Gleanings from conversations of SriRam Sir with some of his followers and admirers, brought out in the form of a booklet titled ‘Divinity in Nature’ in 2007:
- We take many things in our lives for granted. For instance, nature provides sunlight, air, water and much of the food that sustains us without even our asking. This is not new, it has been so for eons. We take this for granted simply because it happens to every one of us, every day and without any effort on our part.
- When we examine closely, nature’s intelligence in creating and sustaining this world – in literally moving heaven and earth to maintain this orderly cycle of day and night, of sun and rain, of changing seasons, of birth and death – is nothing short of a miracle of universal proportions, stretching all the way to the Sun and stars.
- These complex accomplishments of nature seem to be so simple and ordinary that we fail to notice them. They are happening right in front of our eyes, in the vast expanse of the outer world. And we are busy chanting mantra-s in a closed room, with our eyes, mind and windows shut.
- Why? Because our major concern is ourselves, our own happiness. All of us want to be happy always. We shun misery. We seek a continuous state of happiness for ourselves, like in the stories, ‘They lived happily ever after….’ These stories are our own making. But nature operates differently. And we are part and parcel of nature.
- Nature operates on the principle of dualism. Nature’s dualism is the existence of opposites in harmony with each other. Let me give examples: Two mountain peaks cannot be together; there has to be a valley between them. The all-pervading darkness of the night comes between two sunrises. Both are equally important: Sunlight energises the world, darkness nourishes it.
- Take a seed. It won’t germinate in your palms however much you pray. The seed sprouts and spreads roots only in the dark dampness of the soil. Its shoots, by contrast, seek sunlight above ground to grow into a tree. This principle is true of nature right from micro to macro level. Only a scorching summer can make copious rain possible.
- Dualism is an unwritten law of nature, inevitable and unavoidable. Dualism in nature does not denote contrast or contradictions. It denotes harmony between two opposites. Let us take another example of the human heart. Even the purest of hearts has impure blood. Here, it is not the presence of impure blood that is important; purifying it is. The valves of the heart act like walls, ensuring that impure blood does not mix with pure blood. And that it is diverted to our lungs to become pure again.
- In a similar way, the values we inherit are the valves of our mind. They purify thoughts with the help of the intellect. So, what is important is purification, not elimination. Now think again: Is impure blood really bad? Is it not doing us a favour by collecting waste material from cells all over our body? And why do we look for veins to inject medicine?
- Some of you will say: Dualism in nature is fine but our concerns are ours, especially happiness. So, what is the key to this happiness. Or keys. It seems that some have many keys, some have few. Should people who have less keys be unhappy, or envious of those who have more? Let me ask: What comes first, health or wealth? Peace of mind or prosperity? Will you trade a healthy life and a loving family for material possessions? Why complain when nature has already gifted you with all that you really need to be happy? That too without your asking! There is nothing more you need.
- You may ask, what about my unhappiness, my sorrows? Let me give an example: Singapore is a very clean city. The secret lies in the dustbins found everywhere. The key, therefore, is in accepting that sorrow exists alongside joy. That is how it is. Unhappiness in fact defines happiness, accentuates it. Accept unhappiness and sorrows as part of life, as passing phases. They will come and go. Our job is to be joyful. By counting our many blessings, our gifts.
- After happiness comes another concern, health. We assume that good health is a natural state, and not disease. Think for a moment. Is it not illness that makes us realise the true value of good health? Don’t forget that your illnesses are also the handiwork of nature, the intelligence of the microorganisms, the insects and the biodiversity that populates this world. They also have a life, or life-cycles, of which we are one of the vectors. Just because we do not know all the secrets of nature, the various purposes for which things exist or are created, we cannot decry their existence.
- This brings us to another key concern: our inability to comprehend many things, our lack of control over what happens to us. Here, we should appreciate two things: that everything that exists in nature is necessary; otherwise it would not be there. It is as simple as that. And that everything that happens has a reason and a cause behind it. Just because I like a certain fruit, a certain vegetable or a certain dish, certain individuals, I cannot dub all the others as bad or worthless. Good and bad are subjective experiences in nature; both exist side by side.
- Nature can neither be comprehended by us fully nor can we control it fully. The reality of nature is very nuanced, with mind-boggling variety and deviations. That’s why, I believe in everything about nature, even the need to disbelieve. I take it that things are as they ought to be. I honour everything in nature as having a purpose and a role.
- I not only believe in everything but also accept everything in nature. I like to pet a deer but I am careful enough to admire a lion from a safe distance. Both have a life of their own, and I respect that. I enjoy every emotion, every new concept I come across, and everyone I meet as manifestations of nature’s duality and endless variety.
- Nature has a way with things. It does not ask you and me what to do next. It goes about its way silently. My reality is that I understand things around me to the extent that nature allows me to do so for my own benefit. I am here to enjoy the fruits of a tree and not to understand how it bore those fruits. That is for a botanist to know. I eat and digest food without knowing the process of digestion. That is the job of a doctor. I have faith that, in nature, things are always what they ought to be, in the best possible way, though many of these may be beyond my comprehension.
- If nature has its own way, you may ask, what about us humans? What is our goal in life? For me, goals cause confusion. Let us take the example of a river. Its goal is to flow down the mountain and across the plains to join the sea. Then, what is the goal of the sea? It doesn’t seem to have a goal. So, which is superior, the river or the sea? In fact, both the river and the sea have major roles in sustaining life on this planet. Nature has assigned each with a purpose. So, let us focus on purposes first and then build goals around them.
- For nature, your being alive itself is a goal achieved, a purpose served. For you, the goal is achieved if you live a physically and mentally healthy life. Everything else is luxury. I ask you: Is a necklace more valuable than the neck? Or a nose-ring more than the nose? To be alive to the flow of our life and everything that is happening around it – to savour every minute of our existence – is the ultimate goal. All others are accessory goals, ornamental adjectives to a naked noun, physical as well as psychological decorations.
- While on the topic of goals and roles, let us recap that nature equips us with everything we need to live. The powers we do not possess are powers that we do not need. This is one more law of nature. All the miracles we cannot perform are miracles we need not aspire for. You did not achieve your ability to breathe. Or to see, hear, walk and run. To taste, enjoy and digest food. And to think thoughts and understand things. They came to you naturally, that is, as nature’s gifts. See them for what they are – as powers gifted to you without asking. Don’t ask for the power to grow wings and fly like a bird, or to live underwater like a fish. That is not what nature created you for, nor the purpose of your life.
- If you ask me, the purpose of life is to live it to the fullest, to find meaning in every moment, not to find God. At the same time, don’t forget that it was he who sent you here. As soon as you come down to earth, don’t ask God, ‘When will you take me back to heaven?’ Be a man, first live the life he has given you to the fullest. Make him proud of you when you go back to him.
- Now, about God. There is a reason for the eternal confusion on the existence of God, on the nature of divinity. Because, many of us believe in a God we ourselves have created, in our own wisdom, out of our own sense of love and devotion. We colour him with our own views and opinions, project our own beliefs and prejudices on to him. And then we pray to him to fulfill our lifegoals, and to ward off the ills that come our way. When this doesn’t happen, we blame him. We blame him for our failings, our failed ambitions, and our so-called misery. Having done so, we also fear his wrath. If you ask me, atheists and agnostics are better off than us theists, because they look to no one for help, nor complain to or about; they take full responsibility for their lives.
- Many people see enlightenment as the ultimate goal in life; multiple paths have been stipulated to attain it. But enlightenment is not an achievement. Or even an invention. It is discovery. Achievement needs a plan and effort, like becoming a millionaire. An inventor creates something that hitherto did not exist, like a radio or TV. Discovery is the act of knowing – that you are already rich, a millionaire. Discovery is neither achieving nor inventing. Discovery is knowing that you are already enlightened. That is what the Buddha said. He attained that level of sensitivity towards life. He was awake to the reality of nature.
- When we truly comprehend nature’s intelligence, creativity and diversity, when we realise the true value of the many gifts and powers it has bestowed on us individually and collectively without our asking, when we grasp the true meaning and purpose of our life and living, we cannot but feel an immense sense of wonder, a feeling of utmost humility and gratitude towards Mother Nature.
- Nature again is the manifest form of its creator. His unmanifest form is the unfathomable force that drives nature, which connects everything in nature to everything else. We can see nature, we can feel its force. Both together represent the creator. Praise of creation is prayer to the creator. To be spiritual is to see the creator in the creation – in our own selves and everything around us.
- Your life is a gift of nature and you have everything you need. So, stop being spiritual or materialistic in the conventional sense. Be natural. Be like nature, with its complementary brand of dualism. Let it be a blend of the strengths and weaknesses of both spiritualism and materialism.
Dr. Gajula Sriramulu, SriRam Sir to his many admirers, is a Ph.D. in English Literature with decades of teaching experience. He has authored several books, both in English and Telugu, on nature, spirituality, personal growth & development and more, and has been translated into other languages. His poems and literary writings, his letters to friends, his conversations with various groups, his expositions and addresses at various forums, have been compiled into several books and videos. Features and interviews with him have appeared in several prestigious journals and periodicals.
A voracious reader with wide-ranging interests across literature, films, psychology, philosophy and spirituality, SriRam sees himself as a lifelong student of nature and its interface with life, with an abiding interest in deciphering the role of modern science in shaping the future. His interactions reveal his deep insights into the human predicament and its various facets. A gifted speaker, SriRam received much acclaim for his humble and refreshingly candid style at numerous workshops, seminars and conferences in India and abroad, many of which were anchored by him. Above all, his unique conversational style has won him many admirers.