Swami teaches

Swami teaches....Part 66

Sai Ram

Light and Love

Swami teaches... 22 - 23 May 2006
Individual Is an Organic Part of Human Community

The spiritual laws that the sages of India have discovered and laid down will never be over-ruled; they stand valid for ever. This Samskrithi is a huge tree, whose branches have spread over the entire world, giving comforting shade to all the peoples.

What are problems? Whatever they are, they are all transient In relation to eternity and of no lasting consequence. What are thoughts? They are creative force within, and represent the free will given by God. Life should be full of joy and it will be, if you live your life in complete harmony with God.

Until you know that all are altars where the same God is installed, all are moved and motivated by the grace of the self-same God, you are afflicted by hate and pride; once you know it and experience it, you are full of love and reverence to all. So long as you feel the reality of the 'many,' so long as you take them to be outside you, separate from you, you have fear, hatred, greed and all the rest of the pests.

When you know that the ?many? is a figment superimposed on the One, by your own ignorance, you become Master, sole Monarch, and all fear vanishes. That stage is Mukti: Liberation from the thralldom of Samsara (the objective world; sea of change; cycle of birth and death; transmigration).

The barbarous remedy of war will be given up when this basic brotherhood is felt in the deepest core of human.

However, human being has become a victim of faith in worldly things. There is at present a delusion about values. People are unable to recognise their Divinity because of attachments to transient pleasures like the black bee. This bee has a proboscis with which it can bore a hole through a strong bamboo or even through the human body. But when it enters a lotus flower and the lotus folds itself, the bee is unable to get out of its tender petals because it is immersed in the enjoyment of the honey in the lotus and forgets its own real strength. Likewise, human forgets inherent capacity in the involvement with the mastery of the external world.

Even the leaders of people are hugging the false hypothesis that happiness can be got by means of wealth or health, or housing, or clothing, or the cultivation of skills in handicraft and manufacture. The bird sits upon the bough that sways in the storm, confident of its wings, not confident of the bough whereon it sits. So, you too should feel strong because of the bough of the objective world, whereon you have perched.

Humans' duty is to keep calm, to pray for the happiness and prosperity of all. Do not pray for your own exclusive happiness and say, "Let the rest of the world go to pieces." You cannot be happy when the rest of mankind is unhappy. Share your prosperity with others; strive to alleviate the sufferings of others.

Take all happenings and things as and when they come. From one of the public aspect's the different predictions by New Age holistic science or/and by astrologers often carry an approxomate information and in many cases cannot change or improve nothing; such information often spread anxious vibrations among humans and among natural environment.

Take care of the Panchangams (the five-limbed astrological almanacs) within you what is more vital than different predictions. The Panchangams within you are the five senses; educate the mind to have peace, whatever the rise in the market rates or the quantity of rain. For instance, do not get panicky over what the almanac says about the combination of many planets. They indicate to the some probable possibilities, not to the definite reality. In all periods the pralaya (destruction of the Universe) is more in the frightened mind than in external nature. If you earn the anugraha (blessing) of the Lord, no graha (planet) or combination of grahas or whatsoever cosmic or planetary prediction can harm you. (There is not bother about the past or the future. Concentrate the attention on your duty in the present).

Turn the key in the lock to the right, it opens; turn the same key to the left, it is locked. So too, turn your mind towards the objective world, it is locked, caught, entangled. Turn it to the right, away from the objects of the senses, the lock is loosened, you are free, deliverance is at hand.

How to turn it right? Well, for blessing of the Lord begin with remembering the Lord's holy name (Namasmarana), as the first step. All journeys start with the first step. That will itself take you through the second and the third, to the very goal.

Creation (the phenomenal universe) is within the comprehension of the senses. All that we hear, see and experience are within the purview of our senses. We refer to all these things as "this," "this" and "this" But what is beyond the senses is referred to as "that." So, what is beyond the senses has been called spiritual. What is below the senses has been called elemental, constituted by the five elements. Scientists are exploring matter by dividing spirit. Scientists are imbued only with a sense of enquiry into matter. Consequently, today there is a complete divorce between science and spirituality.

Scientists hold the view that matter is convertible into energy and vice versa. But, in fact, they are inseparably interlinked and interdependent. The attempts to divide matter and energy have given rise to many doubts and confusions. Matter and energy have existed from the time of creation. Both are comprehended by the mind only. When the mind functions in relation to the Divine it acquires the form of energy. When the mind is turned towards Prakriti (Nature), the latter assumes the form of matter. Mind is the cause of experiencing joy or sorrow and for comprehending matter and energy.

We are simultaneously below the senses and above the senses. Below the senses is the body. Beyond the senses is the Hridaya (the spiritual heart). So the fundamental difference between science and spirituality is: science is concerned with investigating the external phenomenal universe. Spirituality is engaged in exploring the inner workings of the Divine.

Here is an example of the difference between scientific truth and spiritual truth. If you draw the figure of a circle, it represents spirituality. For in it the end and the beginning are the same. Spirituality knows no difference between beginning and end.

To understand what is science, you cut the full circle into two halves. The left half is a semicircle which resembles the English letter "C." "C" is science, that is, it begins at one point and ends at another. Between these two points there is a big gap. It is beyond reach, invisible and incomprehensible.

Matter and Spirit may be regarded as two semicircles. The two parts have been described in Vedantic parlance as Prakriti and Paramatma.

Crossing the ocean of worldly life, reaching the other shore of the sea of Birth-Death, is similarly possible only for those who know the art of spiritual discipline and aware that all existence has the same base of Great Oneness. Those, who are trying to build the human community on a foundation of wealth (dhana), are building on sand; those are who seek to build it on the rock of righteousness (dharma) are the wise.

Although human beings differ in form and characteristics in various respects, they belong to the human species. Differences of race, religion, caste, language or community do not affect oneness of humanity.

In every country, what is most essential is the practice of the principles they profess, the bringing into the details of daily life the attitudes of brotherliness that devotion to God instills.
The progress of each individual is decided by the discipline adopted, the character formed, the ideal kept in view, the leadership chosen and the faith implanted. Just as trees and plants, birds and beasts differ from one region to another, the rituals, practices, disciplines and ideals may differ from community to community; each is good for that region and that stage of development. You cannot transplant one, from one human community to another. The atmosphere in which you have grown up is the most congenial for you.

Your material eyes see countries as different; in reality, all countries are limbs of one organism; all bodies are activated by the same Principle.

Life is like a flight of steps towards the Godhead. You have your foot on the first step when you are born; each day is a step that must be climbed; so be steady, watchful and earnest. Do not count the steps ahead or exult over the steps behind. One step at a time and that well climbed, that is enough success to be satisfied with and to give you encouragement for the next one. Do not slide from the step you have got up on.

Slow and steady - let that be your maxim. Adhere to a regular routine, a time-robie. Just as the doctor prescribes a certain fixed measure or weight of the drug and warns you that anything less is ineffective and anything more is harmful, so too, have some limit for your spiritual exercises.

Do not overdo them or do them casually and without care. The doctors tell you also about the hour of the day and the number of times the drug has to be repeated, for, the action of the quantity taken must be reinforced before it becomes weak. So also, you have to repeat the japam and dhyanam at regular intervals.

Start from today, a new chapter in your life, the chapter of japam (recitation of holy name) and dhyanam (meditation), Japa-sahitha dhyanam (recitation-oriented meditation) or dhyana-sahitha japam (meditation-oriented recitation).

(In the Thretha Yuga, the Name was Seethaaraama; in the Dwapara Yuga, it was Raadheshyaama; in this Kali Yuga, it is Sarvanaama. You can select any one that appeals to you).

Millionaires who always go about in cars and aeroplanes and people of sedentary habits are advised by doctors to take a long walk every morning. The walk is called a 'constitutional', because it helps to build up the constitution. Similarly, to get over the mental ills consequent on too-long brooding over worldly affairs, the guru will advise you to have a long spell of dhyanam and japam. Do not move so fast with the world; the cure for moving fast is to sit quiet. Do not get entangled in the vain hubbub of the world; the treatment for those who suffer from the after- effects of that is silence and meditation.

The body is not a mass of flesh and bone; it is a medium for mantras (sacred words or formulae) which save when they are meditated upon. It is a sacred instrument earned after long ages of struggle, equipped with reason and emotion, capable of being used for deliverance from grief and evil. (Honour the body as such; keep it in good condition, so that it might serve that high purpose. Always preserve the conviction that it is an instrument and nothing more. Use it for just the purpose for which it has been designed and given).

Nothing in the world is permanent. Only one thing is permanent and unchanging. That is the Divine. Install firmly in the minds the Divine and regard it as the only permanent entity that can confer enduring bliss. Difficulties may come in succession like mountains, but they will disappear like snow if Divine grace is there. Strengthen your faith in the Divine.

In this sacred human birth, to lead a life filled with pure thoughts and pure actions is characterised as Brahmacharya what means whatever thoughts we entertain, whatever actions we perform, whatever enterprises we undertake, they should all be filled with the consciousness Brahman (the Supreme Omnipresent Divine). The basic characteristic of Brahmacharya is that one should be full of pure thoughts, all one's actions should be sacred and one should be engaged in selfless service. Brahmacharya is a state that is implied in all the three stages of life. (The base is Brahmacharya. The second stage or storey is that of Grihastha or the householder. The third is Vanaprastha or retirement to the forest. The fourth is Sanyasa or complete renunciation of all attachments). Brahmacharya is present in all three stages like an undercurrent in equal measure. It signifies purity in all the states.

The period of a student's life is a crucial stage in life. The other stages are based upon one's life as a student. Whatever purity or sanctity you develop during your student days will determine the degree of purity in the other stages.

What is purity? This has been characterised as shakthi (energy, power). Purity has been described as the state of desirelessness in human. When there is sorrow them can be no purity. (The mind is the cause of both desires and purity).

If thoughts are pure, actions will also be pure and life itself becomes holy. Peace in mind is the outcome of our actions and thoughts. (Peace cannot be got through science. The most ills today are due to the fact that human's mind is never restful and quiet. Even an inanimate machine needs some period of rest. But no rest is given to the mind).

If we desire peace for the individual, for the society and for the nation, it can only be achieved through spiritual means. Hence, recognising the truth, without attaching excessive importance to worldly comforts, we must make every effort to acquire peace of mind. No doubt physical comforts are necessary up to a point. But they should be limited to meeting the basic demands of nature.

(Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 2. "The real Panchaangam," Chapter 4 and "Thirty-six Gems for you," Chapter 24; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 4. "The house of the Lord," Chapter 3; Sathya Sai speaks. Vol. 8. "Emergence of enthusiasm," Chapter 25; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 21. "Brahmacharya," Chapter 12 and "The Scientist and The Saint," Chapter 13).

Namaste - Reet

Sai Ram

Light and Love

Swami teaches... 19 - 21 May 2006
Renovating Education Is a Part of Swami's Mission. Part 2

The motto:
Joy is your birth-right. Santhi is your inmost nature. The Lord is your Self and support.

The arena of life is raised on four pillars dharma, artha, kama and moksha (righteousness, wealth, desire and liberation). They sustain and support. Each pillar must co-operate and complement the parts that the other three play. Dharma must sublimate artha, that is to say, through moral means should the means of living be obtained. Artha must be won through dharma and used in dharma. Kama must be primarily for moksha; that is to say, desire must be directed to liberation from bondage.

The first of the four, dharma, must interpenetrate and strengthen the next two, so that the fourth may be attained. Devoid of the first and the last, mankind is reduced to the level of beasts and birds.

Today there is fear and anxiety in all sections of the people and in all stages of life, shows that people are pursuing only artha and kama and neglecting dharma and moksha. There is one common quality present in all living beings: moha (attachment). Three forms of moha are: attachment as desire for wealth, attachment to the kin and material riches. This quality is present equally in human beings. But human being has the competence to overcome this moha and attain moksha. When moha declines, moksha becomes attainable. Liberation is the elimination of moha.

How to adopt dharma in the process of living and eliminatye moha? That is laid down by the Avatars like Rama.

The word Rama itself indicates Ananda. In every being, He is the Ananda in the innermost core, the Atmarama. Immerse yourself in the Atma as Dharmaswaruupa, as the motivator of the moral life.

Rama for you should mean the Path He trod, the Ideal He held aloft, the Ordinance He laid down. The path, the ideal and the ordinance are eternal, timeless. Rama strove to uphold Sathya (Truth) as the main plank of dharma. Whatever the trial, however hard the travail, He did not give up Truth and dharma what are irrevocably intertwined.

Rama taught that artha and kama should not be allowed to over-rule dharma and the discipline of moksha because the objects of the world are incapable of conferring joy. There is no place where Rama is not; no being to whom He denies Grace. He does not arrive or depart; He is immanent, eternal. Rama will be remembered so long as mountains raise their heads and the oceans exist.

Many worship His Form, repeat His Name; but, ignore His Orders and Dharma.This is no real Prema (Love). Without actual practice of the discipline laid down by the Lord to purify the mind so that He may be reflected therein, all else is mere show, empty ritual.

You have to cleanse and polish the heart into a clear mirror. A mirror reflects all that is before it - the misery, the poverty, the helplessness. But if the mirror is overlaid thick with the dust of ego, it cannot reflect the sadness, yearning for relief. When the heart is clean and clear, it will receive correct impressions of the problems of society and anxieties that pester the country. Integration spirituality into whatsoever kind of education is supporting and/or directing this process.

The difference between human and demon (manava and danava) is just this human has or ought to have dharma, self-control and charity (dhama and dhaya). The demon does not have these nor does he consider them as desirable qualifications.

All people are pilgrims from demonhood to humanhood and thence, to Godhood. The pilgrims move at their own speed and with the Divine Name-Form that inspires them.

It is a rare piece of good fortune to be born as a human animal. We all agree with this statement. Human is really a holy, sublime, and beneficent role; how then can cruelty, hatred and violence pollute the heart? How has he fallen from the sathwic heights of Divinity to the depths of rajasik qualities like ungratefulness, vengefulness and vandalism?

Imagine the terror caused among the cattle when a tiger or leopard or wolf enters their shed.

They struggle in panic and undergo fearsome panic, until they are felled and eaten. So too, rajasic traits of character relish destroying the sathwic virtues.

The Self and God are eternal; the Universal Principle is nirmala and nischala (pure and immovable). Brahman feels bound to Name-Form and so, it has to regain the lost awareness. This is done through dharma.

Samartha Ramdas (ancient sage; guru of the great King Sivaji) appeared before Shivaji, with his usual call for alms: Bhavathi Bhikshaam Dehi. Shivaji realised that the Guru is God; so, he wrote something on a piece of paper and deposited it reverentially in the alms bag of Ramadas. "For the relief of hunger how can paper suffice?" asked Ramdas. Shivaji prayed that the paper may be read. The paper recorded a gift of the entire kingdom and all that Sivaji owned to the Guru. Samartha Ramdas replied: "No, My dharma is the teaching of Dharma, instructing the people in the right way of life; Kshatriyas (protectors) like you must follow the dharma of ruling the land, ensuring peace and content to the millions under your care." Sage Vasishta is also said to have renounced a kingdom, offered him by Rama.

Veda is said to be the breath of God, the indestructible, the letter, the symbol for the vibration that spreads and affects the Universe for ever. The word is valid for all times; it has become the Akshara, the visual symbol. Upon the screen of asthi-bhathi-priyam (existence-enlightenment-bliss), the film of Name-Form is projected, and you ignore the screen and pay attention to the moving gripping film, taking the fleeting as true and the permanent as nonexisting. Break the Name-Form complex and fix the mind on the screen, which is Truth.

You see a plane zooming in the sky; some one tells you that it is flown by a pilot, but, you refuse to believe, because you do not see him from where you are. You must go into the plane to see the pilot; you cannot deny his existence, standing on the ground. You have to guess that the plane must have a pilot. So, too, seeing the Universe, you have to guess the existence of God, not deny Him because you are not able to see Him.

People want to see God. How can they do it? Are they able to see themselves? They need a mirror to see themselves. Nature is the mirror in which the image of God can be seen. To see God in Nature, the mirror has to be coated with the mercury of love.

God offers you in return manifold what you offer to Him. By ancient legend this is what Kuchela told his wife. He went to Krishna to ask for many material gifts. But on seeing the Divine face of Krishna, he forgot all desires. On return to his native village he found that big mansions had sprung up at the spot of his old dwelling. Kuchela looked at everything and said to wife: "I did not ask the Lord Krishna for anything. Is it necessary for me to say anything to the omnipresent, all knowing Lord?"

Narada wanted to teach Sathyabhama (one of consort's of Krishna) the supreme greatness of some human qualities of which she was not aware. He brought about a situation in which Krishna was to be weighed in a balance and reacquired by Sathyabhama by offerings in the other balance. All her jewels and wealth could not tilt the balance in her favour. Ultimately she prayed to Rukmini (chief queen of Krishna) to come to her rescue. Rukmini came, prayed to Krishna, saying that "if it is true that God submits himself to a devotee who offers with love a leaf, a flower, a fruit or some water, let my thulasi leaf turn the scales against Krishna."

The esoteric meaning of this prayer is that the body should be considered as a leaf, the heart as a flower, virtue as fruit and the tears of joy flowing from the devotee's eyes as the water offered to the Divine in a spirit of complete surrender.

Narada told Sathyabhama: "The Lord will not succumb to wealth. He will yield only to goodness. Rukmini is a supremely good woman. Follow her example." In this manner Narada humbled Sathyabhama's pride.

Today the devotee behaves differently towards God. He goes with a mountain of desires to the temple and offers a small coconut. This is not what you should offer to God. What you should offer is a pure, unsullied heart. If you offer little, God gives you much in return. This means that some kind of offering should be made to God.

Dhraupadhi offered a grain of rice to Krishna with devotion and Krishna, in return, appeased the hunger of thousands of Dhurvasa's disciples. This tablet teaches true devotion should be firm and unwavering, unselfish and free from any expectation of reward. Devotional activities should be unaffected by any kind of troubles and tribulations, by censure or praise. That alone is bhakthi (devotion).

Human has two essential organs: head and heart. Interest in the external arises from the head (the mind), while interest in the internal arises from the heart. What we are witnessing is an excessive growth of thoughts arising in the head. This means that involvement with the external world is growing from minute to minute. But at the same time internal feelings are not developing with steadiness and purity.

The proverb says: "When troubles come, think of Venkataramana (God)." Similarly many think of God when they have troubles, but forget Him when the troubles are over.

What you have to offer to God is your heart. What God seeks is a heart filled with love. There is nothing greater in the world than such a heart. What is the inner significance of describing God as Hridhayavasi (Indweller in the heart)? He resides in the form of dhaya (compassion) in the heart. If there is no compassion it is no heart at all.

The Gopikas prayed for proximity to Krishna in whatever form He manifested Himself - as a flower, or a tree or a mountain or the sky. They were totally innocent of spiritual exercises of any kind. They dedicated all their actions to Krishna. Developing such love in your hearts, you should sow the seeds of love in the hearts of people who are bereft of love today.

The first, second and third languages are love, service and sadhana (spiritual discipline). There is also much talk of progress - helping progress, measuring progress, achieving progress, etc. Do we really progress in securing peace of mind, in harmoniously living together, and in removing ignorance of higher values? No. Today we value many-storeyed building as a sign of progress. Persons who spend their time in airconditioned rooms breathe their own breath over and over and are polluted thereby. Their feet never touch the ground. Sunlight seldom warms their skin. Boots for the feet, pants for the legs, coat for the chest and back, hat for the head and a tight tie round the neck. This is the pitiable plight.

In earlier times, the world's population was around 100 crores (one billion). At that time the number of persons engaged in spiritual pursuits or in the quest for liberation was sizable. Today the world's population has grown, the seekers of liberation have dwindled. With the growth of population, spirituality should also grow alongside.

Today spirituality and its qualities equanimity, compassion, forgiveness, etc., is often treated as a some kind of hysteria by the persons who are spiritually deaf and blind.

Here is an ancient story-parable as an example. Once an ochre-robed person, was going in a bazaar. School boys and college students followed him, talking flippantly about him. He took no notice of them. He was proceeding from one village to another. The students indulged in all kinds of abusive language with a view to provoking the mendicant. But the mendicant walked on and sat under a tree on the outskirts of the village.

The students went on railing at him and exhausted all their stock of abuse. As they were silent the mendicant asked them, "Children, have you any more words to be used against me? Come out with them even now, as I have to go to the next village." One insolent youth among them asked: "What will happen when you go to the next village?" The mendicant replied' "Child, I will do nothing. Praise or blame attaches only to this body and not to my Self. But, there are in the next village a large number of people who have high regard for me. If you indulge in your abuses of me there, the villagers will trash you. To save you from this experience I am informing you in advance." On hearing this, the students had a change of heart. They felt: "In spite of all the abuses we levelled at him, this noble being was totally unaffected, did not lose his temper and taught us the right behaviour." They prostrated at the feet of the mendicant and craved for his forgiveness.

Forgiveness is a quality that every person should possess. It is the supreme virtue in this world. It is the task of value-based education to promote this awareness far and wide.People should remain unaffected by what others may say. Whoever aspires to win the grace of God should cultivate at the outset the quality of forgiveness.

(Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.1. "Shikshana," Chapter 16; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 5. "The immortal guide to immortality," Chapter 29; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 10. " Recognise your Self." Chapter 25; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 14. "Why this College?" Chapter 28; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 28. "Fill your hearts with love of God," Chapter 10).

Namaste - Reet

Sai Ram

Light and Love

Swami teaches... 16 - 18 May 2006
Renovating Education Is a Part of Swami's Mission. Part 1

The motto:
Joy is your birth-right. Santhi is your inmost nature. The Lord is your Self and support.

Human contains within all the powers and all the substances that exist anywhere in the Cosmos. Human values are born with human.

The Call of the Divine echoes in every heart; it provokes the reaction of awe, reverence, affection, love and sacrifice - all ingredients of bhakthi (devotion). It translates itself into acts of worship, of praise, of adoration and of rituals and symbolising the majesty of God. Thus the mind gets saturated with the Divine thoughts, it is recast in the Divine Mould, until the flow of Ananda is unabated.

(There are some who talk of unifying religions; but religion is a mode of the mind and there are as many religions as there are minds. If you can unify minds, you can unify religions; but, it is an impossible task).

Swami declares that he has come to illumine the human heart with the Light Divine and to rid human of the delusion that drags him/her away from the path of santhi (peace), the perfect equanimity.

Swami also tells that this task of renovating and recasting education is a part of His Mission and before long you will find Swami engaged in it and chastising those who simply talk loud and long, of reconstruction and the preservation of spiritual values.

Education is a slow process like the unfolding of a flower, the fragrance becoming deeper and more perceptible with the silent blossoming, petal by petal, of the entire flower.The base all educational efforts on building up the character of the students and then you can confidently think of raising on it the super-structure of curricula, etc. (The best time to lay the foundation for this quality and perfect habits is young age).

Truth, the Principle of Truth, is immanent in every being; knowing this, the seeker or the student has to be loving and friendly with every living being. This is the message of the scriptures of all lands.

Today education is oriented to jobs, to secure a living, not to lead a life. Education must teach a person what life is, and what its goal. It must purify the heart and clarify the vision. It must prevent pollution of the hand, heart and head by habits injurious to the individual, society and the nation. It must promote virtues and raise the moral and spiritual standards of the educated.

There is an ancient axiom which says,
"Education imparts humility;
humility ensures credibility;
credibility brings wealth;
wealth induces charity;
charity confers peace and joy,
here and hereafter."

Nowadays, all educational institutions emphasise the need for riches. "Become wealthy through the easiest and quickest methods;" that is the slogan. Unfortunately, today the human being, is devalued and degraded. Human today is all humility, all obedience until the wish is fulfilled. Once it is satisfied, one tries even to ruin the person who helped to realise the wish. Today, as a rule, human by pomp and pride, egoism and conceit reveals that he/she is ignorant of own reality and therefore undeserving of that name.

Aeons change. The world is changing. But human's heart is not getting transformed. Why is the human's heart not broadening at the present time? The reason is the secular education that is prevalent today. This educational system is diverting student's attention on worldly and technical knowledge. There is practically no attention to knowledge of spiritual and ethical importance. (Consider, what most students are contributing today. Instead of resolving problems they are multiplying them. Far from alleviating suffering, they are worsening it. They have themselves become sources of anxiety).

Every boy and girl and also adult learner must attain unblemished character and lead a life of strict moral discipline. Students will obtain this skill through the ancient discipline and Swami's Teaching which tames the instincts, controls the impulses and assures steadiness of character. Such is Swami's Will.

Sikshana (training, learning) is a process in which the teacher and the taught co-operate and it must be a pleasant experience for both, a useful and heartening endeavour. For example, when the teacher enters the classroom, children should salute teacher; that is a lesson in humility, in respecting age and scholarship, in gratitude for service rendered. The teacher should decide to deserve the salutation of the children entrusted to his/her care by sincere work and selfless service. The student should not respect the teacher through fear, but be moved more by love. Example, not precept, is the best teaching aid.

Students should stand on their own feet, exert independently, produce through their own effort enough and to spare for themselves and their parents and be useful to the poor, the illiterate, the diseased and the distressed. Those who practise this ideal sincerely and to the best of their abilities can claim to honour the maxims: "Duty is God" or "Work is Worship."

Teachers and parents must see that students learn certain good habits and attitudes during these formative years. What is read from books must be contemplated upon, thought over in quietness, reflected upon in silence. There is nothing like silence to still the waves of your heart.

This is a very good exercise in intellectual development and in the acquisition of mental peace. The instinct to quarrel and fight over all misunderstandings must be regulated and sublimated.

Do not waste time in idle talk and empty scandal. Continuous conversation saps one's energy. Swami would advise to talk only when you must and only to the person with whom you have to talk.

Communicate with the minimum words and make them as sweet and pleasant as you can.

(Cats roam from house to house; dogs run through highroads and byelanes. Do not reduce yourselves to those levels with meaningless chatting with whom happens).

Do not wander about like ownerless street dogs, enjoying endless wrangles and quarrels. If you fall into that company, you commit the sin of sacrilege. Avoid that fatal path. You must equip yourself to be the guides, teachers and leaders of nation and even of the world.

Just as every day you engage in exercises, and consume tonics, calculating the intake of calories and vitamins, paying meticulous attention to the nutritional value of the food, pay attention also to the intake of impressions into the mind - whether they debilitate or strengthen, whether they add to the power of resistance of the mind against the viruses - greed, envy, hatred, pride, malice, etc. Have a meal of good acts of service, divine thoughts, and drink the juice of Love, so that they may be washed down, and digested well.

Students should not enjoy the infliction of pain or be allowed to suffer physical pain or mental anguish. They must have a sense of responsibility at least for the safe custody and proper upkeep of their books. They must not take delight in showing off their dress or ornaments or status or wealth before less fortunate children of the school. They have to be taught sensible habits of personal cleanliness and more important than all, the habit of prayer at regular hours. At school, the day's work should start with prayer for five minutes which should be taken seriously by one and all, and not reduced to the mere formality or farce that it has become in most schools. Treat the prayer as the very foundation of the entire edifice of schooling.

Prayer is the very breath of religion; for, it brings human and God together and with every sigh, nearer and nearer. Dhyana (meditation) is the process of listening to the Song Celestial, the Flute of Krishna, with the mental ears alert on the melody. Yoga is the merging of the mind in the bliss of self-forgetfulness, when the music fills the consciousness. Words like these do not completely denote that inexpressible ecstasy which one gets while back home, after this long exile.

Chandromouli Sastry spoke of mantras, the mystic formulae, which are potent with spiritual enlightenment, the sound and the vibrations they generate have a way of affecting the emotions and impulses of the individual, cleansing them, accelerating them, fermenting them, agitating them, dealing with them in subtle ways known only to the adept. (Mantra means that which saves, when meditated upon. The name of God is like the goad that can tame the elephant in rut and make him bend his knees and lift the log on to his tusks).

See your Self as yourself unrelated to others or to the objective world. When you know your Self as yourself, you are liberated: that is moksha. It is not a five-starred hotel, or a deluxe tourist home. It is just the awareness of your reality and the rejection of all contrary conceptions. You can recognise yourself quickly and clearly, if you purify your heart by mantra or by the singing of the glory of God. Both will grant the boon.

You can pronounce the word "come," in a number of distinct ways, producing as many distinct reactions on those to whom it is addressed. Sounds emanate from the throat, the tongue, the cavity of the chest, the navel, the heart, out of the silent experience of aroused yogic force. But, more than the repetition of mantras and the dispersal of vibrations through tune, beat and feeling, imbibe the meaning thereof tasting the sweetness. The sweetness of the mantra is beyond the reach of amateurs and beginners; but, the sweetness of sankerthan (melodious singing of spirituals) captures even at the very first sitting.

Modem civilisation is based on technological advance, but, there is a higher technology, the understanding of the consciousness and the transformation of that consciousness into a source of power, through that understanding. This is sujnana (experiential spiritual knowledge), as different from vijnana, which science is. There is again Prajnana, which transcends even the consciousness, and takes human into the realm of the One All-Pervasive, All-embracing Principle that is God. This is the Adwaitha jnana (nondualism or monism, the Vedantic doctrine that everything is God; Unitive integral knowledge), the culmination of the journey of the spirit.

(Many complain that it is difficult to achieve ekagratha (one-pointedness) of God, embodiment of the Divine Love. But the fault is in themselves; they have no adequate faith and steadiness. The steadiness they exhibit in the pursuit of worldly goods and worldly comfort they do not transfer to the pursuit of inner calm. They complain of lack of time, as if all their waking hours are now utilised for worthwhile purposes).

Narada, the sage who is immersed in the bliss of song, had once a problem. He was in a quandary, where to get audience with God, where to go? "Shall I go to Thirupathi, Bhadhrachalam, Kashi, Badhri, Puttaparthi or Pandharpur?" Then, Narayana answered, "Do not worry about any particular place, Naradha! Wherever My devotees sing, there I install Myself!"

Sai Ram

Light and Love

Swami teaches... 9 - 11 May 2006

The Value-based Education.
Advices for the Spiritual Transformation. Part 2

What is it that prevents human from securing enduring happiness? There are five kinds of Kleshas (sufferings) which stand in the way. Human's failure to secure happiness is due to these five factors.

1. Avidya (ignorance) is one kind of suffering. What is this ignorance? In the scriptures, the question is asked: "Who is a murkha (fool)?" The answer is given: "One who identifies himself with the body." The day he realises that he is not the body but the eternal Indwelling Spirit, that day he experiences true bliss.

(What is the saga of the body? In childhood, the child sports with the companions. In youth age person falls a prey to sensuous enjoyment. In middle age person is lost in the pursuit of wealth and in old age at the end the body returns to the dust).

2. Failing to realise how the mind is the cause of sorrow and giving a free rein to desires is Abhinivesha-Klesha (suffering due to mental infirmity).

3. The next kind of suffering is, Asthitha-Klesha (suffering due to unsteadiness). This suffering arises from an insatiable appetite for all kinds of things. It is the result of one being immersed in the vagaries of the senses.

4. Raga-Klesha refers to the suffering arising out of attachment of all kinds. All other evil tendencies in human like hatred, envy, etc., have their root in Raga (sense of attachment, passion, affection; tune). It is this attachment which ruins the entire life. There should be a limit to one's attachment to persons and things.

5. Dwesha-Klesha (the suffering caused by hatred) arises when a human fails to obtain what he seeks from someone. This is the result of selfishness and self-seeking.

Moha karma (attachment/desire and its consequences oriented activity), flows from delusion and leads to further delusion. Human must outgrow this tendency, and turn towards Dharma karma - moral activity; idealistic activity; activity that sublimates lower instincts and impulses and transforms every deed into an act of dedication. When this attitude is confirmed and consolidated, all karma (action) becomes Brahma karma (dedicated activity). Human merges in the Universal and loses the inhibiting individuality. That is the karma which the Atma craves for and delights in.

Even in the first stage of Moha karma person should endeavour to charge it with Prema For, Prema will correct the karma imperceptibly into the path of Dharma (virtue) and lead systematically, into the further stages of human progress towards Divinity.

If you have confidence in your Self, strength and skill, you can draw upon the inner springs of courage and raise yourselves to a higher level of joy and peace. For, confidence in yourselves arises through the Atma, which is your inner Reality.

There are two eight-syllabled axioms in the Gita which are the basic beliefs human must have Shraddhavaan labhathe jnaanam (with Faith, wisdom is won) and Samsayaathma Vinasyathi (the doubter is destroyed). They are two embankments between which the river of life can flow, safe and steady, towards the Sea of Divine Grace.

Of course, everyone is free to enjoy anything he/she likes. But there is one limitation. For every action, there is a corresponding reaction. You are free to do as you please subject to this rule. If you use the freedom given to you to indulge in wrongful acts, the consequences are bound to be bad. These results are not caused by God but are the fruits of your own actions. The Lord inflicts no harm on anybody.

When morality is laughed at, bhakthi is dreaded as a disease, cleverness is placed at a premium, and the individual is humiliated into an instrument to be manipulated and utilised by the State or some other collective authority, how can happiness be ensured?

When Indians worship ant-hills, trees, snakes, birds, lions and cows, cynics laugh, unaware of the deeper truth it reveals, namely, that God is immanent in all creation. So too, there is deeper significance for the rituals and ceremonies that have been recommended and observed in this land since ages.

One common criticism of Hinduism is that it tolerates the worship of images. But the stone is not worshipped as stone; it is the symbol of the God that cannot be pictured in His abstract, attributeless, Nirguna (Formless) aspect. The idol is of great help in concentration, as was proved by a large number of saints.

Another Hindu belief is that food, when it is offered to God and then taken as consecrated by His acceptance, is activated by Divine energy and is freed from all evil influences that might adhere to it.

You must welcome all Names and Forms, though you might have a personal attachment to one Name and one Form. You have to admit that the God whom you adore is universal enough to have many Names and many Forms.

An educated person is aware when a lone dog gets frightened by the shadow that moves ominously in the misty moonlight, it sets up a howl, which is echoed by all the dogs in the vicinity. Not knowing the reason, all howl in unison; it is sheer canine nature. The moonlight of Divine Grace stirs some humans also to howl and others to join in blind imitation. It is their nature; they cannot tolerate the immeasurable glory that showers grace and faith, courage and consolation. Your duty is to march ahead, straight and steady, towards the Goal, without being diverted by the exhibition of self-imposed ignorance and perversity.

Maintain your self-respect as Dhroupadhi did. When she was about to be humiliated in the open court, where her husbands who had staked her and lost her in dice-play to the wicked Kauravas were present, she was so enraged that if she had only cast a look on the gang of ruffians who had won her and dragged her thither, they would have collapsed into heaps of ash; instead, she looked at Dharmaraaja, the eldest husband who had staked her and who was sitting before her with downcast eyes. That look quietened her a little. Then, she uttered a curse, which echoed over the earth and heaven. "May the wives of these vipers who laid their hands on my hair and dragged me here, lament their widowhood, waving their loosened hair, in unconsolable grief. Until then, I shall not plait the hair which these barbarians have unloosened now." She proclaimed, in the hearing of all, her lineage, and its reputation for self-respect and her resolve not to tarnish it or demean it.

At any difficult situation repeat the Gayatri - the Universal prayer. There can be no fanaticism, no hatred, no rivalry, if the Gayatri is adhered to; its japa (pious repetition) will clarify the passions and promote Love.

Try your best to suppress the first appearance of anger. The body becomes warm, the lips twitch, the eyes redden - so, when you get the intimation, drink a cup of cold water, sip it slowly, close the door and lie in bed, until the seizure passes away, and you laugh at your own folly.

Ramakrishna Paramahamasa told an addict that he must not consume more than a given quantity of opium; he gave him a piece of chalk, to weigh every day the quantity of opium he can eat. But, he imposed a condition, whose usefulness in helping him to conquer the bad habit the addict did not realise then. It was that every time he used the weight he had to write on a slate, the Pranava (Om), before putting it on the scale of the balance. The fellow obeyed; the chalk was reduced in weight with every Om, until it was eliminated in full; the opium habit too was reduced out of existence. The Om also helped to transfer his attachment from the opium-induced tranquillity to the everlasting Bliss of God-intoxication.

Anyone's thoughts and actions should be related to the role he/she has to play. If there is no such correspondence between one's role and one's conduct, the social fabric will be shaken.

Once upon a time a strolling actor, Pagati Veshagaadu, presented himself before a king in the role of Adhi Sankaracharya. The king, welcoming the Acharya, gave him an honoured seat and enquired about his welfare. In keeping with his role, the visiting actor recited a stanza. "Birth is sorrow, old age is a curse, marriage brings sorrow. The end is the most sorrowful of all; therefore, beware! beware! There is no mother or father, friend or kinsman. Neither wealth nor home abides. Therefore, beware! beware !" He preached in this manner the truth about the ephemeral nature of human existence. At the end, before the "Sankaracharya" was leaving, the king offered him gold coins in a silver plate. He told the king: "I don't accept this." He declared that immortality can be attained only by sacrifice and not by karmas, wealth or progeny as stated in the Upanishadic stanza: "Thyage Neike Amrithathwam Aanashuh." He left the palace, informing the king that he would present himself the next day in a different role.

The next day he appeared as a well-dressed danseuse and danced before the king in his audience chamber. The dance was so superb that the entire audience was enraptured. The king offered the dancer a plateful of gold coins. The "danseuse" said that what was offered was too meagre and asked for more. The king said: "Yesterday you refused to take the gold coins I offered. Today you say these are too meagre. What is the mystery behind these different attitudes?" The actor replied, "The behaviour is in accord with the role. Yesterday I appeared in the role of Sankaracharya and I behaved as Sankaracharya would have done. Today I have come as a dancer and I am behaving as a dancer would."

Whatever the role one has to play at any place or time, and in any capacity, he has to act up to that role properly. This may be illustrated by a small story from Sri Krishna's life in the Dwapara Yuga.

Once a Gopika went to a well to bring two pitchers of water. After placing one pitcher on her head, she wanted someone to place the other water-filled pitcher on the first one. At that time, Krishna came there and she asked him to place the water-filled pitcher on the first one. Krishna refused to do so. Soon another Gopika came along and helped the first Gopika. The Gopika carrying the two pitchers reached her home.

Krishna followed her to the house and without even waiting to be asked, he took the top pitcher from the Gopika's head and placed it down. She was surprised at Krishna's strange behaviour.

She asked him, "Krishna, at the well, you refused to place the pitcher on my head when I appealed to you to help me. Now you take it down from the head without my asking. What is the inner meaning of this action?" Krishna replied, "Oh Gopika! I am wont to remove the burdens borne by people and not to add to them."

This shows that the Divine operates only to reduce the burdens of the people and not to increase them. It means that there are rules which govern the role which each one has to play in life.

When you are driving a car, the car is your God. When you are doing business in a market, the market is your God. According to the culture of Bharath, we first make obeisance to the work which we have to do. Before we undertake to do any work, we should regard that work as God. "The work I have to do, I regard as God and make obeisance to God in that form as Guru." - that is what the Upanishads are teaching us.

Who is the Guru? 'Gu' means darkness, or ignorance; "ru" its removal. So the Guru must know the process by which ignorance can be removed in another. Guru has a further meaning too. 'Gu' means gunaatheetha (beyond the three strands of energy of which the Cosmos is composed) and 'ru' means ruupa-rahitha (devoid of any particular form). Now, no mortal has transcended the guna (quality) and ruupa (form). God alone can be described as unaffected by these. And, God is the Guru, fight in your heart, ready to lead and enlighten.

(People will gather around you so long as you have pelf and power; you will be left severely alone, when you lose these. They are like swarms of frogs that infects a full lake, croaking flattery, but, disappearing, when the lake is dry).

Swami wants to cultivate not external ceremonies but, the internal sadhana, the inner vision, the spiritual longing.

Swami does not claim that He is a Guru; or, consider you as disciples or pupils. When Swami is All that is, who can be separately specified as Guru and who as disciple or pupil? Ignorance of the One leads one to this dichotomy. Realisation of the Truth will end this distinction. None need teach, none need learn. All are fundamentally Chith (Awareness). This is the Reality.

The teacher - that is the more correct appellation - should not feel superior; the pupil should not feel inferior. Both are Atma in reality. There is no high and no low. All are waves in the ocean of Bliss. When your body is healthy, charming, fully content, consider how happy you are. Now, know that the bodies of all beings are you - really speaking. And, when all those other bodies are happy, healthy, strong, and full, calculate how much Bliss you can cherish in your heart. The vision of the Viraat (the Cosmic Form), is given for those who surrender their ego and take refuge in the Lord (as Arjuna did) and who imbibe with care the Gita sung by the Lord in the silence. God is Omnipresent; He is the Inner Motivator of every particle in the Universe.

Students and spiritual seekers should take note of two things.
One is the health of body depends on the purity of blood.

The other is: one can always enjoy real bliss as long as the devotion is pure and unsullied. With purity of body and mind, individual is assured of the highest bliss.

You have to take in whatever good things you can from others, but you should always lead own ideal life. This is the lesson to be learnt from a tree, which draws its sustenance from the soil, the water, the air, and the sun, but remains true to its own nature as a tree.

When difficulties and losses overwhelm you, do not lose heart and precipitate some action but meditate calmly on how they ever came to be. Try to discover simple means of overcoming them or avoiding them in an atmosphere of shanthi.

Make Nature your teacher. The vast Universe has many lessons to teach. Make your heart your preceptor. Esteem God as your best friend. He will never fail you, unlike most fait-weather friends in the world. Do not forget that simplicity is the sign of Divinity. Pomp, paraphernalia, jaw-breaking formulae, abracadabra, dark mysterious mumblings are tricks by which human wants to monopolise or gain God.

(Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 7. "The mind principle," Chapter 29, "Jumping to conclusions," Chapter 37 and "Pilgrims! Do not tarry!" Chapter 43; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 12. "Many voices and the Voice," Chapter 42; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 25. "The Mansion Of Life," Chapter 6; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 30. "The educational crisis and the way out," Chapter 31).

Namaste - Reet

Sai Ram

Light and Love

Swami teaches... 7 - 8 May 2006

The Value-based Education.
Advices for the Spiritual Transformation. Part 1

Life is a four-storied mansion. For any edifice to be strong, the foundation has to be strong. The mansion is visible to the beholders. Its architecture is attractive and pleasing. But the foundation has no such attractions. Nevertheless the safety of the mansion depends on the strength of the foundation. Every part of the mansion may have its own attractive feature. But the foundation has no feeling of pride about its being the base on which the mansion stands nor does it desire that anyone should take notice of it. The foundation is unaffected by praise or blame.

The first floor of the mansion (of life) is Brahmacharya (celibacy). The second floor is the Grihastha (householder) stage. The third is Vaanaprastha (recluse). The fourth is the stage of Sanyasa (renunciant).

Many persons pass through all the four stages. Some go through only three of them and some others only two. But irrespective of the number of stages, the foundation is the base. Students who are in the first floor of the mansion of life have to ensure the firmness of the foundation. This foundation consists of humility, reverence, morality and integrity. The strength of the foundation depends on these four constituents.

Unfortunately, the nations today are affected by the consequences of seven grievous sins. The first is business without morality. The second is politics without principle; third, education without character; fourth, worship without sacrifice; fifth, wealth without hard work; sixth, human existence without regard for scriptures; seventh, devotion without austerity.

The countries in the world will regain prosperity and peace when all these are banished and we have morality in business, principles in politics, educated people who have character and work is the basis of wealth. The mansion of human's life should be built on these virtues. The young generation must take a resolve at the outset to serve their mothers and the Motherland. They must strive for restoration of peace and order in the country.

A country does not mean a piece of earth. It is the people who make the country. What is the meaning of transformation of people? It is the entire process of refinement by which people get rid of their bad thoughts and actions and cultivate good thoughts and do good acts in daily life.

What is the meaning of Vidya (education)?
What is the kind of education suitable for young people today?
What are the norms of right education?
What kind of education will promote the elevation of individual?
What is the use of the present system of education?

One who examines and finds the right answers to these five questions will be a wise adviser for the nation. The value of a person is nor derived from education alone. The cultural refinement of his/her life-style is also essential.

A life without culture is like a house without light. A person without culture is like a stringless kite, which is tossed hither and thither. An education bereft of culture is worthless like a counterfeit coin. Hence culture is most important, especially in relation to one's character.

In the sphere of education many revolutionary changes are needed in all countries over the world. The changes must come at the Governmental level. Then the public at large will also change. There must be a change in the moral climate of the educational system. Only then the educational institutions can turn out young men and women of character. Character is more important and it can be developed only by taking to the spiritual path. Together with academic education you have to acquire wisdom and a sense of right and wrong. Knowledge without wisdom, scholarship without determination, music without melody, learning without humility, a society without discipline, friendship without gratitude, speech without truth - all these are utterly useless. From education the transformation of human values and development of humanity begins. Vidhya means acquisition of knowledge. Acquisition of knowledge is a worldly aspect. But what has to be discerned is the Divine feeling present in the human heart. One refers to living and the other to life itself. In addition to earning a living one has to understand the purpose of life.

Education is that which illumines the physical, the mental and the social environment of human. It is not confined to one specific sphere. Education should illumine every aspect of life the economic, the political, the moral, the spiritual and other spheres of life. The received knowledge should enable to lead righteous lives.

Let all rejoice in the well-being of all people in the world.
Let all possess wealth of all knowledge.
Let all be endowed with good qualities. These are three main pronouncements regarding the educated persons.
Make proper use of your education for the good of society. That will make you shine before the public. True education will make you Divine.

Education without ethics and morality is no education at all. Education must teach students to be sincere in thought, word and deed as the mark of humanness. Education should result in the purification of the heart. Students need not be over-anxious to score high marks. It is more important to cultivate a good heart. Revere your parents. Promote social improvement. Co-operate with your fellow-men. These are the things you should learn.

Humility is the hall-mark of true education. Humility does not mean moving about with a bowed head. It calls for respect to humanness. It is beastly to go about causing fear in others. Humans should be free from fear. Never bother about success or defeat, loss or gain, happiness or sorrow. They are incidental to life in the world.

In ancient times education used to be offered free. (Today education has become very expensive. Education should be made free. Then there would be no room for corrupt practices over seats. In the Sai Educational System education is free). In ancient days, the preceptors used to send the students to the forests. The students used to be examined periodically about their studies. For instance, the students would be asked: "What tree did you find useless in the forest you visited?" The replies of the students varied, each one saying that one particular tree was useless. The preceptor did not accept their answers. He told them that all trees were useful, each in its own way. Every tree had something or the other which had medicinal properties. If a tree did nothing else, it served to take in the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release the life-giving oxygen for the benefit of human. Equally every human being is valuable and Divine.

Today people are worshiping wealth as Divine. But wealth can never give peace of mind. It may provide physical comforts but not mental peace. Without understanding this, people and the governments imagine that there is great progress in education. Skepticism seems to grow with more and more education. The more intelligent the students are, the more doubts develop in them. Lacking self-confidence, ultimately they fail to reach self-realisation.

Wealth has been apotheosised;
Arrogance has become a creed;
Peace has become remote from man;
Egoistic boast is fashionable
Property has become an adornment;
Selfishness is installed in the heart;
Sense of self respect has declined;
Hypocrisy has become the hall-mark;
Love and affection have become sickly;
The heart is divorced from righteousness;
Life has become a burden;
People have lost their moorings.
What does the future hold?
Make education value-based
And ensure a future for Bharath and all other countries over the world.

So long as breath resides, there is no death. So long as there is current flowing, the bulb illumines. The body is a bulb; when the current flows through it, the parts inside it are activated and function effectively. The breath is the current; the breath is 'I', the resident of the body, whose residence gives all these their validity and value. That is to say, 'I' is the breath.

The breath is inhaled, retained and exhaled as the sound: Soham Soham, Soham. This means: I am Brahman, I am Brahman. The illusion you are now hugging that you, with this reality of Brahman as your core and substance, are only this particular body bearing this particular name - this is what is referred to as Maya (worldly illusion). That is the effect of the mind. The mind has no special individuality; it has no innate, inherent capability no strength of its own; it has to lean on some person or thing all the time. The mind is like the stray cow that trespasses into field and eats off growing crops. If you feed it well in your own farm its trespassing habit will vanish. Your pet dog will wander in the bazaar for scrapings from dustbins, if you do not feed it full at home. Give the dog a nice full meal; it will lie under the porch and guard your house. The mind too can be weaned away from vicious desires if you feed it on good thoughts, good resolutions, tenderness and love.

A bottle gourd when green will sink in water; but, a dry one will float. The mind is the gourd. Dry it in the Sun of knowledge, let the weight of attachment, the green of 'greed' disappear; you can float happily over the waves of care. Journeying through life without knowing the control of the senses is like venturing to ride a brakeless car. Your educare in companion with education should broaden your mind to avoid this situation.

When you examine your mind, you will find there, holding sway not one but many 'counsellors' with their contrariness, causing confusion.

For example, no sooner have you planned to come to Puttaparthi. Your counsellors start playing their game. One voice advises you to start only after ascertaining whether Swami is actually present there. Another voice suggests that you can put through a call to 'so-and-so' and discover whether Swami is at Bangalore or at Puttaparthi. The third lays before you alternative routes and means of transport, and causes a good deal of headache. This is the Sangam (group) of voices around the Jangam (the spirit of right movement) that play around the spirit of fight, trying to distract it.

Another voice might say, when the others have finished, "Well, consider from all points of view, this desire of yours. You may go there, putting yourself to a lot of expense and bother; think of this possibility also - you may or may not get an interview with Swami." Another voice might-intervene and say, "Considering all the wrongs done and all the faults committed, it is very doubtful, if Swami will grant you the interview." In the wake of this voice another will begin its argument of assurance. It will comfort saying, "Swami is the very embodiment of compassion. He will certainly pardon all errors." This principle that guides and guards you along the spiritual path is the Lingam (symbol of the formless), that is in the centre of the Sangam, clustering round the Jangam.

The Lingam is in the very core of the human's heart, as the sole purveyor of bliss, power and illumination. Cultivate the vision directed inward, so that the Lingam might grant you these three. The mind will then be illumined with the cool comforting Light of Love, Wisdom. That is why the mind has as its presiding deity the Moon. Hence, the celebration of the Day of Thankfulness for all gurus (spiritual preceptors) and the Prime Guru, Veda Vyasa, is done on the full Moon day.

Unless you cleanse the mind with Love, the full Moon of spiritual wisdom cannot shine therein. The recital of the name, the observance of vows and vigils, of fasts and festivals, may scintillate on the inner sky of the mind, as stars stud the sky; but, until the Lamp of Love is lit, the darkness will not vanish.

There is need to spread the message of Love as the message of God. However, Prema or Love is a much misused word. Any positive response to the attraction is called love; any feeling of attachment, however trivial or transitory, is characterised as prema. We must certainly coin new words or set aside specific words to indicate the forms of love. The attachment of parents to their children or of children to the parents must be called affection. The response to the attraction of sex can be best described as fancy, fascination or moha (delusion). The feeling of kinship or comradeship evokes dearness. The pleasure one gets through a sense of possession, especially of material objects, can be known as satisfaction. The yearning to reach for the sublimity that lies inherent in Truth - this alone is entitled to be called by that holy word, Prema.

Prema is strong and steady enough to leap over all obstacles, confront with equanimity all changes of fortune and defeat, all attempts to delay or deviate. It does not judge one incident as good and another as bad; it does not ascribe them to different agencies. Just as the same Sun causes both day and night, the same Divine Will causes joy and grief.

The fault lies in human's fascination for the 'many,' instead of the 'one;' human forgets the unity in the Universe. The 'many' are different vehicles for the expression of the 'one.' The 'one' is the basis, the cause, of the manifestation in the many. Through Prema alone can the inherent, the immanent One be recognised.

Clear the eye of the cataract of ignorance, and it cognises all as One. The five elements (ether, air, fire, water and earth) are the vesture of God, as well as of human. Use them, moderately and with wisdom, with fear and humility. Their characteristics, for which they are sought after, are sabdha (sound) of the sky, representing ether; touch of vaayu (wind); ruupa (form) of Agni (Fire), rasa (flavour, taste) of Ap (water); and gandha (smell) of prithvi (earth). Even these, sound and others, have to be moderate if they have to confer comfort. (Very often care kills quicker and surer than disease. Individual misuses own intelligence and memory to grieve over the past and plan far into the future).

Reach to this awareness through mastering own mind. This is the most important item in sadhana. This technique was elaborated in the ancient Vedic texts and practised by the sages; neglect of the study and practice of the Upanishads (Vedic philosophy) and the Gita has resulted in the crisis we suffer today.

There are many details about the mind that have to be remembered and many misconceptions that have to be ignored. What exactly are we doing with our minds? In how many different ways are we harmed by the activities of the mind? How does that mind itself get modified and transformed? One has to study these and free oneself from the sovereignty of the mind. One should endeavour, on the other hand, to establish one's sovereignty over the mind.

For that no activity should be taken up with individual aggrandizement in view; intellect and emotion must be directed to the revelation of the Resident in the Heart, Atma; every act should be done sincerely, with love, with no yearning for acquiring personal profit, fame or benefit. Above all, listen to the Voice of God within. As soon as one contemplates a wrong act, that Voice warns, protests, and advises giving up. It pictures the shame that has to be suffered, the punishment that has to be faced, the disgrace that it entails. It would appear as if there are two personalities inside you, the one that prompts and the one that prevents. The warning signal, the timely advice, is given by the Jangam (the spirit of right) in the Angam (the physical body). It reminds you of the absurdity and the danger inherent in the identification of the Self with the body, it encourages you to discriminate between right and wrong; it is God, enthroned in every heart as the Highest Wisdom, the Prajnana (consciousness), the Eternal Witness, whom you can contact easily in the depths of dhyana (meditation).

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