Light and Love
Swami teaches... 17 - 20 October 2007
Part 3. Efforts for Inner Transformation
Spirituality is the foundation of education. The whole
Universe is University for you. You can imbibe wisdom
from the sky, the clouds, the mountains, the rivers, the
daily phenomena of sunrise and sunset, the seasons,
birds, trees, flowers, the insects, in fact, all beings
and things in Nature.
Approach these teachers, with awe, reverence, and
humility; they will respond with their lessons. Do not
worry that you have no mastery of Samskrith; Samskar
(purification act) is enough equipment, for the
university that lies around you. Samskrith is the
language of the ancient scriptures and of classical
literature; Samskar is the language of the heart, the
refined medium of fruitful communion with Nature, in all
the manifold outpourings of Divinity.
To obtain skill to speak in language of heart, you must
first learn about what others think you are. They deal
with you as a body, with a specific name and an
identifiable form. Then, you must learn about what you
think you are. You are aware of your mind and its
tricks, its prejudices and preferences, its passions and
pursuits. You are aware of your individual
consciousness, of your version of 'me' and 'mine.'
Learn about the mind as an instrument, which can harm
you if used unwisely or help you, if used wisely.
You have to learn about yet another 'you' what you
really are. For, you are neither the body, nor the mind.
You are the embodiment of purity, power, love, bliss.
The miserable little prison named 'individuality' has to
be denied. You are free, but you fancy you are bound and
mope in the cell you imagine is limiting you.
The sages of Bharath knew that the mind is an
instrument, which can bind human, or release from
bondage. One has to understand its working technique, as
well as its potentialities. You must learn how to wield
it, rather than yield to it. It is the mind that weaves
the pattern called the 'I'. The way in which mind
establishes this ego and elaborates it into a multitude
of shackles is called maya (deludious force).
The mind prompts the senses to project into the outer
world of objects, for it builds up notions of pleasure
and pain, of joy and grief and constructs a whole array
of urges and impulses. It resists all attempts to escape
into the Eternal, the Universal, the Absolute.
It protests when the individual is eager to become
conscious of own identity with these, but, when it finds
determined opposition to its tactics, it surrenders and
disappears.
When human is established in the experience of the Great
One, there is no desire, for who is to desire for whom
or what? So, human has to diminish desire to become free
from delusion; desire comes of attachment; deliverance
comes from detachment.
You put money in a bank and you become attached to the
passbook issued by the bank. You keep it in an iron safe
and scan its pages lovingly. They may loan the money you
gave the bank to some one you do not like, but you do
not care. You have the passbook with you. Now what
exactly is yours? To which were you attached so deeply?
To the money, the passbook? To none of these things. You
were attached to prestige, comfort, show, greed: things
that arose in your mind as desire, as urges; to your own
ego, basically.
In the world today usually exists prosperity without
peace and abundance without happiness.
For the sake of filling the belly, we enter into
studies, acquire professional qualifications, and engage
in business activities, all for the sake of accumulating
wealth - endless accumulation of properties and
possessions.
A certain amount of money is necessary for leading a
good life. However, money is a double-edged weapon that
can be used for good or bad. Food, clothing, shelter -
these are incidental; the more you have, the greater the
bother, the anxiety, the fear.
Do not entertain excessive desires. Better that you lead
a life of moderation.
Human being fills the days with unremitting labor being
immersed in perpetual anxiety and worry. Busy beyond
description, with no time to stand and silently
contemplate the Creator's handiwork, he/she is troubled
by strange inexplicable misgivings; human runs
helter-skelter after hollow comforts; he/she is blinded
by hate and greed.
The ways in which human spends days are really ludicrous
in the extreme. Human craves happiness and is ever on
the go in all directions in its pursuit. Moreover, when
human finds that when secured, the happiness is but a
flash in the pan of misery, he/she starts cursing
him/herself and others. Though all the sacred books, all
the saints of all the lands and all the creeds, and all
the teachers and preachers have been saying that God
alone is the source and spring of lasting happiness,
human usually turns a deaf ear to the counsel and goes
own blind way.
Caught in this toil and turmoil, human has lost
knowledge of the one anchor that will save from the
tornado, namely, discipline of the vagaries of the mind.
That discipline has to be learnt and practiced as early
as possible in life; it is not to be postponed to old
age.
Each one must take up some spiritual effort in order to
cleanse the mind of lust and greed, of envy and hate.
Come out of the well of ego into the sea of the Atma of
which you are a part. Go into the silence within you.
More than all, set right your habits, purify your
conduct, cleanse your behavior. Control yourself and do
not yield to the snares of friends or society or, what
is miscalled social convention and become a prey to this
and other bad habits.
(For example, one bad modern habit that has taken deep
root is the smoking of tobacco, an evil that is fast
becoming universal. It destroys health, happiness,
energy, and even charm. Smoke will not quench your
thirst or fill the hungry stomach. It disfigures your
face and denigrates your lungs).
There is the story of a young man who was riding a cycle
on a dark night along a crowded road; the police officer
on duty asked him to stop and alight, for, he had no
lamp on his cycle. The fellow, however, shouted,
"Policeman! Keep away. Of course, I have no lamp; but,
beware; I have no brake, either!"
That is the pathetic condition of nearly every one now.
No one, as a rule, has the lamp of wisdom, and the brake
of sense-control. How then can they go along the road to
Ananda without causing injury to themselves or others?
Human has need of wisdom and self-control. True worship
is control of the mind. (Letting your mind wander while
your hands are performing the motions of worship, is no
worship at all).
We should lead an ethical, moral, and spiritual life.
Speak the truth, speak pleasantly, and do not speak
unpalatable truth. These three values are ethical,
moral, and spiritual, respectively.
Following the path of Truth and without swerving from a
spiritual life, we should work for the welfare of the
whole world. Truth is an internal current and Love is
its external flow.
If our hearts are full with sacred Love, no evil
tendency will enter them. The heart is like a single
seat-sofa, not a double sofa, nor a musical chair. There
is room for only a single tendency and be it Divine
Love.
Love emanates from Truth and Truth emanates from Love;
one does not exist without the other.
The Narayana Principle is the expression of this unity.
The inner flow is continuous. This symbolizes Saraswathi,
Goddess of learning and eloquence, a daughter of Brahma.
You may have seen the rivers Ganga and Yamuna.
Saraswathi is the invisible undercurrent.
The eternal inner flow of the Saraswathi principle
represents speech. Control of speech is of vital
importance. If your feet slip and you fall, there is no
great harm; but if you slip in your speech, it causes
irreparable damage. Of all the human faculties, speech
should be used with extreme carefulness.
More than other parts of body, tongue is extremely
flexible and has no bone in it. You can turn it any way
you want and the words you utter seem to dance to any
tune that you make.
God is the embodiment of sound, mobility and immobility,
light, speech, eternal bliss, supreme majesty, delusion
and wealth. For the proper evolution of humanity, Truth
and Love must have a sound basis.
The sounds that you think you produce are all-pervading.
Where have they all gone? They are all parts of the
Divine vibration.
Occasionally, you hear some words or music from here or
there, but the Divine vibrations are eternal and
omnipresent. That is why the Vedas declare, “Sarvatah
Paani-padam ...” this Divine vibration pervades all of
us from top to toe.
Music is a reflection of Love. All phenomena are
reflection, reaction and resound. Life is a reflection;
heart is the reality. When the reality is clear, the
reflection and the resound will be true representations
of that inner reality. Therefore, today we should fill
our hearts with love. Love is a loose word. It means
many things. There is worldly love; there is physical
love, etc.
Our tender hearts have turned hard. Why is this? It is
our own attitude that is responsible. Our good and bad
habits have the effect on the other people.
Character, is the quality that has to be safeguarded by
one and all. This alone is God’s desire forever. People,
not recognizing this truth, spend their time in the
acquisition of wealth and in other selfish activities.
This selfish attitude should be uprooted from the heart
of human.
People today are keen to acquire wealth, strength and
friendship, but show little interest in developing
character. Without character, wealth, strength, and
friendship are worthless.
Focus your mind on one goal and do not allow it to
waver. You have to hold on to it till the very end. If
you keep mind changing from day to day, you will ruin
your heart. Have control over your wavering mind and
deluding vision.
However most people fill their minds and spend their
time in activities and associations replete with evil;
but when they reap the consequences and suffer, they are
filled with misery. As every thought emanates from the
mind, its consequences are determined. Such was the fate
of Ratnamala (the Emperor Bali's daughter).
By legend (as in previous part has noticed ), Emperor
Bali based all his actions on Truth. Looking upon his
subjects as his own children, he performed his duties.
He was one who encouraged pure and sacred thoughts and
activities. He was called Mahabali, as he was truly
great in every aspect of his character.
Once he performed a sacrifice called Viswajit, in
commemoration of his victory, on the banks of the river
Narmada. The Lord incarnated as Vamana at that time. He
was born as the son of the saintly couple Kashyapa and
Aditi. The young Vamana walked towards the site where
Bali was performing the sacred ritual. The boy was
brilliant and effulgent, and everyone looked with wonder
at his great beauty.
Ratnamala, saw the young boy and developed a desire in
her mind to have Him as her own child and fondle Him in
various ways. However, in the meantime, Vamana had
pushed Bali down into the Pathala (netherworld). This
event turned her love towards Vamana into hatred and she
felt that she could kill the child. The all-knowing
Vamana noticed what was passing through the mind of
Ratnamala and pronounced, "May it be so!"
He told Ratnamala, “Mother, you first desired to breast
feed Me. However, seeing your father’s downfall, your
desire turned into hatred. You felt like feeding poison
and killing Me. You will be born in Dwapara Yuga as
Poothana (demonness, who desired to kill the baby
Krishna) and feed Me with poisonous milk, and you
yourself will die.”
When you are subject to misery, you blame God, but do
not realize that your distress is the consequence of
your own thoughts. This is why you should have good
thoughts and seek good company.
Contemplate, by ancient scriptures, what happiness did
the demon Somakasura attain by stealing the Vedas and
hurling abuses at God?
What was the fate of the ten-headed Ravana who abducted
Sita?
What did Duryodhana, the eldest of the evil-minded sons
of king of Kauravas Dhritharashtra, who refused to give
the Pandavas even as much land as would a needlepoint
occupy, take with him at the end?
What happened to the wicked Kamsa (brother of Krishna's
mother, Devaki, and killer of her first six sons)
ultimately who indulged in the gruesome act of slaying
infants?
The same will be the fate of the wicked today. If not
today, at least tomorrow, they are bound to meet their
doom.
People form their own reactions and attitudes to
different situations. Such reactions are their own
creation and do not conform to the reality of the event.
The various attitudes like greed, jealousy, pride,
delusion, etc., are inner attitudes projected on others.
You attempt to repress and suppress such negative
impulses in you. There is no use in such attempts for,
sooner or later, they are bound to erupt. Your effort
should be to prevent the very entry of such attitudes
and feelings in you.
Several fuels like petroleum, coal, etc., are extracted
deep from the earth. Where did they arise in the first
place? Over a long period of time, they have accumulated
deep inside. Now they are making their appearance
outside. In the same way, evil tendencies like desire,
anger, hatred, etc., are accumulated in you, hidden in
you. Sometime or the other, they are bound to come out.
So, take care that they do not even make their entry
into you. This is the true human value.
(Reet's compilation from. Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 1.
"The wise ryot," Chapter 14; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 6.
"Diminish desires," Chapter 11; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.
12. "Full circle or half circle?" Chapter 30 ; Sathya
Sai Speaks. Vol. 12. "To those who are Mine," Chapter
31; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 12. "The second visit,"
Chapter 32; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 22. "The One in the
many," Chapter 17; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 33.
"Happiness In Union With God," Chapter 17).
Namaste - Reet
Swami teaches... 14 - 16 October 2007
Part 2. Efforts for Inner Transformation
Human has sent into the world, in order that he/she may
use the time and the opportunity to realize the Truth
that he/she is not human, but God.
(Nevertheless, everything in its own good time, as the
saying goes. A flower blooms; but a long time elapses
before it grows into a fruit and is filled, with
nectarine juice. A child is born; but it takes a long
time to grow into a strong intelligent member of
society).
The wave dances with the wind, basks in the Sun, frisks
in the rain, imagining it is playing on the breast of
the Sea; it does not know that it is the Sea itself.
Until it realizes that Truth, it will be tossed up and
down; when it knows it, it can lie calm and collected at
peace with itself.
The creation emerges from Truth and merges into Truth.
Is there a place where Truth does not exist? Visualize
such pure and unsullied Truth what is the essence of
Atmic Reality, the Great One.
Truth may sound like a simple word, but it is very
important to know its greatness. The entire Universe is
dependent on Truth. If the very basis is lost, what is
left of our life?
Truth is one, but sages refer to it by many names. All
types of wealth, comforts, and conveniences are based on
Truth what neither can be hidden nor be changed. Truth
is that which the same remains in the past, present and
future. All human values are based on Truth.
By legend emperor Bali was the personification of
generosity and truth. To uphold his promise, he
sacrificed everything. Young Vamana requested three
paces of land. Bali promised without a moment’s
hesitation. His preceptor Sukracharya however dissuaded
him. He told Bali, “Vamana before you is Vishnu Himself.
Once you promise Him anything, you cannot transgress it.
"Bali replied to Sukracharya that there was no greater
sin than going back on one’s words and, he upheld the
promise made to Vamana. Bali was prepared to undergo any
misery while maintaining Truth. So, Lord Vishnu sent him
to the netherworld Pathala and gave him all the comforts
of living. Being in Pathala, he attained eternal life.
Emperor Bali attained his eternal life through Truth and
Love.
(Emperor Bali, though born in a family of demons, he was
filled with divine thoughts. It is the consequence of
the great merits of Bali).
Truth is undercurrent of all happenings in the Universe.
Trees are able to stand firm and grow, because of the
roots that have spread out of your sight. This world is
so plentiful, so charming, so rich, so comfortable, so
regular in its movements and moods, because it has an
unseen Master the sustainer of the seen.
Have faith in His Grace, and lead a virtuous life, a
life devoted to service of the weak, a life spent in
thoughts about the might and glory of God.
How should devotion to God express itself? Not in
ostentatious external forms like smearing vibhuti,
wearing a special dress or flaunting a japamala. For
spiritual seekers on the nirguna (without qualities,
attributeless) path is not always necessary to go in
search of temples and shrines for worship. The body
itself is a temple and the indweller is the eternal God.
God is not to be found in the temple or in a palace.
Find Him in your heart.
Do not judge others as inferior, because they do not
participate in bhajans (group devotional singing),
nagarasankeerthans (public devotional singing by moving
groups), or different study circles.
Bhajans and japas do not constitute the whole essence of
bhakti (devotion). Sometimes even the rituals you
perform, meditation and worship may be in fact negative.
(You are sitting in meditation rotating the beads of
your rosary, but your mind is doing purchases in the
market). You must yearn for the Love of the Lord. Along
with your studies, cultivate devotion and spiritual
discipline.
You can be very wrong, if you estimate a person's
spiritual development, by mere externals. Inner purity
cannot express itself through pompous show. Only one,
who sees into every heart the Divine source, can know
who resides therein: Rama or kama (God or selfish
desire).
Of course, disciplines like bhajan, nagarasankeerthan
and japa (silent repetition of God's name) are needed
for cleansing the mind. They cure the terrible malady of
birth and death, as the external medication of these
sadhanas (spiritual practices) so the internal
medication of dhyana and sheela (meditation and virtuous
conduct) are both essential.
External discipline is Dharma Vidhya (the acquisition of
righteousness as a way of living); internal discipline
is Brahma Vidhya (the acquisition of spiritual
experience as a perpetual treasure). When one cultivates
the inner look, one attains the conviction of the basic
equality of all.
Every individual is a pilgrim on that road proceeding at
his/her own pace, according to qualification and the
stage reached by its means. The advice that appeals to
one of you or applies to one of you might not be
appropriate to another, who has traveled less distance
or reached a more advanced state.
When one person follows one line of sadhana (spiritual
discipline), it is specifically for his/her benefit; do
not take it as prescription for your benefit also. Each
has a different make-up - mental, physical, and
spiritual. (When a person is obese, doctor advises
certain types of food; when a person is lean, doctor
advises other types). When doctors who treat diseases of
the body have to prescribe different remedies, how much
more specific and personal must be the remedies for the
complex and varied conditions of mental situations and
spiritual yearnings and aspirations?
Unless you make earnest inquiry, you cannot discover the
remedy applicable to your temperament and its problems.
Study with faith and devotion. Delve into the
significance and the meaning of what you read; and,
always have before you the goal of putting what you read
into practice.
What have you gained? Knowledge, what this or that
author says or this or that sage teaches is not what a
study circle or individual must aim to acquire. Not
information, but transformation; not instruction, but
construction should be the aim.
The proper directions of study are - reading,
reflection, and regular application in life. Study is
work. Inquiry into the value and applicability of what
is studied is worship; the experience of the validity
and value of the practice is wisdom.
Once a famous pandit (learned scholar) was expounding
the Bhagavad Gita before a massive gathering; he gave an
elaborate explanation of the sloka (verse) recounting
the Glory of the Lord, through the media of different
epithets. The Lord, he said, is Kavi (He knows the past,
the present and the future), Purana (the Ageless One,
the effulgent light and life-spirit in all beings),
Anu-shasitha (He who lays down the Law which regulate
the Mind and lead it on to its source and sustenance,
the Universal Spirit).
The audience was amazed at his encyclopedic scholarship;
but that was all. He had no experience of the God whom
he was delineating in such attractive colors. He had
only learnt it from books.
You must be guarded against pride that infects the
scholar who has mastered a certain number of ancient
texts.
Praise too feeds the fire of egoism and fogs genuine
faith. The disciple should not flatter the teacher, nor
should the teacher flatter the disciple. The
relationship should be like that of parent and child.
(If the child flatters the parent or if the parent fawns
upon the child, it would be ridiculous).
However, praise and thankfulness are far different
words. (Some time many of us forget this). We have to
always be thankful and express thanks for whatsoever
service as we thanks God within other person and express
our own faith (for our own sake) to God in this way.
(Nevertheless, God within as eternal unchangeable
witness needs no praise).
It is your duty to serve, and to be good, whether people
honour you or throw scorn at you. Liberation and Ananda
in your hands already are, packed between the upper
cover 'I' and the lower cover 'want'. 'I' means the
'ego;' 'want' means 'desire.' Remove the two covers, the
ego and the desire.
What remains is Liberation, Ananda. In order to remove
the upper and lower covers, intelligence is wanted. That
is why Gandhiji went round the country with the prayer
Sabko Sanmathi dhe Bhagavan: "O Lord, give every one
good intelligence."
Intelligence has to be directed to good ends; to seek
and discover ways and means of expanding one's Love and
deepening one's compassion. It should not descend to
cynicism, and the search for faults in others. When a
rose is held in the hand, its fragrance can give the
holder joy; people standing near can enjoy the
fragrance.
So too, when your intelligence is saturated with the
fragrance of Love, Virtue and Charity you can derive
contentment and joy, and those around you also can share
in the peace and harmony.
"Attractive people know that Love is not a mere
sentiment, but the ultimate Truth at the heart of the
Universe" (Deepak Chopra).
Theoretical knowledge is a burden, unless it is
practiced, when it can be lightened into wisdom, and
assimilated into daily, life. Knowledge that does not
give harmony and wholeness to the process of living is
not worth acquiring. Every activity must be rendered
valid and worthwhile by its contribution to the
discovery of truth, both of the Self and of Nature. Of
what use is it to know everything about Nature, if you
do not know anything of the Self?
The Self is Atma, of which the entire Creation is
composed and so, knowledge of the Self alone can quench
the thirst of human being.
Nature is a projection of the Self, and so, unless the
Self is known, knowledge of Nature is either distorted
or deceptive.
You are drawing wealth out of Prakriti (Nature) what is
the manifestation of Purusha (God). Nature is not
anyone's private property. It belongs to God. When you
desire to master Prakriti, and bend it for your needs,
you have to earn the Grace of Purusha. Not realizing
this truth, some people embark on the exploitation of
Nature, out of arrogance and self-conceit.
Ravana sought Sita (who is Prakriti, since she was the
daughter of the Earth, discovered by Janaka in the
furrow on the field he was ploughing). However, he did
not first win the Grace of Rama, the Purusha (God), who
is the master of Nature. Therefore, he brought untold
disaster on his head and on the heads of all his
kinsmen, clan, and followers.
Human today is basing own life on reliance on Nature,
forgetting God. This is a grievous mistake. You must
place your faith in God, who is the prime supporter of
Nature, and enjoy what Nature provides.
Look at the modern attempts to understand God by
concentrating on exploring the secrets of Nature.
The scientific method is the foundation of modern
science. It is a process for making observations,
recording data, and analyzing data that can be
duplicated by other scientists. Science is powerful, but
it cannot explain everything.
However, the effort should be to realize that Nature has
come from God. You have to turn your mind from the
mundane to the Divine, from Nature to Nature's God.
Admittedly, the phenomenal world presented by Nature is
true. The Spirit is also true. Human's journey is not
from untruth to truth but from a lesser truth to a
higher Truth.
Often devotees make a distinction between personal
duties and service to the Divine. They look upon
worship, meditation the like as Divine service. What
they do for their families and friends they accept as
personal duties. Hence, there is no meaning in making a
distinction between one kind of work and another.
In any business in which you engage yourself, treat it
as God's work. This is known as bhava-adwaitha (adwaithic
attitude or attitude of oneness).
Be vigilant, even while engaged in little tasks.
Maintain silence, in the recesses of the heart, as well
as outside. The Gita says, God's hands and feet are
everywhere. Develop the awareness of God, see Him, and
serve Him in every living being.
You have the instance of people in different bodies,
with different forms and names. Nevertheless,
irrespective of these differences, they are basically
made up of the same five elements. These elements are
aspects of the Paramatma (the Supreme Self, Over Soul).
Why then should any distinctions be made in our
activities between different persons constituted by the
same common elements?
Together with bhava-adwaitha, you should have
kriya-adwaitha (the unitary attitude to work). This
means that whatever work you do should be dedicated to
God. All such actions become thereby sanctified and
divinized, they acquire the unifying quality of
holiness.
When you begin to enquire into the fundamental basis of
all objects, you find that it is only one. This quality
is padartha-adwaitha (non-dualism relating to objects).
When bhava-adwaitha, kriya-adwaitha and
padartha-adwaitha are properly understood, we can have a
vision of the basic Reality. Then the omnipresence of
the Divine can be experienced.
Engage in some work which will take you out of your
narrow self into the vaster magnificence; some task
where you dedicate the fruit of karma to God, where you
devote your time and energy to share your joy, skill, or
knowledge with fellow-men.
Alternatively, keep yourself surrounded always by
persons devoted to the higher life; persons who will
encourage you to move forward along the road towards the
goal. By these means, you can achieve cleansing of the
mind, so that the Truth can be clearly reflected
therein. Sathsang (company of pious and holy people)
leads gradually to withdrawal from the entangling
activities. (When a cold bit of coal is placed in the
midst of glowing cinders, and when the fire is fanned,
the coal too gets glowing with fire). Jnana-agni or the
Fire of Wisdom operates similarly.
(Reet's compilation from. Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.1. "The
wise ryot," Chapter 14; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 6.
"Diminish desires," Chapter 11; Sathya Sai Speaks.
Vol.12. "Full circle or half circle?" Chapter 30 ;
Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.12. "To those who are Mine,"
Chapter 31; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.12. "The second
visit," Chapter 32; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 22. "The One
in the many," Chapter 17; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 33.
"Happiness In Union With God," Chapter 17).
Namaste - Reet
Swami teaches... 11 - 13 October 2007
Part 1. Efforts for Inner Transformation
Success, health or happiness ect., is not a game of
chance. It springs from deep within us, from our deepest
thoughts and beliefs.
One person cannot change the whole world, but he/she can
change him/herself. After this action, pictorially as a
new world is born for this person.
The sage Thyagaraja asked: "Is wealth the source of
happiness or serving the Lotus feet of Rama?" Real
Ananda (Bliss) can be won only by means of the
transformation of the impulses that agitate the mind. It
is not to be found in wealth.
Constant dwelling with the Name of the Lord gives
unshakeable happiness and peace, unaffected by the
vicissitudes of life. Attach yourself to Him; then your
attachment for these temporary objects will fall off; or
at least, you will start seeing them in their proper
proportion as having only relative reality.
Human carries the twin burdens of joy and grief tied to
the ends of a single pole slung across shoulders.
Courage is the tonic for getting both physical as well
as mental health and strength. Do not give any chance
for these to strike root in your mind. Pray that you may
carry your duty well. God will certainly answer your
prayer. Knock, the doors of Grace will open. Open the
door - the Sun’s rays waiting outside will flow silently
in and flood the room with light.
Human being by means of the inner Divine strength with
which he/she is equipped, can achieve anything; he/she
can even become Madhava (God, name for Krishna).
As it is said, Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavathi (the knower
of Brahman becomes verily Brahman). If you perceive
yourself as Divine, you become Divine. If you consider
yourself a human being, you will remain so.
There is the Atmic Principle in you. To recognize this
Atma, you have to keep your heart pure and empty. To
help you to give up hesitation, fear, and doubt, keep
the Name of the Lord always on your tongue and in your
mind. Dwell on the endless forms of the Lord, His
limitless Glow, while you repeat the Name.
(When you get violent and angry with any one, quietly
repeat the name of the Lord to overcome it or drink a
glass of cold water or spread your bed and lie down
until the fit of fury passes. Five minutes of anger
damages the relationship for five generations,
remember).
In your heart, there is the symbol of Atmarama, the Rama
that confers eternal joy. So, it is joyfully to repeat
the name Rama, the Sun that can make the lotus in the
heart bloom. Rama is not only the son of Emperor
Dasaratha but of the ruler of the dhasha indriyas (ten
senses). Name 'Rama' has a form and you should picture
the form also when you repeat the Name; then the name
becomes concrete and japam (soft prayer or repetition of
the name of God) is easier.
By ancient story Narada (sage-bard; traveled the world
chanting Narayana; famous for creating disputes,
resulting in solutions for the spiritual advancement or
victory of the virtuous; author of texts on dharma) one
day boasted before Vishnu /the Preserver in the trinity
of Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu and Shiva (the
Destroyer)/ that no devotee could excel him. However,
this boast was against the very first qualification of a
bhaktha - freedom from egoism. So, Vishnu spoke of a
ryot , who was tilling his little plot of land as a
greater devotee and recommended that Narada should visit
him and learn 'the art of devotion' from him. Narada
felt badly humiliated; but he proceeded to the village.
He found the ryot engrossed in his round of duties on
the field, in the cattle shed and at home. In spite of
the most vigilant watch, he could not hear him speak the
name of the Lord more than thrice a day, once when he
woke up from bed, another time when he took his midday
meal and the last, when he retired for the night. Narada
was naturally incensed that he was deemed inferior to
this poor, pale specimen of a bhaktha. He was always
singing melodiously the leelas (the Divine sport) of the
Lord and spreading everywhere the message of devotional
singing of the Lord's name and here was a hornyhanded
son of the soil who remembered the Lord only three times
a day, whom Vishnu judged superior to him.
Narada hurried to heaven, his face flushed with anger
and ignominy; but Vishnu only laughed at his plight. He
gave him a pot full to the brim with water and asked him
to carry it on his head and go round a certain course
without spilling even a drop. Narada did so, but when
asked how often he had remembered the Name of the Lord,
he admitted that in his anxiety to walk without shaking
the pot and spilling the water, he had forgotten the
Name completely.
Then Vishnu told him that the ryot who was carrying on
his head more precious and more spill able burdens than
a pot of water and who had to be careful not to take any
false step, must perforce be admired for remembering the
Lord at least three times a day.
Do not give up your worldly duties, but do them with the
name of God on your lips. When you spend your hours in
thoughts about God, you are free from evil ways. You
will not be tempted to abuse others or harm them in any
way. Do not involve yourselves in the affairs of your
neighbors or others to the extent that you get so
entangled you cannot extricate yourselves.
Nevertheless, worry and grief there will always be, of
one type or other, in the past, present and future:
while walking, dreaming, and sleeping. However, place
faith in the Lord and do your tasks as dedicated to Him
and they both will vanish. Accept all the events of life
as His Gifts. Force your mind to breathe the grander
atmosphere of the eternal by reminding it of God and His
Glory, every second, with every breath, when you repeat
any one of His Names. Hearts dedicated to these noble
ideals are indeed golden.
Everyday before you begin work, pray to the Lord a few
minutes at least; and, at the end of the day, when the
work is over, offer grateful thanks to Him.
View the beauties of nature that are spread out before
you in earth and sky; green expanses of the crops you
have raised, cool breezes that waft contentment and joy,
the panorama of colored clouds, the music of the birds.
Sing the glories of the Creator as you walk along the
bunds of the fields and the banks of the canals. Do not
talk hatefully; do not disturb the sky with your shouts
and curses.
Shine your light in the world and do what you love. We
all have different unique talents to offer the world.
What the world needs is work done in spirit. Remember
always that it is easy to do what is pleasant; but it is
difficult to be engaged in what is beneficial. Not all
that is pleasant is profitable. Success comes to those
who give up the path strewn with roses, and brave the
hammer-blows and sword-thrusts of the path fraught with
danger.
There are spiritual guides with many different various
names. Because of this, human’s mind gets confused.
However, there is only one Divinity. Stick to any one
God of your choice and hold firm to it. Unnecessarily,
do not go around to various places, confuse yourself,
and ruin your faith.
If you keep transplanting a sapling from one place to
another frequently, how can it grow healthily into a
tree? You have to plant it in one place and feed it with
fertilizer and water regularly until it grows into a
firm, strong tree. This is true devotion. If you keep
changing your spiritual guides frequently, your devotion
gets adulterated. Trust that God is in all, but if one
keeps on changing from one God to another, it is false
devotion.
Worship God in any form or with any name. In fact, God
has thousands of names and a myriad forms. Worshipping
the Lord with a thousand names, you should be fully
aware there is a single Divinity you are addressing.
Therefore, your mind should be focused on God. Consider
this as lock and here is the key. Put the key in the
lock and turn it to the right and the lock opens; turn
it to the left and it is locked. Your heart is the lock
and your mind is the key. Turn your mind to God and you
are free. Turn it to the world and you are bound. Our
mind is constantly turned towards the world.
Of course, the world is there, but our experience in
this world is impermanent, ephemeral. There is only one
truth and that is spiritual. To become spiritual is to
‘merge’. The worldly life is as if a ‘marriage’ no, not
even a marriage, actually a ‘mirage’, an illusion. A
mirage is visible but there is no reality behind it.
This Asthipanjaram (skeletal cage or body) is the
Hasthinapuram (capital city of the Pandavas and earlier
the Kauravas), where we have the blind king,
Dhritharashtra (father of Kauravas), holder of ruling
power, the symbol of ignorance as well as Yudhistira
(eldest brother of the Pandavas; also called Dharmaraja)
the symbol of Wisdom.
Let the forces of Yudhishtira win, with the help of
Krishna; let the tongue, accustomed to the bitterness of
the margosa /A large tree of the genus Melia (M.
Azadirachta) found in India; Its bark is bitter, and
used as a tonic/ fruit of worldly triumphs and
disasters, taste the sweet honey of remembering of
Lord's Name. Experiment this for a time and you will be
surprised at the result. You can feel the vast
improvement in peace and stability, in you and around
you.
Learn this easy lesson, get immersed in joy and let
others also share that joy with you.
Individual effort and Divine Grace are both
interdependent; without effort, there will be no
conferment of Grace; without Grace, there can be no
taste in the effort. To win that Grace, you need only
have faith and virtue.
Your devotion must be such that God seeks you. Like a
child crying ceaselessly till the mother rushes to
pacify it, like a calf calling for its mother-cow, the
devotee should feel the yearning for His coming.
Spiritual discipline is based on faith in the unity of
all beings based on the all-pervasive immanent
indwelling Atma. We are all the limbs of that One Cosmic
Body, the Purusha, who is far more expansive than the
Universe. The Universe is but a small fraction of His
Splendor. You are the Cosmic Consciousness, God;
temporarily in the role of 'I.' The body-mind-complex is
the instrument to be utilized for that Will. This is the
message of Rig Veda. (first Veda composed by the sages,
consisting of 1028 hymns. Oldest religious text in
world).
Keep this thought in your mind, “I am not a mere human,
I am the embodiment of God.”
In garland, quickest to strike the eyes are the flowers,
while the thread upon which they are strung has to be
inferred; it is not so patent. Nevertheless, without it,
they will all fall off. So too, without that bond in
Brahman (the Supreme Absolute, i. e. Creator, i. e. God,
i.e. Cosmic Consciousness), we will fall off as
unrelated entities. The Divine current flows through
each one and activates each. On that Ekam (One), all
anekam (many) - is strung. Based on the Great One, the
many secure support.
Conscience is deathless. The Universal Consciousness has
neither birth nor death. It has no beginning, middle, or
end.
(How can you comprehend such an entity? All your
conceptions are mere reflections of this reality).
So, you are not the body, the mind, the intellect, the
brain, the heart, the denotable diminutive ego. You are
the Infinite Universal Absolute. You have to get
yourselves established firmly, unshakeably in this
awareness. Paramahamsas (ascetics of the highest order)
have that awareness. Every one can attain that state; it
is your destiny, your duty to yourself.
Sage Viswamitra performed intense penance and revealed
the sacred Gayatri Mantra that is prefixed with the
triple syllable Bhur Bhuvah Suvah. Bhur represents
materialisation, Bhuvah - vibration and Suvah -
radiation.
The Universe is entirely constituted out of these three
components. Radiation is Divinity, vibration is the life
principle, and materialization is the body. All these
three are in you. When you recognize these realities,
you achieve your humanness. Do not get too much attached
to your body. So long as you are alive, naturally you
must keep your body in a healthy condition as without
body spiritual awareness is impossible.
For Karma Yoga, body is the basis.
For meditation and worship, mind is the basis.
For realization, heart is the basis.
You must recognize the unity of all these three.
The world is a furnace and factory, where human has to
shape destiny by his honest untiring efforts. One, who
takes up this challenge and spends the allotted years
and the skill and intelligence with which he/she is
endowed, in purposeful activity, is really entitled to
the status of Karma Yogi.
The entire humanity of the world is a single family.
Individual’s existence is a reflection of the world’s
condition. Whether you are an atheist or a theist, youth
or aged, you should recognize that you are all part of
the single race of humanity. You have to develop human
values. Without this, you are human merely in form not
in fact.
Keep the heart pure, unsullied by evil or vice. Let the
rays of Love illumine it. Let the foul bats of hatred
and greed fly away from the cavity of your hearts; let
the clean air of mutual cooperation and help render the
cavity safe and sweet.
(Reet's compilation from. Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.1. "The
wise ryot," Chapter 14; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 6.
"Diminish desires," Chapter 11; Sathya Sai Speaks.
Vol.12. "Full circle or half circle?" Chapter 30 ;
Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.12. "To those who are Mine,"
Chapter 31; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.12. "The second
visit," Chapter 32; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 22. "The One
in the many," Chapter 17; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 33.
"Happiness In Union With God," Chapter 17).
Namaste - Reet
