Swami teaches....Part 90
Links to Swami Teaches - Part 89
Light and Love The motto: God is the indweller in every being.
Christ embarked on His mission and went about calling upon people to earn
the love of God by developing love towards God. Loving your neighbor is
loving God. Whether one gives you something, it is a gift from your own true
Self. When you see a lack of God's Love or Grace in any condition, look
again more deeper. Human should struggle similarly to
rise above the sensory world which is inevitable environment; the sensory
world tempts you to strive for this triviality and that, but like the gopees,
you should discard the hankering and fix your eye on the vitally precious
fountain of joy. The gopees had no other goal, no other ideal, no other
wish. It was a surrender of the Self - complete unquestioned, unwavering.
You must live up to the glory of your inner purity and strength. People claim to make offerings to
God without knowing where He is. There is a pretence of offering everything
to Brahman, but they do not know where Brahman dwells. (Today, far from having such a sacred attitude what we witness is the habit of "getting and forgetting." Human receives the love, the blessings, and the grace of God, but shows no gratitude and is immersed in own selfish pursuits. People make various efforts to achieve prosperity, success and bliss. However, most people lead a life remote from God). To start with, human has to
recognise what is the goal of life. Seekers in all countries and followers
of different religions have enquired into this question of the purpose life.
As a result of these enquiries, different religions arose. Jesus is the
founder of the Christian faith. For centuries before Christ, Judaism existed
as the religion of the Jews. The Jews believed in the coming of the Messiah
to protect the people of Israel. The Lord has declared: "I am residing within you in the form of Vaisvanara and am consuming all the offerings you are making. I am digesting everything and providing the sustenance for your body." God is complete Love incarnate. This Love shines equally in every human being. The way to love God is to love all and serve all. The fragrance of a flower remains
the same whether it is held in the right hand or the left. Likewise God has
no distinctions such as the favoured and the excluded. (Everyone apprehends
God's powers and attributes according to own limited conceptions and
experiences. But narrow-minded persons cannot easily grasp the Divine's
equal-mindedness. Indeed, how can a fishmonger know the value of diamonds)? The great Mahabharatha war came to a close on the seventeenth day with the fall of Karna. The Pandavas were celebrating their great victory over Karna. The Kauravas felt utterly hopeless as Karna was their greatest warrior. The Pandavas rejoiced in the fall of their most powerful opponent. But, Krishna was sitting apart and appeared to be immersed in sadness. Arjuna went to him and asked why he was feeling sad on a day when they should be rejoicing over their victory Krishna told him that Bharath had lost its most heroic warrior that day. The hero who had brought glory and good name to Bharath had fallen. "I feel immensely sad because the country is losing such a great hero." On hearing these words, Arjuna looked at Krishna with a feeling of amused surprise. He said: "Krishna! To ensure the victory of the Pandavas you chose the role of charioteer. Because of that, Pandavas won their victory. Instead of rejoicing over this victory, why are you feeling sad over the fall of our enemy?" Krishna replied: "Karna is the very
embodiment of sacrifice. Sacrifice is a synonym for Karna. In the entire
world you can not find one other man equal in the spirit of sacrifice to
Karna. In weal or woe, triumph or defeat he could not forget the quality of
sacrifice. Have you got that spirit of sacrifice? No." Krishna then asked
Arjuna to follow Him. Before approaching Karna, Krishna assumed the form of an indigent Brahmin. Karna asked: "Who are you, Sir?" Karna was nearing his last breath. Even at that moment, without any hesitation or faltering in his voice, He put that question to the stranger Krishna, as the Brahmin replied: "For a long time I have been hearing about your reputation as a charitable person. You have acquired fame as dana (charity, giving) as Karna means the great giver. Today, not knowing about your plight, I came to ask you for a gift. You must give me a donation." "Certainly, I shall give you whatever you want," replied Karna. "I have to perform the marriage of my son. I want a small quantity of gold," said Krishna. "Oh what a pity! Please go to my wife, she will give you as much gold as you need," said Karna. The "Brahmin" broke into laughter He said: "For the sake of a little gold have I to go all the way to Hastinapura? If you say, you are nor in a position to give me what I ask I shall leave you." Karna opened his mouth, showed the gold fillings in his teeth and said: "I shall give this to you. You can take them." Assuming a tone of revulsion, Krishna said: "What is it you suggest? Do you expect me to break your teeth and rake the gold from them? How can I do such a wicked deed? I am a Brahmin." Karna offers his heart itself to
Krishna. Immediately, Karna picked up a stone nearly, knocked out his teeth
and offered them to the "Brahmin". Krishna in his guise as "Brahmin" wanted
to test Karna further: "What? Are you Krishna then revealed his original form. Karna asked: "Who are you, Sir?" Krishna said: "I am Krishna. I admire your spirit of sacrifice. In any circumstance you have never given up your spirit of sacrifice. Ask me what you want." Beholding Krishna's beauteous form, Karna said with folded hands "Krishna! Reliever of troubles! Protector of the world! Oh Lord, who holds the Universe in yore palm, what can I seek from you? At riffs moment of my passing, I am fortunate to close my eyes gazing at your Divine form. This is my greatest blessing. This is boon enough for me. You came to me and blessed me with your form. This is enough for me. I offer my salutations to you," Arjuna was observing the whole scene. Krishna turned to him and said: "Are you prepared for this kind of sacrifice?" Arjuna bowed his head in silence. The Lord praised the greatness of the quality of sacrifice in man. Of all kinds of sacrifice, the greatest is the sacrifice made for God. "Oh Lord! That heart which you gave
unto me, I am offering to you. What else can I bring to offer at your lotus
feet? I prostrate before you. Please accept my offering." This was the
prayer addressed by Karna to Krishna. Likewise, in all situations and at
all times, your faith in God should never leave you. It should not change
according to whether your desires are fulfilled or not. Like your lifebreath,
your faith should remain steady, through joy and sorrow, loss and gain, pain
and pleasure. Treat whatever happens as good for you. Have that sense of
fortitude. When you have faith in the Self, even wild animals will be gentle
towards you. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai
Speaks. Vol.2. "Sprouts of faith," Chapter 51 and "Grief and God," Chapter
52; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 22. "Where to find God," Chapter 38; Sathya Sai
Speaks. Vol. 28. "From the individual to the Divine," Chapter 33; Sathya Sai
Speaks. Vol. 30. "Be prepared for a life of sacrifice," Chapter 2). Light and Love Bow to Christ and do something that
increases light and life for others. Wherever you may be, go into the
society and render social service in all possible ways, with faith in God
and in a selfless spirit. The inexhaustible resource of spirit is equal to
every demand. Have you ever come to the idea how will the world be better
because you have lived? At the very outset, we have to take
note of four entities. As long as you do not understand the workings of Nature, everything will be worry. But once you understand them, you will be always happy. That understanding will lead you to the awareness of Parameshti (the Divine). The second entity is Shrishti (the created Universe). The third is Samashti (the collective entity - society or community). The fourth is Vyakthi (the individual). These four are not separate
entities. A body consists of different organs performing different functions
but they are integral parts of one body. Similarly, the primary role of the
Supreme Self has to be recognized. It is when the Supreme Self is understood
that the secret of creation can be grasped. When this secret is understood,
the significance of society will be evident. Then the individual's role can
be understood. Take, for instance, whatsoever virtual groups of devotees; people from different countries, professing different faiths and belonging to different cultures, have joined with many Sai Groups. What is their common unifying factor? It is the belief in the Sai Principle. All of them are trying to find unity in diversity. To promote unity, the concept of Samashti (collective action) has to be understood. There are three rules to be observed in promoting collective action. Speak the truth. From the ethical point of view you
have to speak the truth. From the spiritual point of view you
have to avoid what is not pleasing even if it is true. Paaramaarthika what relates to the
Supreme, These three are not at variance from
each other. They are the same thing in three different forms like the ocean,
the waves and the foam. The same coolness and taste that exist in the ocean
are to be found in the wave and the foam. First is Vidhya (right education). Vidhya means that which expels darkness (the darkness of ignorance). Second is Vijnaana (discrimination). This refers to the power to discriminate between the permanent and the transient, the true and the false. Third is Kramashikshana (discipline). Discipline is not got from books. Fourth is Dheshaabhimaanam (love for one's country and people). Fifth is Sathseelam (good character). Only the person endowed with these five qualities can be regarded as a person of virtue. Using education only for securing a mess of pottage is puerile. You must use your knowledge for bettering the lives of others. Of what use is a mountain of book knowledge, if you cannot secure real happiness as a human being? Education is the means of unfolding the moral and spiritual potentialities of human. The social scenario and the educational system today are riddled with many defects. Education today is concerned with imparting worldly knowledge, with no place for ethics or spirituality. It is essential to carry out a total, radical change in the educational system. There should be a change in the student's approach to the educational process. Every student should acquire a good character, moral values, and develop a spiritual bent of mind. These three have been held in high
esteem from ancient times. (Unfortunately from the beginning of the modern
era, morality has disappeared from the scene, righteousness and spirituality
have, as a rule, vanished). (From days of yore, the sages of
Bharath absorbed this culture and propagated it among people and ennobled
their lives. Many people in foreign countries have explored the treasures of
this vast reservoir of knowledge and benefited from it in many ways). Listening to such talks should not
end with listening only; follow it up with rumination, digestion. By ancient legend, once, someone
decided to worship the greatest. He fixed upon the earth, but the sea erodes
the earth; the sea too is not so great since sage Agasthya drank it up;
Agasthya is now a tiny star in the broad sky; but the sky was just enough
for one foot of the Trivikrama (three steps form of the Lord) and the Lord
is enshrined in the heart of bhaktha (devotee). So he concluded that the
bhaktha was the greatest of them all. Those who felt (and follow the feeling) that fighting is their righteous duty are ksatriyas; all those who feel it their duty to study the Vedas and the Sastras are brahmins - not those who feel it as their right. Gauthama Buddha's father was so overcome with grief when he saw his son with a begging bowl in the street that he told him thus: "Every one of my ancestors was a King: what misfortune is this that a beggar was born in this line?" Buddha replied, "Every one of my ancestors had a beggar's bowl; I know of no king in my line." The father and the son walked different paths, travelled along divergent routes. The blood of the son when transfused may prove fatal to the father. Just think for a moment whether the rich are happy, the strong are happy, the highly educated are happy or the clever are happy. No one is happy you will find. If you must be happy, one of two things must happen. All your desires must be fulfilled, or you should not have any desire. Of these, the reduction of desire is the easier path. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai
Speaks. Vol.2. "Sprouts of faith," Chapter 51 and "Grief and God," Chapter
52; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 22. "Where to find God," Chapter 38; Sathya Sai
Speaks. Vol. 28. "From the individual to the Divine," Chapter 33; Sathya Sai
Speaks. Vol. 30. "Be prepared for a life of sacrifice," Chapter 2). Light and Love For example, Parasurama (an incarnation of Vishnu as man, born to destroy the arrogance of the wicked Kshatria kings) exterminated the Ksatriya rulers of his time by systematic campaigns directed against each. How then, why then, did Dasaratha (father of Rama) and Janaka (a self-realized king; Sita's father and Rama's father-in-law) survive? The truth of the matter is: Parasurama made two exceptions under which his victims could save themselves and survive. This secret was known only to these two survivors. He had resolved within himself that he would not kill a bridgegroom or a person engaged in a yaga (oblation, sacrifice, ceremony in which oblations are presented). So, whenever Parasurama reached the frontiers of their kingdoms and was on the point of crossing them, Janaka got himself initiated in preparation for a yaga and Dasaratha fitted himself out as a bridgegroom about to wed another princess. Of course, this was according to the Divine Plan, for Dasaratha had to live to get Dasarathi and Janaka had to discoverJanaki. The physical world is just like
dreaming where all objects and happenings are interconnected from subatomic
particles and energy to galaxies. The way to direct the world is through
your imagination and will what is in essence the Divine Will. Don't bother about the past.
Concentrate on the present. From now on, all of you should tread a sublime
path. Don't give room for mutual jealousy, hatred or ill-feeling. Follow the
role' "Help ever, Hurt never." Ramadhas and Pothana also gave expression to this truth in their poems. Scientists are now declaring that the entire Cosmos is composed of energy and its essence is Oneness on quantum energy level. Many years ago, at a meeting in the
Institute of Science, Bangalore, one scientist referred to the age of the
Sun, giving a figure running into billions of years. The ancients referred
to the Sun as anaadhi (without beginning), meaning that its origin is
indeterminate. By merely assigning a definite number running into billions,
has science-made the fact more meaningful than what the sages said? By Swami
'beginningless' is a truer description of the age of the Universe included
the Sun, as certain component of the Universe. than the scientists reckoning
in billions of years. Steinhardt, Turok and other physicists proposed last year that our Universe might have sprung from the collapse of an extra dimension, an idea they called the Ekpyrotic Universe. (This theory was developed by Neil Turok of Cambridge University, Burt Ovrut of the University of Pennsylvania, and Paul Steinhardt and Justin Khoury of Princeton University). The version of Ekpyrotic Universe as
exciting, plausible and a worthy competitor to a problematic aspect of the
Big Bang known as inflation. (The Ekpyrotic Universe draws its
name from the ancient Greek word ekpyrosis, meaning "conflagration,"
disastrous fire or conflict). (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai
Speaks. Vol.2. "Sprouts of faith," Chapter 51 and "Grief and God," Chapter
52; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 22. "Where to find God," Chapter 38; Sathya Sai
Speaks. Vol. 28. "From the individual to the Divine," Chapter 33; Sathya Sai
Speaks. Vol. 30. "Be prepared for a life of sacrifice," Chapter 2). |