IT is only a juvenile intelligence that analyses and arrives at a conclusion. If your intelligence is sufficiently evolved, you realise that the more you analyse, the further away you are from any conclusion.
As we dissect everything, wanting to excavate truth from physical nature, we enter into the minute dimensions of particle science. From protons, neutrons and electrons to neutrinos, bosons, and super-symmetric particles, we seem to be going deeper and deeper. But all this is still only in the realm of physical nature. Dark matter, we are told, comprises more of the universe than matter—and this is not composed of atoms at all but of particles of a still unknown type.
Pick up a glass of water and take a look at it. What do you really know about it? Why, for instance, do hydrogen and oxygen combine to become water? Or, pick up a pebble and gaze at it long and hard. Why does it have this particular shape, size, grain, texture? Or, just look at yourself: why are you the way you are? What is the basis of this form, this body, this individuality?
If you go deeply into any aspect of life, you will move further and further away from any conclusion. Life becomes more mysterious than ever before. The more you delve into life, you see that it is an endless and unfathomable process. You cannot get it because you are it. When you realise experientially that every atom, every grain of sand, every pebble, every piece of life from the smallest to the biggest is unfathomable, you will naturally bow down in utmost devotion to everything. If you simply sit here and breathe, you will know life better than with any deep analysis.
Traditionally in India, it was said that one ought to bow down to everything that one encountered. Whether it was a tree or a cow or a snake or a cloud—you just bowed down. When you bow to everything, it could mean that you are a fool, or that you have looked at life in its utmost profundity. The difference between an idiot and an enlightened being is thin. The two look similar, but they are actually worlds apart. An idiot is incapable of drawing conclusions. A mystic is unwilling to draw conclusions. The rest have glorified their conclusions as knowledge. The fool just enjoys whatever little he knows. One who has seen life in its utmost depth enjoys it absolutely. The rest are the ones who constantly struggle and suffer.
One morning a man walked into his office and told his boss, ‘Boss, I want you to know, three big companies are after me. You must give me a raise.’
His boss said, ‘What! Which companies? Who wants you?’ He said, ‘The electric company, the telephone company, and the gas company.’
Something is always behind the so-called smart people, those with confirmed conclusions about life! Or else, they are always busy chasing something. An idiot can sit here quietly. A mystic can sit here quietly. The rest cannot.
Devotion is a simple method of dissolving all the hurdles on the path. Bowing to everything does not seem to be particularly good for your self-esteem. But becoming a devotee does not mean you are a pushover. That which knows how to bend will not break. This is the rationale behind hata yoga and the ancient martial art traditions in the East. That is so with everything within you.
Unfortunately, these days even so-called spiritual leaders are talking about self-esteem. ‘Self’ and ‘esteem’ are both a problem. Both are very limited entities; both are fragile, insecure. If you have no esteem, very good. If you have no self¸ fabulous!
Sadhguru, a yogi, is a visionary, humanitarian and a prominent spiritual leader (www.ishafoundation.org)
