Life sustained by food is short; life sustained by the Atma (Divine Spirit) is eternal. Do not lay claim to long life, but to Divine life. Do not pine for more years on earth, but for more virtues in the heart. The Buddha knew and made known to the world the truths:

Everything is grief.

Everything is empty.

Everything is brief.

Karma and upasana depend upon the dharma of the particular stage of life, as well as the guna that rules you. (Even amritha will be harmful to life, if it is drunk through the nose). There is a way of life, a method of uplift, a path of progress, distinct for every seeker, different from those of others.

By Vedic wisdom the Karma Kanda (rituals) is primary. It has its origin in Brahman. The Rishis receded the Vedic intimations and propagated their message. The second stream is the scriptural heritage of the Puranas. In this Duty is paramount. The Rishis acquired them and spread their message. Both these streams are of equal validity.

The goal of Karma is Jnana and for Jnana, Karma is the base. To combine the two in practice constitutes Seva. Good conduct is the right source of strength to a human. Good qualities like forbearance and sacrifice lend fragrance to the life. Through right conduct, the mind is puttied and a pure mind leads to Atmic bliss.

Hence, the duties that are enjoined on one have to be discharged. The foremost duty of human is to do good deeds with a pure heart. It is not right to entertain the slightest desire for enjoying the fruits of these actions. Egoism and desire are the cause of bondage to Karma. Desire is the barrier between the pure mind and devotion to the Self.

Karma yoga teaches how actions should be performed. It enjoins duty for duty's sake. It enables human to recognise the image of the Divine within.

The underlying truth of Karma Yoga is the demonstration of the unity that subsumes the diversity in the universe. Nishkama Karma (desireless action) demonstrates and promotes the Love principle. The tendency to distinguish between the spiritual path, the path of service and the path of knowledge and regard them as separate is wrong. The three are not distinct; they are one. Seva (service) is spiritual knowledge. Seva is the primary means to acquire Divine Grace. Without being a devoted follower you cannot become a worthy leader. Without being a Kinkara (one who is ready to do any work) you cannot become a Sankara (The Divine). Service to society is the highest good. Without putting into practice the decision taken, what is the use of endless debates and long resolutions? Conferences of such a nature are a waste of time and money. (You must try to implement at least one or two of the decisions).

Sathya Dharma, Shanthi, Prema and Ahimsa (Truth, Right Conduct, Love, Peace and Non-violence) are in us like the pancha pranas (five vital airs). We think that the five pranas (Prana, Apana, Udana, Samana and Vyana) are protecting this body. But it is Truth, Right Conduct, Love, Peace and Non-violence which give real happiness to the body. These are the real Pancha Pranas.

Render service to society with these principles in your mind and with broad-minded dedication to the well-being of all.

Practise what you preach. Act according to what you say.

Don't preach what you do not practice.

Vyasa has said: "If you cannot do what you talk about, that is sin. To do what you say is putty." The Vedic injunction, given through the sages, is "Sathyam vada; Dharmam chara" - Speak the Truth; walk in the path of Virtue. No one has right to advise others, unless one is already practising what he/she preaches. World welfare and peace cannot be achieved without selfless service to mankind.

There must be harmony between what is said and what is done. All spiritual exercises are efforts to control the mind and prepare it for the journey to the Divine. Knowing the way is not enough. The path must be traversed to reach the destination. That journey is service to the society. This service must be done with the awareness that the Divine dwells in every heart, in every individual and in every living thing.

To worship this Supreme Self residing in all beings and to experience this Self no separate temple or shrine is necessary. The eternal Self resides in this temple of the body as the Divine that sustains the individual Jiva (Self).

The path to Self-realisation lies through Love and Service. Cultivation of Love is the first step. Faith is the basis for Love. Self-confidence is the basis of Faith. When Faith and Love are combined Peace is attained. In Peace resides Truth. Truth reveals the power of Thyaga (sacrifice), which holds the key to immorality.

Seva must be done hand in hand in comradeship. This will demonstrate the unity of the Cosmic Being. The heart does not blossom out through the mere study of books or by listening to discourses. It is only the cultivation of Love that breaks the knots binding the heart.

Swami's philosophy does not lie in encouraging devotees to sit in a comer, control their breath and go on uttering, "Soham! Soham! Soham!"

"Oh, Sadhak! Arise! Plunge into social service!" This is Swami's message. No room should be given for laziness and indifference. A life not dedicated to service is like a dark temple. It is the abode of evil spirits. (Do not waste your time in profitless talk. Of what avail is it to mouth expressions such as: the Lord is All-knowing, Omnipresent and Omnipotent? You clap your hands when these epithets are used, delving pleasure from simply hearing them).

In creation, in the objective world, no one article is like any other. No two human beings are similar in every respect; there is some twist or turn which distinguishes one from the rest. Each has own peculiar experiences. Immense diversity prevails. Nor is an individual the same for any length of time. The infant changes into a child, then into a boy/girl, an adolescent, an adult, and soon becomes middle-aged, old, decrepit and, finally, senile.

But it is the Absolute Reality which you are. (In Atmic Reality are no two distinct entities or categories called material and spiritual. All distinctions are apparent, not real. Atma, Self has no death, no birth). You know in the very depths of your being that 'you are and will be,' that is the characteristic of Sath (Existence Being). All beings have it. You are also eager to 'know', 'to expand by knowledge,' 'to reach out.' All beings have it, this urge for expression. That is the characteristic of Chith (Awareness). You seek 'joy'; all beings do so. That is the characteristic of Ananda (Divine Bliss). The Ananda in you seeks its kin everywhere, in everything. That is why it is said, Sath-Chith-Ananda is the link between Thath and Thwam, the particular and the universal. Human must seek refuge in the changeless, the Paramatma (Supreme Reality), from which all variety emerges, and into which it merges. Then only can be secure peace and contentment. The past is past; do not lose time looking back on the road you have traversed. Look forward, deciding to march on with confidence and courage. Take the first step NOW. Tomorrow may be too late.

You may have the best of vegetables, you may be the most capable cook, but, if the copper vessel in which you prepare the vegetable soup is not tinned, the concoction you cook will be highly poisonous. So "tin" your heart with Sathya, Dharma, Shanthi, Prema and Ahimsa, it will then become a vessel fit for repeating holy name or symbols, meditation, religious vows, pilgrimage, ritualistic worship and the other dishes that you prepare in it. However, the quest for God does not mean doing japa, singing bhajans, perform other kinds of worship. These are merely means for achieving mental concentration and subduing desires and aversions. Why cry out, asking: "Where is God?" He resides in the heart. Thereby experience the bliss of Self-realisation.

The Lord is Anandamaya (of the nature of Bliss); He is also Ananda (the Divine bliss), which is to be tasted through the Name. It is Sath-Chith-Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss Absolute).

Today, the Kali Yuga has become Kalmasha Yuga alias the age of impurity. Today people spend most of their time watching the TV and Video screens. Is it any surprise if children born in these circumstances are TV products? In olden times, when a woman was enceinte, she used to hear stories about Prahlada, Rama, Krishna and other noble characters. The child in the womb was influenced by such stories.

Life today is filled with sorrow, it is beset with fear and despair. The only time you can forget these thoughts and strengthen yourself to meet the hard times is when you contact the Source of all strength, God. You cannot get that peace and joy while you bend under the burden of daily life. You are carrying a huge load of worry all day; keeps that aside for an hour every evening and spend that time with God who can make your shoulders strong and your burden light.

Congregational singing of bhajans is the best. There is a big difference between Keerthanam and Sankeerthanam. Keerthanam is an individual affair. It is singing by an individual for the fulfilment of prayers.

Sankeerthana is of four kinds:

1. Guna Sankeerthana applies to the kind of bhajan in which the devotee recites the auspicious qualities of the Divine, experiences oneness with the Divine, and acquires the Godly qualities. Gita Govindam is a form of Guna Sankeerthana.

2. Leela Sankeerthana refers to the enjoyment by the devotee of the sacred sport of the Divine in ecstatic dancing and singing and being totally absorbed in it. This is exemplified by the Gita Govindam of Jayadeva.

3. Bhaava Sankeerthana is illustrated by Radha alone, who expresses her different feelings towards God and identifies herself with the Divine in every mood of devotion. She expressed her devotion in the five forms of Santha (Serenity), Sakhya (friendliness), Vaatsalya (eternal love), Anuraaga (affection)and Madhura (sweetness). Radha and Meera were the exponents of Bhaava Sankeerthana.

4. Naama Sankeerthana: Chaithanya was the exponent of this form of Keerthana. "All names are yours. There is nothing in this cosmos which does not bear the imprint of your name or form. Chaithanya revelled in singing the name of the Lord as signifying all that was beautiful and glorious in the Universe.

The essence of Sankeerthana is to earn the love of God. Combining one's voice, tune, feeling and rhythm to the appropriate beat of the song, the devotee should immerse himself in the singing. Harmonising the feeling with devotion and Love, the sacred words of the song should be an outpouring of love towards God. Bhaava (feeling), Raaga (melody) and Thaala (rhythm) are the essentials for proper singing.

Many pandits recite the names as slokas (verse). When the names are sung melodiously they appeal to the hearts of the singers and the listeners. Even non-believers and agnostics nod their heads in appreciation when they listen to devotional music.

Some persons attending bhajans do not move their lips at all. They may say that they are singing the songs mentally within themselves. This is not proper. If you have devotional feeling, it should be expressed by the tongue joining in the bhajan. Only then can it be called Sankeerthana - singing in unison with others.

The recitation of the names of the Lord are cleansing singers' minds and will help to purify the atmosphere as a result of the sacred sound waves getting absorbed in the atmosphere.

The Sastras describing the various forms of bhakthi (devotion) mentioned that the bhaktha is like the needle which is always drawn towards the magnet. But the needle has to be near enough; it has also to be clean enough. You stay far away and complain that Grace has not come. You come near for some time and stray away into the distance. It is not physical distance. You may be physically far, but mentally by Swami's side. Swami does not measure distance in miles or metres.

You come to Puttaparthi, secure a picture, and taking it home, begin worshipping it every day or every Thursday; but, all that is simply sathkarma (good activity). They won't take you far. You must develop sath-guna, virtues, good habits, good attitudes, good characteristics, a good character. Realize the nobler-goal of selfillumination, of lighting the lamp of love inside, and sharing the light of that lamp with all around him/her.

With the progress of science human imagines that he/she is the Almighty of the Universe and tends to forget the Divine. The more human discovers the secrets and mysteries of the cosmos, the more human will realise that God is the Creator and Motivator of all creation. All that human can do is to strive through limited intelligence and knowledge to understand the invisible and infinite Divine and learn to worship and adore Him.

A society in which the individuals are concerned only about material welfare will not be able to achieve harmony and peace. Even if it is achieved, it will only be a patched-up harmony for, in such a society, the strong will oppress the weak. Nor will an equal distribution of the bounties of nature ensure anything but a nominal equality.

Uncontrolled living habits, unrestrained social behaviour - these are extolled as signs of freedom. People obey the whims and caprices of the moment; they do not delay to discriminate.

Suurdas told Krishna, "You are eternally content, eternally full, free. Why should I serve you? I shall serve those who are in need of service." See the Universal in all. See all as similar waves, sustained by the same sea. Serve others, not with the feeling that they are others, but with the attitude of worship that you reserve for God.

Shiva once demonstrated to Parvathi that, of the many hundreds who bathed in the Ganga and carried the holy water to the Vishweshwara Temple at Kaashi, no one had an iota of sympathy towards a dying beggar on the street, whose wife was calling out for a cup of water to slake the thirst of her husband. A thief had the sympathy; he gave the water and won the grace of the Lord; not the other pilgrims, who, keen on rituals, bathed the idol of Vishweshwara with the waters of Ganga mumbling Vedic hymns.

The Vedanta taught as follows: "Birth and death are common to all. Hunger and thirst are equally common. Joy and sorrow are equally common to all." If you go deep into these three statements, you will realise that whether one is a millionaire or a pauper both are born from their mothers' wombs. Though kinds of food are different for rich and poor, the object of eating is to appease hunger, which is common to both. The same applies to thirst. If in this manner people examine what is common to all mankind, they will realise the unity that underlies the diversity in mankind.

You must realise by constant contemplation that the world is the Body of God. And, you are a cell, in that Body. The prosperity of the world is your prosperity; feel so, act in that spirit; think in those terms. The spiritual aspirant cannot cut away from the world and escape into solitude, for, the world will follow into the deepest cave or the darkest forest.

Everything and every being are but waves on the surface of the vast unbounded timeless ocean. Waves belong to the ocean and depend on it for their individual existence; but, the ocean has no need of waves. Therefore, you are bound inextricably with all else and all others. The world will inevitably react on you; it will reflect your thoughts and plans: it will resound with your cries and creeds. Your thoughts, words and deeds will shape others, and theirs, will shape you. That is the way to make the world good, and be yourself good.

On the other side your virtue is your shield; your vice is the weapon that inflicts wounds on you. Happiness and misery are but the reflections of the good and bad which fill your heart and shape your activities.

The whole of mankind belongs to one Religion - the Religion of Human. For all people God is the Father. As the children of one God all people are brothers and sisters. Those who are ignorant of this basic Truth develop pride and ego because of their own religion. Such people are creating great confusion and chaos by fragmenting Divinity. To confine and divide the Infinite Divine into such narrow compartments is treason to the Divine.

The basis for a spiritual, Godbased life is the indwelling Spirit - the Atma (Univesal Divine soul).

When people build big mansions they allot a small corner for the worship of God. God pictorially says: "What sort of room is it for me? Your heart is my abode." Meerabai declared: "Krishna! My heart is your temple." Treat the heart as the temple and consider the entire mansion as His).

"Immortality can be attained, not by wealth, by ritual deeds, nor by birth, but only by sacrifice and renunciation". This is the declaration of the Vedas. The seva (service) into which people are initiated is the first step in the training for this sacrifice.

Cleanse your instruments of Consciousness, devote yourselves to service so that you might weaken the forces of Ego and strengthen the forces of Social Unity and cultivate Japa and Dhyana (repetition of Lord's Name and meditation) so that you might rise towards Godhood - these are the steps by which you can earn and establish yourselves in Ananda.

Engage yourselves in your duties as intelligently and as devotedly as you can; but, carry out your duties as if they are acts of worship offered to God, leaving the fruit of those acts to His Will, His Grace, His Compassion. Do not be affected when the results you anticipate are not produced; do not anticipate at all, but, leave it to Him. He gave you the time, the space, the cause, the material, the idea, the skill, the chance, the fortune, and you did but little of your own. So, why should you feel as if you are the doer? Do your duty, as a sincere Sadhana.

Human cannot reap the full fruits of life here below if he only gathers riches, or collects popular votes, or loads head with tons of tomes. He has to cultivate and practise virtues too. He has to adhere to Dharma. The Sacred texts direct that human has to earn just enough for his/her upkeep by honest means and use the rest of time and skill for the general good Dharmaartha. Earn artha (wealth) through Dharma (right conduct, righteousness). The right conduct without compassion impossible, but, compassion must be regulated by intellect* (more exactly by intelligence*, pictorially, as intellect in actions).

A compassionate man once brought home a fish he found struggling on the bank of a river in full flood; he placed it between the folds of a warm blanket and poured hot coffee down its throat. He thought it was suffering from a fit of cold. The hot coffee killed the poor thing. He could have saved it by throwing it back into the floods. He lacked the intelligence which would tell him what to do.

(Many leaders at the present time have compassion, but, possess no intelligence. They do not know how to solve the distress that they see and sympathise with. Any success won by adopting wrong means will only be trivial and temporary. Peaceful means alone, means that are wrought out of Love alone can ensure lasting benefits and real Peace. Fear not; frighten not. Brutes fear; beasts frighten. Human has to be above both the weaknesses. Have faith in Truth and be fixed in Morality. You need not fear any one, for God will be on your side. You will not frighten, for all will be seen by you as Divine).

Human's intellect has to be unwavering and steady. Human fails to use this discriminating power properly and fully because of qualities of Raaga and Dhvesha (attachment and aversion), obliviousness to inherent divinity and preoccupation with mundane desires.

The intellect is the highest among human's endowments starting with the body. Above the body are the senses. Subtler than the senses is the mind. The intellect is subtler than the mind. Above the intellect and much more subtle is the Atma (Self).

Do not attach yourselves too much with the world, for, it is ever changing fast and furiously. Be ever ready to fall into the hands of death, gladly and gracefully, with gratitude for the chances afforded while alive. Never grieve, for God is resident in you as your Truth what knows no defeat, no fear. It marches on heedless of acclamation or declamation. Use the days allotted to journey towards Love, Joy and Peace.

To attain this awareness, Love is the surest means. Control your passions, emotions and impulses, especially, anger, envy and greed. They thrive on the ego and make it a dangerous weapon. The hero is who overrules mind and curbs impulses. Do not allow faith to falter when failure comes into your door. Meet it as a new challenge, and triumph. If faith is one full continuous stream, Grace too will be showered on you in one full continuous stream.