Swami teaches....Part 14
Link to Swami Teaches....Part 13
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Swami teaches.... (27 - 28 February 2005)
Eternal Wisdom
Everything that is born must die; everything that is constructed will disintegrate. But you can escape death, by not being born again. When you know that you are the limitless Atma (Self, the infinite consciousness), then you are no longer subjected to the limitation of birth. How to
know that? It is the result of a long process of sharpening the
intellect and purifying the emotions and the impulses. You may do the
most rigorous japa (repetition of holy name or symbols) or practise the
direst, of austerities, but if you are not virtuous, all of it is sheer The see-er
should not attach himself to the seen; that is the way to get free. The
contact of the senses with the object arouses desire and attachment;
this leads to effort and either elation or despair; then, there is the
fear of loss or grief at failure and the train of reactions lengthens.
With many doors and windows kept open to all the winds that blow, how
can the flame of the lamp within survive? That lamp is the mind, which
must burn steadily unaffected by the dual demands of the world outside. Remembrance of the Lord's Name is the best detergent for the mind. It is the means of crossing the sea. The Name is the raft that will take you safely across. The Name will remove the veil of illusion, that now hides the Universal from the Individual. When that veil fades out, human being finds Him/herself before him/herself beholding Universe that is within. Human being has infinite power and infinite potentiality, as a wave of the Ocean of Infinity. You may
doubt whether such a small word like Raama or Sai or Krishna can take
you across the boundless sea of worldly life. People cross vast oceans
on a tiny raft; they are able to walk through dark jungles with a tiny
lamp in their hands. The Name, even the Pranava (Om) which is smaller,
has vast potentialities. The raft need not be as big as the sea. When
the Sun is in the sky, the Moon is blazed out of sight. Buddhi, the
sharpened intellect, is the Sun; the pale satellite, the Moon, is the
Mind. So, give intelligence full prominence; let the mind subserve the
dictates of reason, not of passion. There are others who relish disputes and arguments; they are never content with obvious facts; they must create doubts where none existed before, and shake faith. They dispute whether Rama is superior to Krishna, or whether Krishna is a fuller or a lower incarnation of Godhead! People who have not touched the outskirts of the Capital City dare dispute about the appearance and glory of the Emperor, who resides in the Palace in the heart of the City! That is the pitiable state of scholarship today. Look inside the event, for the kernel, the meaning. Dwell over on your Atmic reality; you are pure, you are indestructible; you are unaffected by the ups and downs of life; you are the true, the eternal, the unchanging Brahmam, the entity which is all this. You are the same Atma that appears as all this variety. It is the Absolute Reality which you are. If you are able to equip your mind with this consciousness you are a Person of Realisation. Else, you are a masquerader. There are three types of minds: 1. Minds like ginned cotton, ready to receive the spark of highest wisdom and to give up in one instant blaze, the weakness and prejudices of ages. 2. Minds like dry wood, who succeed but only after some little time. 3. Minds like green logs, which resist the onslaught of the fire of jnaana with all their might. Herds of
cattle run towards a mirage to slake their thirst, but you ought to be
wiser. You have discrimination (viveka), and renunciation (vairaagya);
you can detach yourselves consciously from pursuits which you discover
as deleterious. Sit quiet for a few minutes and ponder over the fate of
those who run towards the mirage. Are they happy? Have they the strength
to bear There are two kinds of accomplishments: apraaptha praapthi and praaptha praapthi. The acquisition of something which you did not have is apraaptha praapthi. It is praaptha praapthi if you become aware of a thing that you had with you, but imagined that you did not have. A friend comes and asks a loan of ten rupees from you, you are sorry that you have not got the tenner and that you are not able to come to his rescue when he is in dire need. An hour later, when you sit down and open the pages of the Geetha, you discover a ten rupee note that you had placed between the leaves long ago and forgotten, How happy you are at this! The Guru asks you to search between the leaves of the book of your heart, and, lo, the treasure is there ready to render you rich beyond compare. The
fruit won't drop if you mumble mantras under the mango tree; you will
have to take a heavy stick and throw it at the bunch. Use the stick of
intelligence and throw it at the problem of "you and the world"; that
will yield fruit. Go straight along the path of karma (action) and dharma (virtue) towards Brahma (the Supreme Reality); this is your destiny. The Upanishads say that thunder teaches Da, Da, Dha...Daya (compassion) to the ogres, Dama (self-control) to the gods and Dharma to people. Since human being is all three - part ogre, part god, part human all three must be practiced; daya (be kind to all), dama (be the master of your mind and the senses) and dharma (be constantly alert on the path of fight); that is the advice given from the sky in the voice of thunder. Dharma is the moral code, the experience of sages, the controlling discipline which checks the mind and the senses. There are many such brakes operating on human being. Vyakthi dharma (controls affecting the individual, as such), Sahaja dharma (controls affecting the nature of human, as human), Aashrama dharma (controls affecting the stage of life, like student householder, ascetic), Vama dharma (controls pertaining to the duties cast upon human as a limb of the community), etc. All these brakes are complementary, they do not cause confusion, they help progress, each in its own way.
If you can penetrate behind the stone of
temples and images of idols and see the Divine Basis, how much easier
it is to see the Lord who resides in the heart of every living, every
human being? Try to realise that first, so that your faith in this
idol and this temple can be well settled. Revere Human; that is the
first step towards reverence for God; for, Human being is prathyaksha
(perceptible), God is paroksha (imperceptible).
(Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.
5. "The voice of thunder," Chapter 13; "Shiva in shava," Chapter 8; "Kare
kankanam," Chapter 4 and "The sun at your doorstep," Chapter 2). Namaste - Reet Swami teaches.... (01 March 2005)
Wealth of Righteousness, Knowledge and Wisdom
Foreword Swami's Teaching grasps the radical laws of the Creation and the Universe interpreted to understandable form for human consciousness. These laws remain the same during all the history of humanity. They explain the essence of the human life and destiny based on Atmic and Maya Realities from the aspect of Nature, human society and spiritual Oneness. Swami's Teaching is as alive, concrete example of unity in diversity. He manages the core truth of spiritual education, culture, science and social life from endless aspects. His Works as underline and emphasize that Oneness of Existence appears in boundless variations. (The core remains the same always). Thus, Swami's Teaching, beside of its universal educational purposes and power of the Divine vibrations is a real example how the spiritual-scientific outlook of unity in diversity has put into practice by Swami in His Works. (Reet's outlook). -------------- People who imbued with a sense of sameness, a sense of oneness, a feeling that each is but an image, a reflection of the same divine principle, they alone are entitled to be called a Samaaja. (This word used in Samskrith for society; the syllable 'Sama' means 'same, equal, undifferentiated'). It is the realisation of the one, which thought it blossoms into the many, does not lose its uniqueness, because the many are but appearances, unreal impositions of name and form on the real - this is the Adwaitha experience. Samaaja prompts in the mind these subtle influences that lead to the Adwaitha goal. What can the possession of canvas and paint do, if an artist with vision is not moved to paint? What can the chisel and a lump of marble do with no image formed in the heart of a devoted sculptor? That vision and that image are the sparks of the divine. You are all 'the divine' packed in human skin and bone, the Aathma encased in the evanescent flesh. Know this and you become fearless, happy without limit. This is the higher wisdom, the knowledge of the spirit. The lower one is that which adheres to the mind, which cleanses the mind and calms its agitations, which is earned by Japa, Dhyaana, Naamasankeerthan (repetition of holy names or sacred formula, meditation and singing of God's names) and such other meritorious activities. Voluntary service or seva belongs too to lower wisdom, However, after proper experiences through seva higher wisdom can be gained. Seva opens the eyes to the comprehensive unity of creation. When you open the lids, you see the world, the stars, the galaxies that are far out in the depths of space. When you close them, the scene disappears; there is only gloom, emptiness. The eye reveals as the universe, as vastness, as magnificence, as order, as beauty, as power, as Vishwa-Viraat-Swaruupa (cosmic divine form)! It is as one picture that it appears; it is as one picture that it disappears! Likely when you are aware only of your joys and sorrows, your eyes as shut to the joys and sorrows of others; your eyes are closed! Education is essential, if you must be inspired by this high ideal of Seva as Saadhana (spiritual striving). The easiest and the most fruitful expression of Dharma today consists in Seva, service as worship of the divine around you. Dedicate all your skill, talents, wealth and scholarship to the living embodiments of divinity that are around you. That is the Dharmashakthi (power of righteousness) which can draw grace upon you. You must also be encouraged to investigate into your own reality and discover your limitless core. Do not entangle yourselves in the relatively real; anchor your life on the absolute. It will make you one with the Lord of the universe. You draw all the love, power and wisdom therefrom. Without the strength that righteous behaviour gives, physical might or even the might of weaponry is nought. Bheema had physical might; he could pulverise mountains. Arjuna had the most dreadful bow of the age and an array of divine arrows. But, both had to be directed and controlled by the dictates of Dharma, so that the Lord Krishna might bless them with victory. The Lord Krishna gave three vows what are mentioned in the Bhagavad Geetha. They are for all humanity to read, know, and believe.
1. Parithraanaaya saadhoonaam, vinaasayacha
dushkrithaam, dharma samsthaapanaarthaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge - "For
the protection of the good and the punishment of the bad, for the
establishment of the Moral Order, I shall concretise Myself, age after
age". 3. Sarvadharmaan parithyajya maamekam saranam vraja, aham thwaa sarva paapebhyo mokshayishyaami, maasucha - "Surrender unto Me, giving up all other duties and obligations; I shall liberate you from all sin; do not grieve." (The similar issue as Krishna's vows are reflected in Swami's Teaching for benefit of all humanity. We see that lords have their duties before humanity as their own paths of Dharma likely as human beings have their paths of Dharma before Lord. Pictorially, both express reciprocal attraction in action on the arena of the Divine play. By modern science it may to express as attraction between the Absolute or Cosmic Consciousness and Its holographic images of infinite structures of fractals).
It is hard to follow the path of
Dharma only by attraction to external beauty. Rare and costly articles
might attract by their external beauty, but to the eye which is
illumined by spiritual light they would appear trivial in value.
Physical charm and force can never overpower the charm or force of the
spirit. But, these days, conceit and pride are taken as adding charm to the knowledge required. The attraction conferred on a person by scholarship in matters relating to the objective world has to be given up; only thereafter can the genuine innate Divinity manifest itself. The ego in use is the Manmatha, "the agitator of the mind," and that has to be turned into ashes through the impact of divine vision. The divine, the Iswara, will not yield Himself to physical charm, worldly authority, muscular or intellectual or financial power. This is the inner meaning of the Manmatha episode. Parvathi underwent extreme austerities and subjected herself (that is to say, her ego-consciousness) to sun and rain, cold and hunger, and thus transformed herself. Finally, Iswara (Shiva) accepted her as half of Himself! This is the stage in spiritual advance called Saayujya (Mergence). The Vedha is the basis of Dharma, which is like the mother in its loving care for man. The Paandavas (in Gita) secured divine guidance and won, because they stuck to spiritual joy, ascetic self-control and simplicity and sincerity. To follow the same path is the sign of wisdom. That is the Path of Dharma (virtue) from which mankind has strayed away. Grief is the greatest friend of human, for it opens the eyes and shocks you into the search for the secret of Shaanthi and Santhosha (peace and happiness). Some speak of two types of Karma on the path of Dharma: Dhaihika and Daivika (physical and spiritual). But, this division is absurd and even dangerous. All acts and activities are spiritual, the body is but an instrument for spiritual progress and attainment. Modern education emphasises the physical and neglects the spirit, which is crucial. The educated person must be capable of imbibing the inner joy of the Atman, irrespective of external circumstances; he must have grasped the purpose of existence; he must be aware of the discipline of Realisation. The Grace of the Lord was the Diploma which was awarded to those who were proficient in the cultivation of morality, the knowledge of the Atman, the sublimation of instincts, good conduct, pure habits, control of the senses, restraint of the mind, and the development of divine qualities. Knowledge can develop discrimination, inspire the springs of service, prompt inquiry into the Reality, promote the search for the Absolute. Our wealth is the wealth of righteousness, of knowledge and of wisdom. The last is superior knowledge and you should aspire for acquiring knowledge with wisdom. However, there are three words, what you must avoid. They are wealth, women and wine. They will, if one is after them, take you to the barbarous depths of human living. (Reet's compilation with some own standpoints in brackets from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 5. "Kare kankanam," Chapter 4. Sathya Sai Baba. The Divine Discourse, "Radiate Rays Of Love." Ananthapur, 8 July 1971. Sathya Sai Baba. "Vidya Vahini." Chapter IV. Sathya Sai Baba. "Dharma Vahini." Chapter IX. Sathya Sai
Baba. Discourses of Sathya Sai Baba during Dashara Festival. "Amirtha
Vaani." November 1963. Namaste - Reet Swami teaches.... (02 March 2005)
Ego and the Medicine Against it - Seva
Truth is totality, the One which
integrates and includes the many. The sages of yore were not
satisfied with one facet of the Truth or one view, not of one God
but of That where all streams merge. As Bairagi Shastry told One
house cannot become a village, nor one individual, a society, nor
one tree, a forest! To be conscious of the totality, one has to
fill oneself with the sublime grandeur of the forest, not squat
under a single tree. This is the inner purpose which led aspirants
and seekers after Truth to the core the Himaalyan forests.
Social living contributes increased
happiness and more efficient effort among birds and beasts. They
are able to defend themselves from enemies, secure food and
shelter, migrate to places beyond great distances when they act as
a group. Even ants have learn, that immense benefits are derivable
from group activity and social organisation. Monkeys also live in
groups for greater security and happier lives.
The presence of God, the vision of the
Absolute, is not a state to be attained or newly achieved. God
or the Absolute is the very nature of the Self. The individual
is the indivisible God. The Vedhas accost all selves as
"children of Immortality," "amruthasya puthraah." They remind
every living being of its being the undying Divine. The
individual self is the role; the reality is God. The 'ism' or mould in which the Ego has hardened tantalises person and blinds the Truth. Shankaraachaarya has described the harm it inflicts and prescribes the recitation of the name of God to defuse the consequence. The pure ego will then merge and lose its identity in the Aathma, which has no birth and no death.
When ego is awake, no wisdom can
appeal. The ego attacks the sage, the scholar, the teacher and
the devout spiritual aspirant, even more than ordinary people.
Their ego makes them proclaim that they are the most learned and
that they are the ones nearest God. The feeling, is the root
cause of one's grief and another's calm. We build a house for
ourselves and are happy it is 'ours.' When some one pastes a
cinema poster on the wall, we feel 'our house' is tarnished and
we even go to court to punish the offender. Some time later we
sell 'our house' to someone and move off. After that, even if
the house is bombed, we are not in the least worried. The more riches you accumulate the more bound you become, the more worry, anxiety and fear you get into. There can be no peace of mind for a person burdened by riches. An educated person must have as the first qualification the virtue, of Shaanthi, that is to say, not being affected by praise or blame, failure or success. It is the ego that makes one feel glad or sad.
When success comes your way, you
become proud and uncontrollable; when defeat encounters you, you
become dejected and desperate. It is only spiritual education
that can tell you that both success and defeat are inevitable in
life and both must be faced with an equal mind. The other brief example from Geetha.
When Arjuna reduced to ashes the huge
Khandava Forest, his ego did not raise its head. But when he
stood before the Kaurava army, the ego told him to flee. He had
made enormous preparations for the fray; he had amassed
specially destructive weapons after years of austerity and
adventure. The ego brings wave after wave of wants and wishes before your attention, and tempts you to attempt to gain them. It is a never ending circle. So try to reduce your wants and expand the range of your love in order to be free from the coils of your ego. Living involves many confrontations, companionships, separations, conflicts and neglects. We have to give up both the types of contacts - viyoga (the repugnant separation) and samyoga (the pleasant union). Attach yourself to God, and the delusion of the world will automatically fall off. When human is aware that the same Divine Consciousness that motivates equally all others, then love ousts the ego into the background and takes charge of one's activities, words and thoughts.
All our
ideas and inferences are but products of the period between
birth and death. When the girl you married was seriously ill as
a child, you did not worry for she had not become 'yours.'
The Vedhas desire to give up the
animalist ego, and its complement, anger. The evils of envy,
pride and spite belong to the same brood. These are all
'bestial' though human in appearance. They declare that love,
tolerance, compassion, non-attachment, and adherence to truth
are the genuine human traits.
The body has to be utilised for
service to others. Activity is its main purpose. Krishna says,
"I have no need to be engaged in work but I do work in order to
activate the world." More aanandha can be won by serving others
than what can be got by merely serving oneself. Offer service to
some one in need, with a full heart and experience the aanandha
that results. It need So the first lesson in seva has to be learnt in the family circle itself. Father, mother, brothers, sisters - one must engage in loving service and prepare for the wider seva that awaits outside the home. No one can serve another while his ego is rampant. The attitudes of mutual help and selfless service develop the 'humanness' and help the unfoldment of the latent divinity. When the sevak (helper) becomes the nayak (leader) the world will prosper. Only a kinkara (servant) can grow into a Shankara (Master). Of course, one has to eliminate the ego totally. However long you may do dhyaana, however constant your japa, a little ego will render them barren of results. Bhajan done with egoistic pride will be as harsh as the crow's caw. When you are doing good acts, why hesitate, why feel ashamed, why fear? Let Compassion and Sacrifice be your two eyes; let Egolessness be your breath and Love be your tongue. Let Peace reverberate in your ears. These are the five vital elements you have to live upon. God will not ask you, when and where did you do service? He will ask, "With what motive did you do it? What was the intention that prompted you?" God seeks quality, the quality of the heart, the purity of the mind, the holiness of the motive. Krishna was known to all as almighty, all-knowing, all encompassing and all-fulfilling. Yet, the enthusiasm to do seva prompted him to approach Dharmaraaja, the eldest of the Paandava brothers, on the eve of the magnificent Raajsooya Yaaga he had planned to celebrate and offered to take up seva of any kind. He suggested that he might be given the task of cleaning the dining hall after the guests have partaken of the feast! Krishna insisted on outer cleanliness and inner cleansing.
During the battle of Kurukshetra, which
climaxed the Mahaabhaaratha story, Krishna served as the 'driver'
of the chariot of Arjuna throughout the day on the field and when
dusk caused the adjournment of the fight, he led the horses to the
river, gave them a refreshing bath and applied
Namaste - Reet Swami teaches.... (03 March 2005)
Self-Confidence in the Beam of Spiritual Awareness
The conflict between persons who accept God and deny Him, those who declare that God is to be found in this or that place and those who affirm that He can be found nowhere, is never ending; it has continued throughout the ages. One has to remember that while it is unnecessary to awaken a person already awake and easy to awaken a person who is asleep, we cannot awaken, however much we try, a person not wanting to awaken!
Nowadays many, many persons who have no
experience or knowledge of spiritual science and no conception of
the Divine, make pronouncements on such subjects into which they
stray. Denial of the Divine cannot negate it. Logic cannot reveal
it. All the tirades now being made on the Divine are from atheists
who are opportunists. People with a disease in the nose cannot
appreciate the fragrance of a flower. Those who cannot appreciate
or recognise the Divine are suffering from an Illness which
handicaps them to do so. Despite all his achievement in the physical world, how far has human been able to develop his human qualities? This is the question facing the world today. If people study the ancient history of Bhaarath, they will realise the importance which the ancients, attached to Truth. True education what has spiritual basis should serve to develop a broad outlook and an all-round view of life from ancient times to today. The two eyes give a picture of a vast expanse of space, but they cannot see the face to which they belong! They are Important instruments of the body, but they cannot see the entire body. When you wish to see your face and back, you have to keep one mirror in front and another one behind you, so that in the front mirror you can see the reflection of your back also. So, too, when you desire to know your reality (face) and your future (back), you have to adjust the mirror of 'Self-confidence' (confidence that you are the Self) in front and the mirror of Divine Grace behind you. Without these two, to affirm that you are aware of your Truth or of your destiny, is sheer fantasy. The Divine is now denoted by various words that are common currency in limited human vocabularies. They name phenomena revealing the Divine, 'miracles’, ‘magic’, 'wonders’, etc.. Of course, human cannot contain in mind more than there is possible to hold. It is not possible to express in words the in-expressible. Only those who have dived deep and contacted the underlying principle of Love, can picture Divinity with some clarity.
The Divine has to reveal Itself largely
shaped and modified by the nature of the times, the region and the
cultural environment. The signs and wonders that Swami manifests
are given names that do not connote the purpose or effect. They
can be called chamathkaara, that lead on to samskaara (purificating
acts), which in turn urge one on towards paropakaara (helping
others) and finally result in saakshaathkaara (divine vision). Limits and bounds are essential for smooth social life. So, you should welcome discipline, and not crave for lives that do not honour limits for every facet of behaviour. One reason for indiscipline is the superior role of money created business houses, temples of Lakshmi, the Goddess of Riches, instead of remaining temples of Saraswathi, the Goddess of Learning. Person may desire something good. The desire has to be developed into a deed. This requires Kriya sakthi or the power of action. Above all, Realisation depends on Jnana sakthi, or the force and clarity of Wisdom, the self-confidence that flows from the mastery of the situation. This is a gift of grace from God, installed in the heart. The Gita asserts that His hands and feet are everywhere; so are His eyes, head and face. When a person denies God, he is denying himself. You must foster faith in God what will plant in you, humility, courage and reverence. One may be a big person and another a beggar. But, theTruth that is underlying in both these persons is the same. If you realise that truth, all will become one.
Modern education should not be equated
with book knowledge or the acquisition of skills for leading
one's life in the world. Most of the troubles tormenting the world today stem from loss of Aathma-Vishvaasa (self-confidence). Humanity today is plunged in a grave crisis. The eternal verities proclaimed in the scriptures have assumed bizarre forms. Sacred nature is divorced from humanity. The ancient wisdom is in eclipse. Perverted knowledge is growing. In such a situation, how can ethical and spiritual values appeal to youth? First and foremost, cultivate faith. Further, there should be harmony between your thoughts, words and deeds. Where there is no harmony between these three, your behaviour would be demonic. Self-confidence is the foundation for the building of faith and harmony between thoughts, words and deeds; it remains below the surface of the earth. Self-satisfaction represents the walls; self-sacrifice, the roof and selfrealisation, the life. Without the foundation of self-confidence and self-respect self-realisation cannot be achieved. Therefore, build up your self-confidence slowly. Self-respect comes only out of spiritual sadhana and it will continue to be your companion throughout whole life. Therefore, cultivate the divine quality of self-respect, self confidence. Devotion should manifest itself in every action. Everything done out of love for God and as an offering to God becomes devotion. The nine different forms of worship are only means to cultivate devotion. But the goal of all of them is to experience oneness with the Divine.
God manifests in human in three
forms described as, Bhur-Bhuvah-Suvah. Bhu is the padhaartha
(material form). Bhuvah is Spandhana Shakthi or Praana Shakthi
(Life Principle). Suvah is the form of Prajna. Prajnaa Shakthi
is the radiation which, through Praana Shakthi (vibrating
power) gives the material form represented by the body. God
manifests in all these three forms. In ancient times, even the demons used to study the Vedas. However, they could not comprehend the truth contained in the Vedas and hence led a life of untruth. Demons like Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakasipu and Narakasura were highly learned and well-versed in various disciplines of knowledge. They could reach up to the moon, the sun, and even the stars and could understand their functioning. They had mighty power and knowledge, but they proved futile because of their negative qualities. In olden days, people distanced themselves from demons and demonic behaviour. Hiranyakasipu tried his best to stop his son Prahlada from chanting the divine name of Lord Narayana. But Prahlada was always immersed in the contemplation of the Lord. Prahlada was dear to Lord Narayana, whereas his father Hiranyakasipu was dear to demons. He was an emperor of wicked qualities and evil deeds. Some people appear to be of sathwic (pious) nature externally, but they are full of wicked qualities. You should beware of them and not join with bad company. Offer them a namaskar (salutation) and move away. A question may arise here, as to why we should offer our salutations to the evil people. We salute the good people, not to lose their company. We also salute the evil people with a request that they move away from us. One may be highly devoted, one may have mastered the Vedas, but all these will be of little consequence if one doesn’t give up negative qualities. A small example. Years ago, a gentleman came here and proclaimed that Sri Sathya Sai Baba was God. Not only that, he also proclaimed and propagated that not only Sri Sathya Sai Baba, but every living being was permeated by divinity. After some time, when some of his desires could not be fulfilled, he propagated that Baba was not God. This type of double-speaking is a demonic quality. For Swami there are no bad people. Those who develop negative feelings without enquiring into the good and bad of things in this objective world, will only spoil their own life. All are equally dear to Swami. Some people may have some doubts. But, they must be made to see reason with a proper explanation and counselling. As far as possible, you should not give room for doubts; for, so long as doubts persist, you will not have peace of mind. The human values inherent in us must be given expression to. They have to be propagated. They must become part and parcel of our daily life and reflect in our behaviour. Knowledge should beget wisdom like the lightning in a cloud. This light should spread all over the world and bring about spiritual unity among humanity. All changes in the educational syllabi or other changes in the economic and political spheres are of little value. There should be change in the mental attitude of the people, as the prelude to a change in the national scene. True science should foster the well-being of the people and promote unity amongst them. Unity will lead to purity and both will lead to Divinity. Today we have only Community (caste). It is this communal feeling that is the cause of conflict. There is a need to underline that Truth and Righteousness are inter-related. Together they constitute humanness. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 13. "Signs and wonders," Chapter 25. Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 21. "Beyond Degrees: God's Love," Chapter 6. Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 26. "Education should develop human values," Chapter 35 and "Trust in God: the Sole Protecto," Chapter 14. Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 35."The best way to love God is to love all and serve all," Chapter 21 and "Unity in diversity - the Fundamental Truth," Chapter 18).
Namaste - Reet Swami teaches.... (04 March 2005)
Improve Your Spiritual Status
Sage Vyasa has collated the voluminous Vedic scripture under three headings Karma Kaanda, Upasana Kaanda, Jnana Kaanda (branches of Vedas dealing with sacrificial rites, divine adoration and spiritual wisdom). The Veda insists on rites, rituals, ceremonies, etc., but not as mere reward oriented acts. Human being is endowed with the intelligence to pick and choose, to benefit from the past and prepare for the future. Karma has to be an act of worship, an offering to God, a fulfillment of duty. The ancient Indian Dharma based on the Veda and embodying the highest and most lasting wisdom. Life is an exercise in the sadhana of 'give and take.' 'Give' and you get the right to 'take'. Have a faith in the Self and the Lord's Grace is with you. Below is a brief story what illustrates this.
Thenaali Raamakrishna, the famous Andhra
poet, humorist and philosopher, once happened to lose his way while
traversing an area of thick jungle. (He lived in the reign of the
famous Emperor Krishnadheva Raaya, of the Vijayanagar dynasty, about
1500 A.D. He was attached to the Court and was honoured as a wise
and quick-witted minister). While Raamakrishna was wandering
desperately in the jungle, he saw an old sage. Raamakrishna ran
forward and fell at his feet, in reverential homage. He asked the
sage how he got caught in that wild forest. The sage said, "The same
mysterious force that dragged you here has dragged me too to this
spot. The moment when I have to cast away the body I occupied so
long, has arrived! I shall initiate you, now, into the manthra which
I have recited all these years, as my talisman and treasure." It was
the manthra of Mother Kaali, and he whispered it into the ear of
Raamakrishna.
Kaali was mortified and exclaimed that his
impertinence called for dire punishment. Raamakrishna accepted his
mistake and invited the punishment she proposed to inflict. But, can
the Mother's punishment destroy the child, however reprehensible the
conduct of the child may be? "My sentence will certainly save you,
do not tremble," said Kaali. Then she pronounced: "Become a
Vikatakavi." That is to say, "Be a clever clown, having great
influence at Court, accumulating much wealth and guiding all those
who approach you with good advice." Swami's world is the world of the Spirit where values are different from ones of common life. If person is happy, with faith in God, (in Self) and fear of sin, that is enough "service," enough kainkaryam for Swami. It pleases Swami.
God loves those who have the
self-confidence and the courage of conviction and who seize every
opportunity to improve their spiritual status. The Self (Spirit) is at the root of everything. Without confidence in the Self, life becomes utterly meaningless. The goal to the Real Self is one, but the paths are many. For instance, Swami is in Puttaparthi. Devotees use many different kinds of transport to come here planes, trains, buses, bicycles and by foot. Whatever the mode of transport, the goal is one. Thus, to realise the Divine, there are many paths. The story-telling below is about some stones on these paths and advices how to remove them.
Ancients wished to live long for the
sake of a Godly life and for that purpose preserved their health
in body and mind. Today people look aged by the time they are 60
or 70. Today spiritual strength is totally lacking among the
people. Self-confidence is constantly going up and down. There is
no steadiness of mind. When the will is weak from moment to
moment, The spiritual light will be a divine lighthouse for human being. For everyone caught up in the coils of worldly life, this divine light is essential. All the pleasures, positions and riches of the world will not confer on you real peace and security. Only faith in the Self can ensure this. People today has faith in everything except the Spirit. The paradox of human existence today is that life is without a head or feet but has only the trunk in the middle. This shows that human is not realising what is most important in life. All the scriptures have declared: "Tath Twain Asi" (That thou art), "Aham Brahmaasmi" (I am the Brahmam), "Prajnaanam Brahma" (Awareness is the Supreme). While these profound truths have been proclaimed by the Vedas, people are not relying on them. Though people talk about self-confidence, they have really no confidence in the Self (the Spirit). Life is also wasted in brooding over the past and worrying about the future. What is the root cause of sorrow and sickness? Not being content with what one has and lamenting over what one does not have, peace of mind is lost. There is no need to enquire into what is past or what is in store in the future. The most important is the Present - which contains the past and the future. It is Self-confidence that leads to the best use of the Present. It is Awareness what creates a motivation for that.
Awareness means total understanding. All other forms of
knowledge are only partial and incomplete. Awareness calls for a
total comprehension of the nature of the cosmos. This is called
Chith. Only Sath can recognise Chith. Sath means that which is
permanent - Being, unchanging and immutable. The unified form of
Sath and Chith is Ananda (Bliss). Ahamkara (the Ego-feeling) is dispelled by the light of Divine knowledge, the effulgence of the Divine is experienced. It is Ego what is responsible for the dust of sensual greed in your life path. This anomaly can be prevented, for example, by keeping good company, and putting into practice the axioms of good conduct that one can imbibe from it. Hypocrisy is rampant now in the spiritual field more than in any other. The farmer complained aloud: "Only one stranger came into this village yesterday! And, he was a Brahmin! But, my cockerel has been stolen and eaten!" Thus, the Brahmin's vow of vegeterianism was revealed as a hoax. Profess only as much as you can practise; do not blabber more than you are prepared to fulfil. Be sincere and honest to your own conscience. Pouring water down the throat can well become torture, if the limit is crossed. So too, there is a limit to the heat you can bear or the sound you can hear, with safety. You cannot breathe comfortably in a typhoon, nor can your ear-drums stand the pressure of an explosion within earshot! Any use of the elements, over and above legitimate bounds, is a sacrilege. Water is the emanator of the rasa principle, the taste factor. There must be a balanced equilibrium in the stomach of man of the various tastes - sweet, bitter, salt, acid, sour, acrid, hot, etc. If the balance is upset, by the predominance of any one taste, health suffers a downfall! If the emanations from any one of the five elemental components in body are more than tolerable, health will be damaged and saadhana (spiritual practise) will be affected adversely! Treat the elements as if they are the vesture of the Almighty. He is the current that activates everything everywhere. The body, the sense organs, the mind, the Buddhi (intellect) and the Atma are the five vital elements constituting man. The universe, including the house within which you dwell - the body, is composed of the five elements: earth, water, fire, wind and ether - elements that act upon the senses as smell, taste, colour, touch and sound. It is essential to be careful with the food you eat. See that it is conducive to your health and happiness. The ancient sages used to eat only once a day. Today people go on consuming food at all times, not to mention drinks and snacks in between. Anything in excess will cause indigestion and sleeplessness. However, human today is subject to more maladies caused by mental worries than by consuming bad food. There should be a limit even to intellectual speculation. Excessive cerebration leads to delusions and mental aberrations. A balance has to be maintained also between individual interests and national interests. Everything in life depends on maintaining the balance, whether it be walking, riding a bicycle or driving a car. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 8."The sour and the sweet," Chapter 10. Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 20. "Guidelines for Goodness," Chapter 3. Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 23. "The abode of the Spirit," Chapter 11. Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 24. "Light the lamp within," Chapter 26).
Namaste - Reet |