when seen as a principle, His sovereignty over the five elements and His knowledge of our past karmas are recognised. Hence His guidance always directs us toward the karmas that uplift us. Only our present karmas shape the next birth. Therefore remain steady in practice. Shri Narendranath Maharaj says: “The first sign of spiritual knowledge is that worldly knowledge begins to feel insignificant.”

“The Guru has full command over the five elements yet never displays it openly. The disciple fails to recognise this power and wanders in confusion.” The karmas and practices prescribed by the Guru are liberating; through them the five elements become benevolent toward us. Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space span the body from feet to head. Each has a quality, a presiding deity, a corresponding Yuga and a governing emotional tone.

• Earth (Prithvi): toes → knees; Satya Yuga; four-armed Brahma
• Water (Apa): knees → navel; Dvapara Yuga; yellow-robed Vishnu
• Fire (Tejas): navel → heart; Treta Yuga; three-eyed Rudra
• Air (Vayu): heart → eyebrow centre; Kali Yuga; mighty Ishwara
• Space (Akasha): pervades all; deity Mahadeva; no human is dominated solely by Akasha

Shri Narendranath Maharaj explains that human life is governed by a seven-fold cosmic hierarchy:

• the Five Elements
• varna (constitutional nature)
• yuga (era-quality)
• personal essence (nija-tattva)
• gunas (modes of nature)
• birth-chart
• zodiacal influences

No human can step outside this framework. The body itself is a gift of these elements. The Guru teaches how to honour them, how to appease them and which karmas elevate our life.

“People rejoice in their own comforts, but when sorrow arrives, none stand by you. Therefore break worldly attachments and hold firmly to the Guru’s feet.” Worldly relations appear warm when times are good, but fade the moment trouble comes. Even a mouse abandons an empty house; why expect humans to behave differently? A poem says: “When mice hear the vessels rattle, they search for grains; when the vessels empty, they leave — and so do worldly relations.” Thus only the Sadguru remains our true protector. Just as the body requires daily food, the soul requires daily spiritual nourishment. One cannot eat once a year and remain healthy; likewise one cannot remember God occasionally and expect inner strength. Daily nama-smarana, daily practice and steady discipline are essential. The Name given by the Guru nourishes the soul just as food nourishes the body. Without this, life remains an empty equation.

“Man labours like an ox, wearing down body and mind in countless ways, yet not even a drop of true happiness is gained throughout his entire life.” We wrongly believe others cause our happiness or pain, but our karmas are the only cause. As Lakshmana’s verse declares: “No one else gives happiness or sorrow. To think others do so is ignorance. To think ‘I create everything’ is false pride. All beings are bound by their own karmic threads.” Material pleasure can be enjoyed, but true peace does not come from it; pleasure fades and leaves dissatisfaction behind. Our real suffering arises from desires and sense-cravings. There is only one cure: Make Narayana the very object of our desire. Saint Tukaram said that touching the dust of saints’ feet burns the seeds of desire. Ramdas Swami wrote that in the company of saints, the sufferings of the body disappear. Saints are the Sadguru; taking refuge in Him transforms life and redirects desire toward the Divine.