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Oct 13, 2004
Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Quotations on Love
Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Quotations on Love
The highest type of Love sees the Divine shining in all and never wanes. It does not see men as belonging to different faiths or nations or classes or castes; it sees all as embodiments of Divinity.
Cultivate Love; sow the seeds of Love in all hearts, shower Love on the desert sands; let the green shoots, the lovely flowers, the luscious fruits, the sweet harvest of nectar be earned by mankind.
Love and you will be loved in return. Promote love, look upon all with Love and hate will never be your lot. If you want to attain the Lord, cultivate Love. This is the one lesson I teach always and that is My secret too.
Love lives by giving and forgetting. Self lives by getting and forgetting.
The highest type of Love sees the Divine shining in all and never wanes. It does not see men as belonging to different faiths or nations or classes or castes; it sees all as embodiments of Divinity.
Cultivate Love; sow the seeds of Love in all hearts, shower Love on the desert sands; let the green shoots, the lovely flowers, the luscious fruits, the sweet harvest of nectar be earned by mankind.
God is Love – Live in love.
Start the day with love
Fill the day with love
End the day with love
That is the way to God.
There is only one caste and that is the caste of humanity. There is only one religion and that is the religion of Love. There is only one God and that is the religion of Love. There is only one God and that is the Omnipresent God. There is only one language and that is the language of he heart. Hence Love is God.
Without cultivating Love for others, you can never cultivate Love for yourself.
Prema or Love is the awakening of the Soul and the blossoming and expansion of the heart and spontaneous outpouring of Love towards all. It springs from intuitive awareness and perception of the Divine as abiding in all.
Love is sweet like ice-cream
Love is joy like ice-cream
Love is cool like ice-cream
And love is pure like white ice-cream
Once you fill your heart with Prema, it really does not matter what path you adopt. It will become possible for you to reach the destination.
My message is this: Be embodiments of Prema: Do not hate anyone or fear anyone. Develop Love towards all; understand the grief and the joy of all; be happy when others are happy; don’t exult when others are in misery
Love is to become patent as selflessness; self, if it is thrust forward become patent as lovelessness.
Without cultivating Love for others; you can never cultivate Love for yourself.
Love is like sugar, you can mix it with any material. But the essence of sweetness in sugar consists of divinity only. Without this value of love, we cannot develop other values.
Love should not be rationed on the basis of caste, creed or economic status or the intellectual attainment of the recipient. It should flow full and free, regardless of consequence, for it is one’s nature of Love; one cannot but pour out Love, one cannot but seek out the dry, dreary wastes in order to water them with the spring of Love and make them yield a harvest of Love.
A farmer ploughs his land and irrigates it to grow the crop of his choice. The bhakta is the cultivator for the field of his heart. He must irrigate the field of his heart with the water of Prema, manure it with Sadhana, sow the seeds of the Divine name, fence it with spiritual discipline.
Performing your daily work sincerely, filling your hearts with Love, and feeling the presence of divinity amounts to true surrender.
You are Messiahs. You are all children of God. Live in Love. Be God. Be Love…..and freedom will be there waiting for you.
The transforming power of Love is boundless. St. Paul, who was originally an inveterate critic of Jesus, was transformed by Christ’s Love into the greatest apostle of Jesus.
Love is God. Live in Love.
Divinity is embodied in all creatures and this fundamental truth should be exemplified in practice by man. He must extend the field of his Love until it encompasses the entire creation. It is only then that he will deserve to be a worthy recipient of God’s Love.
The religion of the people of this country and the endeavor of its people have always been to sow the seeds of Prema, to promote Prema and love between the fellow human being. This indeed has been the aim and objective of the culture of this country.
Unless you have Love, you cannot claim kinship with the votaries of God; mere ritualistic exactitude or pompous adoration, or loud acclamation will not entitle you to enter the portals of Go-loka. They are as tin and trash before the treasure – chest of love. Love is the bridge which helps passage from birth to deathlessness, from death to birthlessness.
When you rise from the Jiva-sense to the Deva-sense, human-ness to God-ness, then there is no more birth or death. Liberation happens when you Love every being so intensely that you are aware of only ONE. Soak your heart in Love, soak your acts in righteousness, soak your emotions in compassion; then you attain God soonest.
God as Love dwells in your heart and therefore the kingdom of Heaven is within you. When you know that God who is Love, dwells within you, when you realize this truth in the freshness and beauty of the immortal spirit then your life will sing the music of Love.
Without love you live in death. Love is life. All are one; be alike to every one. Inquiry is of great importance. Who am I? No reply No. ‘I’ am ‘I’
Duty without Love is deplorable. Duty with Love is desirable.
The end of wisdom is freedom; the end of education is character; the end of culture is perfection; the end of knowledge is Love. Self-confidence is the basis of faith in God also.
Cultivate love; sow the seeds of love in all hearts; shower Love on the desert sands; let the green shoots, the lovely flowers, the luscious fruits, the sweet harvest of nectar be earned by mankind.
Love is the path. Start the day with love. Spend the day with Love. Fill he day with Love. End the day with Love. This is the way to God. Expansion is Love, not contraction and selfishness, not ‘my’. Such practices as meditation, Japa, mantra, bhajan are like soap. Without water soap is not used. The water is likened to love. It is the water that is important.
You should fill your hearts with Prema. That is the only way in which you can reach the eternal truth of God. You should work with a determination to fill your hearts with Prema and reach this goal.
Where there is Faith, there is Love; where there is love, there is peace; where there is peace, there is God, and where there is God, there is Bliss.
Love liquidates the blows of fate. Love is Truth, Truth is Love, for it is only when you Love that you have no Fear. And fear is the Mother of falsehood. If you have no fear, you will adhere to Truth.
Prema makes you humble; it makes you bend and bow when you see greatness and glory.
Love all; revere all; help all to the best of your ability. The words that you utter will be as holy as the scriptures. His sadhana will lead you to realization.
Prema can be truly called Prema only when it recognizes the Divinity and only when it realizes that we should love the divine. That kind of Prema alone can deserve to be described as true Prema.
Best Sadhana is Love all serve all.
Posted at 03:16 pm by saiavatar
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Oct 12, 2004
Dasara - From Discourses of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Dasara - From Discourses of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Scene from the Veda Purusha Jnana Yajna held during Dasara, October 1988 (Esoteric Significance of the Veda Purusha Jnana Yajna )
What is the inner significance of Devi Navaratri? People worship the Triune Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvathi during these nine days. Who is Durga? She is the embodiment of all powers. Sarasvati is the presiding deity of speech and wisdom. The Gayatri Mantra begins with "Om Bhur Bhuvah Suvah." 'Bhuh' means materialisation. It represents matter which is subject to change. Bhuvah represents life principle, i.e., vibration. Savitri is the presiding deity of life principle. You must have heard the story of Savitri, who restored her dead husband back to life with the power of her devotion and surrender. Sarasvati is worshipped as 'Jnana Devata' as she confers good intellect and wisdom. This is described in the Vedas as Prajnanam Brahma. Prajnana does not mean worldly knowledge. It is Constant Integrated Awareness, which is changeless and eternal. The divine mother has three names: Gayatri, Savitri and Sarasvati. Gayantham Trayathe Iti Gayathri (Gayatri protects those who sing her glory). Gayatri, being the presiding deity of our senses, helps us to master the senses. Savitri, being the presiding deity of the life principle, protects our life. Sarasvati bestows on us the changeless and eternal wisdom. Gayatri, Savitri and Sarasvati are present in every man, but he is not able to understand and experience their presence. Consequently, he is giving room to wicked qualities and indulging in evil deeds, thereby ruining his life. His bad habits are responsible for his downfall. First of all, man has to develop good habits and transform himself. How could Savitri revive her dead husband back to life? She transformed the vibration in her into divine vibration by contemplating on God incessantly. That led to the resurrection of her husband. When you develop divine feelings, nothing is impossible for you. Any mighty task can be accomplished through pure and selfless love.
The Yajna that we are performing now is meant for Loka Kalyanam (good of the world). Do not think that we are performing the Yajna just because people are performing Yajnas elsewhere. This Yajna is being performed with total spirit of sacrifice. We have no desires or expectations. Our only desire is that everyone should be happy. People perform Yajnas and Yagas to overcome famine and drought situations. But I don't take such things into consideration. I do not give scope for such constricted vision. Famine, drought, etc., come and go. Whatever you do should confer everlasting happiness on all. It should help you to attain Divine grace.
Divine Discourse: October 9, 2002Divine Discourse: October 10, 2002Divine Discourse: October 11, 2002Divine Discourse: October 12, 2002Divine Discourse: October 13, 2002Divine Discourse: October 14, 2002
Our ancients have prescribed the worship of Maha Kali, Maha Durga and Maha Saraswati during these Navaratris (nine nights). Durga is the embodiment of all powers. Durga represents the combination of all the powers of body, mind and soul. Maha Kali symbolises destruction of evil with the help of these powers. Maha Kali and Maha Durga are not elsewhere. They reside in every man. When the mind and the senses, instead of following the dictates of conscience, follow wicked qualities, man becomes a slave to evil habits and turns wicked. The main purpose of celebration of Navaratris is to annihilate cruelty and wickedness in man to bring forth the principle of the Atma in pristine form.
Having absorbed the divine vibrations out of the seven days of Yajna, try to achieve spiritual transformation. Wherever you go, do not give up God and pray for the welfare of all. Tanks, bombs and other armaments do not provide the protection that a constant contemplation of God yields. A true human is one who has strong faith in the Self (Atmabhimanam). Therefore, comprehend this faith in the Self. That is the nature of the bliss that Swami confers on you on this sacred occasion of the Poornahuti.
Divine Discourse: October 20, 2001Divine Discourse: October 21, 2001Divine Discourse: October 22, 2001Divine Discourse: October 23, 2001Divine Discourse: October 24, 2001Divine Discourse: October 25, 2001Divine Discourse: October 26, 2001
Navaratri is dedicated to Maha Durga, Maha Kali and Maha Lakshmi. These three deities are not different but one and the same. They are the forms of energy. Saraswati is the presiding deity of speech. Lakshmi is the form of Ananda. All three are present in every man. We do not have to search for them elsewhere. Man is Divine, humanity is Divinity. Consider man as Divine and the body as temple of Divinity, enjoy the bliss of God.
The proper study of mankind is man. There should be unity of thought, word, and deed. Especially students should recognize this. It is not enough to praise Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati in poems and songs. When you cultivate good qualities, you yourself will become Lakshmi. Once you control your senses, you will become Lakshmi. When the mind is under your control, you will become Durga. When you speak words of truth, you will become Saraswati. The other name of Saraswati is Bharathi. Some people say that our country Bharat is named after Jada Bharata or the brother of Rama. But who named them? There should be a basis for all these names. That basis is the name of Saraswati i.e., Bharathi.
Brahma is the creator, but the one who sustains the creation is Saraswati. Bharathi is her name. This country is named after her. But this is not very widely known. Indian culture has many such secrets. But none endeavors to know these secrets inherent in the Vedas, Sastras and the Itihaasaas. What is the significance of Ayudha puja? After the slaying of Mahishasura and other demons by Chamundeswari, there was no more use for Her weapons. So the weapons were kept aside and worshipped. This Ayudha puja is being celebrated since ancient times. But of what use are such weapons to us? In fact, our weapons are the values of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema. Prema is more powerful than the hydrogen and atom bombs of today. Why worry when such power is within us?
Divine Discourse: October 1, 2000Divine Discourse: October 2, 2000Divine Discourse: October 3, 2000Divine Discourse: October 4, 2000Divine Discourse: October 5, 2000Divine Discourse: October 6, 2000
The purpose of the Veda Purusha Sapthaha Yagna is to attain truth. God is the Veda Purusha. This Yagna is performed for seven days. Seven is an auspicious number for it corresponds to the number of Rishis (Saptha Rishis), oceans (Saptha Samudras), colors (Saptha Varnas) and sounds (Saptha Swaras).
Since ancient times various types of Yagnas have been performed in this sacred land of Bharat. Yagno Vai Vishnuhu (Yagna is the very form of Vishnu). Some people are under the mistaken notion that they can please God by offering highly valuable items. What one has to offer God is the pure heart. Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati (as is the feeling, so is the result). If you are aspiring for good results, offer only good feelings to God and there should be perfect harmony in your thought, word and deed. Manasyekam Vachasyekam Karmanyekam Mahatmanaam (he is a noble soul whose thought, word and deed are in perfect harmony). Adveshtaa Sarva Bhootaanaam (Do not hate anybody).
Divine Discourse: October 19, 1999
Today is Vijaya Dasami. This is the Samaapthi (conclusion) of sacred Navaratri festival. Samaapthi is that which confers Praapthi (deservedness) in every possible way. This also happens to be the day on which Shirdi Baba left his mortal coil. Having left His mortal coil on this day, Shirdi Baba reincarnated here after 8 years. This is an ample testimony to the existence of Divinity in humanity.
Divine Discourse: October 1, 1998
During these sacred nine days (Navaratri), people go through the sacred texts such as Devi Bhagavatha, Ramayana and Mahabharatha. People also worship the deities Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi. This Trinity is present in the principle of Truth. Goddess Gayathri has three heads. They are: Gayathri, Savitri and Saraswathi. Gayathri is the presiding deity of your senses. Savitri is the presiding deity of Life Principle. Saraswathi is the presiding deity of speech. All these three are within the same principle of Truth. Gayathri Mantra begins with "Om Bhur Bhuvah Suvah". 'Bhu' means Materialisation (Body); 'Bhuvah' means Vibration (Life Principle}; 'Suvah' means Radiation (Atma).
During these nine days Goddess Shakthi (Principle of Energy) is worshipped. Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Forgiveness are all the expressions of the Principle of Shakthi. Truth is the primal cause. There is nothing other than this. All faculties of energy are present in this Truth. So consider Truth as your mother and follow it. The Vedas proclaim, "Sathyam Vada; Dharmam Chara", which means speak Truth and follow Righteousness.
Divine Discourse: September 25, 1998
Navarathri means "nine nights". What does the nine signify? There are nine grahas (planets according to Astrology). The human body has nine openings. If a deep enquiry is made, it will be found that mankind is dependent on the planets (grahas). Although astrologers speak about nine planets, in reality, there are only two "planets" that matter. They are raaga (attachment) and dwesha (hatred).
In the worship of the deities during Navarathri, every day, one of them should be worshipped, not externally but with one's heart and soul. Bodily actions are ephemeral. The body derives its value from the spirit within. Hence it should be regarded as a sacred temple. During the Navarathri festival, for the purpose of eradicating one's demonic tendencies, the deities were worshipped with kumkum (sacred powder). The red powder is a symbol of blood. The meaning of this worship is offering one's blood to the Lord and receiving in return the gift of peace from the Lord.
Therefore, the Navarathri festival is observed, by contemplating on God for ten days, cleansing one's self of all impurities, to experience the divinity within. The penultimate day of the festival is dedicated to what is termed Aayudha Puja (Worship of weapons). The weapons to be worshipped are the divine powers in man. When the divine is worshipped in this way, one is bound to progress spiritually.
Divine Discourse: October 14, 1994
Bharatiyas have been celebrating the Navarathi festival from ancient times as a mode of worship of Devi, the Divine as Mother. They worship Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati during those nine days. Who are these three? They are the three forms which have fascinated man. Their esoteric significance is represented by three potencies or shakthis. They are: Karma, Upaasana and Jnana.
The significance of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati has to be rightly understood. The three represent three kinds of potencies in man. Ichchaa Shakti, will power, Kriya Shakti, the power of purposeful action, and Jnaana Shakti - the power of discernment.
Saraswati is manifest in man as the power of speech, Vaak. Durga is present in the form of dynamism. Lakshmi is manifest in the form of will power. The body indicates Kriya Shakti. The mind is the repository of Ichchaa Shakti. The Atma is Jnaana Shakti. Kriya Shakti comes from the body, which is material. The power that activates the body that is inert and makes it vibrant is Ichchaa Shakti. The power that induces the vibrations of Ichchaa Shakti is Jnaana Shakti, which causes radiation of energy. These three potencies are represented by the mantra: Om Bhur Bhuvah Suvaha. Bhur represents Bhuloka, the earth. Bhuvah represents the life force, conscience in man. Suvaha represents the power of radiation. All three are present in man. Thus Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati dwell in the human heart.
Men are prone to exhibit rajasic qualities like anger and hatred. They are the menacing manifestations of Durga. The extolling of the Divine in song and poetry and the pleasing vibrations produced by them indicate the power of Saraswathi. The pure qualities that arise in man such as compassion, love, forbearance and sympathy are derived from Lakshmi.
When people worship Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi externally in pictures or icons, they are giving physical forms to the subtle potencies that are within them. The unfortunate predicament of man today is that he is not recognizing the powers within him and developing respect for them. He goes after the external, attracted by the physical forms. The relationship between the material and the subtle has to be understood. The remedy for man's life is contained within himself. But man seeks remedies from outside.
What is it you should do during these ten days of the Navarathri festival? Convert your ichchaa sakthi into a yearning for God. Convert kriya sakthi into a force for doing Divine actions. Convert your Jnaana Sakhti into the Divine Itself.
Divine Discourse: October 9, 1994
The term Devi represents the Divine power which has taken the Rajasic form to suppress the forces of evil and protect the Satwic qualities. When the forces of injustice, immorality and untruth have grown to monstrous proportions and are indulging in a death-dance, when selfishness and self-interest are rampant, when men have lost all sense of kindness and compassion, the Atmic principle, assuming the form of Sakti, taking on the Rajasic quality, seeks to destroy the evil elements. This is the inner meaning of the Dasara festival.
When the Divine Goddess is in dreadful rage to destroy the wicked elements, She assumes a fearful form. To pacify the dreaded Goddess, Her feminine children offer worship to Her with red kumkum (sacred red powder). The Goddess, seeing the blood-red kumkum at her feet, feels assured that the wicked have been vanquished and assumes Her benign form. The inner meaning of the worship of Devi with red kumkum is that thereby the Goddess is appeased.
During the ten days of the Dasara, the Rakshasas (demons) in the form of wicked qualities have been routed. Rakshasas do not mean demonic beings. The bad qualities in men are the demons. Arrogance is a demon. Bad thoughts are demons. Ravana is depicted as the king of Rakshasas. He is said to have ten heads. He was not born with ten heads. Who is this Ravana and what are his ten heads? Kama (lust), Krodha (anger), Moha (delusion), Lobha (Greed), Mada (pride), Maatsarya (Envy), Manas (the mind), Buddhi (intellect), Chitta (Will) and Ahamkara (the Ego) - these ten constitute the ten heads. Ravana is one who has these ten qualities.
Each one can decide for himself whether he is a Ravana or a Rama according to his qualities. Rama is the destroyer of the bad qualities. When engaged in this act of destruction of bad qualities, He manifests His Rajo-guna. But His Rajasic quality is associated with His Satwic quality. Even in cutting off Ravana's ten heads, Rama showed His love. This was the only way Ravana could be redeemed.
When the Lord metes out a punishment, it may appear harsh. But what appears externally as Rajasic is in reality Satwic. In a hailstorm, along with rain there will be hailstones. But both the rain and hailstones contain water. Likewise, there is Satwic quality even in the Lord's Rajasic actions. Similarly there may be Satwic quality even in Tamasic actions. These depend on the time, place and the circumstances in which the Lord acts. Butter can be split with a finger. But a powerful hammer is needed to break a piece of iron. The Lord deals with Satwic persons in a Satwic way. He applies the Rajasic weapon against Rajasic persons.
People worship the Lord as Roudraakaara, attributing dreaded forms and qualities to the Divine. This is not proper. The Divine has only one attribute: the embodiment of Love. It has been said: "Love is God. Love pervades the Cosmos." Hence, one should not view the world from a worldly point of view. It should be viewed through the eyes of love.
Embodiments of Divine Love! All the festivals of Bharatiyas have been designed to promote Divine love among the people. It is to confer such love on the people that the Lord incarnates on earth. He Himself demonstrates how love should be expressed. He showers His love and teaches everyone how to love. Hence, experience this love and joy in your life and live in peace.
Divine Discourse: October 18, 1991
In the human body the Divine flows through all the limbs as Rasa (The Divine essence) and sustains them. This Divine principle is called Rasaswaroopini (Embodiment of Divine sweetness). Another name for the same is Angirasa. These Divine principles that permeate and sustain the physical body should also be worshipped as mother goddesses. Then there are the great sages, the Maharishis, who investigated matters relating to good and evil, right and wrong, what elevates man or degrades him, and, as a result of their labors and penance, gave to mankind the great scriptures, indicating the spiritual and mundane paths and how humanity can redeem its existence. These sages have also to be revered as Divine Mothers.
The cow, the earth, the presiding deities for the body, the sages and the guru are all worthy of worship as the embodiments of the Divine Motherhood. Although these five appear in different forms and names, they have one thing in common with the mother. They play a protective and sustaining maternal role for mankind and hence should be revered and worshipped as Divine Mothers.
Conversely, the mother of every child displays in relation to the child the attributes of these five entities. The mother nourishes the child, provides the necessaries for its growth, teaches the child what it should know and what it should avoid and leads it on the path of righteousness.
The life of a man who cannot respect and love such a venerable mother, is utterly useless. Recognizing one's mother as the very embodiment of all divine forces, one must show reverence to her and treat her with love. This is the true message that the Navaratri, the nine-night festival gives us. The supreme Shakti manifests herself in the form of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Durga grants to us energy - physical, mental and spiritual. Lakshmi bestows on us wealth of many kinds - not just money but intellectual wealth, the wealth of character and others. Even health is a kind of wealth. She grants untold riches to us. And Saraswati bestows on us intelligence, the capacity for intellectual inquiry and the power of discrimination. The Navaratri festival is celebrated in order to proclaim to the world the power of the goddesses. One's own mother is the combination of all these Divine beings. She provides us energy, wealth and intelligence. She constantly desires our advancement in life. So she represents all the three goddesses that we worship during the Navaratri festival.
Divine Discourse: October 14, 1988
Other Dasara Discourses by Bhagavan Baba25 Sep 1998 26 Sep 1998 27 Sep 1998 28 Sep 1998 29 Sep 1998 30 Sep 1998 1 Oct 1998 5 Oct 1997 6 Oct 1997 7 Oct 1997 8 Oct 1997 9 Oct 1997 11 Oct 1997
Source: http://www.eaisai.com/baba/docs/dasara.html
Posted at 06:49 am by saiavatar
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Oct 11, 2004
Howard Murphet on bowl materialization
Howard Murphet on bowl materialization
Once, they said, on the birthday of Lord Krishna Baba was walking aimlessly, it seemed, about the sitting room of their Madras home. Suddenly he turned to Mrs. Hanumantha Rao and remarked: "There are some devas (angels) here waiting to give me a bowl of sweets."
As she looked, seeing nothing, he held out both hands and took from the air, as if from some invisible person, a large, carved-glass bowl. The bowl seemed suddenly to materialise. Baba handed it to Mrs. Hanumantha Rao. It was filled, as they described it, with "divine-tasting sweets of many varieties from different parts of India".
Howard Murphet, Sai Baba, Man of Miracles, pp. 73-74
Posted at 05:05 pm by saiavatar
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Baba's Self-Realized Devotees
Baba's Self-Realized Devotees
Baba is said to have many Self-Realized devotees quietly doing His work in various locations around the globe. So far I've personally met four of them – and to my mind, nothing proves Baba's perfection more clearly than His divinized devotees. (As Jesus said, "By their fruits you shall know them." These are very sweet mangoes!)
Gopalakrishna Baba
The first is a man named Gopalakrishna Baba, who lives in a small Sai Baba temple in Bangalore. His parents were ardent Sai devotees, but from his early childhood Gopalakrishna was intensely drawn to the local Sri Ramakrishna Temple, where he would spend all his time absorbed in devotion and meditation, cherishing the dream of becoming a monk in the Sri Ramakrishna order. He became so immersed in God that he almost never felt the need to sleep, and would remain awake throughout the night repeating the Divine Name. In his mid-teens, when Gopalakrishna was alone in the house one day, vibhuti began miraculously manifesting on Sai Baba's photos in his parents' puja room, leaving a strong impression on the young man. Soon afterwards He visited Baba's ashram, and, as he tells it, "My heart instantly recognized in Sai Baba the same Divine Being who had lived as Sri Ramakrishna." His devotion for Baba soon became the overwhelming force in his life, and in the coming years he often visited Baba's ashrams, and received many blessings from Him. However, in 1990, when Gopalakrishna went to Baba's ashram for the Birthday celebrations, due to the massive crowds he was unable to see Baba the way he wished, and therefore told Baba internally, "Next year I will celebrate Your Birthday in my own home, so please come there to receive my worship!" Clearly the Lord was listening, for the next year on Baba's birthday, while Gopalakrishna was performing a puja in his home, Baba suddenly appeared before him in a living form, manifested a beautiful Lingam, and gave it to Gopalakrishna, an event witnessed by others. In those precious divine moments Baba told him, "Every Monday, perform worship to this Lingam. I am with you always."
And so it is. Gopalakrishna is now established in changeless Peace, knows the thoughts of all around him, and possesses many miraculous powers. His foremost Western disciple, a beautiful man from Holland, told me an interesting miracle story. It seems that on one of his first trips to India, he had come down with dysentery, and when he reported to Gopalakrishna that the medicine prescribed by a doctor could not be found in the local shops, Gopalakrishna simply waved his hand and instantly manifested a strip of the required tablets. Some people have reported that by drinking the water used in Gopalakrishna's worship of the Lingam they have been healed of long-standing diseases; others say they have had their personal problems solved, while others say that his grace has enabled them to find the most precious gem of all, peace of mind. It seems that Gopalakrishna Baba is a genuine wish-fulfilling tree.
Devi Amma
The second great devotee is a woman named Devi Amma, who lives near Baba's ashram in Whitefield. She is radiant with saintly Love, and my intuition is that she is a fully-Realized Saint of the highest order. Devi Amma speaks fluent English, and tells delightful stories, often bubbling over with laughter. She humbly says that on the inner plane she often finds herself in a group of Spiritual Masters gathered around Sai Baba, saying it has been given her to keep one foot in that realm, and the other in our realm! She speaks with great familiarity about the various forms of God, and the ancient Sages and celestial beings, for it seems they visit her on a regular basis. "There are many levels of angels," she said to one questioner. "They look very beautiful, so beautiful! When they reach the highest level of angel, they become almost as beautiful as Lord Jesus."
Devi Amma's life story is amazing. When she was 15, her uncle died unexpectedly, and the tragedy led her into deep introspection on the meaning of life. In the spontaneous meditations that followed, she began hearing the sound "OM", and soon after this, a blazing sun of spiritual light appeared in her room. From within that effulgence gradually emerged the form of a divine man with a radiant aura, who introduced himself as the ancient Sage Agastya, the first of the great Rishis. (She says, with all humor and humility, that in a previous incarnation she was Agastya's daughter.) Agastya declared that he was her Guru, and began appearing before her on a daily basis, instructing her in meditation and the secrets of spirituality, and by the age of 20 she had attained Enlightenment. One night, Sathya Sai Baba unexpectedly appeared in her room, His form repeatedly changing into the form of Lord Subramaniam (her family's chosen Deity) and then back into the form of Sai Baba, thus revealing His oneness with God. Some years later, when she finally saw Sai Baba in person, she had the same experience: "Sai Baba - Subramaniam! Sai Baba - Subramaniam!" She says that while Agastya is her Guru, Sai Baba is the Poornavatar, and is now working through her to bless and uplift humanity.
Little Heart
The third great devotee is an Australian woman who calls herself "Little Heart." She says she attained union with Baba through the path of Love, and now sees God everywhere, and is always aware of her true Being as all-pervading Consciousness. She lives near Baba's Brindavan ashram, writes beautiful books, and gives sage advice, so to speak, to those with questions.
I recently had an interview with her, in which she said, among other things, "A Poornavatar like Baba doesn't exactly come along at every tick of the clock!" (We are indeed fortunate to be alive at this time, and be aware of His presence on the Earth!)
Having lived a very full life in the world before coming to Baba, including two marriages and two divorces, Little Heart is in an unusually good position to know the struggles Westerners go through in making the transition to a life of spirituality. I always find it encouraging to meet a Self-Realized Westerner. (Yes, it is possible...!)
Sai Lakshmi Ma
Then there is Sai Lakshmi Ma, who says that in 1980 Baba came into Her body and has never left. In the several hours I spent in her presence, I witnessed a steady stream of delightful miracles. As soon as she placed a garland on the altar, amrit began trickling from a large photo of Baba. Then she held her palm towards Baba's photo, and it was instantly filled with amrit, which was passed out to all. I had brought her a bag full of grapes and laid it in front of her altar; five minutes later she opened the bag, and showed me that a number of the grapes were now half-eaten, a sign that Baba had received the offering directly! She held up to Baba's photo some bananas which my friend had brought, and after ten seconds, showed us that each banana now had clear teeth marks in the skin! Another friend of mine put three laddus (sweets) on the altar in a bag. A few minutes later Sai Lakshmi Ma indicated he should open the bag - and one of the laddus had a large bite taken out of it! (The specially blessed food was passed out to all.) Necklaces handed to her for blessings were returned a minute later, smelling of rose perfume or dripping with amrit. Empty containers passed to her would be returned miraculously filled with vibhuti or kumkum. When questions were asked, her responses seemed to indicate that she was hearing Baba's answer directly and then passing it on. I was told that many people have received healings through her prayers to Baba.
Although it wasn't clear whether or not she is fully Self-Realized, the miracles were definitely genuine. At the very least, she is a great servant of God, and an extraordinary channel for Sai Baba's blessings.
Vasantha Sai, Vijai Shankar & Others
I've also read about an elderly woman in Madurai named Vasantha Sai, who has attained God-Realization through her intense devotion to Baba, whom she considers to be "the reincarnation of Sri Krishna." She says that Baba has told her internally that she is the reincarnation of Radha, the childhood consort of Lord Krishna; this identity has been confirmed by several ‘palm-leaf prophecies.' She is now giving subtle help to many seekers. (My psychic friend Mary visited her and reported that she is truly a Saint, and does indeed have an Enlightened aura.)
I've also heard reports about a man named Vijai Shankar, based in Houston, who realized the Self through Baba's grace, and is now traveling the world teaching advaitha (the philosophy of non-duality) and Atmic abidance.
In addition, I've heard that among Baba's devotees today is the reincarnation of Saint Francis, the reincarnation of Mira Bai, the reincarnation of Sarada Devi, the reincarnation of Swami Vivekananda, and the reincarnation of Paramahansa Yogananda! (Hey, could be...)
It's always inspiring to have the darshan of those who have reached life's goal by following my own chosen guide. Jai Sai Ram!
By R.D. Awle
Source: http://www.saibaba-aclearview.com/contents2.html
Posted at 04:11 pm by saiavatar
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Sathya Sai Baba's Discourses at Sai Sruti Kodaikanal during April 1996 [Part -2]
Sathya Sai Baba's Discourses at Sai Sruti Kodaikanal during April 1996 [Part -2]
4. PURUSHA AND PRAKRITI [April 9, 1996]
Embodiments of Divine Love,
We acquire all forms of wealth through our words alone. Through our words, we develop friendships and relationships and receive knowledge. Bad also happens because of our words. Our words should be sacred and in accordance with the Vedas. The nature of spirituality can be known through reading the words of all sacred texts. Man should make every effort to speak properly. Swami always says, "You can't always oblige, but you can always speak obligingly." As creation is the manifestation of the Creator, nature has all the attributes of God. Every person has been born to reflect the Divinity in nature. What is Prakriti (nature)? It is not merely the forms of material comforts, but it is also the form of God's wealth.
Sthree stands for the feminine, though not only in the physical sense. The word "Sthree" can be divided into three sounds; "Sth," "r" and "ee." "Sth" stands for satwic, "r" stands for rajasic and "ee" stands for thamasic. Every person or being that is born into the world is feminine, and has these three qualities (satwic, rajasic and thamasic). Man should have the quality of satwa comprising Divine, sacred feelings and piousness, so that he may merge in the Divine. Thamasic does not stand for dullness, but for obedience, humility, morality and integrity. Rajasic does not stand for emotion, anger, arrogance, or pomp, but for forbearance, tolerance and charity.
Who is Manava the human? Man is the one with sacred feelings at the centre. The human quality is one with perfect harmony of sacred thoughts, words and actions. That is why it is said that the proper study of mankind is man. The physical world of nature has purity and man can learn from the purity in nature. Spirituality does not consist only of penance, rituals, meditation, etc. These aspects are only practiced to make the heart pure and to enable one to be away from the transient world. True spirituality is not only thinking of God but also being away from all unsacred actions. Spirituality embodies the eternal Truth.
Nature is the best teacher. Through the study of nature one can learn what is transient and what is permanent. That which is sacred in nature is Divinity. Whatever is not in the Divine cannot be experienced in nature. You say that you are not seeing God or experiencing God. What foolishness! You are God. In nature everything is the Divine form. Just as in ornaments you find that gold is one and the same, similarly in nature everything is Divine.
Every human being has the three feminine attributes, satwic, rajasic and thamasic. From the worldly, physical point of view, everyone is both masculine and feminine. Birth and death, hunger and thirst are common to all. Pleasure and pain are common to both. The principle of unity in both men and women is one. Equality is Divinity. Man says that females are weak due to their feminine qualities. It is wrong to say that women are weak, dependant, and are only for working in the kitchen. Every human being is weak. The word for weak is "abala.” There is only one male who is without weakness and He is God. The feminine aspect of God is "Prakriti" or Nature and it consist of form made up of matter. Divinity is energy. It is impossible to have Prakriti without Divinity as both are interdependent. We should not, therefore, think that anything is evil because everything is Divine and full of sanctity. We cannot change the creation, we must change our outlook. Sadhana means making one's vision sacred. The Bhagavad Geetha states that a woman has higher powers than a man and a woman also has many titles. In ancient Bharat, women represented the higher, nobler qualities. In the home, the woman has been given the title Grilakshmi as the prestige of the family depended entirely upon the standards set by the woman. The ancient Bharathiyas had said to watch the wife because on her depends the reputation of the family. Women provide strength to the family and the society.
Recognizing that Divinity is the basis of all things, everyone should reflect on his indwelling Divinity and expand his mind. The heart should be full of sacred Love, so that all things would be full of Love. "Hrudaya” is the word for heart. The word when split into "hru" and "daya," means a heart with compassion. Today, however, compassion is absent and the heart is full of wicked thoughts, etc. Purify the heart by thinidng of God.
"Abala" with reference to women does not mean that they are weak. For example, in ancient times the students were very much afraid of the school master, but today the reverse is true. Today the teachers are very much afraid of the students. When this teacher (of ancient times) returned from his school, he was very much afraid of his wife. So how can men call women weak? Take the example of a military leader. He has lots of soldiers (100,000+) at his command, but he also is afraid of his wife. Thus all (both men and women) are weak. Weakness is not based on or determined by the physical body alone. Both men and women are children of immortality.
Who is the true man? God is the only male or Purusha, though not in the worldly sense. The body is the Pura and the Divinity residing inside the human body as Awareness is the Purusha. So man's reality is awareness. Based on that Awareness, all are Purushas. So everywhere the Truth remains as equality or unity only. All should express only the Divinity. One should do his duty while discriminating between Purusha and Prakriti and realize that the bodies are separate but Purusha is one. We wear slippers on our feet, not on our heads and we wear glasses only on our eyes. We do not do the reverse. Similarly, we should see that in nature, every object has a Divine base and a specific utility. The one who follows proper procedures based on correct knowledge is a man. It is yoga to perform one's duty. Yoga, which means unity and combination, must be practiced to realize Divinity. Where there is purity, unity will follow, and where there is unity. Divinity will be realized. Unity is the very life breath of existence. Unity is the strength of Love. Take the example of cloth. The threads are well woven, but if you separated each thread (by removing it), there would be no strength.
The welfare of the country depends on the family. Man has three responsibilities:— first, as an individual to himself; second, to his family; and third, to his society. When the individual is good, the family will be good, and when the family is good, the society will be good. When the society is good, the world will be good. So the welfare of the world depends on the individual.
What is the meaning of vyaktii we call the body or individual vyakti. Vyakti denotes the hidden sacredness, the Divinity within, which must always be expressed and only then can one be called a true individual. The behavior of an individual should be proper, having good conduct as the main quality. From the Divine perspective (Atma), the whole of humanity is one and the same with no differences. There is only one caste, the caste of humanity. Father, mother, caste and creed have as the basis the one Atma though we have different cultures based on the regions or environments, visions or habits. We must conduct ourselves according to our environment. For example, one would use a woollen coat while visiting the cool hill-station region to keep warm whereas in a region like Andhra Pradesh (in South India), one has to wear cotton clothing to remain cool.
Everyone should recognize that the entire creation is full of Divinity. There are many tube lights and light bulbs here in this room. Though their capacities may be different, the current in them is one and the same.
Religions are many, but the goal is one. Ornaments are many, but the gold from which they are made is one.
Cows are many, but milk is one.
Flowers are many, but worship is one.
The paths to God are many, but God is one.
We should always use discrimination and discipline in our lives to enable us to lead an ideal life as we may go astray without them. Take for example the body temperature which has discipline. The normal temperature is 98.4 F and if it rises a little higher there would be fever and illness. The normal blood pressure is 120/80 and an increase would lead to disease. One's whole life and body is a limited company and should always be kept within limits. Be yogis, aspirants, not rogis, disease-filled. Life should be one of sacrifice, otherwise one would become diseased. For example, the food that one eats has to be sacrificed or else a stomach ache would ensue. Also our breath which is inhaled must be sacrificed or our lungs would become damaged. The blood, too, has to be circulated; it should not remain in one place, stagnant. This sacrifice that we experience in our daily lives in our bodies is called "Yagna." When you sacrifice for another, you should take into account the deservedness of the recipient.
Three disciplines must be practiced to be a noble soul: one's thoughts, words and deeds must be controlled and in harmony. One must have constant control over one's tongue by using proper words, talking less, and working more. By remaining silent, one would have more energy and intelligence and memory would improve. All saints have observed silence, and often did so in solitude. Today in the midst of society, aspirants are seeing and hearing everything. What should we see and hear?
See no evil; see what is good.
Hear no evil; hear what is good.
Talk no evil; talk what is good.
Do no evil; do what is good.
This is the way to God.
If we entertain evil thoughts, we become evil. Always behave in society in a proper way. Coal should be near the fire to become hot, and in close proximity both would eventually become one. The coal would become totally transformed into fire. You also should be not only near but also dear to God and then only you would become identified with God. If you are only near you are like a frog on a lotus who is not aware of the honey, while bees come from far away to suck the honey.
In the culture of Bharat, we do Namaskar. Placing the two palms of the hands and all the ten fingers together signifies that the five organs of cognition and the five organs of action are animated by and offered to the one Divinity. This signifies unity in diversity.
Nations are many but earth is one;
Beings are many but the body is one;
Stars are many but the sky is one.
In former days water had no price, but if mixed with milk it became valuable because milk had value. Likewise, never be in bad company because your goodness may become diluted and removed due to the bad company. There is a saying, "Tell me your company and I will tell you what you are." The way to discriminate between good and bad company is to watch a person's conduct. Spiritual aspirants should not have too much friendship and should have less association in life. These are highly dangerous because he/she may be a friend today but an enemy tomorrow. Just say, "Hello, how are you? And goodbye." Never have too much relationship.
Many people have taken time and money to come here (Kodaikanal) from different countries, but spend time in gossiping. In this way not only is (Divine) energy lost but also there is loss of memory. All of this unnecessary talk takes one away from nearness and dearness to God. You may be good but you do not know whether the other person is good or bad. If you eat limited food you will be healthy but if you eat excess you will be diseased. Likewise, have limited talk; talk only to the extent necessary. Excessive talking is a bad quality.
Develop only Satsang, the company of people who live with God. Share Love with at least ten people everyday. To say that "you and I are one" is wrong! It is correct to say that "you and I are we," and "we and we are one." When we discriminate clearly and follow the conscience we will become peaceful and sacred. It is a waste of time to do meditation and Japa if one's mind is not steady and wanders around.
God is your Father and Mother. He is in you, above you and around you. When He is so close, why go to the forests to search for Him? Do you search for yourself? God is the indweller in your heart. You are God, you are not separate. You are given a name because of your body but you don't exist only for the body. You have not been born only because of nature. Nature is God and the embodiment of beauty. Service done to anyone is service to God. Whomsoever you respect, that respect goes to God; if you criticize anyone it goes to God. So help ever, hurt never. This attitude and action will give you Bliss. There is no greater happiness than that derived through following these teachings.
Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Hari Bhajana Bina Sukha Shanti Nahi..."
5. TRUE DEVOTION VERSUS ATTACHMENT TO THE WORLD [April 10, 1996]
Embodiments of Divine Love,
It is the Bhakti (devotion) that proves the eternal sacred Truth that Tat Twam Asi (Thou art That), that the devotee and God are one. In this world the many diseases and sorrows affecting man can be classified into:
1) adibothika - relating to the body;
2) adidaivika - as a result of elements like floods, lightening, earthquakes, etc.;
3) adyatmika - spiritual; relating to the mind.
Mental diseases are more prevalent in the world today and mental worries cause much suffering. Man worries whether he could fulfill whatever he starts. Only devotion to God gives relief from the three types of diseases and sorrows.
Today man has many kinds of attachments such as to family, property and business which make him very weak. All weaknesses can be cured through Bhakti, which can confer liberation. There are two forms of devotion: attachment and true devotion.
What is attachment? Man is attached to the world mainly through three types of bondage; namely: to one's wife, children and property. This world is permeated with these three types of bondage which we readily take into our hearts and consequently suffer. This is not devotion. Whatever we see, hear or talk may make us feel happy, but that is only delusion and not devotion (Bhakti). Devotion is directing all of your attention to God. All of the scenarios and materials that you listen to must be dedicated to God. Having intense desire for God is Bhakti. If the love that is caught up in the three bondages is redirected toward God, it would be devotion. We are attached to this world but how long can the wealth and material objects and forms satisfy us and to what extent? Money comes and goes, ephemeral like passing clouds. After life is over can wealth give you happiness?
One has attachment to one's wife though she was not born with you but came in between, and will not leave with you, and will disappear after awhile. It is only a relationship of false attachment, not Truth. The relationship with the son is similar. The son is the form that results from the attachment between husband and wife. The relationship with the son is also impermanent. The three bondages to wife, son and wealth are ephemeral, but God was there prior to one's birth, during one's lifetime, and will be there after one's death. God who exists before, during and after life in the body is the Truth and the one Goal. To live with this attitude is devotion. You are deluding yourself when you attach to other things and persons and not to God. Everything should be offered to God. Do your duty and please God. One's body has been gifted in order to transform action into Dharma (righteous conduct) through Love. Karma is action done by one's organs such as the hands and legs. Once one combines karma with Love (the heart), the action becomes Divine and Dharmic.
For example, a car has an engine, seats; fuel, etc., but runs because of the battery. Similarly, the body like a car has organs that operate because of the mind (the ear listens, the mouth talks, etc.). Each organ has a specific function: the eye only sees it does not speak; the ears only listen, etc. According to Vedanta, the mind is the cause of the entire experience of the world. At this moment you are sitting in this auditorium listening to the discourse. If only your eyes and ears are here while the mind is elsewhere, you will not benefit from the discourse. If you suddenly become mentally absent, you would later on wonder what Swami has said. To join the purified mind with action is Dharma. One's body has been gifted to perform dedicated action, so pursuing the spiritual path means following Dharma. Man requires food to provide strength for his body and clothes to protect it. From food (bukti) one derives energy (Shakti), from attachment (rakti) comes detachment; through devotion (Bhakti) one attains liberation (Mukti). In all of these words, bukti, Shakti, rakti, Bhakti, Mukti, "ti" is common. In this word "Bhakti," "bha" stands for brilliance, infinity, and transcendence. As the first syllable in Bhakti is "bha" and the last "ti," devotion (Bhakti) is the cause for all powers. Devotion should be pure, steady and selfless and one's heart should always be pure and sacred to reach Bhagawan who is effulgence, purity and selflessness. No one should see evil or look for the faults in others.
Once there was a lady traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto by train carrying a bundle of dirty clothes wrapped in a clean cloth. Someone sitting nearby asked her, "Why do you put a clean cloth outside while all dirty clothes are inside?" She replied, "I have no right to display dirty clothes to anyone. To show only goodness and purity to others is the meaning of human life." Even though there may be bad actions and thinking in people, a person with a good mind will cover them up (transform them) through devotion. For example, inside the human body are nerves, bones, blood, faecal matter, etc., which if seen by man would cause him to faint. Even though the body is covered by a pure, attractive skin, there is often a foul smell rather than fragrance around it. The abdomen has long tubes of intestines, muscles, etc., which if seen by man would cause him to become fear-stricken. God has hidden all of these unpleasant aspects behind the outer beauty, so that one sees only outer beauty and forgets what is inside. As was demonstrated by the lady from Japan who bundled her dirty clothes in a nice cloth so as not to show them to anyone, we should also sublimate the bad and concentrate on goodness.
The perfect example of this was demonstrated when the Devas and the demons were churning the ocean and poison came out. Lord Shiva, the blue-throated God, thought that if He allowed the poison to remain the earth would be destroyed, so He drank it to protect the angels and the demons. This is a lesson from God to teach man, "Oh mad man, keep the bad within yourself; do not trouble or harm or hurt anyone; keep your actions and words in check."
Lord Shiva wears the moon on His forehead to signify His power to shed coolness and comfort. Due to His compassion and sacrifice He also sends the sacred water of the Ganges River to all. God keeps the bad within and shares the good with all to teach that everything should be for the benefit of all.
After birth a baby cries for the benefit of the body, to aid blood circulation. Thus the baby's cry is beneficial. Though life begins with a cry it should end in Divine Bliss. The Bhagavad Geetha also begins with the misery in human life, and ends in Divine Bliss. So life in this world comprises both the good and bad aspects, but we should show only what is good not the bad. Today, man is unfortunately showing and sharing the bad with everyone but not the good. We are finding fault with others rather than searching for our own faults. The good within everyone must be shared. Jesus too said that we should remove the block in our own eyes. If we watch and remove our own defects through self-inquiry, we can attain self-realization. In order to practice Bhakti (devotion), we must know our own defects and direct all the good and bad in us to God. Due to the intimate relationship with God even all the bad will turn to good. For example no one will accept your torn 100 Rupee note, but if you take it to the reserve bank; they will exchange it for a new one. God is the Director of the reserve bank. Offer Him all the bad in you and He will turn it into good. Speak to God saying, "God, I offer You my heart that You gifted to me, please purify it." To offer everything to His Lotus Feet is surrender and devotion. God gave you the Love that is within you; so offer this Love back to Him.
There is no one today without some trace of evil. There must be evil in the world for goodness to have value. There cannot be day without night or air-conditioning without heat. This is explained in the Bhagavad Geetha in the chapters on "Kshetra Vibhaga Yoga" Take the example of the orange covered with a bitter rind with sweet juice inside. As one cannot eat the rind, it is necessary to remove it to enjoy the sweet juice. God's creation is a combination of good and bad and one must discriminate and keep only the good. In Bhakti (devotion) offer everything good and bad to God only. We celebrate birthdays to show that we are happy the child is growing up, but we do not realize that his life span is also diminishing year by year. Thus at the beginning of life there is happiness but later on there is misery. To offer both to God is Bhakti. Misery, too, is a gift of God. It is Bhakti (devotion) to see the universal presence of the one God in both happiness and misery.
At present, students are taping the songs and discourses. If you remove the cassette from the tape recorder you cannot hear the songs and discourses. Also you must connect the plug or batteries in order to listen to the tape. Similarly, one must connect to God through concentration in order to hear and know Him as Divinity cannot be seen through the physical eye. Only through Bhakti can one experience the direct vision of God. All of one's actions should be offered only to God. In ancient times in their prayers devotees offered all of their limbs to God. Today, the devotee takes flowers, touches his eyes, and offers the flowers to God. But one is offering the flowers instead of the eyes, thus saying one thing and doing another. The devotee touches his heart with a flower and offers the flower to God, but he is not truly offering his heart. As you think so should you act. The devotee should say to God, "If I offer my heart to You, it should be filled with Divinity." In Telugu there is a saying, "As is the action so is the reaction." People today say one thing and do another, so God too reacts in the same manner. As God reflects, your own evil returns to you.
In the food prayer, "Brahmarpanam Brahmahavir," we offer food to God and God replies, "Oh mad student, you are offering food to God, but where do you think God is? I am present inside you selflessly digesting and distributing the essence of all four types of food to all parts of the body. I do not receive the nourishment, you do." Though God is selfless and full of sacred Love, today's selfish man is not able to understand this, but instead blames God. Everyone is dependent on God because He resides within one as the consciousness that enables one to see, work, and move, etc. All of the limbs by themselves are inert; the consciousness alone makes the body function. Have strong faith that God is latent within you and is the form of Love. It is enough if one has devotion but today man is drowned in attachment to the world. One can have faith only when he directs his mind to God with Love. So develop faith in God and His Love to solve the problems and miseries of life.
There are four stages in life: student, householder, renunciant and retired. Today as these are all mixed up, there is misery; a celibate acts like a householder and a householder acts like a celibate. Whether one is a celibate or a householder, he should do his duty; no other penance is required. Don't give up your duty, but rather offer all actions to God. Bhakti is the easiest path to liberation. Life is indeed full of miseries like old age, disease, and death. Family members are not born with us; we acquire these relationships only in the middle between birth and death. At birth we do not even come with clothes and we also do not know where we are going at death. If we post a letter, it must have a "to" and "from" address or it will go to the dead letter box. Likewise, you should know where you are coming from and going to. Know at least one address by inquiring into the "I" within yourself and discover that you have come from the Atma (Spirit). It is natural for beings to return to their origin.
For example, the clay pot will eventually go back to its origin as part of the earth; it was a pot in the middle stage only. Your body too is like the temporary, impermanent pot, but it has God within it, so pray and offer all to God. That is Bhakti (devotion). Many miseries come in life but all are like passing clouds. Instead of spending time doing rituals and penances, offer only pure Love to God. Making her baby lie quietly in the crib, the mother resumes her work. The moment the child cries she will leave everything and run to him not taking time to consider the tune or rhythm of the cry. Likewise, God does not consider the rhythm or tune of our cry or prayer, but sees only our heart. That is the nature of the Love of the Divine Mother who expects only Divine Love and responds to whole-hearted prayer. Offer your heart full of Love; that is Supreme Devotion (Ananya Bhakti).
Swami ended His discourse by singing, "Chitta Chora Yashoda Ke Bal..."
Then He spoke again: In the song "Chitta Chora Yashoda Ke Bal," God is called a thief. The butter and milk that Krishna stole were the soft and pure hearts of the devotees, and the devotees want Krishna like a thief to steal their hearts. Ordinarily if anyone is called a thief, he would become angry, but here God is called a thief not of worldly things or pleasures but only of pure hearts. Make your heart pure so that He can steal it.
6. HAVE GOOD THOUGHTS, GOOD ACTIONS AND GOOD COMPANY TO REALIZE GOD [April 11, 1996]
Embodiments of Divine Love,
In the spiritual field, those aspiring for spiritual Bliss will have to observe these four disciplines. Firstly, they must run away from bad company. Secondly, they have to be free from bad thoughts. Thirdly, they have to perform good actions. And fourthly, they need to come near to God through withdrawal of the mind. Man is put to suffering because he is physically in bad company and mentally suffers from bad thoughts. Any spiritual aspirant is in danger because of bad company, so run away from them. What is bad company? It consists of those individuals who harbour self-interest, ego, jealousy, and who generally lack human qualities. All of these will take you away from the Divine. Due to bad company we not only lose human qualities but even the good thoughts and feelings can turn bad. A man in the company of thieves will turn into a thief; a man of virtue loses his virtues in the company of those with vice. The sacred heart becomes unsacred. Therefore, run from bad company and never associate with unbelievers and those with bad negative thoughts.
Though God is the fundamental base of the entire universe, we forget this fundamental nature of the Divine and follow the fleeting world. Life and time are of great value; time is the form of God. Our life and thoughts run like a whirlwind, like a river; our life span is melting like ice. Man ends his life without fulfilling his responsibility and duty to know the purpose of life.
Without the body as the support, you cannot know the Supporter, the Indweller, so protect the body in order to recognize the Divinity within. As the body is a sacred instrument to know God the Indweller, one must understand the body, and then inquire about the Indweller.
In the sacred text of the Mahabharata there was a certain character, Kama, who was the embodiment of righteousness and charity. Due to association with the wicked Kauravas, he too became one with them; that is, wicked. Though formerly noble, highly educated, and powerful, such a mighty one lost his power due to wrong company. It is difficult to distinguish between the pious and the wicked, but based on their actions and words one can decide.
Meditation and Japa are not the only components of the spiritual path. True spirituality lies in removing animal traits and attaining Divinity. Among all beings man is the noblest. Food, sleep, fear, and procreation are common to both man and animal. Man is endowed with the special ability to distinguish the permanent from the impermanent, the good from the bad, and the right from the wrong. Man has a higher mind (intellect) and wisdom without which there is no difference between man and animal. A human being is one with a mind, and is thus called, "manushi" Man's thoughts originate from the intellect and his behavior is based on his thoughts. One on the wrong path will have wrong thoughts and it is only due to wrong and negative thoughts and weaknesses that one cannot recognize Divinity. So run away from nonbelievers and those against God or you will suffer. A serpent has poison in its mouth, but a wicked man is more poisonous. A serpent bites once, whereas a wicked man hurts continuously. Never be with those who are against the spiritual path. Good company, Satsang, consists of those who are on the good path. "Sat" means "Being" which never changes, or is affected by what happens. Be in the company of "Sat," that is, pious, noble people; have friendship with such people to develop the spirituality within you and to diminish worldly thoughts.
Don't delay in doing good acts. Once when Kama was taking a head bath, he held in his left hand the oil for his head in a gold cup. Kama never refused anyone anything. A Brahmin arrived and informed Kama of his son's marriage. Immediately Kama gave the gold cup to this Brahmin to use in the marriage ceremony, with his left hand. The Brahmin told him that it was proper for him to offer a gift with only the right hand. To offer a gift with the left hand is unrighteous according to the restrictions regarding offerings of charity. Usually one's mind wavers in such a decision, but this was not so in the large-heartedness of Kama. He thought, "The effects of the mind are mysterious. If I transfer hands to offer the gold cup, I may lose this good idea or thought in the thought of deciding which hand to use. It is better that I give spontaneously with my heart rather than thinking about which hand to use." Similarly, a person may wish to give a ten rupee note to another. But by the time he goes and fetches it from his box, he changes his mind and eventually gives away only two rupees. This is only due to attachment. This is the difference between charity (dhana) and wealth (dana). Always do good immediately, don't bother whether it is day or night. At whatever time a person comes to you, you must be good to them. This is called Satsang (the company of Truth). Vyasa expressed the essence of the eighteen Puranas with, "Help ever, hurt never."
We consider helping another as "paraupakara." This word is divided into three syllables; "para upa kara." "Para" means spirit; "upa" means to go near to your Self, the Atma. Spirit in one is the same in all; God is present in all beings; with the Atmic feeling, you feel close to all. From the worldly point of view, paraupakara means charity; but from a spiritual viewpoint, it means to be nearest and dearest to God. The essence of the two conveys Bhakti. Devotion is helping others; when we help others, there is no mind. Day in and day out think only of the Atma. The Spirit or Atma in you should manifest and express externally in a pleasing way to God, then the result is good action. But man limits himself and thinks he is a lawyer, a businessman, etc., when in Truth he is Atma. You should remain as a yogi. Combination or merging with one another is yoga. However, in the sanctum sanctorum we act in one way and in the dining hall another way. Life is momentary like a passing cloud; it changes and passes like a day. We move from childhood (morning) having four legs (crawling), to youth (afternoon) having two legs, to old age (night) having three legs (must use a walking stick). Whatever you do, have the Godly feeling.
Some may come very close to God, while others may not. Only the fortunate ones can be close. One should make an attempt to be lucky. The Upanishads teach this. "Upa" means "near," "ni" means "below," "shad" means sit down," so Upanishad means to sit down near God.
We think that a poet is a scholar. No! God with knowledge of the past, present and future is the true poet (the epics come from the poet, God). Truth, which cannot be divided, is the true poetry. From Truth God has created everything; from the pure, unsullied Truth came poetry. Satyam (Truth), Jnanam (Knowledge), Anantham (Boundlessness) is Truth. God created Sabda-Brahma-Mayi, the sound from which all sounds and vocabulary came. He is Sound, Light, Eternal Spirit, Illusion, Prosperity. He created the word AUM. The Vedas originated from eight letters (sounds) in the beginning. From the eight, five were derived. The five sounds became three: A-U-M. In the word God, there are also three G-O-D. Aum is God. We pronounce Aum from the throat, tongue and lips (the sound rises up through these three), and the sound which comes from these three gets unified into one sound Om, similar to saying God. Thus God is the basis for everything; He is the Poet, (Kavi), for the Puranas and other epics.
Inside the human body, the pura, is the Purusha who is all over and moves the body from top to toe. If one asks where God is, the usual answer is that He dwells in the heart. The Atma dwells in the spinal column between the ninth and twelfth vertebrae. The effulgence in the sushumna nerve of the Divine energy current is felt all over the body. The physical heart is only the switchboard, and the current is in the spinal column. On a stormy dark night, clouds flash lightening and give light. The sushumna nerve moves like lightening, creates the pulse in the body and provides the electrical current to enable the body to move. It makes a sound slowly, "Tuk,... Tuk,... Tuk." Since God is ancient He alone can be called God.
"Anushatam" means the one that commands. If a person commits a theft, he is imprisoned, but it is only his body; his mind can go elsewhere. The jailer cannot tell him not to allow his mind to wander out of the prison. But God will command your mind; God alone will lock your mind which is the basis of all thoughts and withdraw it from the world. In Vedic parlance, this has a significance-first control the mind; we do not have it under our control. The entire world is under God's control. Never forget God. You should come close to God. If you do not, it is your fate. This is the lesson we can learn from Kama's folly. Arjuna, on the other hand, had spent time in the company of Krishna. Kama was far more knowledgable, but through associating with the bad company of the Kauravas, he lost. Whereas Arjuna, though he had little knowledge, was in the good company of Lord Krishna, so he won. Sat or Being is the nature of God. Consider that when one has devotion and Godly feelings, all the worldly thoughts will go; that is true life. Only through nearness to God can one derive Bliss and true comfort. All the gold in the world cannot give that happiness. Never lose this opportunity for nearness to God because it will lead you to liberation. You should install this Golden chance inside your heart. When one has mental peace, he can resist and face the challenge.
Life is a challenge, face it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is Love, share it.
Love is God; live in Love.
Through Love one can achieve anything, but without Love one is equal to a beggar; so develop Love. How? As Love increases, the bodily attachment decreases, as on a seesaw, as one goes up, the other goes down. You are in the middle. When you go toward God, there is balance; life should always be in balance; never lose that balance. If you misuse your intelligence, you will lose your balance. Man can be highly intelligent, but he misuses this capacity. If he uses it skillfully, then he will have the correct balance. But due to evil thoughts and impure knowledge, the intellect instead of having skill, "kills." At one time you say yes, at another time no; there is constant wavering. A man without balance, with a wavering mind, is like a madman. Everything is a passing cloud. Know this truth, do your duty and be with good company. When you run away from bad company, you will be automatically with good company and then you will experience Truth. You cannot experience God now because you have good and bad in you.
When you purchase an orange, you understand that you cannot eat the rind even though you paid five rupees. This is discrimination. The rind symbolizes the bad qualities; throw them away and keep the sweet juice of the Atina. Oh foolish mind, sing the name of God. No one can save you in the end except God. Again and again we take birth and die and lie in mothers' wombs and never think of God. Can this be the purpose of life? We should come once and redeem ourselves. It is a sign of ignorance to see old things again and again. You read today's newspaper only today, you do not again read the same newspaper tomorrow; it has already become wastepaper. Atma is like a test paper. You will be in eternal life if you progress and pass with a first class. That is the purpose of life. You must aim high looking up to the stars and never have a low aim like a criminal. By looking up one is filled with noble thoughts; be optimistic in life, never pessimistic. The optimist is like the one who goes up high in the airplane, the pessimist is the one who takes the parachute down. Seeing the tumbler as half full is the optimist; seeing it as half empty is the pessimist. One thief staying in jail met another thief. One was looking up at the stars, while the other one was looking down into darkness. The one looking up won't repeat mistakes, but the one looking down will repeat.
Desire only Truth and God more and more. All other desires make you desire more and more and more things. Never listen to but run away from those who speak against God. This is the basis for spiritual life and by following them only can one reach noble heights. Wherever you go remember God in your heart and thus do your duty.
Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Govinda Hare, Gopala Hare, Hey Gopi Gopa Bala".
CONTINUED…
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Who is Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi?
Who is Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi?
By Shri H.H. NARASIMHASWAMIJI
Founder - All India Sai Samaj (Regd.), Madras - 600 004
SAI BABA of Shirdi is a name to conjure with. In fact, his name is used as a sacred and powerful mantra by thousands of persons. He is not a non-historic or remote personality, but one who was with us in the flesh till 1918, moving familiarly with tens of thousands and that for decades. A short account of Sri Sai Baba will be interesting and will also prove in many cases the turning point in the lives of numerous readers, as it has done in the past.
2. Of Sai Baba’s birth, parentage, and antecedents, no person that we have met can give any account. But Baba himself gave some hints which have been verified and worked upon. He seems to have been born some time between 1820 and 1850 A.D. in the village Pathri, in the Nizam’s State. His parents were Brahmins who handed him over at a tender age to a fakir. After the fakir’s death, some five years later, the child passed in the care of his Guru Deva, Gopal Rau Deshmukh, a great Bhakta of God Venkateswara of Tirupati. After a splendid period of ten years of intense love and devotion towards his Guru-God, the boy obtained the Guru’s grace. As directed by the Guru, he went westward and came to Shirdi in the Bombay Presidency (Ahmednagar District), and after some wanderings, settled and spent the rest of his life there. He passed away on the 15th October, 1918 (3 p.m. Vijayadasami Day, after Ekadasi began). The tomb erected over his remains is now the Sai Mandir attracting the devotion of persons from all parts of the country.
3. Nobody dies: least of all, a self realized soul like Sai Baba. Atmagnanis or Jivanmuktas are said to become Vidhehamuktas or nirakara Parabrahmam when the fleshy sheath is cast off. Exceptions to this rule are mentioned in the Brahma sutras. Bhrugu, Narada, and other eminent devotee-gnanis have, instead of merging in the Absolute when they cast off the body, continued to remain in their subtle body (Sukshma sarira, which however could be rendered gross and visible or sthula at will) in order to co-operate with divine Leelas, rendering service to humanity. These are styled apantaratmas. Sai Baba is now an apantaratma. Before shuffling off his mortal coil, he said that his devotees need not be sad or frightened at his casting off his fleshy gown (kupni) and that wherever and whenever any devotee should think of him, he would be present and attend to him. This has been found indeed to be true by innumerable persons; and earnest souls can still take Baba at his word and prove its truth from their own experience.
4. Sai Baba, the soul of truth and reality has never spoken untruth. ‘Anrutam noktapurvam me nacha vakshya kadachana’ (Untruth, I have never uttered nor will I utter it at any time), was the remark of Ayodhya Rama as also of this Shirdi Rama.
5. The early decades spent by Baba at Shirdi are almost wholly forgotten. He was first living under a margosa tree leading the life of a perfect ascetic. Next, he removed to a dilapidated mosque in the village, and resided there to the end of his life. He had nothing that he could call ‘mine’. For thirty years and more, he was leading the life of holy poverty, and then his devotees whom he affectionately termed his children, pressed the pomp and show of royalty upon him. For the last ten years of his life, he appeared as a prince though he behaved throughout like a poor fakir, who either owned nothing or everything in the world. His was the life of perfect celibacy (naishtika rahmacharya with astalitha urdhvarethus), a fact which was beaming out of his brilliant tiger like eyes. His virtues were numerous - Ananthakalyanaguna - and would naturally sink into the heart of those coming in contact with him, and thus raise them gradually on the highest. ‘Apana sarika karita tatkal’, is a saying of Tukaram, which means that great souls raise the devotees to their own level; vide Bhagavata, where Lord Krishna says, ‘Though devotees do not wish to be one with me, I pull them unto myself’.
6. Amongst his qualities, the most notable was, of course, love - uniform, all embracing, intense love, showered on all and at all times, without any idea of the extent of sacrifice involved or any idea of recompense - truly maternal love at its highest. God is love and the means to reach God is also love. Baba was nothing but the embodiment of love. This love was perpetually manifesting itself in every act, word, and thought of his, though at times hidden by his ascetic modes of life. In the beginning he would move and talk with none except under strict necessity. However, when there was any suffering in the village, he would run to relieve it and would accept no recompense.
7. ‘Saisangatve nissangatvam’ was the other exception to his rule of asceticism. Where there were saints or holy people, he would be found in their company. Some of these saints like Janaki Das and Devi Das were the first to discover his merits; and in the early eighties of the 19th century, some of them revealed the fact that Baba was like a diamond lying on a dung hill, and that the world would one day discover what a great Rama Bhakta he was. The world has since discovered that fact, and more, has identified him with Rama, Krishna, Maruti, Datta, etc.
8. At the time of his arrival at Shirdi, Baba appears to have been a thorough adept in the Prema marga, the path of love and evidently possessed of all power, which naturally issues from such love. He seldom cared to use his power, but once, a manifestation was wrung out of him. The shopkeepers who supplied him gratis with oil, one day refused the supply, and gathered in a scoffing mood to see what the ‘mad fakir’, as they styled him, would do without oil for his lamps. Baba simply filled up his empty earthen lamps with water, and the wicks inserted in the water were burning all night! This gave a rude shock to the villagers’ notion that Baba was negligible and mad fakir.
9. Baba however was never negligible. From the very beginning, he was always helping humanity at first by dispensing medicines and later by dispensing ‘Udhi’ i.e., Vibhuthi or ashes from the fire that he always kept burning by him. Udhi has played a very important part in the grace shown by Baba to people all these years, and it is still being sought and used by people all over the country. But, as Baba explained, it is not the Udhi itself that works the wonder. {“What can the Udhi do? Nevertheless, take the Udhi as it is wanted”, said Baba to G.G.Narke} The devotees’ Bhakti (faith and devotion), for instance, has always to take its part in the good results produced by the Udhi. The Udhi was generally the material with which His blessings were issued. The Udhi is the cup enshrining the really valuable blessings of Baba. But these blessings often came and do come without the Udhi.
10. When people came to him, he would give them the Udhi and say ‘Allah bale karege’ (i.e. God will bless) and everything he uttered proved effective. Once he said ‘I go on speaking things here and things happen there.’ Baba’s words were words of authority. When he said that there should be water on a waterless rock, water was found there. {Charter 350}. When he addressed the elements they obeyed him. Fire, water, and air were seen by several devotees to obey his orders. He ordered high flames to sink down and they did. He ordered the rain and storm to cease and they ceased. He willed a cool breeze to blow near the fire on a blazing summer day and cool breeze blew there.{Charters 341.4} The dead were revived. The heart of every one present or absent, he knew without effort and he could control it. He was realized to be a sarvantharyami. He himself declared,
‘Aham Atma hi Chandorkar Sarva bhutasaya sthitah’
i.e. ‘O, Chandorkar, I am in the hearts of all creatures’.
11. Of the many ‘miracles’ performed by Baba and witnessed by many eminently respectable persons (many of them still living), it is sufficient to give but a few instances to show how and why they were resorted to. Baba identifying himself with God and gods declared that there was never any miracle performed by him. Really, there are no ‘miracles’ in the universe if ‘miracles’ mean the violation of the laws of Nature or of God. People begin to generalize about the laws of Nature from the few facts known to them and when a strange phenomenon suddenly appears in apparent contradiction of their artificial ‘law of Nature’, it is declared to be ‘miracle’ - a violation of the so called law. A truly scientific mind would rather add the new fact to the old facts and try to remold the old law so as to include the new fact observed. Mankind is not omniscient. One day, the science of the future will give scientific explanations for the so-called ‘miracles’ of all times.
12. But beyond the miracles of Baba, there is one bright, marvelous fact, worthy of people’s adoration and that is, his golden heart of love with its message of universal love. Baba loved all - Hindus, Moslems, Christians, and Buddhists, the learned and the illiterate, the poor and the rich, the priest and the criminal - alike. His message to all his devotees is ‘Love ye, one another, as I love you all’.
13. Baba declared that if people hated one another, his heart was smarting with pain and sorrow and if persons forgave enemies and endured the ill-treatment, he was highly please. This is the most valuable lesson for this day and for all time. A story is told in Bhagavatham of the world going as a cow to Brahma, groaning under the weight of the cruel Asuras harassing innocent people. That is just the spectacle all over the world to day. Hatred, destruction, plunder, and absolute disregard for truth and virtue, are the predominant features in the daily history of the world to-day. Man’s claws and teeth are red with the gore of brother man; and the criminal is not apologetic but blatant. Civilisation is in imminent danger of being submerged in pools of human blood and devastating fire leaving the human form a fossil to be discovered within some rocks by some later race. The only thing that can avert this doom is love, a revival of the very ancient message to Asuras from God ‘Dayadhwam’ i.e., ‘Be merciful’.
14. Baba’s whole life was an illustration of how this divine message could be carried out in life, and the more Baba’s message is heeded, circulated, and preached, the greater is the hope for humanity avoiding the threatened catastrophe. Incidentally, it may be noted that while the Kshtriyabalam of Akbar failed, the Brahmatejobalam of Baba is steadily achieving the benefit of the people. ‘Dikbalam Kshatriyabalam Brahmatejobalam balam’ - Fie upon Kshatriya’s power, Spiritual power alone is power’, was said by the Kind Visvamitra when he found that all the arrows showered by him upon Vasishtha were of no avail, by reason of the Brahmadanda which Vasishtha had placed by his side as a protection. ’Ekena brahmadandena astrah sarvah vinishkrtah’.
15. One species of miraculous achievements wrought by Baba for the benefit of his devotees is the blessing given for issue. Whenever Baba blessed anybody and said that there would be issue, invariably the lady brought forth the child, either male or female, in twelve months, exactly as stated by Baba. Here are a few examples: Damodar S. Rasane had two wives, but no issue. His horoscope showed a papi or cruel planet in the putrasthana and astrologers declared that he would have no issue in this birth. But Baba gave him four mango fruits and directed him to give them to his junior wife. Baba assured him that he was going to have eight children through that wife, the first two being males. The lady ate the fruits and had just eight children, with their sexes as mentioned by Baba. This would remind one of the issue less monarch Dasaratha, consulting his Kulaguru Vasishtha. According to the directions of this Guru, Aswamedha and Puthrakameshti yagas were celebrated on a grand scale (even though it was not stated that there was any papi in the putrasthana of Dasaratha) and four sons were brought forth by his queens. In Rasane’s case, there was no Vasishtha nor were any yagas. Evidently, Vasishta, Vamadeva, Risyasringa, Bhrugu, Puthrakameshti and Aswamedha were all inside Sai Baba who declared that the devotee would have eight children.
16. Another case is more interesting. One Scindhe had seven daughters and no sons. He went up to the temple of Dattatreya at Gangapur, 200 miles away from Shirdi, and prayed there for male issue. He vowed that if he were granted a son within twelve months, he would bring the child to Gangapur and make his offerings. He had his prayers answered and obtained a son in twelve months. But, for about six years, he did not go to Gangapur at all. Then he came to Shirdi. Baba looked at him and spoke fiercely, ‘Are you so conceited and stiff-necked? Where was there any male progeny in your Prarabhda karma? I tore up this body (pointing to his own body) and gave you a male child in answer to your prayer’. This was not only occasion when Baba declared that he had overridden the workings of Prarabhda karma. A third case is interesting from another standpoint. A pleader of Akkalkote had reviled and mocked at Baba in his student days and had subsequently lost his only son. Fancying that the loss was the result of his irreverence towards Baba, he came to Shirdi. Baba blessed him and declared that he (Baba) himself would fetch the soul of the deceased son and place him within the womb of the Vakil’s wife. In twelve months thereafter, she was delivered of a male child.
17. Incidentally, it may be mentioned that it was the blessings for issue more than anything else that made the educated, especially from towns, to go to Baba. One Gopal Rao Gundu, A Revenue Inspector, who had two wives but no issue, sought and obtained Baba’s blessings and the fruit of those blessings, a son. He broadcast the kindness of Baba and his wonderful powers abroad, and a large number of educated people including Deputy Collectors, Collectors, and political leaders like Lokamanya Tilak, flocked to Shirdi.
18. In 1886, Baba died his first death. One day when sitting along with his devotee Mhalaspathi in the Dwarakamayi (as his mosque was named by him), Baba said that he was going to Allah and that consequently for three days his body was to be looked after for, after that period, he might return to the body, and that in case he did not do so, the body should be interred near the mosque. Presently Baba’s body became a corpse. An inquest was held over the same and the officer holding the inquest insisted on Mhalaspathi burying the body. But Mhalaspathi vehemently opposed the proposal and succeeded in preventing the internment. On the fourth day, Baba’s body revived and for thirty-two years thereafter, Baba worked through that living fleshy case and finally left it on the 15th October, 1981, with the same prescience and clear control over all the circumstances which he showed in 1886. This leaving of the body at will and returning to it at pleasure is an art, a Siddhi, described in the Yoga Sasthras; and Baba’s exercise of such powers convinced and would convince many of the truth of the Sasthras. ‘Dharmasamsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge’ (i.e. ‘I am born in each age for establishing Dharma’) said Krishna of Dwapara Yuga to Arjuna. And this divinity of the twentieth century A.D. in Kaliyuga, like other men of God (Devatmas) of the same period, has frequently by his conduct proved the truth of, and confirmed, the belief in Dharma and Sasthras.
19. One noticeable feature of Baba’s life after his return to the body was that he began to encourage the arrival of Bhaktas to his feet. Evidently the object of his return to his body was to carry out his mission more fully and for a longer period on earth, especially with reference to the devotees and others bound to him by former ties, rinanubandha. This is well illustrated by his call to Narayana Govind Chandorkar, B.A., Personal Assistant to the Collector of Ahmednagar, to come to his feet.
20. When N.G. Chandorkar or ‘Nana’ as Baba affectionately called him, was halting at Kopargaon, Baba sent word to him repeatedly to come to Shirdi for a visit. Nana after much hesitation came up to Shirdi and asked Baba why he was sent for. Baba replied that for four previous births, Nana had been intimate with Baba and that therefore in this life also, he should get into similar close contact. Again Nana hesitated. But Baba, by the exercise of his wonderful powers and his kindness especially, filled Nana’s heart with faith and gratitude for numerous miraculous favors showered upon him. On one occasion when Chandorkar was stranded on a hot day on a waterless hill (Harischandra Hill) unable to climb up or get down, he suddenly exclaimed; ‘If Baba were here, he would give me water’. Baba who was then at Shirdi, forty miles away, mentioned to the people there that Nana was thirsty and should be provided with a palmful of water. At that time, a Bhil appeared on that hill and pointed out a palmful of water to Chandorkar, under the very rock over which the latter was seated. Later when Nana visited Shirdi, Baba informed him that it was ;he who provided water on the waterless rock. Similarly, on another occasion, when the thirsty Chandorkar prayed to Baba in the midst of a forest for tea being given him after he should emerge from the forest, tea was suddenly provided in the middle of the night in a forlorn place. Again when Nana’s daughter was undergoing the tortures of prolonged parturition, Baba sent a gosavi from Shirdi with Udhi to be used for easing the parturition. The gosavi wanted to know how he could go to Jamnere, which was N.C.C’s camp, across thirty miles of country road from the railway without funds, Baba simply answered that everything would be provided. At the station, the gosavi found a Tonga and a liveried peon waiting for him, professing to have been sent by Sri Chandorkar. When the gosavi went up in that Tonga and delivered the Udhi, its use was quickly followed by safe and comfortable delivery. Then he mentioned the Tonga, the horse and the liveried peon to Chandorkar, who wondered, as he had not sent any of these and nobody else could have sent these. Both the gosavi and NGC wondered at Baba’s power to provide everything he wanted at any place and at any time and at the depth of Baba’s love for his devotees.
21. Nana had innumerable proofs of Baba’s vast, nay, unlimited powers, his perpetual watch over his beloved devotees, his invariable kindness towards all that approached him, and summed them all up in the phrase that Baba was omnipotent, omniscient and universally kind. No word aptly expresses the sum total of these attributes except ‘God’. Chandorkar was convinced that Baba was God and worshipped him as God; and by reason of Chandorkar’s vast influence, Baba’s greatness and glory became known to all in various parts of Maharashtra.
22. One Ganpat Rao Sahasrabuddhe, a constable attending on NGC was similarly turned in to a devout Bhakta and made to quit Government service (in 1905) substituting therefore the service of God or Baba. Sri Sahasrabuddhe has thence forward been known as Dass Ganu Maharaj and as a Kirtankar-devotee of Baba all through these forty years. By his powerful Harikathas and his talents, he has carried Baba to the homes of tens of thousands in Maharashtra. His works on Baba are the earliest authorities on the life of Baba. The above mentioned two gentlemen with others like H.S. Dixit and Anna Dabolkar, may be regarded as Baba’s apostles who carried the faith in Baba to the length and breadth of Maharashtra.
23. Baba’s own miraculous personality surviving his release from his physical body has however been the principal reason for the success of all this propaganda. His power is still working and by reason of that along, myriads in Madras and other Presidencies have become firm adherents to, and worshippers of, Baba. The faith is well grounded in the experience showered upon them now as liberally and miraculously, as they were showered before Baba’s passing away. Baba’s figure is occasionally seen by, and his wondrous powers are manifested to, those that have the necessary faith, at any place, as Baba has no partiality and his grace cannot be the monopoly of any person or place. Wonders are being worked by him today at various places and therefore Sai Mandirs have sprung up in many of them.
24. Baba, however, is not a mere worker of miracles. He is a Samartha Sadguru. He applies miracles or miraculous means to fill with faith and gratitude the hearts of devotees. Gratitude soon turns into love and then Baba’s real work is seen. Baba purifies the hearts of all of the dross of low attachments and their consequences, and gradually raises the devotees’ souls to loftier and still loftier states of being, till they finally merge into himself. People begin with the notion that Baba is a kind provider of all that they need and in fact resort to him to have their temporal needs satisfied. But they discover (at least many do) that Baba is after all their Ishtamurthi, their own Rama or Siva, the God of their fathers who has now taken a new shape to carry out the ancient divine plan of the Universe, and that ‘God fulfils himself in many ways lest one good custom should corrupt the world’.
25. The question is often asked whether Baba was a Hindu or Moslem. The first remark to make about this question is that the cause for this question should be looked into before it is answered. There is a strong feeling on the part of the Hindus that they should not go near a Moslem whose views run counter to their cherished ideas, and who would destroy their religious emblems and idols. Similar is the repugnance on the part of the Moslems to accept purely Hindu traditions which they consider too idolatrous and unholy. When we come to take an impartial view, we find, whether we are Hindus or Moslems, that the above question is irrelevant or of very little importance. First about the irrelevancy. The Sufi and the Orthodox Hindu, both agree that when a person has reached perfection, i.e., the level of Brahman, the question of caste does not arise at all. Caste (or ‘Jathi’ as it is called in vernacular) refers to that which has born and that which has ‘janma’. The self-realiser who is identical with God is not born though his body was born. But the body is not ‘he’ and there is no need to go into the question as to whether the body arose from parents who were Hindus or Moslems, or was trained and brought up among 3ither of them. Sri Sankara’s well-known phrase about the realized soul is ‘Jati Niti Kula Gotra duuragam’ - that it is far above questions of caste, family clan, etc., and Sankara’s Manisha Panchaka repeatedly closes with the line, ‘Chandaalostu Dwijostu sadgururityeshau manaishaa mama’ - ‘Let him be a chandala or Brahmin; he (the realized soul) is my Guru’. What does it matter whether the Kohinoor is lying on a dung hill or in a palace! The Sufis too have exactly the same view as regards these distinctions. However, the reason for raising the question is a strong feeling regarding the necessity of protecting one’s own religious sentiments adequately from being harassed violently by a person of an opposite sect. On this matter, it may be pointed out that whether Baba was a Hindu or a Moslem, he allowed every sect to keep to its own method of approaching God. To Hindus, he said: ‘Continue your Rama worship, and worship the stones which your forefathers worshipped’. He even presented some lingams, silver padukas, pictures and coins for worship by Hindus. To Moslems, he never gave any of these but allowed them to follow their nirakara (formless) form of worship as far as it is possible. So the real cause for raising the question about one being a Hindu or Moslem does not arise in this case on account of the extreme catholicity of Baba’s views and practice. But prejudices die hard and in spite of all that is said, persons still hanker to know whether Baba was a Hindu or a Moslem. It may be pointed out that though his original antecedents were unknown; his continued residence for about 50 years in a mosque was considered a sufficient reason for most people to consider him to be a Moslem. There is a Tamil proverb that if one drinks anything, even milk, under a Palmyra tree, he will be taken to have drunk toddy.
26. Let us examine the real facts. Baba’s antecedents as mentioned already were revealed by himself. Even after they are fully considered, still the question must be deemed doubtful whether he was a Hindu or a Moslem. But (Janma or Jathi) by actual birth, he was of Brahmin parents, and hence by a very large number of persons, he is considered to be a Brahmin. But according to Baba’s own statement, he was handed over in his very infancy to a fakir who brought him up for about five years according to Islamic faith. After the death of the fakir, Baba was handed over to a Brahmin Guru by name Sri Gopal Rao Deshmukh of ‘Venkusa’. The stay of ten years under this Guru and the marvelous initiation into divinity by the Guru’s purna kripa, ought to clear all doubts, and establish that Baba was Brahmin or at least a Brahmin. But as fate would have it, the Guru after conferring upon Baba his purnakripa and raising him to divinity, directed him to go westwards and Baba had to spend the rest of his life in a mosque moving with all alike as an ativarnasrami, i.e., one beyond all caste rules. We do not know what an expert lawyer would conclude as to Baba’s caste in these circumstances. But whatever that may be, to those who considered him a Moslem, he responded as a Moslem and to those who cared to treat him as a Hindu, he responded as a Hindu; and he expounded the Koran to the former and the Sasthras to the latter. By the Hindus, he has been worshipped as Ramavatara or Sriman Narayana for so many decades while others treated him as merely human. This reminds us of an incident about Krishna. When Sri Krishna went with Balarama and others to a yagasala and wanted food, the Brahmins were wondering whether they could offer the food prepared for gods to Krishna, who appeared to have been born in a Kshatriya family but brought up among (Vysias) cowherds. He was regarded as God by many, but the Brahmins were doubtful about his caste. By reason of their ignorance (ajanna) they offered no food at all to Krishna. Then Sri Krishna sent word to the ladies, who ran up all at once with great devotion and gave up all that they had prepared for the Gods to him whom they considered as the God of Gods. Exactly the same thing happens now. Persons whose pious leanings render they easily attracted to such great souls as Baba run up to Baba and never bother their heads over questions of his Jathi or caste, and like the Brahmin ladies, deserved and obtain the highest blessings while many doubting Thomasses (samscyatmas) even of the highest castes, go on debating endlessly about the question of the caste to which a holy man belongs and lose their chance of benefiting themselves here and hereafter. It depends a great deal upon once’s poorva sambanda or rinanubhanda whether one is attracted by Sri Krishna or Sri Sai; it may be noted that persons wish to discuss this question of caste only when their feelings have not been roused. But when one is in intense pain or great trouble, his heart leaps out with the request, ‘Baba, help me’, never minding a brass pin as to where Baba was born or how he was brought up; and once he receives innumerable and miraculous benefits, he gets perfectly convinced that Baba is God to him, whatever he may be to others and he cares not for discussions as to the legal position regarding Baba’s caste. Baba himself used to say at times to such Hindus as considered him a Moslem: “I am a Moslem, don’t come to me” and to persons who regarded him as Sad Guru or Guru-God: ‘I am a Brahmin. Give me dakshina. This place wherein I am sitting is not a mosque; it is a Brahmin’s mosque; it is Dwaraka Mayee’. He was everything to everyone. {Ye yatha maam prapadyante, thaamsthathaiva bhajaamyaham’ - Gita}.
27. Apart from Baba’s caste, some persons raise the question whether he was a Brahmagnani and if so how he happened to perform miracles. Persons who raise such curious doubts would do well to analyze their own question and find out its implications. Can it be very seriously contended that he who performs miracles must be an agnani? Will Sri Krishna and Shankara be labeled agnanis by these people? If these people analyse their own minds, they will discover the reason fro their doubts. Spiritual aspirants (Sadhaks) are often decidedly to lose by attending to the thaumaturgic powers or Siddhis derived from their Sadhana and many Gurus have warned their devotees from hankering after Siddhis. It is also pointed out by such gurus that there is a waste of accumulated powers in the exhibition of Siddhis and the performance of Siddhis is generally attended with the danger of increasing one’s passions especially the rajas and Tamas, which are embedded in one’s nature. But can these objections ever arise in the case of one like Sai Baba? The differences between miracle-mongers and souls like Sri Krishna and Sai Baba are these. Firstly, in the case of the latter, power arises not by the repetition of mantras or by the adoption of tantras, but simply as part and parcel of their divine nature. Secondly, these high souls have no hankering for the results of the Siddhis. They do not ask for recompense, nor do they try to attain ulterior aims of their by having recourse to Siddhis. Thirdly, the Siddhi power, being part of their nature, does not exhaust itself by any number of miracles. Fourthly, they are prompted by pure love, Karuna and their employment of powers is a means for achieving the highest temporal or spiritual ends for themselves and others. None of these statements will apply to miracle mongers.
28. In this short introduction we cannot possibly give even a very rough outline of the various activities of Baba. It is enough to say that he was a Pramagnani and Samartha Sadguru. A guru is one that teaches; a Sadguru is one that teaches and draws one to God; a samartha Sadguru is one who draws people to God employing all his Siddhis and other high powers for the purpose. It is not all gnanis who have realized God that perform these miracles or chamatkars. It is not the dehaprarabdha of several gnanis to exhibit any such power or to assume the role of samartha sadguru, while it is the dehaprarabdha of others to serve humanity as such samartha sadgurus and exhibit such powers. No comparison ought to be made about these two sets of gnanis. Baba ought not to be compared with any other guru. Comparisons are always odious and hardly necessary for the benefit of any aspirant. If any person feels drawn to Baba by learning about Baba’s qualities and activities either from one’s own experience or of others well -known to him, he may at once proceed to have further contact with Baba and get the fullest benefit of such contact. There is no need for him to worry as to how Baba is to be classed - as an Avatar or Avalia, Devatatma or Alwar, etc. One may simply feel the taste of sugar and use it without raising the questions to whether it is derived from beetroot, sugarcane or Palmyra juice. No wise men ever worry about such matters. They do not attempt to classify various gnanis. We must all be always humble in our approach to God and divine persons. Any other attitude will simply thwart our endeavors to reach divinity or to attain the highest benefit by spiritual exercise.
29. We may very well close this short pamphlet with the practical question (1) what are the benefits that Baba can confer? And (2) what has one to do in order to obtain these benefits? The first may be met by a counter question. What benefits does one expect when he is approaching Baba? Are they temporal or spiritual? Whatever they may be, there is no benefit that is beyond the power of Baba to confer. He is worshipped every day with phrases like ‘All-powerful’ (sarva sakthi murthaye namah) etc., and the experience of devotees proves that he is able to confer benefits of every sort - curing disease, both physical and mental, giving relief to departing and departed spirits and to those who are suffering from obsessions or infirmities, removing domestic troubles, etc.
30. One more word about these labels and comparisons. People are sometimes unconsciously assuming to themselves ability to judge of all grades of spiritual nature and power and say that Krishna is superior to Rama, Buddha is superior to Chaitanya, etc., and cause irritation to others and confusion in their own minds. If we find the water in one creek or bay saltish, should we say this creek or bay is superior or inferior to the ocean? God is one. Divinity manifests itself in innumerable places and ways and according to the needs of the times, and each god-man does the work of alleviating man’s miseries and raising him upward. When the question is asked, why should one give up his Siva or Rama worship and go to Sai, the answer is that there is no need. If one feels Sai is different from Rama or other Ishta Devata and that the latter serves all the purposes of the Devotees, if one is thus satisfied and contented, Sai Baba has never asked and does not ask such a person to change his position. Baba is highly conservative and wants each man to stick to his religion, caste, guru. Ishta Devata, Idol, mantras and sampradaya. It is only if one feels that he is still left with a desire for further benefits which his customary contact with his Ishtamurthi, guru, mantras, etc., does not acquire for him, and if he is disposed to place faith in Baba’s powers to grant these or other benefits, that Baba allows or directs him to come to his feet. Baba does not interfere with his loyalties. Faith in Baba is added on to the old loyalties. That faith works miraculous benefits and tends to strengthen itself. Gratitude and love follow faith and the resultant benefits. Through these, Baba purifies the heart and draws the devotee higher and higher up the spiritual ladder. That man who came for worldly goods finds his desires purified, his mentality changed and thinks more and better of Baba till at last, finding that Baba is only one of the numerous names and forms assumed by God, resigns himself to Baba. He then realizes the absurdity of instituting comparisons between Sai and other names or forms and of asking why one should go to Sai. It is only those who are specially blessed by poorvakarma that can be drawn by each of these personalities, and when so drawn no question arises, and all doubts are driven off. One huge wave of faith, love and knowledge drowns the soul and draws it to the feet of God, in Sai form and in all forms.
31. What are we to do to obtain our desired ends with the help of Baba? There are some who raise questions even preliminary to this. Is it not better not to desire at all? Is it not degrading to go on praying or asking for this or that? To persons who really care for nothing i.e., to advanced Viraktas, this question really will not arise. They are not compelled or induced to go to Sai Baba. See Bhagavatha - ‘Nirgrantinopi.. Iththam bhutha guno Harih’ - i.e., viraktas are attracted by the nishkamya leelas of the Lord. Sai Baba’s leelas were purely unmotivated by desire. His whole life in the flesh was one continuous self-sacrifice for the sake of humanity. In serving Man, he was serving God; and he advised his devotees to do the same.
32. Undoubtedly it is better not to desire than to have desires and to seek their gratification through the help of Sai Baba etc. But how many are there who can calmly reason thus and find power to crush the roots of desire in their hearts? If there are any such among the readers, they are not asked to seek Baba’s help or God’s help, if that is different, to attain any objects. Even the desire for Mukti - liberation - is a desire; and even to attain that, people pray and seek the aid of experts, i.e., sages who know the way to liberation and who are gracious enough to extend their help to those who seek help.
33. The vast majority want benefits, temporal and spiritual, temporal first and then spiritual. The body and its adjuncts, a family. Etc., have to be maintained with sufficient prouision for health and some degree of comfort before people can think of spiritual things. Sai Baba may be approached by all who feel the need for this urgent help. The more impassioned their appeal, the more faith they have in Baba, the quicker will be the results, other things being the same. To these we may suggest the ways and means of contacting Baba.
34. There are no special ways for approaching Baba, i.e., ways different from those adopted for approaching other high and noble personalities. How do we approach our mother? It looks ridiculous for us to ask such a question. The mother has showered her love on the child long before it is aware of such love. Thus Baba has similarly played the part of an unseen mother showering benefits on her children, the devotees, even from their previous births. But how are they to approach Baba now? Let them sincerely wish to do so. At once the approach has been started. They are improved from that very instant. They get more and more enthusiastic and get more and more benefits. These produce gratitude first and finally strong love. Let the reader daily think of Baba, seeing his figure in the medals, pictures etc. he keeps with himself and let him read about Baba’s great deeds more strong than ll poetic thought. Baba’s 108 Namavalis is a mnemonic device for forcefully recalling these qualities. Let him attend Bhajans and Pooja where sincere devotees gather. One song from a sincere devotee, one artless song, will thrill the hearer and fill him with awe, joy, piety and lofty sentiments that will last a long time. Le one always go in for service to humanity or to lower creatures for the sake of Baba i.e., viewing Baba as existing in each individual person or creature that he sees. Baba himself will direct the further steps of the earnest enquirer. Ways and means for further contact and further growth will be disclosed by Baba himself in innumerable ways to each ardent devotee. The manner in which he imparts these varies. Some of highly emotional nature see him at times even today and some talk with him during waking hours. Others get such contact in their dreams. Still others earnestly wanting some response and piously opening some book with a prayer, find their response in that book. Others resort to chits. Others simply rely on the correctness of their intuition that the though suggested to them at a particular time is the thought given by Him. In these and other ways, people get their contact and benefits from Sai. Sai is not different from God. Are not all these ways adopted by devotees in various religions to get access to and a response from their God or Ishta Devata? The same applies to Sai Baba. There are numerous Sai Bhaktas who have such intense faith in Him as their God and who get their response and benefits from hi. If any reader is very earnest and wishes to pursue this matter further, it must be very easy for him or her to ascertain who are the Sai Bhaktas in their district or province with such Bhakti and, if these are noted for their pure and lofty nature, they can and might be approached with perfect safety and advantage.
“BOW TO SAI PEACE TO ALL”
Source: http://www.saileelas.org/books/issaibaba.doc
Posted at 08:47 am by saiavatar
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Oct 10, 2004
John Hislop's healing miracle
John Hislop's healing miracle
Baba's Miracle of Life
While asleep in Brindavan in the month of October, 1978, without any prior warning to me, the prostate suddenly closed off the urethra. What happened then was agonizing, but nevertheless most comical. When Baba came down from his apartment, about 8 a.m., I told him that the urethra was closed and that already the bladder was very swollen. He smiled, said not to worry, and gave me vibhuti. About 11 a.m., he returned from inspecting some new construction and as he came to the veranda, both Dr. Goldstein and I approached him saying that my condition seemed to be serious. Baba came up to me, looked in my eyes, patted me on the head and said not to worry, it was just the heat. Then at 4 p.m., when Baba usually came down after rest, I did not wait, but sent a note upstairs that the situation was steadily getting worse and that now severe pains were moving back and forth throughout my body. Baba came down immediately. In the group of devotees waiting for him, there were, as usual, several physicians, including Dr. Goldstein from California. Without any discussion, Baba told the doctors to take me at once to the hospital and operate if necessary.
Now the comedy quickened. We got into several cars and went to Baba's hospital for women in Whitefield. The Medical Officer-in-Charge, Dr. Mrs. C. Rajeswari, made an examination room available, and the assembled doctors tried some 20 or more times to insert various sizes of catheters into the bladder, but with total failure...
By now I was in agony, although I bit my tongue and kept silent. It was the immediate decision of the doctors that an emergency opening would have to be made through the wall of the abdomen...
At Bangalore, the job was botched by the resident surgeons; heavy infection set in, and in three days Baba ordered me back to Brindavan... Baba arranged for the operation at the Whitefield hospital, the Sri Sathya Sai Hospital for Women and Children. The care was magnificent... The entire inside of my abdominal cavity was filled with virulent infection, and the tissues were so rotted that standard operating procedures could not be used... The lady doctors said that certain characteristics of the operation procedures indicated to them that Sri Baba was there and in charge. I was told later that from deep anasthesia I twice said that Baba was there and that I was talking with him...
Why the big comedy in the whole affair? It took me some time to figure it out. We all knew that Baba could have corrected the entire matter by his Grace when I first reported the trouble. Why the deadly complications at the Bangalore hospital?
When Baba returned from Prasanthi Nilayam, he visited our cottage almost daily. Once he described the entire operation, including my comments under anesthesia. He said that the odds had been against me, thet he had been there throughout the operation, and that had the trouble struck me at any other place in the world, I would not have servived. Finally, at the time of another visit, I told Baba that I had figured the matter out. My conclusion was that I had come to the end of my natural life, Baba had let me go down to the final step, and at the last moment, he had reversed my natural death by giving me rebirth. Baba smiled and confirmed that what I said was true; he had given me new life.
After returning home to Mexico in January, some continuing complications arose which took me into a Mexican hospital and then an American hospital. Baba sent word to not worry, that these were just rebirth pains.
John Hislop, My Baba and I, pp. 49-51
Posted at 05:25 pm by saiavatar
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Baba and Mother Ganga
I wanted to share this delightful story with you that I read last night in the incredible book, "Love is My Form" which chronicles Baba's younger years. It is a giant book filled with miracle stories and wonderful photos of Baba. This excerpt is from page 415.
"One day after bhajans, when the ladies began making garlands, Baba joined them. Suddenly he stood up, urging others to follow Him. He said, "Come on! Come on! Mother Ganga is coming to visit us." He went to the gates of the Mandir and opened them, extending His arms out on either side, while forbidding others to go beyond them. Pointing out in front He said that Ganga was coming. Those with Him saw a torrent of water coming forcibly towards them. They were very frightened and stood behind Baba. The waters came very near, but did not cross beyond Baba as he stood with arms outstretched. The whole scene was unearthly. He asked devotees nearby to get coconuts, flowers, kumkum, turmeric and other articles of worship. By then, the waters almost surrounded Him. Things that stood on elevated land, like trees, were no longer visible. The surging water covered them all.
With awe and fear the devotees offered worship to Mother Ganga. Baba, breaking coconuts and offering them into the river water, placed His hands on the surface of the waters and said, "We are happy that you came to visit us. Now, go back, Ganga!" In response to his bidding, the water disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. Everybody looked in disbelief to see that there was not even a drop of water anywhere and most amazingly, Baba's robe was dry. He smiled and beckoned the devotees to look at His feet. There on the sand was a big garland of jasmine flowers lying at His feet. He picked it up, cut it open and distributed flowers to everybody. These jasmine flowers were almost as large as roses, and their fragrance filled the place."
How blessed we are to be in the presence of this being whose magnificence is beyond what we can even imagine!
Love to all.
Posted at 04:32 pm by saiavatar
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Oct 8, 2004
Sathya Sai Baba's Discourses at Sai Sruti Kodaikanal during April 1996 [Part -1]
Sathya Sai Baba's Discourses at Sai Sruti Kodaikanal during April 1996 [Part -1]
1. PURIFY THE MIND TO REALIZE DIVINE BLISS [April 5, 1996; Good Friday]
Embodiments of Divine Love,
All names and forms are of the Divine. Every person is an embodiment of the Divine. The human body has been gifted in order to know the Divine.
Everyone wants peace, bliss and happiness; nobody wants misery, worries and problems. What is the nature of real happiness? Man has to make an effort to understand what true happiness is. If you ask anyone he would reply that it is freedom from troubles and anxieties. Sensual pleasure is not true happiness even though man considers it to be so. Sensual pleasure indulged in by man makes him equivalent to a beast and upon examination of the sensual pleasures; one can see that their duration is momentary. The ancient Rishis prayed and asked to be shown whether it is worldly pleasures or proximity to the Lord that gives true happiness and discovered that the Divine gives true eternal Bliss.
At one time, Germany defeated France in the Second World War. The French Chief Marshal stated that his country had been defeated because of the excessive sensual pleasures of the people. Since that time they have encouraged control of the senses.
True happiness comes from firm faith in the Divine and the full blossoming of body, mind and intellect. We should not allow our body, mind and intellect to take the wrong path.
Above and more subtle than the body is the mind, and above and more subtle than the thinking mind is the intellect. The intellect is the leader of the body and the mind, and the Master of all these three is the Atma or Spirit. We say "This is my body, my mind, my intellect." But who am I? The Master should see that the instruments are put to proper use so that true happiness which is union with God can be realized. Union with the senses brings about misery.
What is the nature of creation? God's Will transmits into creation. Everyone should have devotion to God, the Creator, so their will would be in harmony with His Will. Sita means the daughter of Mother Earth as well as all Divine qualities such as sacrifice, compassion, mercy, grace, and the Peace that is within one. In the world wherever one looks, one sees only pieces (diversity) but not Peace. Sita (see the Epic Ramayana) was always with Rama. As you are embodiments of Truth, Peace and Love (Rama), there is no need to search for Peace outside.
Napoleon had some spiritual development. In order to conquer the remaining countries during the war, he had to first conquer his sleep and hunger. He trained himself to sleep and wake at any appointed time. Once when Napoleon was wounded with arrows in the war, and the doctors wished to operate, he refused saying that he would first meditate. He allowed the doctors to remove the arrows only during meditation in the evening without an anesthetic. Napoleon had full control over his mind and thus was able to transcend it.
For the body, one's mind is the master; for the mind, one's intellect is the master; for the intellect, Atma is the Master. So the Master of life is the Atma. If we merge the intellect in God, all the senses would be subjugated. Mahatma Gandhi prayed that all should have a good intellect- "Sab ko sanmati do Bhagawan." A purified intellect reflecting the Atmic light confers true wisdom. When the intellect is full of God, naturally one will follow the correct path and experience Peace and Bliss. If the mind follows the senses, one is ruined.
Follow the Master;
Fight to the end;
Face the Devil;
Finish the game.
Who is the Master? Your conscience is the Master, so follow the conscience. To face the devil means to avoid bad company, thoughts and actions. To fight to the end means to work to subdue the unruly senses. Say, "O bad senses, don't go there, go only toward God; eyes, see only God; ears, listen only to God's glories, etc."
See no evil; see what is good.
Hear no evil; hear what is good.
Think no evil; think what is good.
Talk no evil; talk what is good.
Do no evil: do what is good.
This is the way to God.
The word "good" has two zeros. One zero stands for the world. If you remove this one zero (the world), only God will remain. So see good, do good, and be good to merge with God. Direct all of your actions toward God. In Christianity it is said, "All are One, be alike to everyone."
If you declare that your body belongs to you, then why can't you control it? If you cannot then the body. must not belong to you. How can you offer to God your mind which is also not under your control? If your body is paralysed why can't you make it move? If your body was truly under your control, then surely you would be able to make it move. Take the example of this handkerchief. If you hold it tightly, then it is in your grip. If you drop it, it is out of your control.
Buddhi (subtle intellect) has the power of discrimination. Discrimination is of two types: individual and fundamental. Fundamental discrimination has a universal nature as that indicated in the prayer "Loka samastha sukhino bhavantu" (May all the worlds be happy). Individual discrimination is only individually inclined; one thinks only of 'my body, my friend, my relative, etc. Individual discrimination is very limited, narrow, selfish, and represents untruth, whereas fundamental discrimination is based on Truth. The intellect should follow the path of fundamental discrimination having feelings of good will to all in order to reach God or oneness.
One's so called individual Atma is identical to everyone else's Atma. There are many tube lights here in this room, but the current flowing through them all is only 'One'. All of our bodies can be compared to light bulbs. The capacities of each body or bulb may be different, but the Spirit or Atma is only One in all of them. "Eka Prabhu Eka Naam” means there is only one God; so one Divinity is present in all.
One should always be charitable. The culture of Bharat (India) teaches giving and sacrifices. We must always discriminate what and how much we should give. Discriminate when you see the beggar on the street with his hand outstretched for money. Give him clothes or food but do not give him money because he may misuse the money to buy alcohol and cause fights. Your money would have been wasted; unity destroyed, and would be responsible for these problems. Encourage the needy to find employment and to develop unity as one's body has been given to do work. If, however, you see a handicapped person whom you can help through giving money, charity should be given with full knowledge of the consequences to avoid harm. "Help ever, hurt never," and in every aspect discriminate carefully.
Spiritual aspirants should not move about here and there but should keep the body still and spend time concentrating in solitude to experience Bliss. Bliss which comes through the experience of the unity of the Atma will redeem your life. Here is a handkerchief consisting of numerous threads. The unity of the woven threads gives the cloth its strength. Likewise, the unity of the body, mind, intellect and senses will confer strength and power.
Swadharma is the true dharma. Dharma is not only that which is related to a religion or faith. 'Swa' means Self or Atma. Dharma means conscience or witness. Sath and Chit mean eternal, total Being and Awareness, not fragmentary knowledge. Being or Sath may be compared to pure sugar which is always sweet; Chit to the pure water which goes on changing (moving, flowing). If you mix them you get syrup which may be compared to Bliss or Ananda. This is not the Bliss found in the material world. The material world can give you only impermanent happiness, not Bliss.
There are five types of knowledge to be found in the world. The first is bookish knowledge, the second superficial knowledge, the third general knowledge, the fourth discriminatory knowledge, and the fifth practical knowledge. Worldly happiness is termed santosha, which means only some happiness. For example, when you are hungry you eat two chapatis and after two hours you are again hungry; so the happiness you derived from eating was only temporary. The head has responsibilities; it is not a source of Bliss. Ananda (Bliss) comes only from the heart and is permanent. The highest goal of life lies in deriving happiness from the heart. The word for heart is hrudaya meaning heart (hru) and compassion (daya).
The proper study of mankind is man. Kindness should grow and fully blossom from man's heart. God has the quality of attraction and attracts to Himself whatever is good. Gold has value and attracts but brass does not attract. Iron alone attracts the magnet because of its relationship with the magnet. The magnet can be compared to Paramatma (Supreme Soul) and iron can be compared to the individual soul. The attraction between them is due to the unity of the individual soul and God. God is one. We should understand our own Divine nature. Sometimes when the magnet is unable to attract the iron many ignorant people may say that the magnet has no power. But this lack of attraction is due to the dust and rust accumulated on the iron. Similarly, bad company, bad talk, bad deeds are like dust and cause rust and do not attract Grace. God gives tests and punishes as well. We must welcome and pass a series of tests as they are the means for promotion. In order to pass examinations, one has to prepare for tests. Today from first class to tenth class there are no tests. Unfortunately today we don't want any tests due to laziness. Even if one wishes to apply for a job as a clerk he must have an interview. One should face with fortitude all tests in life.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is Love, enjoy it.
We are lucky to have this life; to be born a human being is very sacred. Make use of life in a sacred way after purifying the heart and eradicating anger. Lack of control over anger ruins discrimination and causes one to do wrong things. Anger is an animal quality not a human quality. When you become angry, go to a quiet place and repeat, "I am not a dog, I am a man." When confusion comes, repeat, "I am a man, not a monkey" ten times. Many people cheat, then repeat, "I am not a cheater, I am man"; "I am not a jackal, I am a man." The foreigners who have come here are all good devotees, but have a few weaknesses. They spend a lot of money on unnecessary things, have too many associations and do too much visiting from house to house.
The body may be compared to a house, the senses to windows, and the mouth the main door; keep it clean and sacred. Let the animal qualities go out; don't allow them into the residence. Don't follow other people, seeking sensual pleasures, but instead follow God. Unfortunately, we welcome bad qualities, and do not follow God's commands. When chanting Rama, as we say 'Ra' we open the mouth and bad qualities should go out and when we say 'm', God should enter to remain permanently. Why visit palm readers on the street who tell others' futures when they cannot tell their own. Devotees should use common sense. What is devotion? It is pure Love. Devotion to God develops from pure Love. Love between a husband and wife is attachment. Spiritual Love comes and grows whereas worldly love comes and goes. So follow God's commands until the end.
Once there was a young cowherd boy named Madhukar. One day as he was grazing his cows beside a river, he saw a Brahmin repeating, "Om Narayana Namaha" while doing pranayama in order to control his mind. After some time the boy went up to him and asked him what he was doing. The Brahmin explained that when one utters "Soham," he is declaring, "I am God." "So" (God) is uttered during inhalation and "ham” (I am) is uttered during exhalation. This is done in order to control the mind. The boy had full faith in the Brahmin and because he wanted to experience God he immediately put into practice the teaching. He put the cows on one side and sat down to begin pranayama (breathing exercises). He wondered, "How does God really look? In paintings I have seen Lord Shiva on a bull, and Lord Vishnu on an eagle."
The boy had full faith in the words of the Brahmin and began repeating the mantra, "Soham." He was ready to shed even his body for God. Where there is steady faith, there is success. One should care only for God. As the boy had this attitude, Narayana manifested Himself. The boy asked Him, "Who are You?" He replied, "I am Vishnu." The boy said, "I am not certain as I have never seen You before. I'll ask the Brahmin to come to identify You." This boy was very innocent. He feared that Vishnu might run away so he tied Him up and went to fetch the Brahmin. The Lord was very pleased with this boy's devotion. However the Brahmin could not believe the boy's story as he doubted how Vishnu could appear to a mere boy. The Brahmin’s faith was artificial whereas the boy's was heartful. Both went to the spot where Vishnu was tied up whereupon the boy exclaimed, "See, there He is." Unfortunately only the boy could see Lord Vishnu, not the Brahmin. The boy asked Vishnu, "Why can he not see the Lord?" The Lord replied that the Brahmin’s inability to see was due to his polluted mind and impure heart. The boy then requested the Lord, "At least for my sake, appear to the Brahmin.” As God was pleased with his selfless attitude. He also manifested to the Brahmin. This story illustrates the role of the Gum to show the way to God, and the effort of the devotee to develop faith and devotion.
In the culture of Bharat, the sacred axioms are:
Matru devo bhava. The mother is God.
Pitru devo bhava. The father is God.
Acharya devo bhava. The guru is God.
Mother, father and preceptor or teacher are the physical forms of God for us. We say that we have come from our parents, but this is not correct. We have come from God through our parents is correct. When you have God what more do you need? Please God by performing all actions for Him. Dedicate mind, body, senses and intellect to Him. If you have faith God will manifest in front of you.
Pray wherever you go by chanting His name. Work is worship; duty is God. God is present in all beings as Sath (Being), Chit (Awareness), Ananda (Bliss). You sit and say 'Sai Ram, Sai Ram', but your mind wanders to the dhobi's (washerman's) house, wondering whether he will bring your clothes today. Japa or meditation with an uncontrolled mind is a waste of time. Truth, Goodness and Beauty, three attributes of God, are all present in one's own heart. Pray wholeheartedly from your heart; have both compassion and Love. If you pray with Love but do not have compassion, it is useless. Coffee powder and water must both be present to make coffee. Speak softly, think of God constantly and avoid bad company and any other disturbances.
Swami concluded His Discourse by singing, "Hari bhajana bina sukh shanti nahi."
2. ALL THE WORLD IS A STAGE [April 7, 1996, Easter Sunday]
Embodiments of Divine Love,
At one time Napoleon taught his soldiers, "Be clear and the rest will follow." He meant that pure feelings and actions will give one a pure heart. The whole world is a drama composed by God where every individual is an actor and God is the Director. Only the Director God creates the actors and designs all of the scenes. Whatever may happen is the manifestation of the Divine acts blossoming from the heart. Every human being is the spark of the Divine with Love as his natural trait and the goal of every living being and animal is to realize and manifest this Divinity. In this universal drama of life we are all acting to express Love; the end of transformation is to become the embodiment of Love. Prior to this Love is information and this information (knowledge) gathered throughout our lives culminates in individual spiritual transformation. Though everyone has been created out of Love, how unfortunate it is that man's responsibility and proper role to Love has been forgotten. In this drama everyone should play his role well, because if he does not, he will lose his reputation and respect. As everyone is a spark of the Divine, everyone should express the quality of Divine Love (Prema).
There is a "chinna katha," a small story. Once there was a very loving man swimming in a river. As there had been a heavy downpour, the water was flowing very turbulently. Suddenly he saw a scorpion floating in the water. Out of concern he gently picked it up and placed it in the palm of his hand. As it is the nature of the scorpion to bite, it bit the man and he quickly dropped it back into the river. But since he could not bear to see the scorpion drown, he again lifted it up to save it and again he was bitten. A cowherd boy came up to him and asked, "Why do you try to save it when its nature is to bite?." The kind man replied, "It may be the scorpion's nature to bite, but I am a human being and my nature is to Love. Why should I disregard my nature?"
See that you never change your nature and move away from Love. Love should never be converted into greed or anger. The whole world needs Love. At one time the Gopikas prayed to Lord Krishna:
"In this dry and parched land,
In order to grow the saplings of Love,
Send rains of Love. Let rivers of Love flow,
So we may reap the harvests of Love."
One's whole life should be full of Love. The true meaning of life is Love. Love is essential for life. The mind should be full of Love, the heart compassion.
True human life must have Truth and Love. Today man is dropping Love for pleasures because he does not understand the nature of Love. Worldly life is temporary, momentary and ephemeral. Earlier the ladies sang, "I am God." Everything is the form of God and God has an infinite number of forms. When one has determination concerning this Truth, then Love will naturally flow. Right from birth to death man is searching for Bliss. A boy is happy if he passes and goes to the next class in school. But how long does this happiness last? Soon he desires a first class standing in university, and when he achieves it he is happy. Then he wants to be a post-graduate. He achieves it and is happy, but for how long? He then desires and obtains a job and then a wife. After getting these he is happy, but for how long? Next he wants a son, then a daughter. He goes on struggling for happiness, desiring objects one after another until he retires. Then he wishes for peace. Thus happiness comes and goes; it is impermanent. All the worldly happiness is not equal to the spiritual happiness of the Atma.
What is Truth? Truth is evident when one expresses selfless Love. A life lived in Truth is Bliss. One's life should be full of Love. A heart without Love is poisonous. You may smile and say hello, but if it is not expressed from the heart, but only from the lips, it is not genuine or truthful. Today the world is behaving in such an artificial manner that all are only attracted by falsehood. For example, if you drop a handkerchief, someone retrieves it for you and you say thanks, it is often artificial thanks. Only pure selfless Love is Divine Love; all other love is artificial. Some only pray to God during difficulties and when they have no difficulties they forget God. Spending our life in gratitude and giving something back is the proper role in life's drama where God is the Director and His nature is Love. This Divine drama should not only be an _expression but also a propagation of Love and Truth. All this life that we think is real is only a dream and all the pleasures that one experiences and enjoys are not Truth.
There was once a poor man who had a wife and a son for whom he could not afford to provide. So he left home to earn money. In the meantime, unknown to him, his son died. One night he had a dream that he was a very rich man living in a large bungalow with five healthy sons, servants and all other amenities. After he awoke from the dream he couldn't find his bungalow and his five sons; he visited his wife who informed him of the loss of their only son. Now he thought, "Should I weep for the poverty and the loss of my only son that I am suffering from now, or should I weep for the loss of my five sons and riches in my dream?. Which of these is the Truth?" Neither is the Truth. "I" am the Truth. In the waking state I have problems and in the dream state I had no problems, but both are false. The Truth is God and "I" am that God. Past is past and it can never return and tomorrow is uncertain. Today is the present; but it is not the ordinary present, it is the omnipresent. Both the waking and dreaming states exist in the mind, but don't follow the mind as it is like a mad monkey. Don't follow the body; it is like a water bubble that may burst at any time. You are truly the form of Supreme Bliss, non-dual, eternal, pure, unsullied, the witness, beyond comprehension, attributeless. Sai is the Supreme Preceptor. God is the eternal witness, but such Divinity is forgotten today and man struggles for the fleeting things.
Who is near God? The one who follows God's commands and manifests Divine attributes. The secret is to have full faith in God; then one is a true human. The word for man is "manaci" (ma-na-ci). Man is the embodiment of Love. If we reverse the syllables in manaci, it becomes "ci- na- ma." Today's man is a cinema man; he is artificial and lacks compassion. But if he would follow the commands of God, everything else would follow. Though you have gold (God), from which you can make any type of jewellery (receive any Grace), you pray, "I want Bliss, Grace and Love." But all of these are ignorant utterances. The correct goal is in the prayer, "God, I want You." Everything is nothing without God. Everything material in the world is really nothing. Listening and experiencing this Truth is true Happiness and Love.
Start the day with Love,
Spend the day with Love,
End the day with Love,
This is the way to God.
But we are starting and ending the day with sadness and weeping instead. Napoleon has said, "Be clear and the rest will follow." Napoleon had great control over his mind. When one has mind control work can be transformed into worship. Do all acts, whether of service or in one's profession, to please God.
How does one experience God? You are wrong to say that you are the one who is working. For example, if you make a plan for a house, the idea has first come from the heart (God) and all that comes from the heart is Divine. You are not the doer, God is the Doer. When you are hungry you satisfy your hunger for yourself. When you love a child it is for your own satisfaction that you kiss him. So all works are done to satisfy your own self. This truth is not recognized. One should perform all acts only for God or Atma and not to satisfy the mind and the inert body. When a doctor performs an operation he uses a knife, but who did the operation? The knife? No! The doctor performed the operation with the knife as the instrument. Similarly, you are the Master (the Atma), so make proper use of your instruments the body, mind and intellect.
It is our good fortune to play a part in this drama designed by God; it is not possible for all to act in this play. In this play, every role is assigned by God; there is selection. Today in the worldly life, there is no selection, but only election. What happens in an election? You are not a candidate selected by God but you have to give a note (money) to get a vote. In selection God is in you as conscience. If we have been selected by God, we are most privileged to listen to Him. Love is the most important; there is nothing beyond Love. Everything is Love, so live in Love. Be happy; serve and worship God, then you will gain Eternal Bliss. None should put on castor oil faces. Smile, because Baba likes to see smiling faces. There are two types of smiles. One is a smile and the other is the loud laughter as in a cinema. You should not laugh loudly. The language of God is silence. Be pure of heart and steady in devotion. When the heart is full of Love, there is sweetness. The ladies sang, "Lord, Your Love gets sweeter and sweeter as the days go by...." One should recognize that such sweetness cannot be found anywhere except in God. Put into practice all that is learnt in the texts or else that learning is useless. As all acts are performed through the body. Love should emanate through you. In a tumbler of water, the tumbler is only a container. Without the tumbler you cannot contain the water. Likewise, the body is like a tumbler full of Divine Love.
Jayadeva prayed, "O tongue, the one that knows the taste and talks of God is the only worthwhile one. O tongue, no one has your quality of patience. How carefully and peacefully you move amidst the enemies (thirty-two sharp teeth). Knowing the taste of both sweet and bitter things, you eat the sweet and throw out the bitter."
The tongue has the sacred quality of discrimination between what is good and bad, what should go in and what should stay out. It is has no associations and visits no one; it remains in the mouth. Some people go from house to house like rats and cats. The tongue should not accuse others and spend time in falsehood. Let only the name of God dance on the tongue. The tongue is "nataki," a dancer. What does nataki mean? It is a vehicle of Maya or illusion. It dances continuously. How can one control natakfl reverse the syllables to "kitana" (continuous singing). Continuously singing the glory of God with Love is the only way to reverse the illusion, not by force but by "source" (realizing the Atma). This is the role that one should play in the Drama to gain a very good reputation. One should deserve God's Love; when you are not accepted by God, you are cheap. God's Love is immense like a Divine mother's Love, so through your exemplary conduct and by following His commands He will submit Himself to you. God creates the devotee', and the devotee also creates God by constant remembrance. The devotee has no value without God and without the devotee there is no God. The unity of God and the devotee exalts the human quality and proves that God and the devotee are one and the same. This Sacred Truth is made unsacred today.
When we take birth we cry, "Koham? Koham?" (Who am I ?). When we die we should have the answer, "Soham" (I am He). In an exam when you write the correct answers you will get good results. Learn well, pass the grades, earn the degrees, and then God will claim, "You are Mine." When God says this it is our greatest fortune. In order to safeguard this fortune, think of God continuously and sing His name with Love.
Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Prema Mudita Manase Kaho, Rama, Rama..."
3. SADHANA [April 8, 1996]
Embodiments of Divine Love,
In order to attain and experience Divinity it is necessary to have Divine thoughts and Divine actions. Many people pursue various paths to spirituality and expect results, but at times they become disappointed and frustrated. What is the reason? Everyone has to examine whether he is obeying God's commands or not. People behave in a wayward manner and therefore do not gain freedom (liberation). Everyone should know all the aspects of Sadhana (spiritual practice). Most aspirants today consider Sadhana to be Japa (repetition of a mantra), Bhajan (singing hymns), meditation, etc., but these are merely worldly practices as they involve the use of the body, the mind and the intellect. We should transcend these three, for the body is temporary and the mind is wavering.
What does the word "sa" - "dhana" mean? "Sa" means identity or proximity. "Dhana" does not mean worldly wealth, power, etc., but it means Divine Wealth or Truth, and oneness with that Truth which is eternal, ancient, pure and unsullied. This wealth is called Sadhana. Spiritual practices do not consist only of sitting with eyes closed and limbs controlled. We should also understand the environment in which we live and then we would gain God's Grace. We must bear all opposites such as heat and cold, rain and sun, pleasure and pain, profit and loss and sin and merit, equally. Vyasa taught the essence of the Vedas in just two sentences: Helping others is meritorious. Hurting others is sin.
The word "paraupakara" is divided into three syllables - "para," "upa" and "kara." "Para" means the Supreme or the Highest Abode; "Upa" means nearness and "kara" means to do or to go. Upakara, therefore, means that one should do good and help others in order to go near God. This is the proper spiritual path, the essence of the Upanishads. In the word "Upanishad," "upa" means near and "shad" means sit. What is the meaning of sitting near? The significance is that a disciple must sit down at the Feet of God (Guru) who is on a higher level. All the spiritual texts teach how to go near God. Just as one goes near an air conditioner to get coolness and comfort when it is hot, similarly, when one goes near God, he would develop Divine qualities. This is Sadhana.
What is "papa" or sin? Harming others is sin; classifying and diversifying and forgetting the unity is a sin. Names and forms may vary, but the Spirit is only one. The words from the hymn, "Eka Prabhu, eka nam... Eswara sarva bhutanam," say that God is in every being. God and nature are in union where God is the cause and nature is the effect. There cannot be an effect without a cause. To consider unity (Atma) as diversity (nature) is a sin. The spiritual path is very easy but due to our ignorance we are confused. Accept that whatever happens is for your own good and for the good of the world. If your desire is not fulfilled, don't consider it to be bad.
You are not one, but three: The one you think you are (the body), the one others think you are (the mind or the ego), and the one you really are (the Atma). Take for example, a piece of cloth. It consists of the unity of the cotton, threads and cloth. Our many desires may be compared to threads. If you remove them one by one, the cloth would disappear. Likewise, the mind would disappear after the removal of all desires. Less luggage, more comfort, makes travel a pleasure in the journey of life. Have only the desire for God. Develop this unique novel desire and also follow the commands of God. We should develop the faith and determination to desire only God, to follow His commands and trust that whatever God says is for our own good.
Once there was a king in India whose custom was to drink sugarcane juice during a certain festival. The king desired to cut the sugarcane himself. As he had no experience in this, by mistake he cut off his finger. His minister declared, "O king, this is very good for you." The king became very angry and had the minister imprisoned. The minister declared that to be imprisoned was good for him. One day the king decided to journey into the forest, and after some time he stopped to take rest under a tree. While resting he overheard a nearby tribal king and his tribe members discussing their need for a perfect human being for a sacrifice. They soon discovered the king and expressed great happiness. They captured him, gave him a bath and made all the preparations for the sacrifice. Suddenly they spotted the place on his hand where the finger had been accidentally cut off. They decided to release him as he was imperfect, and the king returned to his kingdom. He mused, "What the minister has said was true. Indeed, it was for my own good that my finger was cut off." He went to the prison cell, told the minister that what he had said was true and released him. The minister replied, "Yes, the prison was also good for me. If I had followed you into the forest, they would have sacrificed me instead." The king now believed that everything that happened was due to the Divine command. He said, "Pleasure and pain are good for me. Whatever God chooses for me is good for me." Everyone should have full knowledge of this truth. This is Sadhana.
Sadhana is not only Japa, rituals and Bhajans etc.. The essence of all rituals is to obey God's commands. In God's treasury there are many gems and valuables. What is God's nature? It is to give more than we can understand; but if you ask your request may not be fulfilled. "O mind, without asking did Rama not fulfill Sabari's wish? Without asking did He not send the bird, Jatayu to heaven? O mind, why ask?" God gives more than you could ever ask when you follow His commands; worship Him wholeheartedly and with full surrender. That is true Sadhana.
Once Rama, Lakshmana and Sita were walking towards Chitrakoot. Rama was tired so He asked Lakshmana to build a hut for the evening's sojourn. Lakshmana asked Him where he should build the hut. Lakshmana was very pained and said, "What sin have I committed that You should ask me to choose the place? I have no desire other than to follow Your command. All is Your Will." Rama bugged Lakshmana and said, "It is easy to get a wife or a mother, but to get a brother like you is not possible." Divine Love has no limits.
The world is ephemeral and full of misery, but there is Eternal Divinity within it. Today, love, worship and other acts are merely a show; true spirituality is not being practiced. If you cannot follow the command of God, your worship is of no use. One should not have a dual mind; a man with a dual mind is half blind. Do not have feelings of mine and Thine as in a business partnership; between God and the devotee there should be only a Divine relationship; always give without expectation of return. Maintaining the spiritual heart in purity is spiritual practice. The dualistic attitude is one of no wisdom. What is wisdom? Non- dualism, recognizing the One without a second, is wisdom.
Freedom! Nowadays you are enjoying freedom by doing as you like. You are having numerous unfulfilled desires and as a result, you are not able to know your own Atmic nature. Therefore, you are not receiving God's grace. The word for freedom is "Swaicha." "Swa" means Atma or "of the spirit" and "icha" means will (God's Will). So "swaicha" is not the freedom of the body, mind or intellect, but rather the freedom of the Atma. The body is like a water bubble and the mind is like a mad monkey; by following them you would go the wrong way. We don't have God's grace due to undisciplined freedom of body, mind and intellect. Once we know this, we would be able to gain God's grace. So Sadhana is not only spiritual practices like meditation, but comprises many other aspects as well.
We should- know that pleasure and pain are not separate in that without pain, pleasure has no value. Pleasure is an interval between two pains. All experiences are like passing clouds. Sadhana comprises actions associated with purification. Another important aspect of Sadhana is to maintain equanimity at all times.
God is totally unselfish. God gifted the body to the devotee to do pure actions. Man should practice selfless Love, as God is selfless, and not question to whom this Love should be given. Man should have firm determination in this. As God is the complete totality, to reach this God, man should surrender totally.
In Italy there was a certain man who made violins. He took an entire year to make only one violin. When asked why he took so long, he replied that he was not making it for the money. He said that since God is perfect, whatever one does should also be perfect and that he desired God's Grace. A whole-hearted devotee should offer full Love. "Om, Poornamadah Poornamidam Poornath, Poorna madhacyathe." This means that, "God is full and infinite, the nature of the devotee is fullness and infinity; all are full and infinite." Always have the feeling of fullness. Obedience to God's command leads to spiritual freedom.
In this Kali Yuga, though it is difficult to have good friends, have only good friends. So long as you have wealth, all will say, "Hello," but when you lose everything your friends will run away. The greatest friend is God alone who is above, below, around and inside you. So long as there is water in a tank, there are a thousand frogs around that tank but when the tank becomes empty, the frogs will disappear. Worldly friendship is similar. The only true friend is God who embodies true freedom; when we understand this we will achieve oar goal. For this we need to surrender and for surrender we need steady faith in God.
Life is a challenge - meet it.
Life is a game - play it.
Life is a dream - realize it.
Life is love - enjoy it.
Do not discriminate in Love. Enjoy it! For example, when you visit the market to purchase vegetables, if you start to enquire where they came from, etc., you may have doubts and imagine that they came from dirty places or dirty water and then you won't enjoy them. Why bother making too many inquiries, just enjoy them (God's Love).
Once Ramakrishna took his disciple, Pramananda, to a river and held his head under the water. When he pulled him out, he asked him, "What name of God did you think of?" Pramananda replied, "I could not think of anything except how to get out of the water" (gasping for air). Once you are drowned in Divine Love, you will only think of God. That is real concentration. Time waste is life waste, so love God more and more- every moment.
Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Prema Mudita Manase Kaho, Rama, Rama, Ram."
CONTINUED…
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