Dharma 20th August 1999 (Auroville) - Dharma 204

3. Then the third is Dama. Dama is self-control, Dama is purity. Now it is very difficult to define purity, but a simple definition of purity is absence of mixtures. There are many states of consciousness in which you find too many mixtures. Your mind is clouded by desires; that is a mixture. The thought is clouded by desires; that is a mixture. Thought and desire, the two are mixed together, if the two are separated from each other, thought become clear. If desire is freed, you will see desire clearly, "Oh this is desire", otherwise you will give a lot of 'coating' to the desires. When a child says, "Oh I like to see television." Why? "I get a lot of information out of it; I get a lot of knowledge out of it." He does not confess to you that he gets a lot of excitement also out of it. And that he sees television not because he gets a lot of information primarily, but because there is a lot of excitement in it. Getting information is a part of thought, getting excitement is a part of desires, and the two are mixed together, so there is a mixture. If your mind become pure, it is free from mixture.

4. There is another condition of your Dharma: Asteyam which means, non-stealing. Human beings are constantly in search of things, and whenever they find something, they want to put it into their pocket. That is called Steyam, that is the cause of the state of theft. These things in the world, they do not belong to us. Nothing belongs to us in the world, this whole vast world. These pebbles are here, whether I exist or not they will be there, they do not belong to me. But when I see and like them I put them into my pocket, and say, they are mine, and then I quarrel with the others, "These are mine, you cannot take them." This is Adharma. Dharma is: Everything belongs to the whole world, and even if I take it, it is not mine. I take it for a small uses if I want, but nothing more than that. In fact Sri Krishna said: "Whoever takes without offering is a thief '. In the Bhagavad Gita, this is a very great definition he has given of theft: "Whoever takes without offering is a thief." Now you understand the meaning of theft. As long as you take but do not give back anything, do not offer, you should realize that you are in a state of Adharma. The state of Dharma is when you take, and you offer. You should be in the state of offering. And then Sri Krishna said even further: "After offering, something is left, that is all that you should use. Go on offering, what is just left: Uchistham; that, which is left, has to be used by you. But even by using, you again offer. In another words, life should be a constant offering.

That why in Auroville's Charter, you know Mother has given: "You should be a willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness". Willingly, servitor means, offering. To be a servant means, you offer yourself. A servant is always in a state of offering. So if you are a constant servitor of the Divine Consciousness you can never be a thief. You have achieved Asteyam, you are already in a state of non-stealing. In fact Mother wants that all of us should constantly be in a state of non-stealing, and that is Dharma.

5. Then, Saucham. Saucham is what? Cleanliness. There should be a physical cleanliness; there should be vital cleanliness, mental cleanliness, psychic cleanliness, spiritual cleanliness. In all manners we should be clean, transparent. When you are not transparent, it is Adharma. When you become transparent, that is Dharma.

6. Indriyanigraha – this is one of the most important things to be remembered: control of senses. There is a great Upanishad called Katho Upanishad. One day I would like you to learn the Upanishads. I am giving you a long program of studies: learning of Sanskrit, learning of Bhagavad Gita, learning of the Vedas, learning of Katho Upanishad. But this is a life-long program. It is not necessary you should read in twenty years, it does not matter. It is a life-long program. So we shall learn many, many things. But one day you will learn Katho Upanishad in which it is said, that our body is so constituted that all our senses, senses means eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, everything, our skin, naturally open outward. Your eyes are closed, the moment you open, you see the outer world. Your ears, hear something that is coming from outside. Your tongue tastes only when something from outside comes and you have tasted. Every sense that you have opens outwards, and most of the difficulties of the world arise, because once you open outward, you run outwards. They are like horses, our senses are like horses. And horses want to run. Similarly our senses, the moment they are open outside, they simply want to run. You eat ice cream, one cup, and you want to eat another cup of ice cream. The senses immediately demand more, and more, and more. They are like wild horses. But reality of which we spoke is called Satyam. The reality, is inward, is not outward. Outward is only an external expression of the internal. So if you want to see internally, how will you see inward? So the answer that is given is: Indriyanigraha; your senses should be controlled. They are like horses, not that you should stop them running, allow them to run, but under control. You should be able to say no, whenever you want. One ice-cream cup is all right. You should be able to say, "Now, no more". That is called Nigraha. That is control of senses. You should not be a slave of your senses. You should be the master of the senses. So the moment you are able to control the senses, you understand that you are moving towards Dharma.