Day 26
Acharyah means one who gives a certain amount to everybody, one who cares for everyone. Body and mind work on completely opposite laws. To build the body, you need to put effort. Effort is the language of the body whereas effortlessness, letting go, relaxing is the law with the mind.
If you want to remember something, the harder you try, the longer it will take. But when you relax, you will remember easily. The mind needs no effort to develop. But that does not mean being lazy and just sleeping.
If you want to learn how to play the guitar or sitar or to learn karate, you need to put effort. But if you want to appreciate something, if you are in love with something, if you like something, it does not need any effort. If you make an effort to love somebody, or like something, that effort itself will prove to be counter productive.
So there is nothing that you must love, you must like. It is impossible. No “must” or “should” applies when it comes to your feelings. “You must feel this way” is an erroneous concept. So, the Rishis said - how to blossom in love, they sang the means, the methods.
The methods are so effortless, like singing. True singing comes out effortlessly. To make an effort to sing is not as good, it doesn't carry that energy, that power, that force. Singing must be effortless. That is why if you sing from your heart, you will never feel tired.
But when you are exerting to impress someone else, then that effort you put in the singing brings exhaustion to you. Satsang is singing from your heart, from your feeling, which brings more energy into your system. Isn’t that your experience? When you sing in Satsang, how do you feel afterwards?
Your feel more energized, revitalized, lively. The Sadhanas (the practices) to uplift the Divine love in you, are all effortless, like music, like singing. Deep rest brings out all the virtues in you. Deep rest kindles the subtle feelings in you.
See, when you are tired and agitated, that is when you are away from love, isn’t that so? If you are not loving, it is because you are restless, agitated, you are tired, you are frustrated. In all this you are depleted, energy is drained. So, go to the source of energy, not through activity, but through deep rest.
The next sutra says - From the time we wake up in the morning until we go to bed, all our senses are continuously engaged in the objects of the senses. Either you are seeing something, listening to something (music or something), or you are smelling, or eating.
Or you are touching or feeling something. Constantly, you are engaged in the objects of the senses. Engaging in the objects of the senses drains the energy, it is spending the energy. If man were given 24 hours without sleep, he would use all the 24 hours in just engaging in the object of the senses.
But nature has fortunately or unfortunately created something called sleep, wherein you shut all the senses out and drop deep into yourself. Without that you cannot exist, because you recuperate in sleep. When you withdraw your mind, your consciousness, from engaging in the objects of the senses, then you gain deep rest.
