Swami Teaches...

Swami teaches....Part 102

Light and Love

Swami teaches... 22 - 24 April 2007

Part 3. Attach Yourself to God with Love and Faith

The body is a chariot, wherein God is installed, being taken along in procession. (However, youth and old age are related to the body and not to Indweller).

So it is a grave mistake to identify yourself with the body. Give up body attachment and develop Atmic consciousness. Swami does not tire to teach this from many aspects.

Sage Viswamitra was taking Rama and Lakshmana along with him for the protection of the Yajna (ritual sacrificial acts) he had undertaken. When they reached the banks of Sarayu, he told them, "My dear ones, you are coming with me for the protection of Yajna. In order to do so, you have to remain without food and water and wage a fierce battle with the demons, for extended periods without respite. Hence, I will teach you two mantras, which will make you free from hunger and sleep." This is the power of Maya. When King Dasaratha, fearing danger from the demons, was reluctant to send his sons with Viswamitra, the sage counseled him, saying, "Oh king, do not get deluded by seeing the physical forms of your sons. They are not ordinary mortals. They are verily Divine." But when they reached the banks of Sarayu, the sage was overcome with Maya and taught them the mantras as if they were ordinary humans. He told them, "Do not identify yourself with the physical body. You are the embodiments of the Atma. You are Chaitanyaswarupas. You are endowed with the Divine power. Always bear this in mind. You will be free from hunger and sleep."

Unity in diversity is a standpoint of Adwaitha (nondualism or monism) what declares that everything is God.

This Adwaithic doctrine has more completely explained by Adi Sankara (788 A. D. - 820 A. D.), the great sage from the past. When you will obtain Atmic insight, you will understand and experience your true form, i.e., Atma. (Otherwise, even the smallest physical ailments like stomachache, headache etc., will make you feel anxious. Once you give up body attachment, you are no more bound by the body and its limitations).

Sankara realized the weakness of a dualistic interpretation of the Universe, and the need for a unifying philosophy, was the most effective. Long time ago Krishna has returned to His abode after the incarnation. The Age of Kali darkened the world. Many preceptors', saints and sages tried subsequently to remind the people of their heritage and guide them along the ancient path.

Sankara was born in the Kerala State in a very poor family. Initiated into the Gayatri mantra in his fifth year he mastered the Vedas and their supplementary texts on grammar, logic, prosody, astrology, etc., and in his fourteenth year itself, he ventured forth on his mission of counteracting the forces of doubt, dissent, and denial and establishing faith, wisdom, and devotion throughout the land. He encountered many scholars reputed for their dialectical skill and convinced them of the validity of the non-dualistic basis of the subjective and objective worlds.

He wrote commentaries on the Upanishads (metaphysical scriptures), the Bhagavad Gita (the Song-teaching of Lord Krishna), and the Brahma Sutras (spiritual texts of Vedantic teachings in short maxims, attributed to Badharayana or Vyasa) which were generally accepted as the authentic texts of the Hindu faith. He dedicated his short life (32 years) to the revitalization of the Sanathana Dharma (Eternal Universal Religion).

When Sankara was residing at Varanasi (Benares City) on the banks of river Ganga with his pupils, he used to visit the pandiths in their own houses, and draw them into beneficial conversation on themes of philosophy.

The study of Sankara's and his pupils as coauthors' verses (31 verses in all, in the text called Bhaja Govindham or Moha Mudgar), the inspiration derived from them, will promote discrimination and detachment, and thus, prepare the mind for the vision of the Supreme.

Sankara addressed these verses to "the foolish person." Who are these fools? "Those who deny the Atma are fools." Those, who assert and believe that, "I am not this perishable body; I am not this feeble intellect; I am the undying, everlasting, all-knowing, all-inclusive Atma." The vast majority asserts and believes that "I am the molder of my destiny; I am the captain of my ship. I choose my likes and dislikes; I fulfill my desires through my own efforts." These are the fools.

The verse with which Sankara started the Moha Mudgaram speaks of the moment of the approach of the end of life. This indicates that of all the fears of human, the fear of death is the fiercest as well as the most foolish. For, none can escape death, having committed the error of birth. To get rid of the wheel of birth and death, awareness of the undying unborn Atma which is one's Reality is the only method available to human being.

Sankara advises human to pray to Govinda (name for Krishna). He refers to God as Govinda. Govinda means, "He who is the Cowherd." Human are both: an animal and a Divine being. Human has risen from the animal level. Human can reveal the own Divinity. Human being should be vigilant that he does not slide into animal again.

Human alone can rise into Godhood, for; he/she is equipped with the endowment needed for the achievement.

For the rising into Godhood, the ancients prescribed various sacred rites and obligations. Swami describes and analyses this Vedic heritage properly in His various discourses and books.

Nearly in each His Discourses Swami stresses that every act must be regarded as an offering to the Divine.

However, it is not enough to appear to do right actions. Your motives and impulses must be pure and unselfish; then the Divine will extend His grace. The motive is all important. The form of the action does not matter. Without pure impulses, actions get tainted at the source.

It may not be easy to develop such an attitude. Nevertheless, if the effort is made sincerely, it can be achieved. It does not call for abandonment of hearth and home or giving up your wealth and position. If you can serve the government or someone else for eight hours a day for the money you earn from them, experiencing in the process many trials and difficulties, can't you devote some time of win the grace of God, the benefit from which is immeasurable?

What you earn through the grace of God will confer on you enduring; benefits greater than the wealth you earn by other means. It will help you in your time of need without any limit. Material wealth confers bhoga (enjoyment) which leads to roga (illness).

You seek the attachment and Grace of God and Unity in diversity. Nevertheless, however carefully a human being may live, he/she is prone to commit five types of dhoshas (offences) unwittingly or wittingly in the process of the different disinfection, for example.

The first of these relates to the use of words.
The second relates to actions like sweeping and cleaning.
The third relates to walking.
The fourth relates to the use of fire for different purposes.
The fifth concerns the use of water.

The words one uses may cause pain to others, or harm them in one way or another. Moreover, in the act of speaking many germs may get killed. Their death affects us even if we are not aware of it. When we sweep or clean the house, countless ants or other insects may be destroyed. Likewise, when we are walking, many tiny creatures may get crushed under the feet without our knowing it. When fire is lit for one purpose or another, some living objects may get burnt. When water is used for washing or other purposes, several microbes and other organisms may be killed.

The Vedanta (concluding essence of ancient revealed scriptures, the Vedas) has laid down five kinds of yajnas to expiate for such offences. These are: Dheva Yajna, Pithru Yajna, Dhaiva Yajna, Bhuutha Yajna and Athithi Yajna.

The Yajnas to propitiate the Divine and the parents Dheva Yajna (propitiating the Divine) comprises various forms of worship to atone for offences committed by speech. They are Shravanam (listening to things Divine), keerthanam (singing the praise of God), Vishnusmaranam (contemplation on God), mananam (reciting the Divine names), vandhanam (prostration), dhaasyam (service) and athmanivedhanam (self-surrender). The bhajans (devotional songs) and the nagarsankeerthan (street singing of spirituals) done by devotees, can be regarded as a form of Dheva Yajna.

Pithru Yajna is the service, which one does to one's parents by way of gratitude for the gift of life and upbringing received from them. To please the parents by one's actions, to look after them in their old age and to protect them in every way possible - all these constitute Pithru Yajna. Such acts serve to atone for some types of misdeeds. When the Upanishads laid down that the mother and the father should be revered as God, they revealed the spiritual value of respect for parents.

Dhaiva Yajna comprises such acts as study of the Vedas, reading sacred books like the Gita, the Upanishads and the epics. This has an expiatory effect for some kinds of unconscious offences.

Bhuutha Yajna includes various kinds of actions done for the protection and welfare of animals, insects, and other living objects. For instance, on festive occasions, the place in front of every house was strewn artistically with rice flour, which was a kind of offering to birds, ants and other insects. By this means, the lesser beings in creation were propitiated.

In the old days people used to take rice flour or sugar and scatter it over anthills or other places for consumption by insects. What was once a sacred obligation to other living things in creation is now treated as a superstition. It is not realized that by this type of Bhuutha Yajna considerable merit was earned and many evil consequences of one's actions were averted.

The fifth is Athithi Yajna (the service rendered to guests). To satisfy a person who comes to your house by offering him food according to your means, or at least offering him buttermilk or water, is a sacred duty. It is an important form of sadhana for the spiritual aspirant.

To utilize one's wealth, one's talents and resources for the service of the people and help to all living things must be regarded as an offering to, and a form of worship, of the Divine.

Sadhana (spiritual discipline or exercise; self-effort) does not mean only performing japa (soft prayer or repetition of the name of God) in a lonely place. There is no greater sadhana than service to one's fellowmen done in an unselfish spirit. Ignoring the sufferings of others, if you occupy yourself in meditation or other devotional activity, it has no spiritual value at all. It is only one form of selfishness. Through genuine selfless service, not only can peace of mind be achieved, but progress can be made in self- realization and the ultimate goal of life can be attained.

For whose sake service or seva is doing? It is for own sake, not for the sake of others. It may not be done to achieve name or to gain something. It is done for the pleasure derived from it. To engage in service activities with pleasure and to regard a day devoted to service as a good holiday is not enough. The pleasure derived from service must be a spiritual experience. Service must be regarded as a yajna to atone for one or other type of lapses one may have committed.

Consult your conscience and see whether you are rendering proper service. Swami does not want anything to be done for Swami's sake. Swami's only object is promotion or the welfare of mankind.

(Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 9. "Seaworthy boat," Chapter 21; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 12. "The ladder and the steps," Chapter 17 and "You are freed!" Chapter 28; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 14. "Enemy number one," Chapter 12; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 17. "Make adoption meaningful to villagers," Chapter 13; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 36. "GIVE UP DEHABHIMANA, DEVELOP ATMABHIMAN," Chapter 14).

Namaste - Reet

Swami teaches... 18 - 21 April 2007

Part 2. Attach Yourself to God with Love and Faith

The mind is the eleventh sense and like the other ten, one must reduce it through experience to the status of an obedient instrument in the hands of the intellect.

There is impossible to obtain whatsoever experience without attention. To control the senses and mind need much more attention as one's profession and other worldly actions.

The study by D.H. Weissman, K.C. Roberts, K.J. Visscher, and M.G. Woldorff, "The Neural Bases of Momentary Lapses in Attention," published in Nature Neuroscience, 11 June 2006, tried to find out what the brain is doing when attention fails. The study reveals some intriguing dynamics underlying lapses of attention, confirming things we already know and showing us some new brain tricks as well. Special areas in the prefrontal cortex and parietal lobes focus and sometimes fail to focus. This finding draws a strong link between specific brain activity and subsequent behavioral outcomes.

Although it is well established that not attending to a task leads to poorer performance, the study goes further by suggesting the source of this impairment: instead of putting all resources into the task, sometimes our cognitive resources are overtaken by our own internal noise, such as daydreaming. Instead of attending to the task, you ponder your grocery list or calculate how much longer you have to lie in the fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) scanner pressing buttons. This finding suggests that your attentional system is disturbed not only by irrelevant noise in external environment but also with the 'noise' within own head.

It seems that the role of faith and devotion is eliminating these disturbing factors.

By the way, Isaac Newton attributed his genius to his "patient attention," and today Yale economist Robert J. Shiller declared that "the ability to focus attention on important things is a defining characteristic of intelligence." If attention accounts for much of what we accomplish, it accounts too for our consciousness, since it largely controls what dominates our thoughts and awareness.

Pay attention! It is the first requirement in school and necessary for most of what we learn and accomplish in the rest of life. Attention is a key part of what neuroscientists and psychologists call "executive control," the ability to focus the thoughts and behavior on what we have decided is important. We tend to succeed or fail at most things largely according to how well we can concentrate on them.

Solving a work problem, writing, playing, or talking with friends at dinner, we can be keenly focused one minute and distracted the next. Such lapses can rise from trying to multitask, daydreaming about events from past or future, or attending to any of other countless distractions any day in life presents.

To find out what happens during attentional lapses, the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to try to identify how these brain areas behave when attention is paid and when it flags.

(In the study subjects had to identify the appropriate letter denoted either by large letters or small letters in various configurations. Scanning people while they did the task revealed new dynamics in how our brains modulate attention.

The researches showed that the slower reaction times were associated with reduced activation in prefrontal regions. This reduced activity generally occurred before the stimulus was presented. Focusing the mind just before a stimulus or task, then, seems vital to dealing with it effectively.

Researches found that lapses were also associated with reduced activation in the sensory-processing areas at rear, as if those areas had not properly alerted by the distracted prefrontal areas. However, it is an intriguing suggestion, and whether and how prefrontal areas alert those at rear is a ripe question for further study using methods with finer temporal resolution, such as magneto encephalography.

They revealed two mechanisms that may help people regroup and focus. First, in the trials in which people seemed distracted beforehand, greater activity in the prefrontal and parietal regions once the task began - extra attention, presumably - did indeed compensate for the reduced pre-stimulus attention; this extra focal activity producing slowed reaction times but allowed the subjects to avoid mistakes.

The study also uncovered a second compensatory mechanism, one that seemed to let a subject apply a lesson learned about a lapse on one trial to the focus of attention on the following trial.

There has found some intriguing trade-offs between internally focused attention and outward focused attention, suggesting that some lapses may simply be a failure to switch from internal thoughts and feelings to external tasks - an idea that certainly matches well with subjective experience).

Scientists can weigh, measure, and analyze materials that already exist. They can, by means of permutations and combinations, put into currency strange forms and shapes from out of existing matter. However, no scientist can deal with things from the very beginning of existence. Their activities are confined to nature, which is but the part-manifestation of the Divine. The scientific results of brain's study add the knowledge what helps to understand more deeply the psychic functions of mind and senses which is wise to keep under control.

Make the mind, the voice and the actions agree in harmony. Pay attention to this, if you can. This study of modern science reveals the mistakes caused by brain work when there is lack of attention and too many tasks to solve all at the same time.

When the mind goes, there is more moha (deluding desire and attachment) and the kshaya (decline) of moha is moksha (liberation).

When the mind goes, a thorny bush with the name ?egotism? flows ahead. Egotism makes enemies of fast friends and ruins many good causes and projects. Grief follows it like a shadow.

The ego brings wave after wave of wants and wishes before your attention, and tempts you to attempt to gain them. It is a never-ending circle. So try to reduce your wants and expand the range of your love in order to be free from the coils of your ego. Living involves many confrontations, companionships, separations, conflicts and neglects.

The ego attacks the sage, the scholar, the teacher and the devout spiritual aspirant, even more than ordinary people. Their ego makes them proclaim that they can defeat all others in controversy, that they are the most learned, and that they are the ones nearest God.

Attach yourself to God, and the delusion of the world will automatically fall off. (Take the case of Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, Kamsa, Ravana and the rest. They had all the wealth and power to be happy and peaceful. But they were ruled over by their ego, which finally led them to ruin).

Consider this incident: parents suddenly lose their son and are in great grief. So a neighbor goes to them and tries to console and comfort parents by various arguments and anecdotes. "My dear friends! Why is a human born? Why does human die? The reason why human was born also explains why human died. Birth means death. Fate plays strange games with us. We are but puppets in the show. What is the good of grieving over the dead?" He pours into the ears of the bereaved parents all the Vedanta's philosophy of detachment he knows. Nevertheless, the grief continues as before until the parents become aware of the truth themselves, unaided.

A few months later, the neighbor loses his son. Now the parents who received all the Vedanta a few months ago come to him and repeat the same questions. They says that one lives only so long as one's karma (destined activity) lasts, and that one's life is cut short when one has no more karma to atone for. However, these statements do not console the aggrieved neighbor, for the loss is entirely his. When ego is awake, no wisdom can appeal. The feeling, 'my son,' is the root cause of one's grief and another's calm.

Another example.

We build a house for ourselves and are happy it is 'ours.' When some one pastes a cinema poster on the wall, we feel 'our house' is tarnished and we even go to court to punish the offender. When the election time comes around the walls are disfigured by loud and loathsome slogans, and we quarrel with all and sundry for defacing 'our' walls. Some time later, we sell 'our house' to someone and move off. After that, even if the house is bombed, we are not in the least worried.

It was the ego that caused all the worry so long. How does this egotism get into our system? Is it a weed that grows in us and is cultivated by us until it destroys us root and branch? Where was this ego in the beginning? Where were we before we were born? Where will we be after we die?

All our ideas and inferences are but products of the period between birth and death.

We ourselves develop attachments, as a cohesive and stabilizing factor in life. Nevertheless, we then allow attachment to grow into huge dimensions, until it hinders our spiritual progress. Love your wife and children and do your duty towards them as a husband and a father. Always hold on to the true values. Do not lose your sense of proportion.

Take this illustration: There is an areca-nut palm, swaying, tall and slim, in the wind; it has a long shadow, also swaying, on the sandy ground below. God is the truth and the world is His shadow. You desire to pluck a few nuts, but mistaking the shadow for the tree, walk along the thin dark line and clutch the shadow nuts. But climb the tree, the truth.

You get the fruits, while your shadow also appears hopping along the thin dark line plucking nuts. So proceed on the path of love, and you can get both the worlds. Love will expand your heart so much that you cannot escape from your duties to your kith and kin, friends, and society.

Swami notes that some gurus, who have religious institutions under them, laugh at you when you tell them that you are proceeding to Puttaparthi. "So you have also become a victim of this Sai Baba madness?" Answer them politely, "Good! You should gladly go to any place where you can get peace of mind, where you can acquire bliss and become aware of Divinity. I am glad you have secured such a place. God is One and is Omnipresent." God is present everywhere, in everyone. Swami directs you to go to any place where you can carry on sadhana quietly, where you sense the atmosphere of Divinity and where you receive Love and can cultivate Love in turn.

Wherever you may go, worship God as Atmaswarupa. Give up body consciousness and develop Atmic awareness. Only when you lead a spiritual life, will you be able to visualize the Atmaswarupa. Have faith that Swami is the Atmaswarupa. Do not identify Swami with the physical body. He is not Dehaswarupa (body), but Dehi (the Indweller).

It is a mistake to confine God to a particular form. So long as you limit God to a form, you cannot attain Him. You should realize that God is attributeless, formless and He is the very essence of life. Physical form is bound to change. You will remain the same. You are the embodiment of God. Once you understand this truth, you will not be affected by physical changes.

Divinity has not made up of material substances; it is rather the Divine Energy. Give up the materialistic standpoint. Realize that your Swami is not constrained by Akara (Form), He is full of Ananda (Bliss). When you develop such faith, you too will experience Ananda.

You can see for yourself what an exalted position you will attain once you give up body attachment. You may be weak physically.Wwhen you develop Atmabhimana, all your weaknesses will vanish in a trice. Establish yourself in the firm faith, "I am God".

Realize the Atma as your very life. Every one of you is endowed with Divine energy. You are not the body; you are the Life principle. Body is meant to serve as an instrument in your quest for truth.

Do not lose faith in yourself; you are the Divine encased in the body. Use the body as a boat to cross the ocean of life, with devotion and detachment as the two oars.

Only the healthy person can afford to forget the body and dedicate his thoughts to God, and derive Ananda therefrom.

However, do not thought all the time about your body; some people worry always about health, and they are never satisfied with the care they bestow on the body. The unnecessary worry causes the 'noise' within own head and sick illusions, what disturb the brain's work, as the brief description of the study above shows.

Regular prayers twice a day will give strength and courage, which can withstand illness of the body. The Grace of God will confer mental peace and so, good sleep and rest for the mind. Feel that you are a hundred per cent dependent on God; He will look after you and save you from harm and injury. When you go to bed, offer thankful homage to Him for guiding and guarding you throughout the day.

Swami teaches... 13 - 17 April 2007

Part 1. Attach Yourself to God with Love and Faith

The Motto

You should cultivate an attitude of inseparable attachment to the Lord, who is your very Self (Sai Baba).

"What that subtle being is, of which the whole Universe is composed, that is the real, that is the soul, that art thou" (Chandogya Upanishad).

People live in a competitive waning world of passions and emotions. It is only when God is the goal and guide, that there can be real Peace, Love and Truth. The Divine must be revered at all times; all your skill and strength are God's gifts.

The firm faith in God must be based on the awareness that God is omnipresent. The Divine pervades everything in the Universe. Not everyone may understand this. However, whether some accept this fact or not, the truth is, evidence of the presence of God can be found wherever one turns.

Keeping the mind fixed on omnipresent God and dedicating all actions to God, you will find harmony and peace in mind.

The Ramayana gives two examples of such consecrated lives, those of Hanuman and Lakshmana. Hanuman dedicated every moment of his life, every wave of thought, every twitch of muscle, to his Master, Rama. When Rama sent him in the southerly direction on the mission to search for Sita, he was neither elated on being thus recognized as an efficient instrument nor depressed at the dangerous nature of his task. He knew that Rama would confer on him the skill and strength needed to fulfill the errand; in fact all his skill and all his strength

were 'His gifts'. To feel that he was too weak an instrument was, he concluded, an insult to Rama's omniscience and Grace.

Lakshmana was a mighty hero, for, he drew strength front the Divine itself. He had no other strength. Once while moving about in the forest as exiles, Rama instructed him to choose a nice spot and erect a Parnashala (green-bower) thereon, for Sita and Himself. Lakshmana was so shocked with pain at this that he fell on the ground; he lamented that he had fallen from grace. Rama said that he had 'risen' instead, for, he was asking him to select the site himself.

That was the very reason why Lakshmana felt he had fallen: "Have I a will apart from yours? How could you ever imagine that I could exercise my judgment independently and select a site myself? Tell me, where and how; it will be done. But, I have no judgment of my own; I have surrendered it long ago." That was the reply of Lakshmana.

As a sign of surrender and faith, nothing more is enjoined than constant remembrance of the God's name. No regimen of exhausting sadhana (spiritual discipline) has prescribed. Smarana (remembering) is enough. Smarana is the surest means of mastering the wiles of the mind. Thyagaraja (18th and 19th century saint-singer) sang of the Rama Naama, as being composed of two vital sounds Ra and Ma, Ra being the life-sound of the mantra devoted to Vishnu (Om Namo Narayana) and Ma being the life-sound of the mantra devoted to Shiva (Om Namashivaya).

For attaining the four aims of human life, Dharma (Righteousness), Artha (Prosperity), Kaama (Fulfilment of Desires) and Moksha (Liberation from bondage), the basic requirement is accordance with health of body, mind, and spirit.

The body is made up of five elements and five senses and is bound to perish sooner or later but the Indweller has neither birth nor death. (Death is but the casting off old clothes). The Indweller has no attachment whatsoever and is the eternal witness. The Indweller who is in the form of Atma is verily God Himself. Do not be misled by what you see; what you do not see with your eyes is much more significant.

Nothing is wrong in the Universe from the aspect of Atmic Reality (absolute level of Truth).

Truth is God. Love* is God. Truth and Love are all-pervasive.
The whole Creation emerges from Truth and merges into Truth.

By this aspect, all Creation is the same appearance of Atma - Unity in Diversity. But, by the aspect of Maya Reality (relative level of truth) most or (nearly most) humans' actions and behavior are far of upholding the Dharma and should be changed.

As on the Atmic level all Creation is the appearance of the same Atma, on the level of human's mind (Maya level) is far not so. How many go about the world persons with unclean thoughts and impure fancies in their minds without a sense of shame. (If they make an honest examination of the impure state of their minds and the kind of double life they are leading, they will be able to get rid of their bad thoughts in a moment).

The life on the Earth is saturated with evil, injustice, sorrow created by negative 'face' of ego and human's six foes (by Swami).

Swami's Teaching explains the purposes why human's life on the planet is full of misery and sorrow and how to overcome the duality between Atmic and Maya Realities. However, no one can probe the mystery of the power of the Divine or grasp its infinite magnitude. Swami's Teaching is full of parables and needs the deep inner contemplation (it seems namely in purpose of person's spiritual growth) likely as all other teachings of Avatars from the past.

It is fact that no one can comprehend the nature of Divinity. Actually, the principle of Love that exists in all beings is the principle of Divinity.

Love has no specific form. God is present in everyone in the form of Love and in the form of Truth. Wherever you go, He is with you. He is the eternal witness. Share your Love with others and receive their Love in turn. Love is your greatest virtue. Love confers the ultimate joy and bliss. God resides in the heart filled with Love. The Hridaya (spiritual heart) is the abode of the Atma.

True Love is related to the Atmic principle. Worldly love is bound to change with the passage of time, whereas spiritual Love is permanent.

All names and forms are based on feelings. People attribute various names and forms to the Lord. The worshippers of Ganapati consider Lord Ganapati as great; the Saivites consider there is none superior to Lord Siva. The devotees of Sai consider Him the greatest. Some devotees say all are one.

In fact, all names and forms belong to the same God. He responds to the prayers of devotees in whatever form they worship Him. Hence, each one considers the form he/she worships to be superior to the other forms. It is a sign of ignorance to consider one form superior to the other. What is important is that your prayers should not be confined to mere words. They should be translated into action. It is easy to speak but not so easy to practice. True prayer is that which has translated into action.

You do not need to search for God. He is always in you, with you, around you, above you and below you. (Once you develop Love in you, hatred will naturally vanish. If you were to come across your bitter rival, greet him/her with love. He too will reciprocate the same feeling. How can you expect love from others when you do not have any love for them)?

Try to understand the greatest wealth. None can estimate its value. What does God expect from you? It is only your Love the tax, you have to pay to God for all that He has given you.

You have to express your love to the Divine Incarnation in nine different ways. Sravanam (listening), Kirtanam (singing), Vishnusmaranam (contemplating on Vishnu), Padasevanam (serving His Lotus Feet), Vandanam (salutation), Archanam (worship), Dasyam (servitude), Sneham (friendship), Atmanivedanam (self-surrender). Your Love should flow directly towards God.

True spiritual practice lies in connecting Love to Love what can transform even a hard stone into butter.

The more you distance yourself from evil, the nearer you will be to the principle of Love what will automatically enter your heart at the moment you eschew evil.

The Gopikas used to pray,
O God, I offer you the heart which You have given me.
What else can I offer at Your Lotus Feet?
I pray to You I to accept it.

Heart is not your property; it belongs to God. There is nothing in this world that you can call as your own.

Lord Krishna declared, Anityam Asukham Lokam Imam Prapya Bhajasva Maam (as the world is temporary and full of misery, contemplate on Me constantly). The Divine Love alone is true and changeless. The mariner's compass always points towards Northern direction; likewise, your Love should always be directed towards God.

You may wonder as to how to pray to God. In fact, you even do not need to pray to God. You should let your Love flow incessantly towards God. Then you will understand the unity. There is no second entity.

The Upanishads declare that God is ten-inch-symbol of the kaala (time), desha (space) - manifestation of divinity, as described by sage Kapila, the incarnation of Narayana Himself. When Kapila who too was the personification of time and space was born, he called upon the Gods to gather in the presence and take dharshan (audience); his mother who called upon the Gods is therefore named, Devahuthi (Daughter of Swayambhuva Manu, wife of Kardhama Prajapathi, and mother of sage Kapila, She who called the Gods. And, when the Gods came, Kapila asked them, "Don't you know who I am?" Even now, all human babies ask the same question as soon as they are born - Koham? (Who am I)?

Heros of Bharath opened up the paths to God that are described in the texts of Sanathana Dharma (Eternal Universal Religion). Bharath is the sacred land from where the voice of the Vedas rang over the world. It is the land which still retains the splendor of Yoga (Divine communion), and the glory of Renunciation. The Gayatri Mantra (Vedic prayer to illuminate the intellect), enjoined on all, it is the crucial mantra (sacred formula) of the Vedas.

Pranayama (breath-control) and its later stage of Prathyahara (the control of the senses and of their listless pursuit of external pleasure) are discoverable only in dictionaries. Sages advise to employ a breath technique that will neutralize any objection you might have had to creating the spiritual awareness. It is faith that matters, that cures, and that creates.

When there is faith and motivation, concentration allows to access deeper levels of mind to enjoy new spiritual experiences.

Yama and Niyama (abstention from evil doing and various observances of devotion to God) are the first steps in spiritual discipline. Even those who claim to teach and guide do not practice them at all.

The world today is rolling in a sickbed, afflicted with fear, anxiety and all types of phobia. It is not as if there is no remedy to cure it and make it whole and healthy again. What is the treatment that can set the world right? Developing the bond of brotherhood is the remedy suggested by various practitioners. That is not enough. Peace and harmony cannot be ensured when people tell themselves that they are brothers. (We find that brothers and sisters born of the same mother fight against each other. They pollute their minds with anger and envy. Filial reverence and fraternal co-operation are mostly absent today among mankind. They fight for shares in property and spend most of their time and money in courts, trying to wreak vengeance against one another).

As a consequence of pride in one's own strength and power a person might injure thousands, but the pride will injure that person most, being like a devil that possesses human. People usually attach importance to the external appearance of the body and value the respect shown to it. Nevertheless, one who cares only for the body and ignores the state of mind is only a two-legged animal.

The sages of yore acquired various kinds of powers by their penance. They were able by these powers to fulfill whatever they promised. They used their powers with restraint. There is nothing wrong in acquiring even titanic strength. However, it should be used in a humane way. It should not be wielded to oppress others. Shakespeare observed, "It is glorious to have a giant's strength; but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant." Everyone must heed this warning.

The Divine Consciousness that motivates person is equally motivating all others, then Love ousts the ego into the background and takes charge of human's activities, words and thoughts.

Human has within all the Bliss, as well as all the equipment needed to unravel it; but, he/she is caught in dire ignorance of own inner resources. Human can have supreme peace but, human does not strive to earn it; human?s attempts are weakened by doubt and indecision, and so, they are doomed to failure.

There is the flow of water underneath the ground. Nevertheless, how can we benefit by it unless efforts are made to dig down into that source? A good deal of desire for sense satisfaction has to be removed before that inner spring of peace and joy can be tapped.

The latest neuroscience studies found there is a remarkably low limit to how much information our brain can process at a time. Recent calculations suggest that we can use only some percents of our brain 'capacity' at any given moment. This limit in processing capacity is constantly at odds with the vast information in our environment. Attention plays the critical role of guiding our brain to selectively process relevant information while ignoring the irrelevant. (Probably attention can enhance some of the earliest inputs to the brain).

When there is faith and motivation, concentration and attention allows to access deeper levels of mind to enjoy new experiences.

The newest discoveries in quantum physics, neuroscience, and ancient scriptures will prove that you can control your mind. Only humans are capable of positive change.