Inner voice of wisdom

CHENNAI: As a base for meditation, we must build up an awareness of the soul within us. If we own a dog, we put up a board on the gate that says  ‘Beware of dog’. To ensure a constant awareness of the soul inside which is pulsating divine energy, we should fasten a board on our hearts that says ‘Be aware of god.’ How can we be aware of god or his energy within us called the soul? The first step that triggers this awareness is our ability to listen attentively and heed the voice of our soul. Where do we find this voice? It is right inside us, always prompting us about what to do and what not to do. Yes, it is our conscience. No matter which religion, country, race, colour, gender or profession we belong to, all of us have a conscience. Whether we are spiritual or materialistic, theists or atheists, we still have a conscience. No human being is an exception to this rule. Whoever we are, wherever we are, we have this universal software built into our operating system which is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. Yet many of us do not use this round-the-clock expert advice all the time. We defy it and suffer later. All of us  know how much our conscience pricks us when we do something wrong and how guilty we feel about it. All our thoughts, feelings, intentions and motives are faithfully recorded by it even if they are in the innermost recesses of our mind. No secrets can be kept from our conscience. We may deceive the whole world but not our conscience. Like the black box in a plane, it is indestructible and fool-proof. In spite of knowing all this we try to suppress our conscience, argue with it, ignore it or flout it. Each time we do this we are breaking our link with the soul. We are forgetting to ‘Be aware of god’. If we do this too often, we become insensitive and callous. We become ‘deaf’ to this inner voice of wisdom. On the other hand, the more we tune in to our conscience and obey it unquestioningly, the more peace, joy and lightness we experience. When we follow our conscience, we are protected. A clear conscience leads to a pure mind which frees us from guilt and fear. Nothing and nobody has the power to shake us.