Swami teaches

Light and Love

Swami teaches.... (6 February 2005)

Obtain the Skill to Manage the Sacred Values

All human beings belong to one caste, one community, one nation. All are embodiments of the Divine. Every second is a new moment in one's life. The eye sees different persons in different relationship. Although the eye that sees is the same, the persons seen are different and one's behaviour is to be in accord with the varying relationships.

A human being has not taken birth purely for a selfish purpose. He has to strive with others to lead an exemplary life. People's actions are responsible for the good and bad things they experience.

God is one. The goal is one. People have to change their outlook. They have to develop love towards all. There is nothing greater in the world than this Premadhrishti (feeling of universal love). The uniqueness of every being is one of the marvels of creation.

Of all human values, three are most important. The foremost is love of God. There should be a fusion of love, sacrifice and purity. They are not mere human qualities. They constitute vital organs of a human being. They are as essential for a human being as the head, hands and legs for the body.

Everyone has a heart. Every heart is filled with compassion. However, how many choose to share this compassion with others? Sharing the compassion in one's heart with ten others has been characterised as Bhakthi (devotion). Today the human heart that should be full of compassion has become stone-hard. This is human's misfortune. What is the reason? It is because the heart is filled with the bitterness of differences of caste, creed and nationality that it has become stony. People talk about unity but there is no unity.

What we witness today in the world, however, is a great deal of play-acting. All appear as devotees and all proclaim their spirit of sacrifice. Everyone declares himself or herself as a saadhaka (spiritual aspirant). Every believer claims that he is seeing God. One must enquire whether it is the so-called devotee who is seeking God or whether it is God who is searching for a true devotee. Is the saadhaka serving God or is God serving the saadhaka?

Offering to God what God has provided is like offering to the Ganga water from the Ganga. The truth is it is God who is rendering service to the devotee. All the capacities given by God should be used in the service of the Divine. There is no need to go in quest of God. God is all the time searching for the genuine and steadfast devotee. The saadhaka is approaching God for the fulfilment of his desires. He is after petty and transient benefits. Today's saadhaka proves himself to be a self-deluded being with no moral commitment.

Trivial spiritual practices (saadhanas) are invariably motivated by selfish objectives. There is an element of selfishness in every service which man undertakes. All undertakings are tainted by egoism or the acquisitive urge. Only when the saadhaka's heart is filled with the Divine, will he be able to entertain pure and sacred love.

Once Shankaraachaarya asked his disciples what is the hall-mark of greatness. Each disciple gave his own answer. One disciple said that the man who won great victories in battle is a great man. Another disciple said that man who underwent many troubles and difficulties and amassed large wealth was great. Another said that a great man was one who accomplished by determined effort what he wanted to achieve. Planting one's flag over a territory or crossing a mighty ocean were mentioned as marks of greatness. Ultimately Shankara gave the answer that one alone is great who has mastery over personal mind. All other achievements are of no avail.

The Hindu almanac refers to five factors the day of the week, the thithi (phase of the moon), the relevant constellation, the auspiciousness or otherwise of the particular day and the Karanam (astrological divisions). The predictions in the almanac have no relation to what may happen to any particular person. The Siddhanthis (the almanac makers) give their own interpretations of the astrological configurations.* Above everything, if one has firm faith in God, one can face the future with confidence.

There is no room for doubts as to who is God and where He is to be found. God is Viraata-Svaruupa (Cosmic Form). The whole Universe is the manifestation of God. What does God teach? The lessons are given through Prakrithi (Nature) which conveys lessons to mankind. The Earth is a visible manifestation of God. The ancients hailed the Earth as Bhuumaatha (Holy Mother Earth).

The real criterion of moral conduct is harmony between one's profession and one's practice.Morality consists in acting up to the rules of fight conduct prescribed by society at a particulartime and place for an individual or group. If there is no connection between what one professes in words and his actions, morality cannot exist.

Giving up narrow idea and feelings, people should show compassion towards their fellowbeings. Compassion is the hall-mark of Bhakthi (devotion).

Pray for the welfare of all. The power of prayer is incalculable. Every one should pray every day for the welfare and happiness of all people everywhere, especially for the ill, disabled and unfortunates. This is true spirituality and normal behavior of spiritual person. This should be done without any advertisement, it should be done as natural duty of any human being.

To render service to others to the limit of your capacity is real spirituality. If one has a compassionate heart, is truthful in speech, and uses his body for serving others, he needs nothing else to redeem his life.

Charity is the best ornament for the hand, truth for throat and listening, to sacredthings, for the ears. These eternal verities are being forgotten in the craze for ephemeral pleasures.

Regard every moment as new Live in the present. Cultivate good company. Act according to the dictates of your conscience.

(Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 17, "The most precious period," Chapter 1;

Vol. 29, "Let everyone do his duty," Chapter 7).

* By my insight Swami is not against astrology. Probably He notes that the signs of astrology show only the more available opportunities. The main ruler of astrology is the Self. When one understand his/her place and duty in this lifetime as one of the Divines aspects in actions, then all signs of astrology have a secondary value. Astrological inauspicious positions can to overcome with faith and devotion to Cosmic Consciousness i.e. God.

Swami teaches.... (5 February 2005)

"My Intention is to Instruct People." Dhyana-2

Until the goal of Dhyanam is achieved, the well established discipline of Asanas has to be followed. The curriculum has to be adhered to till then. After the attainment of the goal, that is after the Manas and the Buddhi have been conquered and brought under control, one can be immersed in Dhyanam wherever one finds oneself: on the bed, in the chair, on a rock or in a cart.

To describe anything in words is difficult; it might even cause boredom. My writing on it and your reading it will not make it easy. Through Dhyana, people reach the Divine experience of realising the Atma within themselves. Through Dhyana, Sadhakas are able to cast off the sheaths of ignorance, layer after layer. The process which aims at this holy consummation alone deserves to be called Dhyana. Whatever is done must be dedicated for earning Atmananda. One should train oneself to adopt a good Asana or sitting pose, to avoid tension of the body and to ease the mind from weight and pressure of the body.

The secret of success in Dhyana lies in the purity of the inner life of the Sadhaka. The success is proportionate to the importance the Sadhaka gives to Right Conduct or Sanmarga. Every one has the right to achieve this high degree of success. I declare this loud enough for all the quarters to hear. Knowing this, Meditate and Advance! Do Dhyana and progress! Realise the Atma!

Every minute, from inside and outside, promptings and temptations arise and accumulate in anyone. Person fixes attention on the most important among them only. This is called concentration, avadhana. Purposefully directing the attention on a subject and fixing it there is ekaagratha or one-pointedness. This is also a condition of the mind. Concentration and one-pointedness help to focus effort on any selected task.

Concentration is the foundation of all successful endeavour. It is needed not only for Dhyana, but even for worldly affairs and ordinary living. Whatever be the task one is engaged in, if one does it with concentration, one will develop both self-confidence and self-respect; for they are the result of the attitude of one's own mind. Success or failure in the good task depends upon one-pointedness. It will increase power and skill. This one-pointedness, this conquest of the mind, is acquired by the exercise of Dhyana.

There are two types of people: ones set accusing themselves as sinners and another flattering themselves as great. Both types are being worried by their own mental aberrations! What they both need is mental satisfaction and this can be got by Dhyana; for through Dhyana, understanding will increase and wisdom will grow.

From this, a person should develop interest in Dhyana and a taste for Dhyana. Dhyana gives concentration and success in all tasks. It is through Dhyana alone that great personages and Rishis have controlled their mental activities and directed them towards the sathwik path.

First, the yearning;

then the selection of the goal;

then the concentration and

through the discipline, the conquest of the mind...

Every one needs this self-education. Dhyana is the remedy for realisation that everything is as illusory, as the ghost in the well! that this state of mind.

It is possible through Dhyana to bring into memory the Paradise that is one's empire, discarding as a dream and a delusion the transitory creations of the mind. By engaging oneself to Dhyana, systematically and calmly Dhyana can be made effective and tranquil. Thus, the road towards the highest experience is laid. A new understanding dawns, clear and unruffled. When the heights of Dhyana are reached, this understanding becomes so strong that one's lower nature is destroyed and burnt to ashes! Then, only 'You' remains. The entire Creation is a delusion of your mind! One alone Is, Sathyam, the Lord, Satchidananda, Paramatma, Sivoham - the One.

The Sathya, the Truth, is so subtle and so soothing. Once that is reached, there is no meditation, no meditator; no Dhyana, no Dhyatha; all merge into one. That is the fixed, illumined experience. Exulting within himself that is Pure Knowledge, the Jnani will be aware only of Atmanubhava, Atmic Bliss. That is the Goal, the fruit of Immortality. Attaining the transcendent experience, the Yogi finishes his Dhyana. He is transformed into a pure being. Dhyana and Dhyana alone has the capacity to make a person transcend the vicissitudes of time and make him ever the same equanimous individual, as if he is another Creator himself.

Into the Inner Realm, the Sadhaka can enter through the gate of Self-examination. That gate accords welcome for every Sadhaka endowed with humility and devotion into the highest and holiest status possible in Life.

To reach to this state, the Sadhaka must first learn the secret of the 'inward sight', the 'vision directed inwards' and take his attention away from the exterior.

Divine Life is nothing but this method of 'inward living'. Besides, every thought, every word, every deed has to proceed from the full consciousness of knowledge. Direct your intelligence not to wander about but to dwell constantly in the inner world! This is the inward vision; Dhyana is the most important instrument needed for this.

The Dhyani considers the promotion of the welfare of the world equally with Atmic bliss is also an important aim. One must bring under control certain physical, verbal and mental tendencies. These are usually known as the ten-fold sins: the three physical, the four verbal, and the three mental. The physical tendencies are: injury to life, adulterous desire and theft. The verbal sins are: false alarms, cruel speech, envious talk and lies. The mental attitudes are: greed, envy and the denial of God. The person intent on following Dhyana must take every care that these ten enemies do not approach him.

Progress depends on the worth and quality of the individual, as the harvest depends on the fertility of the field. Even if a person through perversity or blind conceit, has so far not cultivated good qualities, he can at least make a try or carry on efforts to secure them!

There are some who try to be quality-less; but they achieve only living death. Their pale faces reveal only lack of zest and interest. This is the result of unreasoned haste in spiritual discipline. Though becoming quality-less is ultimately needed, there should be no hurry to reach the goal; even though a person may have the ardour, it very often leads to dilemmas, which many solve by means of suicide! Since they evince no interest in earning this qualification, many stalwart Sadhakas have lost their way and not regained it in spite of years of effort! Others have slipped into the morass through which they were wading!

Therefore, the path of achieving the absence of qualities is strewn with dangers. One cannot exist without activity; so, one must of necessity act through 'good' qualities. One must put down all desires and become free. The mind filled with good qualities will help in this process. It will give up doing injury; it will seek opportunities to help, to heal and to foster. It will not only suffer, it will also pardon. It will not incline towards the false, it will be on the alert to speak the truth; it will remain unruffled by lust, greed, anger and conceit; it will be free from delusion; it will seek always the welfare of the world.

Dhyana is the only island of refuge in the ocean of life for all beings tossed on the waves of desire, doubt, dread and despair.

With this as the ideal, carry on Dhyana and mental Japa, henceforward. The step immediately after Dhyana is Samadhi. Dhyana is the Seventh of the Eight-fold Yoga. Dhyana is the very basis of all Sadhana. Every one is competent to have that experience; in fact, it is everyone's right to have it.

The contemplation of the Lord must proceed in union with the Dharmic life. This type of life has no need for status, scholarship or vanity. It is only through this life that the mind and the intellect can be controlled, the Atma Vidya cultivated, the Will sublimated.

The destruction of the modifications and agitations of the Mind is the condition precedent to getting audience with that Ruler. His Durbar Hall has eight doors through which one has to pass for the audience: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Prathyahara, Dhyana, and Samadhi.

When the mind has been brought under control by these eight disciplines, the Will can easily be developed thereafter. The will is the Nature of the Lord; it is also referred to as the Lord's Ordinance. The Power of the Will is the deciding fator. In human being the Will is not so overpoweringly strong. However, when one achieves that Power,one gets something equal to the Power of the Lord. Such Merger is made possible through Dhyana.

The knowledge of the world is not real knowledge. It is relative knowledge. The knowledge of the eternal Absolute is the Real knowledge. That is acquired by Dhyana. The fire of Dhyana and Yoga will reduce to ashes the sapless activities of the Manas. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Baba. "Dhyana Vahini," pp. 8 - 18).

Swami teaches.... (4 February 2005)

"My Intention is to Instruct People." Dhyana-1

Humans have to be doing some karma or other from the moment of waking to the moment of sleeping; that is to say, from birth to death. There two types of karma.

Sensory or binding karmas, or vishaya karmas.
Karmas that liberate, or sreyo karmas.

Still, the karmas that bind, the vishaya karmas, have increased beyond control: and as a result, sorrow and confusion have increased. The sreyo karmas on the other hand yield progressive joy and auspiciousness with each single act. They give bliss to the soul, or Atmananda; and are not concerned with mere external joy! Though acts may be external, the attraction is all towards the internal. This is the right path, the true path.

If every one treads this holy path, the Lord Himself will bestow on each all that is needed, all that is deserved and all that will give peace of mind. Offer everything to the Lord without any desire for the result; that indeed yields full joy; that is indeed the easiest. While it is very difficult to speak untruth and act against Dharma it is very easy to utter the truth and walk in the path of Dharma. To speak out the thing just as it is, is a very pleasant task; one need not spend a moment of thought upon it. To speak of what is not, one has to create the non-existent! That plunges one into fear and fantasy, in an atmosphere of restlessness and worry.

Instead of the vishaya karma which offers all such trouble and all these complications, follow the Sreyo marga, the Atmananda marga which is true, eternal and holy.

The best means for this is Dhyana. My present intention is to instruct people.

Every one in the world has the nature of behaving and acting in two different ways; one outside and another inside. This is known to all, though generally people do not show this out publicly.

The conflicting desires infecting the mind of human being have to be quenched and controlled. The mind has to be focussed in one direction. One must walk determinedly, using all effort towards and for the purpose of the aim and achievement has set before oneself. If this is done, no force can pull him back.

When the wayward mind fleeing in all directions is plunged in the contemplation of the Name of the Lord, the effect will be like the concentration of the rays of the sun through a piece of magnifying glass; the scattered rays develop the power of a flame to burn and consume; so too when the waves of Buddhi and the feelings of Manas get one-pointedness through the converging lens of the Atma, they manifest as the Divine Splendour which can scorch evil and illumine Joy.

Every one is able to gain success in his profession or occupation only through concentration and one-pointedness in effort. Even the pettiest of tasks needs for its fulfilment the quality of concentration. The toughest problem yields before unswerving endeavour. Human being is endowed with unlimited powers. But the road is missed, since one is unaware of this truth. To gain the awareness of this power, one must join the company of the holy; must strive in Sadhana; and must practise Japam and Dhyanam. The last is the process by which it is trained to acquire concentration.

As a result of meditation on the Paramatma, the mind will withdraw from sense-objects and the sensory world. Just at that time, Buddhi must assert its authority and command the Manas not to entertain any feeling except the thought of the Fundamental Basis. Prakriti and Prana are indestructible. And so, everything which is the product of the mingling of these two has a new value inherent in it. Human's life also assumes a new splendour when he/she realises and visualises the Satchidananda through Manas and Buddhi, purified and transformed by means of Dhyanam. Therefore, begin Dyanam, each one of you from today, even from this moment!

Dhyanam should be performed enthusiastically, with full faith and care, and strictly according to the disciplines laid down. If this is done, it will bestow not only all happiness and all victory but even the vision of the Lord. This is bound to the science of Vedantha and also to the science of Nature or Prakriti. These two are different only in one respect. The students of Prakriti are immersed in the objects of Life; the students of Vedantha are immersed in the basic truth of Life. And human being is bound to both these! Prakriti is related to Vishaya: Vedantha is related to Swarupa. If one desires to transform his life, internal as well as external, into one of Splendour, Dhyanam is the best Sadhana that he can adopt.

The place should be a little elevated from the ground; that is an inch or two high. Place a mat of Durbha grass on it, spread a deer-skin on the mat and have a thin white cloth laid on the skin. Upon this seat one should sit, adopting the Padmasana pose. The right foot must be above the left and the left foot above the right. The fingers of the hand must be in close touch with one another and the hands should be placed in front. The eyes must be either half-open or fully closed. Then by means of mental massage, the neck, the shoulders, the hands, the chest, the teeth, the stomach, the fingers, the back, the thighs, the knees, the calves and the feet should be relaxed. After this, one has to meditate on one's own favourite Name and Form, with Om added. When this is being done, there should be no mental wanderings; one must be stable and quiet. No thought of past events, no trace of anger or hatred and no memory of sorrow should be allowed to interfere. Even if they intrude, they should not be considered at all; to counteract them, one must entertain thoughts which will feed one's enthusiasm for Dhyanam. Of course, this may appear difficult, at first. The best time for Dhyanam is the quiet hours before dawn, between 3 and 5 a.m. One can awake, say, at 4 a.m. First of all, sleep has to be subdued. This is very necessary. Even then, if sleep continues to bother, its effect can be overcome by means of a bath in cold water.

If in this manner the Dhyanam path is rigorously followed, it is possible for one to win the Grace of the Lord very quickly.

Sadhakas all over the world will naturally be engaged in Japam and Dhyanam. But first one has to be clear about the purpose of Japam and Dhyanam which are for acquiring one-pointed attention on the Lord, for casting off sensory attachments and for attaining the joy derived from the basis of all sensory objects. The mind should not be wandering in all directions, indiscriminately, like the fly what dwells in the sweet-meat shop and runs after the rubbish carts.

Look at the other type, the bee! It will have contact only with sweetness; it will approach only those flowers that possess nectar. Similarly, one has to give up all inclinations towards the sensory attraction towards the rubbish cart as far as possible, one has to direct the mind to all holy things associated with the Lord. For this, time is needed, of course. How long that time will be is dependent on the activities of thought, word and deed as well as on the motives that impel those actions.

Japam and Dhyanam should never be judged on mere external standards; they are to be judged by their inner effects. Their essence is their relationship to the Atma. The immortal experience of the Atma should never be mixed up with low activities of the temporal world.

The one single fruit of Japam-Dhyanam is this: the conversion of the out-faced into the in-faced; the turning inwards of one's eye, the inward eye seeing the Reality of Atmic Bliss. For this transformation, one has to be always active and hopeful, regardless of the time taken and the difficulties encountered. One should await the descent of the Lord's Grace. This patient waiting is itself part of the tapas of Dhyana.

There are three ways by which apirants try to enter the path of Dhyana: the Sathwika marga, the Rajasika marga and the Thamasika marga.

1. The Sathwika Path

One considers Japam-Dhyanam as a duty and suffers any amount of trouble for its sake; one is fully convinced that all this is just an illusion; and so, one does only good under all conditions and at all times; one desires only the good of all; one spends time uninterruptedly in the remembrance and meditation of the Lord. He will not crave even for the fruit of the Japam and Dhyanam; he will leave it all to the Lord.

2.The Rajasika Path

One will be craving at every step for the fruit of one's act. If that fruit is not available, then gradually, laxity and disgust overpower the Sadhaka and the Japam and Dhyanam slowly dry up.

3. The Thamasika Path

This is even worse. The Lord will come into the memory only in times of danger or acute suffering or when one is the victim of loss or pain. For those who adopt this attitude in Dhyanam, the mind and intellect can never be pure.

Most people now follow only the Rajasika and Tamasika paths in Japam and Dhyanam. The very intention in doing Japam and Dhyanam is to purify the Manas and the Buddhi, the mind and the intellect. In order to achieve this, the best path is the first, the Sathwika Dhyanam.

One in whom this understanding shines fully is called a Rishi.

(Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Baba. "Dhyana Vahini," pp. 1 - 7).

Swami teaches.... (3 February 2005)

Dharmakshethra, is being developed as an International Centre for saadhakas and inquirers, eager to learn the Sanaathana (ancient) way of life. India has no dearth of temples and institutions claiming to guide the pilgrims to God. In a Granthaalaya (Library), only people interested in books will gather; the Bhojanaalaya (Boarding House) is frequented only by those who want a meal; the Vaidhyaalaya (Hospital) is resorted to only by the sick; but in the Devaalaya (Temple of God), we do not find today either devotees or God! This is the only House where the legitimate owner is absent! Temples were the centres for the spread of Bhaaratheeya Indian culture, and, when the attraction for western culture became strong, they were deserted, and left open to the ravages of time.

Bhaaratheeya culture has emphasised the valid ways in which one has to spend energy andmoney for service of the distressed, the diseased, the hungry, the illiterate, the ill-housed, the ill clothed.

It condemns the spending of energy and money for pomp, for vengeance, for competitive faction, for material triumphs. Wealth is to be held on trust and used for promoting the brotherhood of human being and the fatherhood of God. This culture also lays down that nothing should be done to damage any one's faith in God or in one's own self. Faith is a tender plant and it needs all the nurture that you can give.

Dharmakshethra has a great part to play. It is in Bombay, which is the stomach of Bhaarath. The Himaalayas are the Head and the Kanyaakumari is the feet. When the stomach is inefficient, the entire body suffers the consequences. So, keep the Dharmakshethra efficient and strong. Do not allow it to degenerate into a Kurukshethra; let not friction and faction raise their heads here. Let the high ideals of Dharma (righteousness) be upheld here.

There are in this huge gathering people speaking many languages. But, there is a language of the heart, which all can understand and all would like to hear. That is the language which I speak, the language that goes from My heart to yours. When heart speaks to heart, it is love that is transmitted, without any reservation. The responsive heart listens to these with sympathy and answers with love.

There are people who go about declaring that there is no God, because they are not able to see Him. They say that they have searched in space, on the way to the moon, and even on the moon but there was no sign of the Almighty. But they themselves are, all the time, the mansions in which He resides!

The foundations of this life are laid deep in the past, in lives already lived by you. This structure has been shaped by the ground plan of those lives. God is the great Unseen, the vast Unknowable. When desire disappears or is concentrated on God, Intelligence is selfluminous,
it shines in its pristine splendour, and that splendour reveals the God within and without. That is the real Aathma Saakshaathkaara (Realisation of the Self).

You should not censure other religions. God is One. Truth is One; there cannot be two. The Goal is One; for, all roads must lead to the One God. Why then should men quarrel and fight over the Eternal and the Absolute?

Religion is three-fourths character. No person can claim to be religious if he merely observes the sacraments and rules, and fails to be upright and compassionate. Character alone can harden one to the blows of pain and pleasure.

Serve all, as embodiments of the Divine Will. That will give you immense joy, a joy that no other activity can confer. Learn from the saints and sages who have realised the Truth about the path you shall tread and the goal you have to attain. That Goal is God. He is beyond all notions of good and bad, fight and wrong. These are earthly measures, by which the temporary is weighed and judged. He has no form, no limbs, no dualities, no preferences, no prejudices, no predilections.

To say that He is Sathyaswaruupa, (having the characteristic of Truth), Jnaanaswaruupa (having full wisdom) and Aanandhaswaruupa (full of Bliss) is also not correct. For, He has no Swaruupa or Swabhaava (individual form or individual nature); He is Sathya; He is Jnaana; He is
Aanandha. That is the experience of those who have tasted.

There are no pots, in the clay; but, in the pots, there is clay. So also there are no characteristics in God; but, in the characteristics of Sathya, Jnaana and Aanandha, there is God. God is everywhere. He is too subtle for all that type of contact, subtler than ether (Aakaasa). God is too vast, too far above the reach of reason or imagination. You can only get glimpses of the Bliss derivable from the contemplation of His Magnificence.

Reduce wants, live simply, that is the way to happiness. Everything that is not 'you' is an object; it is luggage for the journey; the less of it, the more comfortable the journey!

Attachment brings sorrow in its wake; at last, when death demands that everything be left behind and everybody be deserted, you are overpowered with grief! Be like the lotus on water; on it, not in it. Water is necessary for the lotus to grow; but, it will not allow even a drop to wet it. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol.9. "Cults and culture," Chapter 7, "In it, not of it," Chapter 8 and "Beauty and duty," Chapter 30):