Life energy victory's crown is yours³

Competition is the order of the day; outer competition and inner competition. We are always fond of having competitions. But in a competition, there must be someone to lose and someone to win. In the outer world competition it is a daily affair. In the inner world, also, it is the same.

Once the human senses took part in a competition. The organ of speech, the eye, the ear, the mind, the organ of generation and the life energy were the competitors. They wanted to know for certain who was the most important among them — who was really the superior.

In order to discover this supremacy they went to Prajapati, the Creator. Prajapati said, “My children, it will be extremely easy to know which one of you is the most important. If one of you leaves the body and the rest can perform their functions satisfactorily, then that one can never be the most important. But if, in the absence of one, the others are all ineffective, then that organ is the greatest.

The competition began.

The organ of speech felt that it was most important. "If I leave the body, the body becomes speechless. Then there can be nothing. One can achieve nothing.” So the organ of speech left the body and stayed away for a year.

After a year it came back. To its surprise, the other members of the family were doing quite well. The eye was functioning well, the ear, the mind, the organ of generation and the life energy. The organ of speech saw that it was not at all essential to the body. There are many who are mute. They cannot speak, but they can see, they can hear, they can do everything else. So this competitor lost the game.

Then came the eye. The eye thought, "If I do not function, then the person will be blind. The world is meant for seeing. If I don’t function, then one can see nothing and if one does not see when the rest of the world is all light, the other members of the family will be ineffective and useless.” So the eye left the body and stayed away for a year.

On its return, to its wide surprise, it saw that the ear, the mouth, the mind and others were in perfect order. Its absence did not affect them. A blind person can easily stay on earth. He can live among us and be perfectly happy, because his other senses in fact become even sharper.

Then the ear claimed its turn. The ear felt that if it did not hear, then there was no use for the body to stay on earth. “The world has much to offer and it is I who receive all the messages. When I play my role satisfactorily, the body feels that only then is it worthwhile to stay on earth.” The ear thought that it would be successful, so it left the body and stayed away for a year.

Again, on its return, the ear saw that the body could easily last without it. There are many deaf people on earth. One does not have to hear in order to stay on earth. A deaf person can easily stay on earth and be satisfied with his other organs.

The mind then came to the fore. The mind thought, “If I don’t function then the whole world will be only a playground of stupidity and foolishness. Let me leave the body.” The mind left and stayed away for a year.

When it returned, the mind was totally disappointed. It saw that nobody had missed it and it felt miserable that it had lost the game.

Now was the turn of the organ of generation or procreation. It said, “Oh, if I do not exist then there can be no further creation, no further joy.” So the organ of generation left the body and stayed away for a year.

When it came back, it saw that there are many, many impotent people on earth and that God’s creation is unimaginably vast. God’s Creation can easily have boundless joy in its absence. The organ of generation also had to accept defeat.

Finally came the life energy. The moment the life energy was about to leave the body, all the other members cried out, “Oh, don’t leave us! Don’t leave us! We shall be helpless without you. We shall all be ineffective without you. Without you, none of us can exist for a fraction of a second. Yours is our life-breath. Victory’s crown is yours."

From the spiritual point of view, what do we learn? When we meditate, we have to discriminate. What are we meditating on? What is most important in our life? In order to realise God, what is most important? Eye? No. Ear? No. Mind? No. It is the life energy that is most important. If we do not exist on earth, if we do not live here on earth, then we cannot realise God. We have to live on earth and while we are alive, if we have inner aspiration, then only can we realise God. Life energy is of paramount importance. Here on earth, he who lacks life energy dies and when he dies he will be in other worlds. There he may take rest, he may enjoy, but he cannot attain God-realisation. Here on earth to realise God, life energy is of constant and supreme need.