The subject of today’s discourse is “Instinct and Devotion”. What is instinct? When the psychic flow emanates from the feeling of unit corporality and moves along the maze of human corporal relationship and again comes back to its starting point, then that certain psychic flow is known as “instinct”. In each and every living being, including plants, there are instincts, and whenever there is any mind, mind of any form – developed form or undeveloped form or even mind in a dormant condition – there is instinct. But the standard of this instinct varies amongst human beings and animals, and animals and plants, and it even varies amongst plants, it varies amongst animals and it varies amongst human beings.

Some people tend to equate instinct with saḿskára, but it is not one with saḿskára. Saḿskára means reaction in potential form. That is, an action is done but the reaction is still to come. This stage, this phase, of action is known as saḿskára. So instinct and saḿskára, or vrtti (propensity) and saḿskára, are not the same thing.

In certain living beings, in certain creatures, I said the mind is almost in dormant stage and there is no flow, no emanation, no expression beyond the scope of corporality. But in the case of certain plants, animals and certainly human beings, it moves beyond the periphery of corporality.

This instinct in certain cases is something inborn, just like an inborn faculty. But in other cases it may be increased through culture, through association, through study and through education, and also through spiritual practices or sádhaná. Study, as I have said a number of times, is a very important thing, and it should always be encouraged.

In certain undeveloped creatures, instinct means only inborn instincts, and in such creatures the psychic waves cannot move beyond the arena of corporality. Most of these undeveloped creatures are non-mammals; you see certain expressions among certain groups of snakes and fishes (not in birds, but in fishes and snakes). They even eat up their own eggs; that is, they have not got any love and affection for their progeny. But there are fishes who carry something like a sack inside their bodies and they carry their children in those sacks. There are some snakes who also take their children with them. Not only have they inborn instinct, but they have something more, that is, they have love and affection for their children. This is true of some species of snakes, but love and affection for their children is more prominent in mammals.

Mammals are more developed than non-mammals because in the case of mammals mothers feed the children with their breast-milk and certainly they have got affection for their children – that is why they do so. But human beings are developed creatures.

Instinct is of two kinds – ordinary instinct and inborn instinct. Even in developed creatures there are inborn instincts and other instincts, and in undeveloped creatures there are inborn instincts, but in some cases there are other instincts acquired though study, association, culture and spiritual sádhaná. You should remember that spiritual sádhaná is a must for all living beings.

Now in the case of developed creatures what happens? The mind moves along the sense of corporality, but sometimes it crosses the periphery of corporal senses, and this shows that it is above ordinary beings and has crossed the arena of corporality. In the Vedas it has been said:

Yacchedváunmanasii prájiṋastadyacchejjiṋána átmani;
Jiṋánamátmani mahati niyacchettadyacchecchánta átmani.

[One should merge one’s object of ideation into the sense organs, the sense organs into the doer “I”, the doer “I” into the existential “I”, the existential “I” into unit consciousness, and finally unit consciousness into Supreme Consciousness.]

Now, when the mind remains restricted within the four walls of the corpor, then it is an ordinary creature – a creature of no standard. But when the mind develops within the corporal structure or corporal existence – when this objectivated mind develops or when the object of the mind is not only the objectivated counterpart of its own senses – it is a bit advanced. Then in a more developed phase the mind feels or accepts the actional faculties of the body as its object, so it is to be treated as more and still more developed. And when in the phase of progress not only the actional faculties but the point whence these actional faculties emanate becomes the object, it is still more developed. In this way human beings move along the path of bliss. The life of a dog is much more developed than that of a fish, and the life of a monkey is quite developed. Human life is more developed than that of any other creature.

Now you see, instinct is generally something inborn, but I told you that human beings can increase their instincts by sádhaná, study, association, etc. But sometimes instinct is imposed on human beings, on human minds, as something which must be followed, must be obeyed. Under such circumstances you see that imposed item, and the mind flows, the mind moves, developing its instinct, but coming to that particular mental structure it cannot come outside that imposed idea. What happens? The mind cannot move forward. The mind will have to move within the periphery of this imposed idea. That imposed idea is called dogma or bhávajad́atá. You are moving forward. You are developing your fraternity throughout the universe but if a dogma says – a dogma based on a particular scripture or a particular philosophy says – “You know, you are a blessed being and they are slaves – they are there to be ruled by you, they are to be governed by you” – this idea checks the progress. It is dogma. You have developed fraternity for all animals, and suppose the scriptures say, “O human being, those animals are your food. You should kill them. You should eat them.” Now your progress in the realm of spirituality, in the phase of development, is choked there. It is dogma, and when a dogma comes you should first apply your common sense. If common sense fails to give you a satisfactory reply, apply logic. If logic fails to give you a satisfactory reply, apply your sense of humanity and get the reply and do accordingly. You are not to be guided by any dogma.

Again, if some scriptures say, “You will have to do penance if you cross the ocean,” you may lose your caste and you cannot cross the ocean though you understand that each and every land created by Parama Puruśa is your land. But still you cannot cross the ocean because that is what the scriptures enjoin.

Again, some scriptures say quite properly, “Have mercy on all living beings.”

Práńáh yathátmano’bhiiśt́áh bhútánám api te tathá;
Atmaopamyena bhútánám dayáḿ kurvanti sádhavah.

“Just as your life is extremely dear to you, similarly the lives of others are equally dear to them. A person who thinks thus and shows mercy on other creatures is really a sádhu, or virtuous person.” In order to become a virtuous person one need not give up one’s worldly life. When this idea dawns on one’s mind one realizes, “Why should I kill an innocent creature just for the sake of the gratification of my palate.” But then one may suddenly discover a different kind of scriptural injunction – “Oh yes, you may sacrifice animals in a particular way and the sacrificed animal will attain salvation.” People follow the scriptural injunction helplessly but in their heart of hearts they realize that the whole thing is irrational. Yet they cannot gather sufficient courage to go against the scripture. This sort of idea which impedes the progress of the mind is called “dogma”. A dogma arises from either a defective philosophy or a scripture. This sort of dogma should be rejected forthwith.

Yuktiyuktamupádeyaḿ vacanaḿ bálakádapi;
Anyaḿtrńavat tyájyamapyayuktam Padmajanmanah.

“If even a young boy says something logical, it should be accepted, and if the Supreme Creator Brahmá says something illogical, it should be rejected as rubbish.”

If even a young boy says something logical it should be accepted because that will lead to progress, but when a dogma comes it chokes the progress of humanity. Many scriptures teach wrong things and many philosophies teach the wrong logic. Such teachings cannot judge anything along rational human lines. They fail to understand that just as their lives are very dear to them, similarly, the lives of animals also are equally dear to them. Then why should I not show mercy to others? Why should I act like a mean, selfish person? And if they say or argue that if the animals are sacrificed in this way they will attain liberation from animal life, then I will counter-argue, “O human beings, you are also a creature, why don’t you attain liberation from human life by slitting your own throat? Why don’t you help your children or your relations to attain liberation from human life by sacrificing them. Why are you so eager to apply this liberation movement, this hatchet or axe, against innocent goats?”

Have you now understood what dogma is? You must not tolerate any kind of dogma. That is, on one side there is dogma and on another side there is the human heart, or humanity. Then finally the starting point, the emanating point, of those actional faculties is your object, and when this emanating point becomes your object you will become one with the Qualified Consciousness. Under such circumstances there remains little difference between a human being and Parama Puruśa.

Now, if one offers that object, under such circumstances the unit mind coincides with the Cosmic Mind, and under such circumstances that object of yours, that is, the Cosmic Mind which has become your object, is [[offered]] at the altar of Parama Puruśa, [[at the altar of the]] Cosmic Consciousness, the[[n that is your non-qualified stance, rather]] super-qualified stance, nirvikalpa samádhi. Now this instinct, as I have said, is a human quality – a quality not only of human beings but of all living beings having an iota of mind, having a bit of the mental faculty. So you all should develop the faculty from unit to infinite and become one with Parama Puruśa.

You see, this instinct which you all have inherited from birth and which you can develop through study, through culture, though association and through spiritual sádhaná, should be developed more and more. When you have got this opportunity to uplift this instinct, you should do it.

When this instinct is converted into love for the Supreme, that metamorphosed instinct, that transmuted instinct, is known as “devotion”.

This devotion is a heavenly attribution, and this heavenly attribution is enjoyed by human beings. In future, if any developed animal comes in close contact with human beings, it may also develop such an instinct and convert its instinct into devotion. It may also enjoy the Supreme Bliss.