A letter from Howard Murphet
Reflections by Dr G Venkataraman

Sai Ram. It is some time since I did a reflection piece – unfortunately, I have been too busy to attend to this responsibility of mine. Yet, recent events have compelled me to abandon my [untenable] excuse, and what compelled me to do so was an open letter from Howard Murphet that somehow found its way to me, via the miracle of modern electronics.

Just prior to receiving this moving essay, I was deluged by a whole bunch of negative newspaper comments in Britain, triggered by an unsavoury documentary produced by a TV channel on Swami. Determined though I was not to be affected by this news from the gutter, being human, I could not help feeling some pain in my Heart. That was when this letter came to me – I guess it was Swami's way of sending me some soothing balm.

Murphet came to Swami a long, long time ago. An Australian, he had seen action in World War II as a soldier. War over, he turned, being of a spiritual bent of mind, towards oriental philosophy, Theosophy, occultism, etc. In his explorations, he came across a book on Shirdi Baba. About this he writes:

It was a book written by an Englishman [The Incredible Sai Baba, by Arthur Osborne] and published in England that first introduced me to the strange, fascinating figure known as Sai Baba of Shirdi. Later I learned more about this miracle-working God-man from other writings, including the four-volume biography by B.V. Narasimha Swami, but from the first introduction to him, I felt a deep stir within me – as if something pulled on a cord attached to the core of my innermost self. I could not understand what it meant.

Murphet picked up the book on Shirdi Baba (sometime in the early sixties) while in England. Later he toured Europe, and started on the return journey to his native land.

On the way, he decided to stop over in India. Concerning this he says:

After spending some time in Europe, my wife and I decided to stop for a while in India on our way home to Australia. We had two purposes in view. One was to go more deeply into Theosophy by attending the six-month 'School of Wisdom' course at the International Headquarters of the Theosophical Society, in Adyar, Madras.

Our second purpose was to travel through the country to discover if there was any deeper spiritual dimension in the life of modern India. …..Our search took us to several of the well-known Ashrams throughout the length of India, and to a few little-known ones. We sat and talked with ascetics and hermits in their caves in the Himalayas. We met a good variety of Sadhus, and teachers of different types of yogas.

From the hermitages of the Himalayas and the Ashrams along the sacred Ganges, we came back to New Delhi. There, at a leading social club, we met a top business executive who said, "So, you are looking for the spiritual life of India. There is none! That's all past. We are looking for what you have in the West – material progress." In another place, a Professor of History also tried to dampen our enthusiasm. "Believe me," he said, "there is no spirituality left in this country. In the India of old there was, but it died a thousand years ago."

Murphet did not accept these negative views. He felt it in his guts that all these people were wrong, and went to an ashram near Agra to have talks with the people there. In the course of his conversations, he heard a story. According to this, a young seeker asked a Guru: "How do I find God Incarnate?" The reply given was: "Pray everyday to God that He will lead you to the Man in whom He is at present incarnated." The man who narrated this incident to Murphet added, "I suggest the same to you now. Such a prayer will undoubtedly be answered.And when it is, please write and let me know!"

Murphet stored this advice away in his brain, and continued his wanderings, in the course of which, he came across a yogi. This was a turning point. Let us hear about it from Murphet himself.

I first heard the name of Sathya Sai Baba from a wandering yogi. He had not himself met this Holy Man, he said, nor been to his ashram at a village called Puttaparthi. This, he had heard, was a difficult place to reach, being in the wilds of the interior; one had to do the last part of the journey on a bullock cart or on foot over rough tracks. Still, the Swami was no doubt worth the effort, the yogi thought, if I had the time and interested in phenomena. He was known to have Siddhis [occult powers] and to be a great miracle-worker.

"What kind of miracles?" I asked.
"Well, it is said that he can, for instance, produce objects from nowhere. Of course, there are other men who have some of the Siddhis.They can do a few super-normal feats, but from the reports, Sai Baba's powers are much greater. And he performs miracles frequently. Anyone can see them."

Such talk certainly aroused my interest and curiosity. I had heard [who had not?] that India was the crucible of wonder-workers. I had read of the great adepts, occultists, saints of the past who knew Nature's Inner Laws. But I had doubted their actual reality. And even if they once existed, could they still be found?

This, I thought, might be my great chance to find out if the fantastic tales that have come out of India belong to the realm of fact or fiction. I decided that I must see Sathya Sai Baba as soon as convenient. Later when I heard that his followers regarded him as a reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, my desire to meet him became even stronger.

To cut a long story short, Murphet did see Bhagavan shortly thereafter in Madras, when he was attending the school mentioned above. At around the same time, Swami also had come to the city at the behest of many devotees there.

Murphet had the Darshan of Baba, saw miracles, was astonished at first, then wondered about them, and finally realised that the Divinity of Bhagavan was primary while miracles were merely a manifestation of His Love. Murphet quickly caught on to the fact that Baba is an Incarnation of the Lord, and that when the Lord comes in human form, He is to be recognised not by superhuman phenomena or aspects but by the Divine qualities of Pure Love, Compassion, Selfless Sacrifice, and limitless Forbearance.

His prayers having been answered and having seen the Incarnation with his own eyes, Murphet spared no pains to share his 'discovery' with the rest of the world. He did this through many books and of course also lectures, especially in his country. Result: incredulous foreigners started flocking to the remote hamlet of Puttaparthi in increasing numbers, to come face to face with the Living God. Murphet himself made many trips India to have Baba's Darshan, and continued doing so even after he passed the ripe old age of ninety. He it was who 'introduced' Baba 'Down Under', to Australia.

Naturally, Swami always had a soft corner for Murphet and would greet him by asking, "Murphet, are you perfect?" Invariably, it produced laughter all round. To the devotees present, Swami would introduce Murphet as the 'Old Australian Tiger!' The merit of earlier births earned for this nice old gentleman the privilege of spreading Swami's Name and Message in his own way, and earning more Divine Grace thereby. As Krishna says in the Gita, blessed are they who speak about the Lord, and spread His Message.

Murphet is now 95 years of age. He has been blind now for many years, but still writes, using a Dictaphone from which others then transcribe. The letter reproduced below is one of his latest writings. What devotion and what commitment! And how, despite his advanced age and handicap, he is prepared to speak out boldly in the cause of Truth!

I found in Murphet's letter all the courage and inspiration I needed to snap out of my fleeting spell of despondency. I hope you, dear Reader, will find it to be so too.

Dear Devotees,

My good friends - or some of them - in the Sai movement have expressed the opinion that the present time is really the dividing of the ways, "the sifting of the chaff from the grain", or what the Bible might call the dividing of the sheep from the goats. Whichever the way we see it this is a difficult time for some people, especially for those followers of Sai Baba who are fairly new.

Many of you will have read some of my books, so you know perhaps that I am probably the first from the Western world to come to Sathya Sai Baba.I came as a Western sceptic and stayed with Him, or near Him, for some six years, trying to solve the problem of His identity and why He is here in the world.

I returned to the West, but I have been back many times, pulled by the strong magnet that the Avatar is.

I have studied Baba's relationship to ordinary human beings in the world, and how His purpose is to lead those who are ready to their own inner Guru, or the God within. I did not immediately accept Him as an Avatar, but did so after He taught me, in a humble manner, what an Avatar is, and how we are all Avatars, descendants from God, without being aware of it. As I stayed on, I became more and more certain that He was indeed an Avatar. This is not based on the fact that He materialises things.

I know that there are others in India who have the Siddhis (occult powers) for materialisation. Some of them are masters on the right path while others are on the left hand path of the black magicians.In most cases they have trained servants in the astral realm who carry out things for them, as they desire - I mean bringing material objects such as trinkets, food and so on. So you might say that the fact that Swami materialises things is really no proof that He is an Avatar of God.

In His case, though, He goes further than that. He does what only a Being bearing the Christ Consciousness or the Divine Consciousness on Earth can do, and I have witnessed many of these phenomena. One instance is the conversion of one type of matter to another, which labels Him as a 'Master of Matter'. One such instance that I was a witness to was the conversion of a piece of granite rock into edible candy, while the rock never left my sight. I examined it before, and afterwards ate some of the candy. Only the Divine One can do such a thing as that. Another example that He did when the necessity arose, was to convert a bucket of ordinary water, drawn from a well nearby, into a bucketful of petrol by stirring the water with His forefinger. It was then poured into the petrol tank of the car, and the car continued on the journey, using the petrol that Swami had converted from water.

These incidents, and other juggling of the atoms to change one type of matter to another, are things that convince me of His Divine Consciousness, which shows that He is the Master of Matter - being able to create it, convert it, and destroy it.

When He produces a Sivalingam from inside Himself - which I saw Him do as long ago as 1966 - if there is nobody present worthy of receiving the Lingam, then He dematerialises It. This happens when there is no one who will faithfully do the regular Pujas (rituals) that are required to keep the Lingam auspicious. In other words, He then sends It back to the unmanifest. This might be called the destruction of matter.

You must have read about all of this in my books, yet the greatest of His miracles is the Divine Love by which he brings about a deep change in the nature of people, His followers. I have described this inner change which might be called the 'Birth of the Divine Child Within Us', or the initiation into Divine Life. Many, many people, throughout the years, have been changed in this way - this deep-rooted inner change is really your first step on the homeward journey.

Then there is the great compassion of Sai Baba, which requires miraculous action for its fulfillment.

You have read in one of my books that some years ago - in fact in 1982 - when I was diagnosed as having an incurable disease, I prayed very earnestly to Sai Baba, my Guru. I was in a beautiful room in the Adelaide Hills, while Sai Baba (in the body) was of course at that time in India at His Ashram. My prayer was so intense that after a sleep on a couch where the sun was shining through the windows, I woke up to see Swami's head and arm as it circled over me, and I knew that He had come and that this was a healing gesture.

I saw it in that brief time between sleep and being fully awake, which, as you may have heard, is a time when everybody has a short period of clairvoyance. When that short period passed, His hand and body disappeared from my vision, but He was still there in the room. I knew this by the unbelievably soul-moving sense of the luminous in the room. In fact the room was filled by it, and it penetrated the wall to where my wife was sitting in the breakfast room, and then when Swami left, the luminosity went too.

This is what the ancient Romans called "the sense of the Presence of the Divine" (the luminous or Lumina). Well, I knew then that I was cured of the disease, and tests afterwards proved that this was so.

There are people I know who have had the clairvoyant vision of Swami's subtle form, almost every day, and He has the power to appear in more than one place at a time. When He was younger, He used to go into a trance in order to make the necessary out-of-body journeys to help people. But, for many years now, He carries on with whatever He is doing, while sending out a subtle form to do whatever is required for accomplishing His work of helping mankind. Of this I have had many proofs, and I have no doubt whatsoever about it. Through these experiences and my contemplation of them, I have come to a firm, unshakable conviction that we have with us, in Sathya Sai Baba, one of the greatest Avatars of all time.

All these petty and ridiculous allegations that are circulating about One who is God - One whom we should realise cannot be measured with the measuring tape of the ordinary human mind - I find myself paying no heed to whatsoever. They arise through the activities of some egos, anxious either to bring the Great One down to their own level, so that their own personal egos may grow, as they try to climb the ladder of Divinity. At the same time, they are serving the dark forces that are battling hard today against the Light that the Avatar is shedding on Earth.

I know, too, that He is being supported by many workers in the force-field of light, such as the Ascended Masters, two of whom I had much to do with while I was researching the biographies of the outward founders of the Theosophical Movement. They are Master El Morya and Master Kuthumi, who are two of the most powerful Masters behind the launching of the Theosophical Society in the last century. Their purpose, in Their own words, was "to turn the crest wave of intellectual thought that was being enlarged by the rapid growth of science during the latter half of the last century, to turn this - or at least some of it - towards the spiritual shores instead of letting it all break on the rocks of materialism."

These two great Ascended Masters have given the weight of their spiritual perception and knowledge, to confirm what I myself, and many others throughout the world, have experienced. I feel beyond doubt that we are greatly honoured to have an Avatar of the calibre of Sai Baba on Earth amongst us today. The two Masters stated in the book, 'The Light will Set You Free' that, "Avatar Sai Baba is carrying the Divine Consciousness in the world today."

Another great Indian saint and seer, about whom you have all read in the 'Autobiography of a Yogi', by Paramahamsa Yogananada, is Ananda Mayi Ma, whose photo is in the book. She has stated to a Sai devotee that, "Sai Baba is not only a great Avatar, but the greatest that has ever walked the earth."

No doubt many people may waver, and other faithless ones may turn away from the Avatar, but it will not change His mission, which is to raise the Consciousness of people in the world. When enough of them have evolved, it will bring about a quantum leap in the Consciousness of humanity, and thus start the new Age of Truth (the Sathya Yuga).

I can only tell you my own convictions in this matter, and let you make your own decision as to which road to travel. One leads to the Light, and the other to the darkness through which the world has suffered during the long centuries of the Kali Yuga. It is entirely your choice of course, but I pray that you may make the right one, and lead as many others as you can to choose likewise. Those working against the Avatar, unless they go to the unredeemable level of being demonic, will some day, in some life, come back to the Divine Feet. This I pray for as I send them my love. God bless you, Sai Ram.

Now tell me, isn't that amazing!
Jai Sai Ram.
G Venkataraman

From: http://www.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_02/18Oct01/Home.htm
Radio Sai E-Magazine, 1st October 2004

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