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The Ten Commandments as VEDA

4

To steal is to claim what doesn't belong to us and call it ours. Does the body which we call 'our body' and this mind which we call 'our mind' really belong to us? Swami reminds us that the mind is like a mad monkey, we can't control it for even a moment. And the body is just a water bubble; we have no real control over it either. So they are really not ours. They have been given on loan for the purpose of achieving our mission here on Earth. In this context 'Do not steal' means do not claim ownership of that which doesn't belong to you; do not make false claims. What we truly can surrender to the Lord is this false sense of ownership, we can offer up this ego and its need to steal credit, to claim possession, to steal fame and worldly importance, and parade all these illusory claims as making up our Real Self.

There is still another aspect of stealing which is referred to in the Gita. He who is not grateful; he who enjoys what is given to him by the bountiful Nature without giving thanks, and offering sacrifices; such a one is verily a thief. 'The good, eating only what is left over from sacrifice, are freed from all sin; but they who prepare and consume only for themselves without offering and sharing, those sinful ones eat sin.'  A similar thought is expressed in the first verse of the Isha Upanishad where we are told that only that which we have renounced and offered up can be enjoyed; and it adds, 'Lust not after any man's possession.' Even claiming the rewards for our labors and fruits of our actions is stealing, for rightfully these belong to God, to award as He sees fit. By dedicating our acts to God and renouncing the fruit of our actions, we are freed of their consequences; and in the process we also purify our discrimination and deepen our faith.

Stealing then, in its deeper sense, is non-sacrifice, ungratefulness and selfishness, all of which create separation and disunity. And so these are enemies which keep the Soul from reaching its goal.

Do no lie, do not cheat, do not cavil, do not slander, do not gossip, do not malign, do not bear false witness... all of these are contained in the eighth commandment. They are sins against Unity for they speak of disharmony between word, thought and deed. To bear false witness is the modus-operandi of the ego; illusion, delusion and false representation are its constant outputs. Ego lives by creating a separate illusory personality and steadily feeding and catering to it. Only when we completely wipe out all traces of this false messiah will we be able to truly obey this eighth commandment and gain some measure of inner peace. Baba tells us that ego is just an impostor who has no legitimate role to play in our being. Like an unwelcome guest, he is there under false pretences, and we will get no rest until we withhold our belief in it, ie., belief in separate individualized existence, and give it no further energy. Any attempt at rooting it out will only strengthen it. But question its existence, question the reality of everything perceived or thought, give no further support to separation consciousness in any form, and it will of its own shrivel up and disappear.

The last two commandments say, 'Do not desire, do not covet that which isn't yours.'  This underscores the necessity of valuing the sanctity of the family, the property and the prosperity of your brother man, treating these with the same regard as you do for yourself. 'Property' means proper-tie, says Baba; and that proper tie is love. Love is the currency that connects us with all our fellow beings in a bond of mutual support. We are all at different stages in the Soul's evolution; each is working out his own Karma and each is directed to live his own Dharma, in other words, do his own assigned duty, and do it well. The grass may look greener in our neighbor's garden, but if we covet it, we do so at the cost of losing our spiritual attainments. For then, the scripture warns us, we will surely fall off our path and end up in the by-ways, lost and forlorn.

In the Gita, Krishna instructs Arjuna, "Better one's own dharma (duty) done poorly than another's done well. Another's dharma is fraught with danger." And then He adds, "But best to abandon all dharmas and surrender yourself in complete devotion to Me. I will look after all your needs." So that is the ultimate instruction for life in the world... if we surrender ourselves fully, He will take care of everything we need in the way of worldly goods and props, in order for the Soul to finish its task. Give up the little self and all its attachments and desires. Hold on to only one attachment and one desire, and that is to reach the One Truth, the Real Self. Hanker after That; desire That; covet That; crave That; attach to That... this way and only this way, will you reach your goal and make your life worthwhile.

OM SHANTI

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